Thomas Ranese, VP of global marketing at Uber, talks about how a lack of planning can sometimes blow up in your face, at least until you figure out how to make the best of it. He also weighs in on the wisdom he'd like to bring back from the mountaintop and how to avoid running into walls at work.

Thomas Ranese, VP of global marketing at Uber, talks about how a lack of planning can sometimes blow up in your face, at least until you figure out how to make the best of it. He also weighs in on the wisdom he'd like to bring back from the mountaintop and how to avoid running into walls at work.

Uber's VP of global marketing on winging it

Elizabeth Del Valle explains how to plan and host a great gathering, even over Zoom. She also weighs in on catching up on peak TV and Caribbean coffee culture.

Elizabeth Del Valle explains how to plan and host a great gathering, even over Zoom. She also weighs in on catching up on peak TV and Caribbean coffee culture.

YouTube Gaming's global head of marketing on digital dinner parties

Gila Wilensky never expected to marry a rabbi, but she's settled into duties much like those of a first lady—and adapted to long-distance religious life during the pandemic. She also weighs in on trying out for MasterChef and the lessons we'll all take from forced digital sabbaticals.

Gila Wilensky never expected to marry a rabbi, but she's settled into duties much like those of a first lady—and adapted to long-distance religious life during the pandemic. She also weighs in on trying out for MasterChef and the lessons we'll all take from forced digital sabbaticals.

Xaxis' U.S president on life as a rabbinical spouse

Marvin Chow talks about his love of chains like McDonald's, Shake Shack and In-N-Out, especially outside the U.S. He also weighs in on working in his mother's 7-Eleven, being married to a chef and the social impact of brands at scale.

Marvin Chow talks about his love of chains like McDonald's, Shake Shack and In-N-Out, especially outside the U.S. He also weighs in on working in his mother's 7-Eleven, being married to a chef and the social impact of brands at scale.

Google's VP of global marketing on loving fast food

Neil Barrie

The consultancy's global CEO spent his younger years touring Europe playing indie rock for a share of the door take. He also weighs in on disappointing The National's Matt Berninger and why drummers have so much baggage.

The consultancy's global CEO spent his younger years touring Europe playing indie rock for a share of the door take. He also weighs in on disappointing The National's Matt Berninger and why drummers have so much baggage.

TwentyFirstCenturyBrand's Neil Barrie on playing in indie bands

Carrie Dragshaw

Brand innovation and strategy partner Dan Clay talks about creating his 'Carrie Dragshaw' persona, meeting Sarah Jessica Parker and the drag we all wear every day.

Brand innovation and strategy partner Dan Clay talks about creating his 'Carrie Dragshaw' persona, meeting Sarah Jessica Parker and the drag we all wear every day.

Lippincott's 'Carrie Dragshaw' on drag, 'Bake Off'—and the personas we all create every day

Erich Joiner, founder of Tool of North America, talks about his side gig, driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R on the professional racing circuit. He also weighs in the benefits of learning filmmaking before digital, running a coffeeshop and crashing into a concrete wall at 120 mph.

Erich Joiner, founder of Tool of North America, talks about his side gig, driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R on the professional racing circuit. He also weighs in the benefits of learning filmmaking before digital, running a coffeeshop and crashing into a concrete wall at 120 mph.

Tool of North America's founder on driving in the pro racing circuit

Anders Wahlquist, founder and CEO of B-Reel, ran a microbrewery in Sweden in the '90s—the first in the country to produce an unfiltered beer. He also talks about '70s cinema, running a nightclub and performing as a DJ.

Anders Wahlquist, founder and CEO of B-Reel, ran a microbrewery in Sweden in the '90s—the first in the country to produce an unfiltered beer. He also talks about '70s cinema, running a nightclub and performing as a DJ.

 B-Reel's CEO on running a microbrewery

Lindsey Farrar, founder and editor in chief of CRWN Magazine, planted her first garden this year. The collard greens flourished. The tomatoes weren't so lucky. She also weighs in on conscious consumption, buying dirt and realizing she was conditioned out of a birthright.

