Agency Business

Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Agency Business is a podcast about ad agencies, from media industry analysts Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley. In our interviews with marketing agency CEOs and ad industry business experts, we explain the week's agency news and provide the context you need to navigate the business. Check it out on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.

  1. #61: Rick Milenthal, CEO of The Shipyard

    5D AGO

    #61: Rick Milenthal, CEO of The Shipyard

    Welcome to Agency Business. Rick Milenthal, chairman and CEO of independent agency, The Shipyard, joined Brian and Olivia for a conversation about building and sustaining a full-service independent agency — with major operations in Columbus, Ohio and San Diego — around the philosophy of "engineering brand love" through the integration of paid, earned, and owned media. Rick shares how The Shipyard has grown to ~450 people by bringing together best-in-class talent across creative, media, PR, and experiential disciplines rather than treating them as separate businesses. He discusses the agency's sweet spot serving mid-market clients spending $50–$100 million, why he sees a significant greenfield opportunity in media buying for that segment, and how he thinks about acquisitions as talent acceleration rather than traditional M&A. Brian and Olivia also dig into the appointment of Nancy Hall as the new U.S. head of WPP Media, Havas' agency acquisition in Germany, the $220 million DHS media campaign and the political agency world it surfaced, and how agencies navigate clients or campaigns that staff find ethically fraught. Reach OutSubscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Inquire about Briefly.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    38 min
  2. #60: CourtAvenue Co-founder Dan Khabie

    MAR 2

    #60: CourtAvenue Co-founder Dan Khabie

    Welcome to Agency Business. This week Dan Khabie, cofounder of CourtAvenue, joined Olivia for a conversation about building an independent digital and AI transformation agency — from a garage startup in San Diego to a 250-person company growing at 64% year-over-year. Daniel discusses CourtAvenue's five pillar go-to-market strategy — spanning digital ecosystems, retail media, physical-digital experiences, and AI consulting — and how AI has become the central accelerant across all of it. He also shares his "fresh water" philosophy for working alongside in-house teams, reflects on lessons learned inside WPP and J. Walter Thompson, and offers his take on holding company consolidation. Brian and Olivia also dig into WPP's Elevate28 restructuring plan, Globant's client losses, and a remarkable 36-page court document that revealed the actual media spending of WPP's largest clients across major platforms. Reach OutSubscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Inquire about Briefly.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    40 min
  3. #59: What’s next for Dentsu in the Americas? With Beth Ann Kaminkow

    FEB 23

    #59: What’s next for Dentsu in the Americas? With Beth Ann Kaminkow

    Welcome to Agency Business. Brian and Olivia interviewed Beth Ann Kaminkow, CEO of the Americas and global chief client officer at Dentsu, following a significant leadership transition and renewed scrutiny of the company’s international business. The conversation comes as Dentsu posted weak financial results, announced Takeshi Sano as its new global CEO and president, and signaled that a previously explored sale of its international operations is no longer under consideration. Beth Ann discusses Dentsu’s strategy to prioritize Japan and the U.S. as growth engines, strengthen its power brands including Merkle, and position the company as “right-sized” for the AI era. She addresses questions around integration, talent turnover and global alignment, and confirms that partnership models — similar to the recent Horizon–Havas arrangement — remain a possibility as Dentsu evaluates ways to accelerate growth without creating further internal disruption. Reach OutSubscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Inquire about Briefly.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    34 min
  4. #58: If AI isn’t the differentiator, what is? With Supergood’s John Elder

    FEB 16

    #58: If AI isn’t the differentiator, what is? With Supergood’s John Elder

    Welcome to Agency Business. John Elder, CEO and co-founder of independent creative agency Supergood, joined Brian and Olivia to discuss how data — not AI alone — may become the real differentiator for agencies navigating margin pressure and rising client expectations. Reach OutSubscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Inquire about Briefly.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    27 min
  5. #57: Building an agency that stays close to the work, with Something Different

    FEB 9

    #57: Building an agency that stays close to the work, with Something Different

    Welcome to Agency Business. Patti McConnell, co-founder and managing partner, and Tommy Henvey, co-founder and chief creative officer of independent creative agency Something Different, joined Brian and Olivia for a conversation about building an agency designed for closeness, flexibility, and creative fulfillment rather than scale. Patti and Tommy discuss the studio model that allows Something Different to expand and contract around client needs, how trust and chemistry still decide pitches once you’re in the room, and why disciplined scoping and margin protection still matter even when agencies take on passion projects or long-term bets. We also explore cautious approaches to new business investment, rising expectations around transparency and security driven by procurement and fintech clients, and why many independents continue to prioritize culture, senior involvement, and client relationships as holding companies focus on profitability and structural change. Reach OutSubscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Inquire about Briefly.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    44 min
  6. #56: Rethinking the creative agency model, with FIG’s Judith Carr-Rodriguez

    FEB 2

    #56: Rethinking the creative agency model, with FIG’s Judith Carr-Rodriguez

    Welcome to Agency Business.Judith Carr-Rodriguez, CEO and partner at independent full-service creative agency, FIG, joined Brian and Olivia this week on the podcast. Judith shared how clients increasingly value small, senior teams over large pyramidal organizations, how FIG has grown by focusing on long-term AOR relationships rather than project-based work, and why the agency has become more selective as demand increases. Judith also shares how Fig thinks about controlled growth, client fit and longevity, arguing that focus — not scale for scale’s sake — has become one of the most important disciplines for independent agencies. Reach OutSubscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Inquire about Briefly.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    33 min
  7. #55: Inside Moosylvania’s bet on senior talent and growth, with CEO Andrew Cohen

    JAN 26

    #55: Inside Moosylvania’s bet on senior talent and growth, with CEO Andrew Cohen

    Welcome to Agency Business.Andrew Cohen, CEO of independent St. Louis creative agency Moosylvania, joined Brian and Olivia for a candid conversation about building an agency around senior talent, continuity, and long-term thinking. Andrew shares the origin story of Moosylvania, founded by his father after leaving an IPG-owned agency, and reflects on taking over leadership during the pandemic as the firm evolved into a more digital, hybrid operation. Reach OutSubscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Inquire about Briefly.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    42 min
  8. #54: Why agencies need to move beyond production in the age of AI. With Dean Broadhead

    JAN 19

    #54: Why agencies need to move beyond production in the age of AI. With Dean Broadhead

    Welcome to Agency Business.Brian and Olivia interview Dean Broadhead, founder of independent agency, Broadhead about how agencies should rethink production, talent, and investment as AI reshapes how work gets done. Drawing on his “stop making shoes” framework, Dean explains why agencies should focus less on long-tail production and more on strategy, creativity, and risk mitigation, using AI to create space for higher-value work rather than replace it. The conversation also explores culturally led AI adoption, proprietary platforms built around subscription models, capital allocation decisions — including exiting an ESOP — and why independents may be better positioned to stay closely connected to clients as holding companies navigate structural change. Reach OutSubscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Inquire about Briefly.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    31 min
See All (61)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Agency Business is a podcast about ad agencies, from media industry analysts Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley. In our interviews with marketing agency CEOs and ad industry business experts, we explain the week's agency news and provide the context you need to navigate the business. Check it out on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.

Information

  • Creator
    Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley
  • Show Website
    Agency Business

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