The Speed of Culture Podcast

This episode of The Speed of Culture Podcast welcomes Neil Waller, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Whalar Group. Neil reflects on how creator marketing evolved from brands questioning the value of Instagram to creators becoming strategic collaborators, business owners, and media companies. He breaks down why respect matters more than authenticity in brand partnerships, how operational discipline helps creative businesses scale, and why AI could make trusted tastemakers even more valuable as content becomes increasingly abundant.

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Can legacy brands transcend into becoming their own entertainment platform? In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Ibrahim Khan, Global Vice President of Marketing at Fanta, explores how one of the world’s biggest beverage brands balances global consistency with local culture, why packaging matters more in an infinite digital shelf, and how they’re turning Halloween from an annual campaign into its own entertainment platform. He also discusses the role of AI in creative work, why brands should resist attaching themselves to every cultural moment, and why the next generation of marketers needs to think beyond the 30-second TV spot.

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Whatever happened to the golden years of Hollywood? The attention economy, apparently.

This episode of The Speed of Culture podcast welcomes Gerry Rich, film marketing consultant and author of Chasing Hollywood: A Marketing Chief’s Lessons on Breaking Through. Bringing over three decades of experience marketing films across Columbia Pictures, Miramax, MGM, Paramount, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, Gerry explains why creating mass awareness has become harder. He zooms in on what makes a trailer genuinely break through, why engagement matters more than raw views, and Gen Z’s appetite for originality. The conversation also explores the growing importance of talent’s social presence, the risks of volume-driven filmmaking, and how AI can support the work without replacing the authenticity audiences expect.

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What does it take to genuinely reinvent yourself in the world of advertising, and to do it in a way that’s valuable? This episode of The Speed of Culture Podcast welcomes Harry Kargman, Founder and CEO of Kargo, for a reflection on 23 years of building through constant change in advertising. From mobile and the open web to social, CTV, and now AI-powered media buying, he explains why good timing starts with knowing which market signals actually matter, and how Kargo built a culture that expects reinvention. Harry also gives us an inside look at why its new platform, Karlo, is designed to make sophisticated media buying more accessible to mid-market brands.

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This episode of The Speed of Culture Podcast welcomes Brad Nelson, Chief Marketing Officer at Sotheby’s International Realty. Taking us behind the scenes of a 50-year-old legacy, Brad explains how the brand has stayed relevant by focusing on quality over price, and adapting to how affluent consumers define luxury today. He zooms in on the rise of lifestyle-first buying, the impact of AI-driven wealth creation, the role of social media in building credibility, and why trusted human relationships still matter most in high-value decisions.

Celebrate 50 years of Sotheby’s International Realty with a new advertising campaign highlighting connections built over the decades and The Art of Refined Living, created with Assouline to showcase the brand’s heritage through extraordinary properties, architecture, and cultural moments.

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This episode of The Speed of Culture Podcast welcomes Allison Varone, Head of Marketing at Campari America. The conversation explores how heritage brands can evolve with changing consumer behavior without losing the rituals and emotional connections that made them distinctive. She breaks down the growth of the spritz category, the rise of mindful drinking, the role of experiential marketing, and bartender education, and why curiosity and commercial awareness are becoming essential skills for modern marketers.

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This episode of The Speed of Culture Podcast features Nitya Madhavan, Senior Vice President of Brand Strategy and Marketing at CAVA. Nitya explains how the fast-growing restaurant brand is scaling its national footprint while protecting the warmth, hospitality and human connection at its core. She breaks down the role of experiential marketing, social micro-communities, creator partnerships, loyalty data and AI, while sharing why the strongest brands use growth to deepen relationships rather than dilute them.

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This episode of The Speed of Culture podcast welcomes Claudine Cheever, the Chief Marketing Officer at Pinterest. Claudine outlines how the platform is evolving from a space for major life projects to a daily companion for shopping and creative inspiration. She details the importance of the intention economy, the role of visual search in fostering human curiosity, and why encouraging users to step away from their screens instead of going deeper into it is actually a winning business strategy. The conversation also examines her career journey through the world of advertising and her perspective on radical ownership as a leadership superpower.

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In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton connects with Mark Notarainni, EVP & General Manager of Intuit’s Consumer Group. They discuss how consumer finance through platforms like TurboTax and Credit Karma have evolved over the years. The conversation covers how AI helps people manage debt, the power of human expertise in digital tools, and why financial literacy is hitting younger generations differently.

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Sarah Lane, Chief Marketing Officer at CarMax, joins Matt Britton on the Speed of Culture podcast to detail how the brand transformed the automotive retail experience through transparency and a commitment to women’s sports. Sarah explains the journey from local team sponsorships to high-profile national partnerships with the WNBA and NBA, highlighting how authentic fan engagement builds lasting trust. The conversation also covers the impact of emerging technologies like Large Language Models on the car-buying process.

