Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman

Corporate culture is a big buzzword these days, but for our guests it’s integral to how they do business. Bill Koenigsberg, CEO of Horizon Media, feels personally accountable for his employees, while Progressive Insurance CMO Remi Kent shares how the pandemic made her bring her values to the workplace during her time at 3M. WPP’s Christian Juhl shares how the power of culture was a differentiator in business at Group M,...

Hugh Howey is an international best-selling author whose work has been published in 40 languages. But he’s not just a writer, he’s an entrepreneur in the purest sense. When Hugh self-published a short story, the world demanded more. Soon enough the income from that one story was enough to quit his job to begin work on what became the now-iconic Silo trilogy. Instead of going the traditional route with a publisher, Hugh ...

Fashion designer Norma Kamali has stayed relevant for generations by tapping into culture, creativity, and technology. In the early 60s, she got a degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology but didn’t fit in with the style of the time. She abandoned design to work for an airline instead, giving her access to travel. During frequent trips to London, Norma discovered a fashion revolution that hadn’t hit the States ye...

When he was 14, Tarang Amin’s family sold their home and bought a motel. They fixed it up and expanded their business, buying one motel after another. Since those days, Tarang’s gotten an MBA, built an impressive resume at Procter & Gamble, Clorox, and Schiff Nutrition, and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board and CEO of e.l.f. Beauty. Tarang still credits his days at the family motels for his achievements ...

A billion dollar business born from a $5,000 line of credit seems hard to believe, but so are a lot of Damian Maldonado’s achievements. The co-founder and CEO of American Financing, one of the major national mortgage companies, started selling candy and Avon products door-to-door when he was just 10 years old to help provide for his family. While he didn’t go to college, he was steadfast in his pursuit of learning and h...

Jewel–with just that name, you know exactly who she is. With over 30 million albums sold worldwide, four Grammy nominations, and an American Music Award she has all the accomplishments of stardom, but didn’t get there the traditional way. She spent her childhood in Alaska performing in bars with her dad and left home at 15, struggling with homelessness as a young adult. It was performing at a coffee shop that led to a b...

Moderna’s CEO Stéphane Bancel will go down in history for pioneering the Covid-19 vaccine. He sits down with Bob to recount the story of the pandemic from his perspective, from the moment he knew it would become an international disaster to the decision to throw out Moderna’s playbook and risk everything to help humanity. At the time, Moderna had never sold a product, requiring Stéphane to adapt to a new s...

Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman for a new season of Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. How do the most successful minds in marketing, entertainment, business, and even health and science evolve in an ever-changing world? This season, Bob sits down with visionaries across a wide range of industries to hear how they’ve used data, analytics, and creativity to adapt to new technology, lead st...

Whether it’s a promotion or a pivot, a great pitch or a stroke of luck, behind most successful careers is an improbable jump that unlocks new possibilities. Ryan Seacrest went from small-time broadcast host to breaking big with American Idol. On the other hand, Rob Reilly, the Chief Creative Officer of WPP, shocked his colleagues when he stepped backwards just as his career was about to peak, and IPG’s Jacki K...

Over the years Bob has asked dozens of business titans to share their secrets –what’s inspired them, how they’ve exceeded their career goals, and the important lessons they’ve learned along the way. In this bonus episode, we’re highlighting memorable stories and secrets from marketing masters. AT&T CMO Kellyn Smith Kenny is honest about her takeaways from unsuccessful campaigns and Gwyneth Pal...

Martha Stewart has been a household name for over four decades and she still isn’t done building her empire. During her rise, the world’s first female self-made billionaire ignored conventional wisdom to become an Emmy Award-winning TV host, best-selling author, and creator of a groundbreaking magazine. Beyond those accolades, her wildly successful merchandising business and multi-channel lifestyle company has established her as an...

In honor of the 43rd anniversary of MTV, we’re rereleasing a classic episode: the real story of MTV, as told by the founders. Today MTV is a cultural institution, but people forget what a long shot it was to get the channel off the ground. Bob Pittman led the team that created MTV. In this special episode, he reminisces with co-founders and friends John Sykes, Judy McGrath, Fred Seibert, Tom Freston and Jarl Mohn about what it was ...

You may know this week’s guest by many names. Mr. 305, Mr. Worldwide, or more likely, the one and only Pitbull. Yes, the Grammy winning superstar, education advocate and entrepreneur sat down with Bob for a live conversation in his native Miami at the POSSIBLE conference. Before gaining all his titles, Pitbull was simply Armando Christian Pérez, a kid soaking up the colorful cultures of his city. Growing up, he was exposed to diver...

Ryan Seacrest is America’s favorite host. He’s been on the radio since he was a teenager, but it wasn’t until he came on all of our TV screens in 2002 as the host of American Idol that he became a constant presence in American households. That big break propelled him to other roles, like hosting E! Red Carpets, Live with Kelly and Ryan, and will soon become the new host of Wheel of Fortune. All the while, he’s been on the radio in ...

You’ve probably been entertained by entrepreneur and filmmaker Andrew Jarecki even if you didn’t realize it. He co-founded the business everyone used in the 1990s: Moviefone. His list of accomplishments also include co-writing the theme song for the hit TV show, Felicity, directing the Ryan Gosling film, All Good Things, and directing and producing the documentary, Capturing the Friedmans, which won 18 international prizes and earn...

How does one come up with great ideas? Some may think they’re random strokes of genius, but Rob Reilly knows it takes a mix of hard work and creativity–the truest embodiment of math and magic. Now the Chief Creative Officer of WPP, Rob built his stunning reputation on work that is memorable and buzzy, from campaigns for companies like American Express and Burger King to the “Fearless Girl” statue that still stands in Manhattan’s Fi...

Country music is the biggest radio music format and Nashville’s Scott Borchetta knows the genre inside and out. He’s the founder, president, and CEO of Big Machine Label Group and the founder of Big Machine Distillery. Scott has signed deals with artists like Tim McGraw, Jewel, Lady A, Zac Brown Band, Thomas Rhett, Florida Georgia Line, and many others.  Scott sits down to talk about his impressive career, from how he discovered hi...

Audiences love a spectacle, and Kenneth Feld knows better than anyone how true this is. As the Chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, he’s an acclaimed visionary when it comes to live, family friendly theatrics. He took over the business from his father, who founded it back in 1967 when he discovered the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. Kenneth sat down with Bob to describe how he maintains the company’s core principles, f...

Kellyn Smith Kenny was born to innovate. From her early years, she was a textbook over-achiever, thriving as both an athlete and a mathlete and joining any additional club she could squeeze her way into. Growing up, she watched her mom run a hospital and her dad contribute to groundbreaking work at Bell Labs, inspiring her to dedicate herself to meaningful work. This well-rounded foundation has taken Kellyn far in the world of mark...