Advertise on podcast: It's No Fluke

Curtis Diggins is a cultural brand marketer who has worked with global companies like Nike and TikTok, as well as leading creative agencies, to build timeless campaigns and experiences. Beyond the work, Curtis is a proud husband and father of two. As careers evolve and our relationship with work continues to shift, Curtis finds himself in a moment of transformation, searching for a role that aligns with his values and reignites his creative spark. In a world where it often feels like everyone has it figured out, this is a conversation about embracing the search, and finding meaning in the answers uncovered along the way.

Lotte Jones is Chief Commercial Officer of Caliber, a multi-platform parent company defining a new era of journalism. Its portfolio of socially native, creator-led brands reaches more than 100 million users each month and includes The News Movement (TNM), delivering Gen Z-focused news; The Recount, covering U.S. politics; and Capsule, spotlighting lifestyle and cultural trends. Under her commercial leadership, Lotte oversees all partnerships, marketing and communications across the organization, as well as The Caliber Collective, a creative studio that produces digital campaigns for more than 25 major brands, including Amazon, KFC, Planned Parenthood, and Snap. Lotte brings over 20 years’ experience leading and advising some of the world’s biggest brands during moments of transformation and reputational scrutiny. She was also the first No. 1 female Creative Director in PR Week Powerbook. With a background spanning communications, corporate affairs, digital innovation and marketing, Lotte sits at the heart of our changing media landscape and is passionate about anything that has an impact on society and modern culture. Lotte has founded and sold her own communications agency in London, thrived building a start-up in New York and led global media companies.

Josh Horowitz is the creator and host of the long-running Happy Sad Confused podcast, which has become the destination for actors and filmmakers to speak openly about their craft. The show has broken entertainment news, gone viral, and drawn guests ranging from Jennifer Lawrence to Christopher Nolan. In the past two years, Happy Sad Confused has amassed over 200 million views and 750 million impressions across audio, YouTube, and social media. With Who’s A Good Guest?, Horowitz – a devoted dog dad to the adorable Lucy, partners with BARK and brings that same mix of deep curiosity and joyful fandom to the dog world. Season one features a star-studded lineup of dog parents, including Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, Bob Odenkirk, Johnny Knoxville, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Patrick Wilson. Each episode invites a celebrity and their dog into a conversation that’s funny, honest, and a little chaotic. From balancing careers with dog care, to the challenges of training, to the unbreakable bond they share with their furry friend, guests reveal a side of themselves usually reserved for living rooms and dog parks.

Philip Pirkovic is a brand architect who bridges the gap between creative ambition and business reality. Having led teams both in-house and within the agency world, he possesses a unique ability to marry creative vision with operational excellence. He has worked with global icons, high-growth startups, and heritage brands, helping them navigate the complexities of modern brand building. During his recent tenure at Shinola, he oversaw Brand & Partnerships, spearheading the brand’s cultural resurgence. Philip specializes in building brand platforms and strategic partnerships that transcend traditional advertising, turning brand moments into genuine cultural touchpoints. His work and insights have been featured in premier publications including GQ, Business of Fashion, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Adweek, and Complex.

There was a lot of buzz coming out 1 Billion Followers Summit. Leslie Morgan helped develop 75 sessions across 154 speakers and three stages led by Creators HQ and Nizar Salman. We talk about what went into this, what went right and what to expect next year and beyond.

Christina Ziroli-Leaman is a social media strategist who got her start in social by manipulating HTML on Myspace to make her profile pink and sparkly. Fast forward 20 years, and now she gets to do what she loves for a living, every single day, which she’s eternally grateful for. Her experience spans edtech, higher education, and manufacturing - proving that great storytelling works anywhere there’s a human on the other side of the screen. Christina believes that in a world that can feel heavy, social media should be a place for light and joy, where humor, empathy, and the occasional meme remind us we’re all still connected. She lives in Birmingham, AL, with her husband Matt, their 7 month old daughter Naomi, their crazy dog Zelda and their sweet parrot Juju. When she’s offline, you can find her reading and sipping coffee while snuggling her daughter. Her favorite pizza topping is pepperoni, her favorite thing in life is family and her fun fact? She once wrote Harry Potter fanfiction on Quizilla and honestly, the storytelling hasn’t stopped since.

Kacy Ray is a Director of Sports and Brand Partnerships at Salesforce, where she leads high-impact collaborations across sports, media, and entertainment. She has partnered with some of the most recognizable names in sports and media, including the Indiana Fever, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, United Football League, Tottenham Hotspur, Fox Sports, and NBC to name a few. Her experience spans global brand campaigns, Olympic storytelling, athlete and celebrity partnerships, and multi-million-dollar media strategies that connect brand to demand across the funnel. Known for her data-driven approach, cultural fluency, and ability to navigate complex organizations, Kacy is passionate about helping brands tell authentic stories that resonate across generations and communities. Originally from Arizona, Kacy began her career in New York City in journalism and digital media before transitioning into brand strategy and partnerships. She’s now based in the Midwest and is proud to call Indianapolis home. As a mother to two young kids, Kacy loves to teach and take Pilates and barre classes in her free time to keep her sane.