Lindsey Farrar, founder and editor in chief of CRWN Magazine, planted her first garden this year. The collard greens flourished. The tomatoes weren't so lucky. She also weighs in on conscious consumption, buying dirt and realizing she was conditioned out of a birthright.

CRWN Magazine's founder on gardening

Brian Salzman, CEO and founder of RQ, has an eye for interior design. He's also one of the owners of Dive Palm Springs, a boutique hotel he helped renovate. He also weighs in on painting parties, office environments and explains how to spruce up a room for $5.

Brian Salzman, CEO and founder of RQ, has an eye for interior design. He's also one of the owners of Dive Palm Springs, a boutique hotel he helped renovate. He also weighs in on painting parties, office environments and explains how to spruce up a room for $5.

RQ's CEO on interior design and running a hotel

Introducing Ad Block, a new Ad Age podcast. Hosted by Ad Age’s own I-Hsien Sherwood and Alfred Maskeroni, Ad Block features personal, casual chats with big names in the industry. We’ve got one rule on this show: no guests can talk about their company or their clients. Get to know the people behind the ads you love—as they talk about anything but.

Such a great window on the human experience. I love that there’s no telling what the next topic will be. It’s always interesting. Plus, the perfect mix of funny and informative. So glad this show exists!

Love it.

very much enjoyed! nice convo that&#39;s different than the typical ad topics. Loved the &#34;you down with OTT&#34; segment.

i dug it!

Ad Age Ad Block

Aleen Kuperman

Aleen Kuperman, co-founder and CEO at Betches Media, talks about growing up the child of Russian immigrants who escaped the Soviet Union in 1988, a year before the Berlin Wall fell. It was a struggle to explain what “Betches” was to her parents. She also talks about the joys of Café Bustelo instant coffee, the pressures of planning a vacation and the relief she felt when she was finally able to hire someone else to write about "The Bachelor."

Betches Media's Aleen Kuperman on growing up with immigrant parents

Kay Hsu

Kay Hsu, global director at Instagram Creative Shop, talks about living with stage IV metastatic breast cancer, an incurable form of the disease that has spread to her bones. “People always say you’re going to fight it, but it’s not one of those things,” she says. Someday, the doctors tell her, “the medicine will stop working.” She also weighs in on the sheer volume of fascinating content on YouTube, what to wear to chemo (loose, comfortable clothing) and her ideal meal at McDonald’s.

Kay Hsu, global director at Instagram Creative Shop, talks about living with stage IV metastatic breast cancer, an incurable form of the disease that has spread to her bones. “People always say you’re going to fight it, but it’s not one of those things,” she says. Someday, the doctors tell her, “the medicine will stop working.” She also weighs in on the sheer volume of fascinating content on YouTube, what to wear to chemo (loose, comfortable clothing) and her ideal meal at McDonald’s.

Instagram's Kay Hsu on living with cancer

Melissa Hobley

Melissa Hobley, CMO at OKCupid, describes the obstacles facing people who are undergoing in vitro fertilization. She is currently pregnant with her second child conceived using the technique. The process is stressful, time-consuming, painful and expensive, and it involves plenty of uncertainty. “It’s one of those things that so few people talk about, for obvious reasons.” She also weighs in on the best and worst couples, the allure of live TV and mixing politics and family.

Melissa Hobley, CMO at OKCupid, describes the obstacles facing people who are undergoing in vitro fertilization. She is currently pregnant with her second child conceived using the technique. The process is stressful, time-consuming, painful and expensive, and it involves plenty of uncertainty. “It’s one of those things that so few people talk about, for obvious reasons.” She also weighs in on the best and worst couples, the allure of live TV and mixing politics and family.

