About the Podcast

Many people are intimidated by the advertising industry. So many routes to enter yet each seems to have an impenetrable wall. The ad industry is like the Oscars after-party - hard to get the invite. Breaking and Entering the ad industry is just like pulling off a grand heist. We want to share with you the schemes and tips that worked for the trailblazers of the industry today.

I’m your accomplice: Geno Schellenberger. Four years ago, I announced to my parents that I was going to study advertising at the University of Illinois. “No, you’re not,” my father told me. Four years ago, I was told to pick from either accounting or finance and call it a day. Today, I graduate from that same university in a few months with a job lined up at the world’s largest public relations agency with the same fire. 

I get their concern. Advertising has a mystical allure that only those “in the know” can break-in. I heard stories from my parents that they knew recent ad grads selling cars, insurance, or at other local jobs because advertising was “too competitive”. These things are true. Advertising requires a large network, creative skill, business knowledge, and sheer luck. Being in the right place at the right time is common among the stories you will hear in this podcast. 

While each person I interview has a different story (scheme) on how they became successful in advertising, we will pick apart some commonalities and boil it down to offer you clear tasks on how to break in and enter the mystical industry of creative communication. I plan to balance the show between breaking in and how to thrive in it. This show is designed for college students, recent grads, entry-level associates, and mid-level agency members. 

A special thanks goes to our graphic designer, Buchun Jiang, and our audio technician, Mikey Melarkey, for helping to make this happen.

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