Oksana Kravchenko is the Head of Creator Partnerships at Manychat, where she leads global influencer and creator strategy across the US, Europe, and Brazil. She focuses on building scalable, creator-first partnership programs that drive real business results — from always-on creator ecosystems to product-led storytelling and long-term relationships. Over the past year, Oksana has scaled Manychat’s creator partnerships 7x, built and led cross-regional teams, and worked with hundreds of creators across marketing, lifestyle, business, and education. With over 10 years of experience in creator partnerships, influencer marketing, and growth strategy, Oksana’s background spans PR and show business to modern creator-led SaaS growth. She’s dedicated to helping creators turn influence into opportunity — blending relationships, technology, and strategy to build programs that scale without losing the human touch. Manychat is a leading Instagram automation platform used by over 1.5 million creators and businesses across 140+ countries. Officially approved by Meta, Manychat automations are user-friendly ways to automatically reply to users' Comments+DM, Collect Emails, and Request your Commenters to Follow you. With this new solution, Manychat helps users maximize the value of their DM automations, significantly improving their ability to convert conversations into actionable outcomes. Manychat is also available on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and has recently become officially available for TikTok.

Miles Sellyn is the VP of Partnerships and Partner at Rare Days, a multi-disciplinary digital product agency. Elite creators partner with Rare Days to uncover and then capitalize on the innovative product opportunities that deliver value, create impact, and grow wealth. In his role, Miles oversees the platform and technology partnerships that are core to the agency's delivery, as well as being accountable for business development, sales and marketing, and initial stages of client strategy. 

Alexandra Vailas is the Head of Brand for Bad Birdie Golf, a golf apparel brand that challenges tradition and invites every player to show up as their bold selves. She has over 20 years of experience helping brands tell their stories, create memorable campaigns, and connect with communities in ways that stick. With experience as an influencer, agency leader, and brand executive, Alex brings a 360-degree perspective to executing campaigns that truly resonate. When she’s not building brands, she’s raising two kids and mentoring young professionals.

Maha Abouelenein is a strategic communication expert, best-selling author, and entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience. As the CEO and Founder of Digital and Savvy, a global communications consulting firm with offices in the United States and United Arab Emirates, Maha has been instrumental in orchestrating transformations in communication strategies for clients that include global corporate giants, high-growth startups, sports organizations, top governments, CEOs, and high-net-worth individuals. In 2024, Maha released her debut book, 7 Rules of Self-Reliance: How to Stay Low, Keep Moving, Invest in Yourself, and Own Your Future which became a USA TODAY bestseller and provides a transformative guide on mastering self-reliance. Raised and educated in the United States to Egyptian parents, Maha is at home in both Western and Arab worlds, offering a global perspective that translates into her work. She serves as a bridge between cultures, providing invaluable support to companies and high-profile executives seeking to navigate business opportunities in the Middle East market, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. She is active in the tech, sports, entertainment, and gaming industries. Maha is an Advisor to the BRIDGE Alliance, Lockchain.ai, JumpShot (the Top Golf of Basketball), the Global Gaming League, sits on the Global Board of Directors of the Associated Press, and is on the Board of the Animal Humane Society.  Maha handled communications for some of the world’s largest tech companies in the Middle East—from Google and Netflix to Udacity and Careem (Uber Middle East)—and more. She helped PR giant Weber Shandwick cement their presence in the Middle East, opening 18 offices in the region and leading the Cairo operation. She supported the largest IPO and the largest acquisition in Egypt’s history at Orascom Telecom.

With over 30 years of creative leadership, Adele Mulford has served as strategic visionary for top global for-profit and nonprofit brands. From the highly disciplined world of finance to the heartfelt needs of children’s health, she tackles the complex nature of brands head-on, and builds ground-breaking creative strategies that generate tangible results. Adele loves a good challenge, and believes that no matter the situation there is always boundless opportunity to unlock dynamic creative and operational solutions that cultivate stronger businesses – and people. Adele launched The Cultivate Company in 2022: A brand, creative and marketing firm that promises to elevate the people, companies and communities it serves.

In this episode, we sat down with John Sampogna, co-founder and CEO of Wondersauce, to unpack the evolution of agencies in a results-driven world. John shares how his team shifted from selling services to delivering measurable outcomes, the mindset needed for value-based client relationships, and why accountability, not billable hours, is the real differentiator for agencies today. They also dive into how human creativity and collaboration with in-house teams shape modern campaigns, and why every “last mile” matters in driving business growth.

Elizabeth Pigg is the Chief Communications Officer of That’s it., makers of the No. 1 Fruit Bar in America. She joined the company in 2020 as Vice President of Marketing and was later promoted to Chief Marketing Officer, where she led efforts to strengthen its digital presence, eCommerce, and influencer marketing. In 2024, she pivoted her role to Chief Communications Officer, returning to her roots in brand storytelling and media strategy after nearly two decades as a senior leader at Edelman. At Edelman, Elizabeth led digital communications and marketing for several brands, most notably Ben & Jerry’s, helping the brand stay culturally relevant while driving impact. Her experience spans public relations, social media, and integrated marketing strategy. She currently serves as Marketing Chair of the FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) Advisory Council, has contributed to Forbes, and is a jury member for the Digiday, Effie, and Shorty Awards. Originally from Chicago and now based in Los Angeles, Elizabeth is also a classically trained violist and vocalist, a voiceover artist, and serves on the Board of Directors for Angels Nest, supporting youth aging out of foster care.

Camille Dagorn is an award-winning creator and influencer marketing expert with more than a decade of experience building high-impact campaigns for global brands including L’Oréal, Unilever, Pernod Ricard, GoPro, and Mastercard. As the VP, Creator Partnerships for McCann New York, she is known for scaling social-first programs, designing creator-led brand initiatives, and driving measurable growth across beauty, lifestyle, tech, and consumer verticals. Camille is passionate about creating meaningful, unforgettable moments for creators and audiences.