Ad Block Encore: OKCupid CMO Melissa Hobley on in vitro fertilization

Neal Arthur

Neal Arthur, managing director of Wieden &amp; Kennedy New York, shares stories of his time as a sex ed teacher at a Catholic school. “There’s a weird sort of faux confidence in 8th grade that you have to have to make it,” he says. “You walk around acting like you’ve got it all figured out, yet you know nothing.” He also weighs in on his love of Nike’s “Mars Blackmon” ads and admits that he doesn’t like The Beatles or one particular Golden Girl.

Neal Arthur, managing director of Wieden &amp; Kennedy New York, shares stories of his time as a sex ed teacher at a Catholic school. “There’s a weird sort of faux confidence in 8th grade that you have to have to make it,” he says. “You walk around acting like you’ve got it all figured out, yet you know nothing.” He also weighs in on his love of Nike’s “Mars Blackmon” ads and admits that he doesn’t like The Beatles or one particular Golden Girl.

Wieden & Kennedy NY's Neal Arthur on teaching 8th grade sex ed

Jeff Goodby

Goodby Silverstein &amp; Partners founder Jeff Goodby talks about his tequila importing business—a small-batch, high-end liquor aged for 5 years in three kinds of barrels. “It makes you do your other job better to have things on the side, whether it’s fishing or painting or playing soccer or whatever you take seriously,” he says. He also chooses the best vandals throughout history, recommends alarming audio books and takes a milk-based pop quiz.

Goodby Silverstein &amp; Partners founder Jeff Goodby talks about his tequila importing business—a small-batch, high-end liquor aged for 5 years in three kinds of barrels. “It makes you do your other job better to have things on the side, whether it’s fishing or painting or playing soccer or whatever you take seriously,” he says. He also chooses the best vandals throughout history, recommends alarming audio books and takes a milk-based pop quiz.

Jeff Goodby on his tequila business

Paul Charney

Paul Charney is CEO and founder of Funworks, an agency that incorporates sketch and improv comedians into the creative process. He talks about founding Killing My Lobster, a sketch comedy troupe in San Francisco. Charney also weighs in on the trauma-inducing laughs of Netflix’s “Big Mouth,” the tight storytelling of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and drafts a “Saturday Night Live” fantasy cast.

Funworks' Paul Charney on sketch comedy

Ad Block Encore: Wieden & Kennedy NY's Neal Arthur on teaching 8th grade sex ed

Tiffany R. Warren talks about the skin care tradition handed down through her family and the ways she’s improved upon it. “In a way, when I take care of my skin, it’s a connection to my grandmother,” she says. She also weighs in on her ideal breakfast, what to do with your privilege and the enduring legacy of New Edition.

Tiffany R. Warren talks about the skin care tradition handed down through her family and the ways she’s improved upon it. “In a way, when I take care of my skin, it’s a connection to my grandmother,” she says. She also weighs in on her ideal breakfast, what to do with your privilege and the enduring legacy of New Edition.

Tiffany R. Warren, chief diversity officer and SVP at Omnicom, founder and president of the diversity advocacy organization AdColor

Greg Hahn

Greg Hahn, CCO at BBDO New York, talk about ‘mindhacking.’ “It’s about how you approach problems and solve them, and how you can do it by thinking about them differently,” he says. He also weighs in on his love for ‘80s guitar shredding and the disaster epic “Chernobyl” and his hatred of bees.

Greg Hahn, CCO at BBDO New York, talk about ‘mindhacking.’ “It’s about how you approach problems and solve them, and how you can do it by thinking about them differently,” he says. He also weighs in on his love for ‘80s guitar shredding and the disaster epic “Chernobyl” and his hatred of bees.

BBDO NY CCO Greg Hahn on 'mindhacking'

Harris Beber

Vimeo CMO

Harris Beber, CMO at Vimeo, talks about the benefits of getting up before dawn and tackling physical tasks that feel impossible. Though he’s perpetually sleep deprived, it gives him more time to spend with his family late at night or to work out on his own schedule. Beber also weighs in on long-distance biking through New York City, dealing with his attention deficit disorder and his love of Mondays.

