The Ad Podcast

Dylan Conroy
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Business
  • Updated Bimonthly

a podcast where host Dylan Conroy interviews the c suite of media companies, agencies, brands and thought leaders on his quest to build the worlds greatest sales culture

  1. ⁠David Meltzer⁠ - Co-Founder - ⁠Sports 1 Marketing⁠

    7h ago

    ⁠David Meltzer⁠ - Co-Founder - ⁠Sports 1 Marketing⁠

    David Meltzer - Co-Founder - Sports 1 Marketing Executive Profile: David MeltzerCurrent Roles: Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing | Chairman of the Napoleon Hill Institute (Corporate Division) | Host of The Playbook PodcastKey Achievements: Former CEO of Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment Holdings, LP (the inspiration for Jerry Maguire), Variety’s Sports Humanitarian of the Year, 3x International Best-Selling Author.BiographyDavid Meltzer is a globally recognized entrepreneur, top business coach, and technology pioneer who has spent over three decades operating at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and digital media. Early in his career, Meltzer proved himself a visionary in tech, serving as an executive for Westlaw and later as the CEO of Samsung Electronics’s first smartphone division, orchestrating the global release of the PC-E Phone.

    30 min
  2. ⁠Sherí Barros⁠ - Marketing and Communications Officer - ⁠ZERO Prostate Cancer⁠

    May 29

    ⁠Sherí Barros⁠ - Marketing and Communications Officer - ⁠ZERO Prostate Cancer⁠

    Sherí Barros, a seasoned marketing and brand executive who currently serves as the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at ZERO Prostate Cancer.She joined the executive team in October 2024, bringing an extensive background in "purpose-driven" marketing and sports brand partnerships.Professional BackgroundSherí has over 20 years of experience across the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, with a particular specialty in engaging male audiences through high-visibility sports and community brands.ZERO Prostate Cancer (2024–Present): As CMCO, she leads the organization’s national marketing, communications, and brand-amplification strategies. Her focus is on the "mission-first" strategy to reduce late-stage diagnoses and address health disparities in the prostate cancer community.American Cancer Society: Before joining ZERO, she was the VP of Sports Brand Partnerships.

    49 min
  3. Melissa Levy - President - Sparks

    May 29

    Melissa Levy - President - Sparks

    Melissa Levy (Advertising & Experiential Marketing Executive) Current Role: President of Sparks (a leading global brand experience and live events agency) Former Role: President and Chief Client Officer at Digitas North America Bio: Melissa Levy is a powerhouse executive in the advertising, digital, and experiential marketing industries. She began her career in finance and transitioned into e-commerce marketing during the dot-com era before finding her true calling in the agency world. Levy spent 15 years at the Publicis-owned digital agency Digitas, rising through the ranks to become the President and Chief Client Officer. During her tenure, she oversaw a team of hundreds across multiple U.S. offices, managing high-stakes accounts for Fortune 10 giants and major consumer brands like Microsoft, HP, and PayPal. In early 2026, she made a high-profile move to become the President of Sparks (a subsidiary of Freeman), where she now steers the agency's creative, strategy, and live-event production operations. A fierce advocate for diversity and leadership development, Levy is a founding member of the Boston chapter of Chief (a network for executive women) and serves on the board of directors for the AdClub. Her work has earned top industry accolades, including Cannes Lions, Effies, and the Ad Club's Women We Admire award.

    13 min
  4. Sam Lewis - Senior Vice President (SVP), Creative & Media (Americas) - DEPT®

    May 26

    Sam Lewis - Senior Vice President (SVP), Creative & Media (Americas) - DEPT®

    Executive Profile: Sam Lewis Current Role: Senior Vice President (SVP), Creative & Media (Americas) at DEPT® Industry Focus: Brand Strategy, Integrated Marketing, AI & Digital Transformation Sam Lewis is a seasoned marketing transformation specialist and executive with over 20 years of experience building integrated agency models that merge creative storytelling, media, and technology. The son of an entrepreneur, Lewis inherited a restless curiosity for business, which eventually led him into the fast-paced world of global advertising. Before joining DEPT®, Lewis spent nearly two decades navigating major industry shifts. He famously served as Partner and US CEO of T&Pm (formerly CHI&Partners / The&Partnership, a prominent WPP-backed network), where he helped scale the independent creative shop into a global network spanning more than 30 offices worldwide. Throughout his career, he has driven nearly $1 billion in net new revenue, spearheading massive, headline-making pitch wins for global juggernauts like Toyota (including the London 2012 Olympics campaign) and The Coca-Cola Company. Lewis joined DEPT®'s Americas leadership team, stepping into his role as SVP of Creative & Media. At DEPT®, he oversees a massive portfolio that accounts for roughly half of the agency’s regional revenue. Known for his "newsroom mentality"—moving brands away from static campaigns and toward always-on, social-first cultural platforms—Lewis has guided major brands like Google, Snap, eBay, Coach, Mazda, SiriusXM, and The Washington Post through complex digital evolutions. He is a major proponent of fusing human creativity with AI, frequently speaking at industry events (like CES) on how modern, future-fit agencies must leverage technology to scale growth without losing their creative edge.

