Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

Today, we revisit an episode from earlier this year while we're between seasons: One of the smallest, but highest-impact, creative projects on the internet.-- -- -- Book Jay to speak at your next event or company meeting: jayacunzo.comLearn more about making an irresistible show for your brand. Visit MarketingShowrunners.com and join free subscribers from Red Bull, Adobe, Salesforce, Mailchimp, Wistia, Roku, the BBC, and more.

Today, we replay a classic episode from the Unthinkable archives, involving the fastest-growing B2B app of all-time, a TV producer-turned-speaker, and a healthy dose of examining the backwards way we approach content as brands.-- -- -- Book Jay for your next event or company meeting. Visit jayacunzo.comInterested in learning more about making a great show to support your brand? Visit MarketingShowrunners.com, the media company founded by Jay, to read and subscribe for free. You'll be in good company with marketing leaders from Red Bull, Roku, Adobe, Salesforce, Shopify, Zendesk, Wistia, the BBC, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, and thousands of startups and SMBs.

When we dub something a creative smash hit, we often point to the final product, as if their work was neatly contained in this one project. But it's often what happens AFTER something launches that makes it successful. Today, a revisited story about how to build momentum.-- -- --For insights on how to make a great show for your brand, visit MarketingShowrunners.com and join marketing leaders from companies like Red Bull, Roku, Adode, Salesforce, Shopify, Wistia, Zendesk, the BBC, and more.Fpr information about Jay's speaking and his book, Break the Wheel, visit jayacunzo.com

A story from Unthinkable producer and Marketing Showrunners staff writer, Tallie Gabriel, about a startup that's gone global with its attempts at reinventing live music, and how they manage to use small changes to create consistent innovation across dozens of cities and hundreds of venues. (Oh, and their venues? Yeah, they aren't technically venues...) Follow @talligator_ and @jayacunzo For speaking inquiries for Jay Acunzo, visit jayacunzo.com Music in this episode partly provided by New York's legendary folk band, Cardboard Rocketship. Listen to them on Spotify. Learn more about the craft of creating shows like this one for your brand. Visit MarketingShowrunners.com

When a past story Unthinkable listeners absolutely loved resurfaces in a rather facepalmy way, it's time to listen back to this ridiculous story.For speaking inquiries to have Jay at your next event or company meeting, visit jayacunzo.com or explore his book, Break the Wheel, at jayacunzo.com/book.You can join marketing leaders from brands like Red Bull, Roku, Adobe, Salesforce, Shopify, Zendesk, Wistia, the BBC, Drift, HubSpot, Mailchimp, and more who subscribe to Marketing Showrunners, Jay's organization providing insights and ideas for marketers who make shows. Visit marketingshowrunners.com/blog to read and subscribe free.

Scott looks every part a blacksmith. And while he might not work with any actual metal, he still forges his work with red hot fire. Today, we rerun a classic Unthinkable episode. Join marketing leaders at companies like Red Bull, Roku, Mailchimp, Adobe, Shopify, Salesforce, and the BBC who get my Marketing Showrunners newsletter: One email per month to help marketers make great original series, like podcasts, video shows, and documentaries, to build passionate audiences. Subscribe at marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe You can also book me to speak at your next event or company meeting: Visit jayacunzo.com/about-jay to learn more, or email [email protected]

Mike Lombardi runs one of the best new restaurants on the planet. Hearing him speak, it kinda seems like that's ALL our jobs. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, all about brands making shows. Subscribers include leaders from Red Bull, Roku, Mailchimp, Salesforce, Shopify, Wistia, and more: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe Book Jay to speak at your company or event: jayacunzo.com

Where does innovation fit in boring industries? How do we get creative when things seem to work against us entirely? What happens when the Powers That Be don't seem to want YOU to be? Today, a story from producer Tallie Gabriel about Museum Hack, the organization that's trying to make a centuries old industry with few resources and little sex appeal look a whole lot more like the preferred entertainment destination of young people everywhere. (Seems Unthinkable, no?) Learn more about Museum Hack at https://museumhack.com Follow producer Tallie Gabriel on Twitter @talligator_ or host Jay Acunzo @jayacunzo, or on Instagram @jacunzo Interested in the craft of making great original shows for your brand? Join marketers from Red Bull, Roku, Adobe, Salesforce, Shopify, Wistia, and more who get our monthly newsletter. Subscribe free at marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe

