Stories of conventional thinking at work and the people who dare to question it.

Hosted by Jay Acunzo

Jay is the founder of Marketing Showrunners and has written, hosted, and directed multiple docuseries about creativity at work. He is a globally touring keynote speaker and author of the book, Break the Wheel. Previously, Jay was a digital media strategist at Google, head of content at HubSpot, and VP of brand and community at the venture capital firm NextView. His work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, and Entrepreneur. Jay’s storytelling hero is Anthony Bourdain, and he tries to always find honest, human, and moving stories from the seemingly day-to-day of people’s lives.

SEASON 5: Fan Favorites So Far

Don’t Be Like Mike. “But my boss.” It’s the most common objection to doing better work. Today, we find a framework that can help us do the seemingly unthinkable: have an open, honest conversation, rather than avoiding conflict, in order to create consistently great things as an individual and a team. (Featuring Max Yoder, author of Do Better Work and cofounder/CEO of Lessonly.)

A Very Persuasive Porpoise. When complacency kicks in, and others refuse to change, we often try to persuade them to change or act in the exact opposite way we should. In this episode, the story of how Sean Callahan and Russell Glass found more effective and far more delightful approach.

Thank Dog. Alex Cook’s grandfather brightened every room he entered. Now, thanks to Alex, his brother, an old dog, and some lobsters, Tirrell Cook might just inspire every family to brighten the lives of their eldest members.

A Small Fiction. Inside the internet’s smallest creative project (which is having a massive impact on its audience) through the eyes of its creator. Together, we uncover the two component parts to creative work that we can use to constantly exceed expectations over time.

The Paradox of Exceeding Expectations. Once you exceed someone’s expectations once, you change those expectations. What was previously exceptional no longer is. How should we approach this problem if our goal is to create consistently great work over time?

Resonance vs. Reach. The changing role of creativity and creators on the internet. We went from quality to crap and back again. Featuring Patreon CEO Jack Conte and a collection of voices: Tim Urban (Wait But Why), Chase Jarvis (CreativeLive), Deb Aoki (Adobe), Josh Bernoff (Writing Without Bullshit), Juliana Casale (CrazyEgg), and more.

 

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Audience Favorite: "Gravy"

We make up all these smart-sounding reasons we do the work we do, make the choices we make for our businesses, and build what we’re building. But this brewery cuts through all that noise to the heart of it. All it took was dealing with disaster first.

Audience Favorite: "Voices"

The story of how Merriam-Webster went from bland and boring to bombastic and beloved in the digital age.

Audience Favorite: "The Man Bun"

The story of Scott Stratten, Hall of Fame public speaker, dedicated to all those who bring their full selves to their work each day.