With MAD//Fest just weeks away, in this episode of the NDA podcast Editor in chief Justin Pearse and publisher Andy Oakes are joined by MAD//Fest co-founder Dan Brain for a wide-ranging chat covering this year's event, the state of the industry, and why we all need a human touch. This year's MAD//Fest, for which NDA is a long-time partner, theme is "the human touch", a deliberate counterweight, Brain explains, to an industry currently obsessed with AI. As the pendulum swings from hype to widespread implementation, MAD//Fest's line-up is focussing on human creativity, craft and connection rather than chasing the robots. The trio also dig into how AI is changing perceptions in content, PR and marketing. Press releases obviously ChatGPT createdd are increasingly ignored, and we discuss a growing sense that audiences can spot, and instinctively devalue, anything that looks AI-generated. On the speaker front, Brain reveals Louis Theroux will appear at MAD//Fest for the first time, off the back of his Netflix Manosphere documentary, to explore the role brands play in funding online content. He's joined by comedian Munya Chawawa, plus the CMOs of Burger King and McDonald's. Brain discusses the sheer scale of pulling MAD//Fest together: coordinating 560-plus speakers, navigating the quirks of the Truman Brewery as a venue, and the year-round sales and rebooking effort behind a three-day show. Looking ahead, MAD North will expand beyond Manchester into Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with Amsterdam mooted as a possible future market. And we discover they Dan Brain's spirit animal is a seal.
