Adventures in Advertising

Fresh out of the corporate ad world (putting some serious time in with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Leo Burnett, Ogilvy & Mather, Barkley, Vitro, SapientRazorfish, Publicis, VMLY&R) Ryan Stephens visits the Billen brothers and contemplates a new life - on the wide open road behind the wheel of a big rig. But will this really bring fulfillment after building campaigns with clients like Napster, Volcom, …lost, Matix, Oakley, RVCA, DVS, DC Shoes, és Skateboarding, Broadcast Wheels, Wend Waxworks, Ghostly International, Old Navy, Domino's Pizza, Allstate, Hallmark, DeVry University, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Windex, Glade, Raid, Huggies, The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Jimmy Dean, Goodwill, Hershey’s, Cargill, Spirit Airlines, Missouri Lottery, Children’s Hospital, Applebee’s, USAA, Facebook, Vans, Alteryx, Oscar Mayer, Kraft-Heinz, Quiksilver, and The North Face? Only time will tell.

There are few video/film editors like former Flicks ‘n’ Disks employee Jon Bazata. Working on projects for big hitters like Wendy’s, New Balance, and Gatorade; Jon always makes a little extra time to do his own personal ‘creepy edit’ to be hidden away in his secret archives to one day be unleashed on the world. And when that day comes we will add the link here in the show notes.

Kris Kennedy, Manager of Creative Strategy at Reddit, talks with brothers Sam and Dan about trips to the zoo, ‘Public Freakouts,’ and never being allowed to write a single greeting card for Hallmark. And everyone offers their hot take on the blockbuster movie Shallow Hal.

Max Kreutzer, Creative Director at JNA Advertising, talks about his grandfather’s affinity for Showbiz Pizza Place and the time he lived in a retirement home in Topeka with his grandmother. Dan razzes Max for having his 40th birthday party in his suburban basement, in spite of advertising it as a ‘night out at the Comedy Club.’

Hayato Ando (AKA ‘Andy’) is a Director at Tokyo-based production company P.I.C.S.. Listen to the story of Sam and Andy’s time on America’s Got Talent, and some explicit stories detailing extreme restroom mishaps and first-time gorging on Mexican food.

A Producer at VML, Morgan brings a fresh perspective on what it takes to make it in the industry these days, and reminds us to always wear a helmet when riding a moped down a hill into a blind intersection after dark.

Joe DeSalvo is a Creative Director at BarkleyOKRP in Kansas City. Beyond this, Joe has shot hundreds of commercials and over 21 independent films that have screened all the way from Cannes to Sundance as a Cinematographer and Director. Maybe we can get him to share an embarrassing story if we try hard enough.

Maggie Wasserman holds the title of Global Executive Producer at Garmin International, but don’t let that title fool you. Maggie is as down-to-earth as it comes and has no problem sharing embarrassing stories from her travels abroad. How long could YOU hold the urge to pee in the Norwegian wilderness?

Once the legendary voice of DQ, affectionately known to Brothers Billen as “Tommy D,” drops by the studio to share awkward tales from decades in the biz. Tom is currently Executive Creative Director at BarkleyOKRP, and oversees their Creative Accelerator program for aspiring ad world hopefuls.

Hosts Dan and Sam’s father, Bill Billen, has been in advertising since the late 70s. Bill has several patents to his name, including the one-slice pizza box and the Classic Cruiser (cardboard kids-meal container that looks like a classic car). But Bill’s career wasn’t always this glamorous, and actually began with an unbelievable tragedy. Hash tag SAF-T-SCAPE