The Ad Podcast

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⁠Wing Lam⁠ - co-founder - ⁠Wahoo's Fish Taco⁠s Oct 29, 2026

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Wing Lam is a restaurateur, entrepreneur, and philanthropist best known as the co-founder and face of Wahoo's Fish Taco. Born in Brazil to Chinese immigrant parents and raised in Orange County, California, Lam grew up working in his family's restaurant business. In 1988, alongside his brothers Ed and Mingo, he opened the first Wahoo's location in Costa Mesa. The brand became a Southern California staple by blending Mexican, Asian, and Brazilian flavors (such as teriyaki and black beans) with surf and skate culture. Beyond expanding Wahoo's into a multi-state franchise, Lam is an avid surfer and community advocate, frequently recognized for his active philanthropic work and support for local causes.

⁠Daniel Schotland⁠ - Chief Operating Officer - ⁠Linqia⁠ Oct 28, 2026

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Daniel Schotland, Chief Operating Officer at Linqia—the enterprise influencer marketing platform powering creator-led strategies for some of the world's biggest brands. Daniel began his career at Deloitte Consulting before taking his operational rigor to Linqia, where he leads product, data science, engineering, and client operations. From building Linqia's proprietary AI engines like Marco AI to pioneering the Creator Council—a framework that embeds creators upstream in brand strategy—Daniel is redefining how enterprise CMOs scale influencer marketing without losing authenticity. Today, we’re diving into moving beyond surface-level vanity metrics, using AI to streamline creator workflows, and why creators are becoming strategic advisors to Fortune 500 boardrooms.

Laurel Mintz , J.D., M.B.A., founder and CEO o-Elevate My Brand⁠ (EMB) Oct 28, 2026

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Laurel Mintz , J.D., M.B.A., is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and the founder and CEO of Elevate My Brand (EMB), a Los Angeles-based digital and experiential marketing agency.
Originally on track for a corporate legal career after earning a joint J.D./M.B.A. from Rutgers University University, Mintz shifted paths at age 26 when her father’s sudden illness called her to take over and lead the family retail business. That experience sparked a passion for scaling operations, branding, and business growth. In 2009, she launched Elevate My Brand to provide strategic, results-driven marketing for high-growth startups and global brands alike, including Meta, Verizon Wireless - Digital Telecom Media Services, PAW Patrol, and Zendesk.
Beyond EMB, Mintz founded Fabric VC, an early-stage venture fund investing in underrepresented and diverse founders.

⁠Jeff Hastedt - Co-Founder and Managing Director - ⁠Brkthru⁠ Oct 27, 2026

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Jeff Hastedt is an entrepreneur, sales leader, and the Co-Founder and Managing Director (or affectionately, "Chief Pizza Officer") of Brkthru, a digital media and advertising firm founded in 2017. With a background in media and sales dating back to 2000, his early career spanned broadcast radio and mass media roles with organizations such as CBS, Clear Channel Outdoor, and Powerhitz, as well as selling everything from violins to high-impact campaigns for major brands like Ford Motor Company and Indian Motorcycle Company.
Alongside co-founder Andrew Sklerov, Hastedt built Brkthru to bring enterprise-grade programmatic and digital advertising power to small- and mid-sized agencies without minimum-spend barriers. Under his leadership, the company has operated fully bootstrapped, earned multi-year placements on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, and championed a high-touch, human-centric approach to digital media and client service.

⁠David Bridges⁠ - Global CEO - the wellcom group⁠ Worldwide Oct 27, 2026

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David Bridges is the Global CEO of the wellcom group Worldwide, a global creative production agency and subsidiary of INNOCEAN. An industry veteran who grew up in the advertising world—starting out in his father’s Manhattan photo retouching business as a kid—Bridges went on to found the creative digital production agency thelab in New York in 2002.
Following Wellcom’s acquisition of thelab in 2014, Bridges stepped up to lead the company as Global CEO in 2021. Known for championing the "reconvergence" of creative ideation and technical production, he oversees Wellcom's network across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australasia. Under his leadership, the agency focuses on agile, tech-enabled global content production, integrating proprietary AI capabilities, and removing layers of friction between brand strategy and multi-channel asset delivery.

