Agency Business

Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley
  • 5.0 (1)
  • 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. 3D AGO

    #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
  2. #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
  3. #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
  4. #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
  5. #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
  6. #53: Can agencies charge for value in the age of AI? With Ammunition CEO Jeremy Heilpern

    JAN 12

    #53: Can agencies charge for value in the age of AI? With Ammunition CEO Jeremy Heilpern

    Welcome to Agency Business.Brian interviews Ammunition CEO Jeremy Heilpern to examine how agencies can defend pricing and articulate value as AI reshapes workflows, timelines and client expectations. Drawing on Ammunition’s growth from a category-focused shop into an independent agency with a broad client roster, Jeremy explains why specialization, internal production and deliberate investment decisions have been central to maintaining margins and client retention. 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
  7. #52: What 2026 means for agencies: AI pressure, economic calm and creative’s value problem

    JAN 5

    #52: What 2026 means for agencies: AI pressure, economic calm and creative’s value problem

    Welcome to Agency Business.Brian and Olivia discuss 2026 agency trends with media and tech analyst Ian Whittaker. Drawing on his background in financial markets and consulting, Ian frames 2026 as a crossroads year for agencies, one defined less by immediate disruption than by a series of strategic choices that will determine longer-term positioning. The conversation explores whether agencies can move up the value chain by better articulating the financial value of creativity, how AI has intensified pressure from tech platforms, and why independent agencies may be better positioned to defend pricing and confidence than holding companies. Whittaker also shares his outlook on organic growth across the major holding companies, the risks facing Dentsu’s international business, and what agency leaders should prioritize when hiring senior leadership in a market where creative credibility and business fluency increasingly need to coexist. 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.

    37 min
  8. #51: Inside the 4As' 2026 Look Head report

    12/22/2025

    #51: Inside the 4As' 2026 Look Head report

    Welcome to Agency Business. Mollie Rosen, president of member experience at the 4As, joins Olivia and Brian this week to unpack the 4As' 2026 Look Ahead report and what it signals about the future of agencies. Agencies face two divergent but overlapping paths, according to Mollie. They can 1. Become platform- and technology-led or 2. Double down on creativity and strategic partnership. We explore how AI is accelerating this tension, why most agencies are likely to land somewhere along a continuum between the two extremes, and how longstanding issues around compensation models, talent strategy and investment risk could determine which agencies are best positioned to adapt. 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 opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

    36 min
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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
    58
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley
  • Show Website
    Agency Business

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