Season #1 of Commercial Grade is a wrap! Season #2 will kick-off after the holidays with new guests, topics & confessions in advertising. Today's finale features ad sales veteran Lisa Solomon, one of the 1st AOL/Microsoft digital ad sales reps (hello dial-up!) before moving onto NBC/Universal & eventually launching the marketing version of Master Class, Atheneum Collective. Lisa explains the ins/outs of ad sales, how the industry has evolved and gives pointers on how anyone can master the art of sales.

Competition amongst ad agencies has historically been fierce yet predictable. An agency's foremost competition was typically another shop with similar offerings: Integrated vs. integrated, PR vs. PR, media vs. media. Recently, the landscape has become increasingly complex with traditional consultancies (Deloitte, McKinsey, Bain & Co.) playing AND winning on agency turf. Sam Hawkins, Senior Consultant at Deloitte, joins to discuss the evolution of consultancies & their impact the agency/client relationship.

Marcus Wesson, award-winning Chief Creative Officer of Dailey Advertising in LA, joins Commercial Grade to talk through the ins and outs of creative production, what it takes to makes an award-winning campaign (think: Carls Jr. burgers & bikinis!) and how he evolved from a junior art director to CCO of a major ad agency. Marcus and Christie also talk through the time they, unbeknownst to them, pitched against each other to win the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare account.

In the second part of my conversation with Erin Matts, CEO, and Anita May, MD, of Omnicom's Hearts & Science, we cover a topic high on the priority list of most agencies and corporations: Diversity, Inclusion & Allies in Advertising. From ageism to sexism, Erin and Anita share challenges they've faced and how they approach diversity internally and when hiring. Anita also takes us through the "aha" moment behind P&G's "The Talk," which details the harsh reality African American parents and children face.

In Part #1 of "Media Magic & The Road to CEO," Erin Matts, CEO, and Anita May, Managing Executive Director, of Omnicom's Hearts & Science global marketing agency, join Christie to talk about the role and power of media in advertising, evolving approaches to data insights and storytelling, and their respective roads to becoming influential female marketing executives. Anita, Heart & Science's Procter & Gamble account lead, also takes us through the media strategy and emotional creative idea behind "The Talk," one of the agency's most lauded campaigns.

Working in advertising undoubtably results in a variety of crazy, funny, unbelievable experiences that I've dubbed, "Confessions in Advertising." Over the past 30 episodes, Commercial Grade guests have shared surreal and memorable moments from their careers that deserve to be retold. Confessions in Advertising: Volume 2, is the second iteration of these wild stories and can be considered a warning (or encouragement, depending on your POV!) to anyone looking to get into advertising.

Working in advertising undoubtably results in a variety of crazy, funny, unbelievable experiences that I've dubbed, "Confessions in Advertising." Over the past 30 episodes, Commercial Grade guests have shared surreal and memorable moments from their careers that deserve to be retold. Confessions in Advertising: Volume I, is a compilation of these wild stories and can be considered a warning (or encouragement, depending on your POV!) to anyone looking to get into advertising.

During this week's episode, I reunite with the Adam Carolla Show gang in studio. We talk new campaigns and pop-ups from Taco Bell, Mercedes-Benz, Coors Light and more. As a teaser, if you have strong opinions on "shower beers," I want to hear them!

This episode features another listener requested topic: Inside the world of Visual Effects. Darcy Parsons, a commercial/SNL/MTV producer-turned-visual effects specialist and co-founder of Kevin, a visual effects studio, joins Commercial Grade to talk all things VFX. She takes us behind the scenes, reveals stories from her "live action" days with SNL and MTV, explains the various kinds of visual effects and tells viewers how to spot them!