⁠Michael Paradiso⁠ - Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), ⁠WSI World⁠ Oct 22, 2026

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Michael Paradiso is a veteran marketing executive, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and owner of a WSI World Digital Marketing agency based in the Greater New York Area. With over 30 years of strategic marketing leadership across Fortune 500 enterprises and high-growth technology brands, he specializes in translating high-level business goals into scalable growth engines.
Through WSI World—one of the largest global networks of digital marketing agencies—Mike provides mid-market and growing companies with enterprise-grade strategies. His expertise spans account-based marketing (ABM), digital strategy, search engine optimization, AI-driven marketing integration, and branded demand generation. He operates under the core philosophy that marketing must be treated as a disciplined, revenue-driving business function rather than just an ad-hoc tactic.

⁠Jan Harling⁠ - CEO - Virtus Asia⁠ Consulting Oct 21, 2026

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Jan Harling is an international media leader, marketing consultant, and the CEO of Virtus Asia Consulting.
Originally from Germany, Harling has spent over 15 years living and leading marketing operations across major Asian markets, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Bangkok. His executive background bridges major international 4As agencies and client-side leadership, having previously served as the Global Media Investment Director at Huawei, Global Media Director at OPPO, and Regional Director for Brand Media & Performance at foodpanda. In 2023, he launched Virtus Asia Consulting to help Chinese brands expand internationally and assist global brands in navigating complex Asian media ecosystems. A frequent industry speaker and awards judge, he specializes in data-driven media strategy, cross-border brand building, and agency-client alignment.

⁠Lorenzo De Plano⁠ - Co-Founder and CEO - ALP Supply Co⁠ Oct 21, 2026

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Lorenzo De Plano, Co-Founder and CEO of ALP Supply Co. and Chief of Strategy at Turning Point Brands, Inc. Lorenzo is a relentless brand operator who previously spearheaded the global modernization of Zig-Zag before co-founding ALP—the direct-to-consumer nicotine pouch brand disrupting the alternative CPG market. From leveraging high-profile cultural partnerships with figures like Tucker Carlson and Conor McGregor to navigating strict advertising regulations and building rapid D2C-to-retail distribution, Lorenzo operates right at the bleeding edge of modern brand building. Today, we’re diving into building D2C engines in regulated categories, scaling culture-led brand partnerships, and why speed and execution beat slow consensus every time

⁠Jeremy Barker⁠ - Founder and CEO - Murphy Door⁠ Oct 20, 2026

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Jeremy Barker, Founder and CEO of Murphy Door and host of the 90 Proof Wisdom podcast. Jeremy is a firefighter-turned-entrepreneur who took a simple concept—turning standard doorway space into hidden storage—and built Murphy Door into a national manufacturing giant featured on the Inc. 5000. From building a manufacturing supply chain in America to scaling a D2C physical product brand and hosting unfiltered conversations on business operator mechanics, Jeremy knows what it takes to build a company from the ground up. Today, we’re diving into the reality of manufacturing physical products, balancing D2C e-commerce with retail distribution, and the operator mindset needed to survive scale.

⁠Paul Robinson⁠ - Chief Creative Officer and EU Partnerships - ⁠NEFT Vodka Oct 19, 2026

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Paul Robinson - Chief Creative Officer and EU Partnerships - NEFT Vodka—the ultra-premium Austrian vodka brand packaged in its signature, unbreakable aluminum barrel. Paul is an LA-based mixed-media artist and brand visionary who leads NEFT’s creative identity and global partnerships. From designing NEFT's limited-edition barrels to launching major film and arts initiatives like the NEFTi Film Competition, Paul has positioned creativity and social impact right at the center of NEFT’s growth engine. Today, sitting at the intersection of luxury spirits, fashion, film, and cause marketing, Paul builds non-traditional brand partnerships that make NEFT stand out far beyond standard liquor advertising. Today, we’re diving into using art as a brand engine, building strategic partnerships that drive real cultural impact, and how challenger brands can out-innovate corporate spirits conglomerates

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