When we want to innovate, we need to know what to change, when, and how. So, um ... what exactly should we change? Also when? And while we're at it (yep, you guessed it), HOW? In this episode, a deconstruction of one of the most popular shows on the internet, plus two new concepts and frameworks we can use to answer all those questions. For marketers making shows Join leaders at Red Bull, Roku, Adobe, Shopify, Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, LinkedIn, the BBC, and more who get Jay's monthly newsletter, Hidden Gems. It's all about the craft of building original series to create passionate audiences. Join free at marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe Interested in Jay's keynote speaking for your next event? Now booking dates into mid-2020. Inquiries: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com

Why do so many leaders scream "INNOVATE!" and so many teams treat innovation like a bunch of random or infrequent stunts or radical changes? It always feels too urgent or too last-minute when we finally evolve. Why? What if there was a better way? What would it REALLY take to make innovation a habit, not a Hail Mary? Jay's email: [email protected] Subscribe to Jay's monthly newsletter for marketers making shows. Join leaders from Red Bull, Roku, Adobe, Salesforce, Shopify, Wistia, the BBC, LinkedIn, and more: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe Jay's keynote speaking site: jayacunzo.com Doug Kessler's blog post on tone of voice in B2B content: https://velocitypartners.com/blog/tone-of-voice-the-b2b-budget-multiplier/

Re-releasing three popular stories for the holiday travel and downtime around the Fourth of July, 2019. Enjoy! As always, you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter about crafting great shows at marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe. Join thousands of marketers from companies like Red Bull, Salesforce, Shopify, Roku, Zendesk, Zapier, Wistia, the BBC, LinkedIn, and Mailchimp. For speaking inquiries, visit my personal site, jayacunzo.com

Re-releasing three popular stories for the holiday travel and downtime around the Fourth of July, 2019. Enjoy! As always, you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter about crafting great shows at marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe. Join thousands of marketers from companies like Red Bull, Salesforce, Shopify, Roku, Zendesk, Zapier, Wistia, the BBC, LinkedIn, and Mailchimp. For speaking inquiries, visit my personal site, jayacunzo.com

Re-releasing three popular stories for the holiday travel and downtime around the Fourth of July, 2019. Enjoy! As always, you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter about crafting great shows at marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe. Join thousands of marketers from companies like Red Bull, Salesforce, Shopify, Roku, Zendesk, Zapier, Wistia, the BBC, LinkedIn, and Mailchimp. For speaking inquiries, visit my personal site, jayacunzo.com

Consistently great work consistently changes. Does yours? The story of one of history's most revered creators, and the lesser-known story we can all learn from. What does it take to adapt and evolve with the ever-changing times? Subscribe to Marketing Showrunners, the media and education company dedicated to teaching marketers to create original series to build passionate audiences. Join marketers from Red Bull, LinkedIn, Adobe, Shopify, Salesforce, Wistia, Zendesk, Mailchimp, and the BBC on the monthly newsletter: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe For speaking inquiries, visit Jay's website, jayacunzo.com

Revisiting an old favorite in light of some new events. There's a major shift happening in marketing that few are talking about. Instead, we talk about the industry's reactions to that shift. What if we looked the actual change in the eye? What great work might we create then? Subscribe to Marketing Showrunners, the media and education company dedicated to teaching marketers to create original series to build passionate audiences. Join marketers from Red Bull, LinkedIn, Adobe, Shopify, Salesforce, Wistia, Zendesk, and the BBC on the monthly newsletter: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe For speaking inquiries for Jay, visit jayacunzo.com

"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.) Max's book: https://www.amazon.com/Do-Better-Work-camaraderie-progress/dp/1732843902/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21EMGCAYEQTIZ&keywords=do+better+work&qid=1558569526&s=books&sprefix=do+bettetr%2Cstripbooks%2C123&sr=1-1 Jay's book: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ -- Interested in the craft of creating original series? (Podcasts, video shows, documentaries and more). Explore my new educational venture, Marketing Showrunners, advancing the craft of marketers making shows to build passionate audiences. Subscribers from teams like Red Bull, Zendesk, Salesforce, Adobe, Shopify, and more: www.marketingshowrunners.com You can also explore my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting: http://jayacunzo.com