    13 min
  5. Michael "Mike" Pratt - Founder, President, and Host - Digital Fight Club

    May 23

    Michael "Mike" Pratt - Founder, President, and Host - Digital Fight Club

    Michael "Mike" Pratt is an entrepreneur, technology executive, and the Founder, President, and Host of Digital Fight Club (DFC). Digital Fight Club: Founded by Pratt in 2015, Digital Fight Club is a highly popular, fast-paced live event series designed to replace boring, dry corporate panels. It pits top technology gurus, CEOs, and cybersecurity experts against each other in a metaphorical "ring" to debate contentious, cutting-edge tech topics in front of a live audience and a panel of expert referees. What started as a local event in Dallas, Texas, has expanded to other major tech hubs like Houston, Atlanta, and Boston, and is currently being developed for a broader television audience format. Digital Dallas: Before DFC took off, Pratt founded Digital Dallas, an organization aimed at fostering, showcasing, and connecting the entrepreneurial and digital technology community in North Texas. Panamplify: In addition to his event ventures, Pratt serves as the CEO of Panamplify, a technology company that uses automation and artificial intelligence to streamline data collection and report generation for marketing agencies and brands. Pratt is widely recognized in the southern tech ecosystem for his high-energy hosting style and his knack for turning dense industry topics into entertaining, digestible spectacles.

    13 min
  6. ⁠Stevan Popovich⁠ - President & Chief Retail Officer - ⁠Cycle Gear Inc.⁠

    May 21

    ⁠Stevan Popovich⁠ - President & Chief Retail Officer - ⁠Cycle Gear Inc.⁠

    Stevan Popovich is a prominent retail and corporate leader in the powersports industry. He serves as the President and Chief Retail Officer of Cycle Gear, America's largest retailer of motorcycle aftermarket parts, apparel, and accessories, operating nearly 180 stores across the United States.Career Trajectory: With over 20 years of experience in brand growth and product development, he spent years scaling major e-commerce platforms. He previously served as the Vice President of Merchandising and VP of Business Development for @RevZilla.com and Comoto Family of Brands, where he drove massive digital acquisition and national brick-and-mortar retail footprint expansion.

    1h 1m
  7. Brandon Lentino - Chief Creative Officer (CCO) - Viral Nation

    May 21

    Brandon Lentino - Chief Creative Officer (CCO) - Viral Nation

    Brandon Lentino is a prominent creative executive in the social media and creator economy space, currently serving as the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at Viral Nation, one of the world’s leading social media marketing transformation agencies. His work focuses on bridging the gap between traditional brand marketing and the fast-moving "social-first" world of creators and influencers. Chief Creative Officer: Lentino oversees the creative direction for global brands, ensuring that their social presence isn't just "ads," but content that resonates with modern audiences (especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha). VN Studio: Following Viral Nation’s acquisition of Eight Seven Media (a production agency Lentino co-owned), he helped spearhead the creation of "VN Studio." This internal hub focuses on high-speed content production, distribution, and monetization for athletes, celebrities, and brands. Strategy: He is a vocal advocate for "engineering UGC" (User Generated Content). His philosophy is that brand activations should be designed as "social engines" where the physical experience is built specifically to prompt sharing and digital engagement. Zillow & "Demure" Marketing: He led a viral 2025 campaign for Zillow featuring creator Jools Lebron, leveraging the "very demure, very mindful" trend to reach first-time homebuyers on social media. Super Bowl Coverage: In February 2026, he was a featured expert for ADWEEK’s "Big Game Live Show," providing real-time analysis of Super Bowl ads, social sentiment, and creator-led marketing strategies. 7-Eleven "Summer of Sev": He oversaw the award-winning creative for 7-Eleven Canada, which used a digital-first approach to position the brand as a convenience leader for a younger, social-savvy demographic. Lentino often speaks about the "Hybrid of Tech and Humanity." He argues that while a strong tech stack (social listening, AI, and analytics) is necessary, it must be combined with human expertise to know when a brand should enter a cultural conversation without looking like an "outsider."

    16 min

  8. May 20

    ⁠Josh Gross⁠ - Chief Creative Officer - ⁠BBDO Chicago⁠

    Josh Gross is an elite, award-winning creative executive known for building viral, culture-shaping campaigns that merge massive scale with genuine human soul. Having established himself as a powerhouse creative leader during a highly successful decade at Energy BBDO, he was appointed to oversee the newly integrated FCB Global / BBDO Chicago creative team following the major Omnicom network merger.In this role, Josh is tasked with unifying two of Chicago’s most historic and distinct agency cultures, focusing on real-time, high-speed creative experimentation to keep major global brands culturally relevant.Key Career Highlights & Creative Philosophy:Scale with Soul: Josh operates under a unified creative vision to "do big things by scale, with soul." He rejects the idea that a campaign must choose between data-driven, massive reach and emotional depth, pushing his teams to find the golden intersection of both.

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

a podcast where host Dylan Conroy interviews the c suite of media companies, agencies, brands and thought leaders on his quest to build the worlds greatest sales culture

Information

  • Creator
    Dylan Conroy
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    375
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dylan Conroy
  • Show Website
    The Ad Podcast

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