Joe Shields, Vice President of Connections at iHeartMedia and life-long product placement fan, takes us deep into the world of Product Placement and Branded Entertainment. Joe discovered his passion for product placement as a youth, moved to LA and never looked back. His expertise runs deep and his roster of product placement deals includes work for Columbia Pictures, FOX, FX Network and properties such as Talladega Nights and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

If you work in advertising -- or even if you don't -- you've surely heard about the "Digital" wave. Many marketers, advertisers and agency people are enamored with the digital landscape but often get it wrong; chasing digital trends and wasting valuable marketing dollars on low-impact digital channels. Don Lupo, an LA advertising executive who has spent his career in digital production, joins Commercial Grade to demystify all things "digital." Don explains the ins and outs of digital production, breaks down the consumer journey and digital production process, and shares exactly what marketers need to do to get "digital" right.

Christie answers your biggest questions around advertising campaigns. Bryan Bishop, aka Bald Bryan on the Adam Carolla Show podcast, joins the show to represent the "voice of the listener."

Last week, ThinkLA's hosted its annual Entertainment Breakfast where I had the great honor of moderating an all-star panel of executives who've shifted their careers from TV programming to podcast production. This episode features that fantastic discussion with panelists including Kjerstin Beatty (SVP Media Partnerships, NBC Universal), Kelly Garner, (Founder & CEO, Treefort), Hernan Lopez (Founder & CEO, Wondery), Joe Shields (VP Connections, iHeartMedia).

Rich DeMuro, aka "Rich on Tech" and TV tech reporter for KTLA 5, joins Commercial Grade to talk about his career as a tech reporter, how he's built relationships with the Google/Apple/Samsungs of the world as a local reporter, how brands try to solicit his reviews and what you should look for when buying the latest phones/computers. Rich also tells us which apps you cannot live without, whether it's for working out, cord cutting, video editing, password management, neighborhood safety, etc.

In Part Two of "Behind the Music," Anthony Marinelli gives us his professional perspective on ads from Gatorade, Farmers Insurance, Cadillac and Apple. He also breaks down the mechanics of a composing a hit jingle, sharing famous jingles he's created for Disneyland, Big Red, Doublemint Gum, Jolly Green Giant, US Bank and more. You'll definitely be singing these to yourself by the end of the episode!

Anthony Marinelli -- award-winning film/TV composer, orchestrator of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and music man behind 80+ film scores and 1000+ TV commercials -- takes listeners into the making of commercial music. From going to the Oscars every year in his youth, to playing synthesizer on Motown records in high school, to composing original music and working with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, James Brown and Crystal Method, Anthony is one of the greats. His original music, jingles and logos have appeared in award-winning commercial campaigns for Apple, Microsoft, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Boeing, Shell and Nike.

Meija Jacobs, an 11-year IDEO veteran, takes us inside IDEO and demystifies its design-led thinking philosophy. Learn how IDEO operates, how its teams are organized, its proprietary brainstorming and prototyping techniques, and its commitment to making a positive impact on the world. As Senior Director of its Design For Food division, Meija also details IDEO's work on the food pipeline, alternative proteins, cellular agriculture (think Impossible Burgers) and envisioning a future using food as medicine.

Tim Nudd, former Creative Editor of AdWeek and current Editor-in-Chief of Muse by Clio, joins Commercial Grade to talk about his career as a professional advertising critic, his approach to evaluating creative, how advertising has changed over the years, the power of the consumer, and the best and worst creative of the 2018 and 2019. We also review ads from Burger King, Reebok, McDonald's and Facebook.

Y'all keep asking about local car commercials and the expert is on this week's episode! Jill Jagger, a 25-year veteran of the auto dealer world, joins me to answer your questions about how dealerships work, why local car ads tend to be awful, the relationship between car brands and their dealers, incentives, how and when to buy a car, and FINALLY address the debate about why car commercials feature neutral license plates!

In a world filled with disingenuous sales pitches and misleading claims, is it possible for advertising to have soul? Kirk Souder, Executive Creative Director and current co-founder of spiritual impact agency, Enso, joins Christie for a deeply revealing conversation on how individuals and organizations can free themselves from self-imposed limiting beliefs, tap into their authentic energy, and create a long-lasting positive impact. If you're an Oprah fan, this episode is basically advertising's version of a "Super Soul Sunday" conversation, full of brand awakening and corporate enlightenment.