Agency Business

Welcome to Agency Business.
Joe Gagliese, co-founder and co-CEO of Viral Nation, joins Brian Wieser this week to discuss how the company grew from representing creators into a social-first business working with enterprise brands.
Joe discussed Viral Nation’s early days in influencer marketing, why the company raised capital to build AI, data infrastructure and measurement tools, and how it is trying to make social operate more like a mature marketing channel. He also talked about creator pricing, global social strategy, working alongside holding companies and why Viral Nation remains focused on services as it builds more technology into its model.
The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.
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Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.
Dimi Albers, CEO of DEPT, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley this week to discuss how the marketing and technology company has scaled globally while operating as one agency.
Dimi discussed DEPT’s expansion across Europe, the Americas and APAC, why the company sees cultural alignment as central to successful acquisitions, and how its independent structure shapes its competition with holding companies, consultancies and systems integrators. He also discussed DEPT’s technology platform, its private equity backing and why the company remains focused on managed services rather than a pure SaaS model.
The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.
Reach Out:
Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.
Blake Heal, founder and CEO of Conscious Minds, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley this week to discuss how the agency built production into its model from the beginning.
Blake shares how Conscious Minds evolved from the viral video era into a social and culture-focused agency working with large brands including Nike, Starbucks, Yahoo and Google.
He also describes:
How the agency’s production capabilities shape its work
How faster social timelines differ from traditional TV production
How AI is affecting content costs, internal operations and future billing conversations.

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.
Reach Out:
Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.
Alison Weissbrot, executive editor at Adweek, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss the agency business from her vantage point covering the industry.
Alison talks about the pressure holding company CEOs face around growth and AI transformation, why independent agencies continue to generate industry attention, and how private equity is shaping parts of the indie agency market.
She also discusses what makes agency AI claims credible, where agencies are investing beyond AI, and why Cannes Lions remains central to the industry even as its role continues to evolve.
The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.
Reach Out:
Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.
Maggie Malek, CEO of Crispin, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss the Stagwell agency’s next chapter. She discusses the agency's history, and the 2023 combination of MMI, Crispin (then CPB), and Observatory.
Maggie also discusses how Crispin is building around creative, media and social under one P&L, and how Crispin is balancing its creative roots with client demand for integrated media, social, and creator capabilities.
The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.
Reach Out:
Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.