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This episode of The Speed of Culture podcast features Alison Payne, Chief Marketing Officer at Heineken USA. Alison explains how one of the world’s most recognizable beer brands stays culturally relevant without forgetting what it authentically stands for. She breaks down the changing role of live experiences, fandom, creators, AI, packaging and non-alcoholic beer, while sharing why strategic restraint and protecting creativity are essential leadership skills for modern marketers.

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Seth Matlins, Founder of The Wisdomous Company and host of the Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing podcast, joins Matt Britton where they discuss what forces move the industry in 2026. Seth provides a new perspective on why common data about executive tenure is often misunderstood and why the ability to see across the whole organization is now the most valuable skill for any leader. How do brands build emotional connections through identity? And what is the best way to prepare for the future? These are questions they get into in this episode.

“Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing” with Seth Matlins is produced by Vox Media Podcast Network in partnership with The Wisdomous Company, with new episodes releasing every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

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In this conversation on The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton talks with Ryan Detert, Founder and CEO of Influential. Ryan details his path from running parody accounts with 30 million followers to building the largest influencer marketing company by revenue. He talks about how data and measurement turned a novelty into an enterprise media channel, the realities of bots and AI slop, and his experience of building a business with your closest friends and family.

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Ajit Mohan, Chief Business Officer at Snap, joins The Speed of Culture podcast to explore the fundamental shifts redefining the digital landscape. The discussion covers the transition from public feeds to private messaging and how augmented reality serves as a bridge to the physical world. Ajit shares insights into Snap's unique audience reach and the role of AI in creating neutral distribution platforms for brands. The episode concludes with a look at the future of wearables and the importance of adaptive leadership in a rapidly accelerating industry.

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In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton welcomes Claire Nance, the Senior Director of Marketing Communications at Microsoft's Xbox Media Solutions. Claire explains the transition of the gaming business following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and how the company now offers a full spectrum of opportunities across mobile, PC, and console. The discussion focuses on the global reach of 3.6 billion gamers, the role of mobile gaming in providing universal access, and why the industry must move past outdated stereotypes to understand the modern gaming audience. Claire also shares her philosophy on player-first advertising and her non-linear career path that led her into one of the most immersive sectors of entertainment.

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Marketers often find themselves caught between the promise of high-tech innovation and the reality of fragmented consumer data. Matt Spiegel, EVP of TruAudience Growth Strategy at TransUnion, joins Matt Britton on The Speed of Culture podcast to discuss how established analytical frameworks are finding new life in the era of artificial intelligence and privacy changes. The discussion highlights why the most significant hurdle in digital transformation often involves the human element rather than the software itself.

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Terence Reilly, Chief Brand Officer at Crocs, Inc., joins the Speed of Culture podcast to discuss the mechanics of building brands that define their categories. The conversation covers the intentional changes that turned functional items into global lifestyle symbols through the power of community and clear leadership vision. Listeners will discover how responding to authentic cultural moments can lead to unprecedented brand awareness and loyalty.

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Live from the POSSIBLE conference in South Beach, Matt Britton welcomes Lauren Weinberg, Chief Marketing Officer at Supergoop!, to discuss her transition from tech giants like Square and Peloton to the beauty world. Lauren shares her approach to brand building in the sun care category and the importance of owning the product road map to drive strategic growth. She also talks about her deep dive into AI and why human intuition remains the anchor for authentic storytelling in an era of rapid digital change.

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In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Louis Carr, President of BET and founder of Waymaker Media, joins Matt Britton to discuss how one of the most influential media brands in the world is evolving for a new era. Drawing on nearly four decades at BET, Louis breaks down why the brands winning with multicultural consumers lead with growth targets, not purpose statements, and what that distinction means for marketers. The conversation covers BET's community, culture, and connection framework, the network's intentional approach to youth relevance, and what the BET Awards reveal about where black culture is heading next. Louis also gets candid about the $7 million mistake that nearly ended his career and the waymakers who shaped everything that followed.

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In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Margot Hauer-King, SVP Creative Strategy at United Talent Agency and Founder and Owner of People’s, joins Matt Britton live from the POSSIBLE conference in South Beach. Margot shares how UTA's deep roots in talent and entertainment give brands a unique advantage in building authentic cultural relevance. The conversation covers the tension between monoculture and micro-community, how brands can earn the right to participate in fast-moving trends, and why the best marketing often looks more like hosting a great dinner party than running a campaign. Margot also opens up about her parallel life as a bar owner in New York, the power of persuasive storytelling, and why leaving people happier than you found them is the career advice that has guided her most.

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