Harris Beber, CMO at Vimeo, talks about the benefits of getting up before dawn and tackling physical tasks that feel impossible. Though he’s perpetually sleep deprived, it gives him more time to spend with his family late at night or to work out on his own schedule. Beber also weighs in on long-distance biking through New York City, dealing with his attention deficit disorder and his love of Mondays.

Vimeo CMO, Harris Beber, on early rising and century rides

OKCupid CMO Melissa Hobley on in vitro fertilization

Ted Cruz

Michael Fanuele

Michael Fanuele, president of MDC media agency Assembly, talks about competing in formal debate in high school and college, including against future Texas Senator Ted Cruz. He also weighs in on the best Italian comfort food, why the data says country music is better than rock ‘n’ roll and handicaps the persuasive messaging in the Democratic primary.

Michael Fanuele, president of MDC media agency Assembly, talks about competing in formal debate in high school and college, including against future Texas Senator Ted Cruz. He also weighs in on the best Italian comfort food, why the data says country music is better than rock ‘n’ roll and handicaps the persuasive messaging in the Democratic primary.

Assembly’s Michael Fanuele on Oxford debate, the persuasive power of U2—and having Ted Cruz as a nemesis

Jason Harris

Mekanism president and CEO Jason Harris talks about sparring in the boxing ring—for charity at first—which evolved into his preferred workout after a long day at the office. “It was terrifying. You don’t really know until you go in there for your first sparring match how you’re going to take a punch,” Harris says. “And then you kind of get into it, and you enjoy getting hit after a while, which is a really weird thing to say.” He also weighs in on growing up near Washington, D.C., what it was like knowing he wanted to be in advertising from a young age and why David Bowie is the greatest musician of all time.

Mekanism president and CEO Jason Harris talks about sparring in the boxing ring—for charity at first—which evolved into his preferred workout after a long day at the office. “It was terrifying. You don’t really know until you go in there for your first sparring match how you’re going to take a punch,” Harris says. “And then you kind of get into it, and you enjoy getting hit after a while, which is a really weird thing to say.” He also weighs in on growing up near Washington, D.C., what it was like knowing he wanted to be in advertising from a young age and why David Bowie is the greatest musician of all time.

Mekanism CEO Jason Harris on sparring in the ring

Virtue CCO Cameron Farrelly talks about the obsessive need to curate—some might say hoard—items that strike his fancy. Collecting “vinyl is like having a hobby that doesn’t have a finish. It’s going to torment you, because you’re never going to master that hobby, so you will never be complete,” he says. He also weighs in on his own virtues, creativity as an obsessive tendency and the recursive cultural critique of “The Truman Show.”

Virtue CCO Cameron Farrelly talks about the obsessive need to curate—some might say hoard—items that strike his fancy. Collecting “vinyl is like having a hobby that doesn’t have a finish. It’s going to torment you, because you’re never going to master that hobby, so you will never be complete,” he says. He also weighs in on his own virtues, creativity as an obsessive tendency and the recursive cultural critique of “The Truman Show.”

Virtue CCO Cameron Farrelly on hoarding

Krystle Loyland, CEO of Preacher, talks about her love of cooking, a talent she inherited from her own mother but didn’t discover until after college. “There’s hardly anything more instantly gratifying than cooking a meal. You get to come up with it and put it together and watch it transform and put it out for people, and you’re done.” She also started smoking meat at home about six years ago. Loyland also weighs in on the best deadly sin, her love of true crime and Beyoncé Knowles.

Krystle Loyland, CEO of Preacher, talks about her love of cooking, a talent she inherited from her own mother but didn’t discover until after college. “There’s hardly anything more instantly gratifying than cooking a meal. You get to come up with it and put it together and watch it transform and put it out for people, and you’re done.” She also started smoking meat at home about six years ago. Loyland also weighs in on the best deadly sin, her love of true crime and Beyoncé Knowles.

