Series pairs Advertising Luminaries with Rising Stars in Conversations about Issues of Interest to the Industry, Now and in the Future

Antonio Lucio, Bozoma Saint John, Daisy Expósito-Ulla, Deborah Wahl, Louis Carr, Michael Kassan, Renetta McCann and Wenda Harris Millard Among the List of Headliners

WASHINGTON, DC -- November 16, 2022  -- The American Advertising Federation (AAF), the "unifying voice for advertising," announced today the launch of a new podcast series – "Future Legends of Advertising" – co-produced by iHeartMedia and Known. The podcast is being launched on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement (AHOA) and will pair advertising luminaries with this year's AHOA inductees in an eight-part series that will explore issues of interest to the industry.  Among the topics to be explored:  branded content, data science, DEI and social impact, the war for talent, public service, the future of the CMO and more. 

"Who better to talk about the issues affecting our industry today and tomorrow than those advertising luminaries who have been there; and those who are plotting the course of our future," said Gayle Troberman, Chief Marketing Officer, iHeartMedia. She added, "Marketing geniuses like these deserve the biggest stage in podcasting. That's why we're excited to help them drop their advertising wisdom on the #1 iHeartPodcast Network."

Season one of the eight-part series will debut today, concurrent with this year's 30th anniversary induction ceremonies for the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement. The first episode will feature a conversation between Wenda Harris Millard, Former Vice Chairman of MediaLink, Independent Advisor and the only AAF Advertising Hall of Fame and Advertising Hall of Achievement inductee, and Crystal Zerrenner, Chief Growth Officer at Thinx Inc and of Barbie fame. They will be talking about the power and responsibility of taking big risks, among other topics.  Future episodes will pair the following AHOA inductees and advertising luminaries:

• Antonio Lucio, Principal & Founder of 5S Diversity and former global CMO at Meta, HP, Visa and PepsiCo, and Stephanie Nadi Olson, Founder & CEO, We Are Rosie, discussing the importance of matching talent with brands
• Bozoma Saint John, marketing executive, author and former inductee into the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement, and TJ Adeshola, Head of Global Content Partnerships for Twitter, talking about the things you most want to achieve
• Daisy Expósito-Ulla, Latino trailblazer, Partner/President-CEO at d exposito & Partners and Advertising Hall of Fame inductee, and Angela M. Guzman, SVP & Head of Supplier Diversity, Americas, dentsu, talking about how to change the industry from the inside
• Deborah Wahl, Global CMO at General Motors and prior AAF Hall of Achievement inductee, and Elle McCarthy, VP of Brand and Social Impact, Electronic Arts, on the future of gaming and mobility
• Louis Carr, President of Media Sales at BET, and Jordan Muse, Managing Director, The Martin Agency, in a discussion on the importance of diversity in the workplace, why brands should focus on inclusion as a business imperative and the responsibility of leading by example for future generations
• Michael Kassan, Chairman & CEO at MediaLink and AAF Advertising Hall of Fame inductee, and Bing Chen, Executive Chairman, CEO & Founder, AU Holdings & Gold House, exchanging ideas on the creator economy
• Renetta McCann, Chief Inclusion Experience Officer at Publicis Groupe, and Bernice Chao, Head of Integrated Creative, Zambezi and co-Founder, Asians in Advertising, on DEI and what it takes to make a social impact

Details regarding the air dates for each of these additional episodes will be announced at a later date.

Ross Martin, president of Known, Hayley Romer, former Chief Revenue Officer and Publisher at The Atlantic, and Laura Correnti, Partner, Giant Spoon will serve as creators and executive producers for the podcast. All three are former inductees into the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement. Martin and Romer also recently served as Co-Chairs of this year's AHOA Council of Judges. Additionally, Ryan Martz and Noelle Flores will serve as producers for iHeartPodcasts. 

"What makes this podcast so timely and amazing is that it is an opportunity to showcase the new spirit of creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and public service that is embodied by this year's Advertising Hall of Achievers," said Mr. Martin. Added Ms. Romer, "History is about learning from the past to help make a better future. Pairing legends of the past with leaders of tomorrow is a unique and exciting way to explore where we have been and where we are going."

Said Steve Pacheco, President and CEO of AAF, "AAF prides itself on being a unifying voice for advertising and a beacon for attracting talent to the advertising industry. The new 'Future Legends of Advertising' podcast series will bring both of these promises to life."

"Future Legends of Advertising" will be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network and will be available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard beginning today, concurrent with induction ceremonies for this year's AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement. Ceremonies will take place at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. More than 400 corporate business leaders are expected to attend. 

Click here to listen to the first episode in the series. 

ABOUT AAF

The AAF's Board of Directors guides and oversees the Federation's signature events and initiatives, including the Advertising Hall of Fame,  Advertising Hall of Achievement,  American Advertising Awards,  Advertising Day on the Hill, National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), Mosaic Awards, Most Promising Multicultural Students Program, HBCUs for Advertising and AdCamp for high school students -- all serving the Federation's 35,000+ professional members nationwide, 4,000+ students and educators, and more than 60+ corporate members spanning media and tech companies, advertisers and agencies. Established in 1905, the American Advertising Federation (https://aaf.org) acts as the "Unifying Voice for Advertising."