Preacher CEO Krystle Loyland on smoking meat and cooking at home

Kristen Cavallo

Kristen Cavallo, CEO of The Martin Agency, talks about traveling to all seven continents with her children, beginning before they were teenagers. After hitting four continents, the family decided to visit them all, a feat they accomplished recently with a trip to Antarctica on an ice breaker that culminated in a polar plunge while on the lookout for hungry orcas. She also weighs in on the limits of casual conversation, going off on tangents and that time an angry customer called her a “fem-nazi.”

Kristen Cavallo, CEO of The Martin Agency, talks about traveling to all seven continents with her children, beginning before they were teenagers. After hitting four continents, the family decided to visit them all, a feat they accomplished recently with a trip to Antarctica on an ice breaker that culminated in a polar plunge while on the lookout for hungry orcas. She also weighs in on the limits of casual conversation, going off on tangents and that time an angry customer called her a “fem-nazi.”

The Martin Agency CEO Kristen Cavallo took her kids to 7 continents

Toygar Bazarkaya

Toygar Bazarkaya, global chief creative officer at Optimist, talks about hitchhiking across Europe in the ‘80s and ‘90s, thumbing rides from his home in Stuttgart, Germany to art museums around Europe. He also also talks about growing up the child of Turkish immigrants in Germany, the excitement of finally owning the work of artists he’s admired for decades, the legendary exploits of Peggy Guggenheim and a diet he swears by that he says lets him lose weight and still indulge his sweet tooth.

Toygar Bazarkaya, global chief creative officer at Optimist, talks about hitchhiking across Europe in the ‘80s and ‘90s, thumbing rides from his home in Stuttgart, Germany to art museums around Europe. He also also talks about growing up the child of Turkish immigrants in Germany, the excitement of finally owning the work of artists he’s admired for decades, the legendary exploits of Peggy Guggenheim and a diet he swears by that he says lets him lose weight and still indulge his sweet tooth.

Optimist's Toygar Bazarkaya on hitchhiking

Tim Nudd

Clio

Tim Nudd, editor-in-chief of the Clio Awards and editor of Muse by Clio, talks about living the not-so-quiet life in Maine, where he goes fishing, camping and lobstering. “You slowly, through a catapult motion, let out more and more line,” he says. “You try to throw a fly in a particular part of a river where the fish are congregating.” He also weighs in on the appeal of Billy Joel and British period dramas and relates a tale of a bachelor party at sea—though not his own.

Tim Nudd, editor-in-chief of the Clio Awards and editor of Muse by Clio, talks about living the not-so-quiet life in Maine, where he goes fishing, camping and lobstering. “You slowly, through a catapult motion, let out more and more line,” he says. “You try to throw a fly in a particular part of a river where the fish are congregating.” He also weighs in on the appeal of Billy Joel and British period dramas and relates a tale of a bachelor party at sea—though not his own.

Clio Awards editor-in-chief Tim Nudd on Maine living

David Lee, chief creative officer at Squarespace, talks about how he discovered that editing photos gave him time to himself to think about everything else going on at work and in his life. “It’s like this repetitive task that you’re doing, and you’re not really even thinking about it, so your mind can drift. You can actually multitask very well.” He also weighs in on skateboarding as a kid, awkward anagrams and buying a technically-road-legal electric bike.

David Lee, chief creative officer at Squarespace, talks about how he discovered that editing photos gave him time to himself to think about everything else going on at work and in his life. “It’s like this repetitive task that you’re doing, and you’re not really even thinking about it, so your mind can drift. You can actually multitask very well.” He also weighs in on skateboarding as a kid, awkward anagrams and buying a technically-road-legal electric bike.

Squarespace CCO David Lee on meditation through photo manipulation

The best podcast episodes on romantic relationships. Episodes talk about the 5 love languages, intimacy, and the taboo topics of sexual desires and infidelity. This topic is a deep dive into the science and complexities that face us in our relationships with others. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes on Relationships & Love

The best podcast episodes on non-current politics. Covering topics such as universal basic income, democracy, poverty & justice and more. For anyone interested in learning more about politics that affect that world, not just now, but in the longer term. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!