Continuing our behind-the-scenes miniseries, we talk to Sarah Cooper: comedian, writer, author of the books 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings and the new one, How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings. We dive into how a standup comedy act takes shape, what gets changed over time, and what we can learn about creating consistently great work from standups. -- Interested in the craft of creating original series? (Podcasts, video shows, documentaries and more). Explore my new educational venture, Marketing Showrunners, advancing the craft of marketers making shows to build passionate audiences. Subscribers from teams like Red Bull, Zendesk, Wells Fargo, Accenture, Zapier, Pacific Content, Shopify, and more: www.marketingshowrunners.com You can also explore my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting: http://jayacunzo.com

How do we bring our full selves to our work, when a lot of that work feels like a slog? Even if we love our jobs, so much of what we do each day can repeat. We show up, we execute, and we repeat. Over and over again. Today, the story of the Boston-based venture capitalist Sarah Downey of Accomplice. The self-proclaimed nerd loves sci-fi, fantasy, and most of geek culture. Yet despite her role in tech, being her true self at work wasn't always welcome. Recently, she decided to unite her love for startups and Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's a project that forces her to bring herself -- her FULL self -- to the work every single day. Even though something about her work repeats day after day after day after day... FURTHER EDUCATION & INSPIRATION: Learn how to make a great show for your brand. Visit MarketingShowrunners.com and subscribe. You can also hire host Jay Acunzo to speak at your next event. Visit jayacunzo.com

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. FURTHER EDUCATION & INSPIRATION: Learn how to make a great show for your brand. Visit MarketingShowrunners.com and subscribe. You can also hire host Jay Acunzo to speak at your next event. Visit jayacunzo.com

Something unthinkable is happening at Grado Labs in Brooklyn. That is, if you can find the damn place... Today, a story about family, business, legacy, and hand-crafted products, found in the most unlikely of industries: the fast-paced, high-budgeted world of consumer electronics. Interested in making a show yourself? Subscribe to my new newsletter specifically about the craft of creating original series. It's called "Hidden Genius," and it's available once per month: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe You can also read the Marketing Showrunners blog, where I publish regular insights and stories for makers and marketers who share one believe: Marketing isn't about who arrives. It's about who stays. Visit marketingshowrunners.com/blog

In the third episode of our miniseries featuring in-depth, behind-the-scenes conversations about makin' stuff, we shed light into the black box that is the professional keynote speaking industry. (Learn more about my keynote speaking at jayacunzo.com)

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. Subscribe to the Marketing Showrunners newsletter: http://unthinkablemedia.com/subscribe Explore Nanagram: http://nanagram.co Hire Jay to keynote your next event or speak to your team: http://jayacunzo.com

In the second episode of our miniseries featuring in-depth, behind-the-scenes conversations about makin' stuff, we share never-before published thoughts and ideas learned by making this show for three years. Subscribe to the Unthinkable Media newsletter to get one exclusive big idea each month for making great shows, plus a roundup of insights, resources, and show deconstructions: unthinkablemedia.com/subscribe

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. Buy a copy of James Miller's book and share your receipt with Jay Acunzo for a copy of HIS book, Break the Wheel, signed, with stickers, for free.. Find James's book, A Small Fiction, here: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Fiction-James-Miller/dp/1783526874/ GET WEEKLY STORIES & INSIGHTS ON THE NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. WORK WITH JAY ACUNZO Keynote Speaking: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com Hosting/producing podcasts and video shows for brand clients: unthinkablemedia.com Buy a copy of Jay's book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook

You can find Exceptions anywhere you listen to your podcasts, including on... Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/exceptions/id1451633126 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tXUONfdFE0h9HculjEq36?si=mM6vCZnYSmSfaXkR5KgAvg Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1451633126/exceptions

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

Anthony Thomas, the CEO of Sticker Mule, adores operations and manufacturing. Those are decidedly not-creative areas to adore. Or so I thought. JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

Introducing a new miniseries running within Unthinkable: Creative Cafe, the kind of emotional, insider, and cathartic conversations creative people always have over drinks that microphones usually ruin when we try to record them. In this first episode of the series, we talk to one of the most creative honey badgers around, Dan Mills, creative director at Wistia. We cover things ranging from careers in music, how art and business collide (and why art is taking over), and why Wistia chose to reinvent itself as a company that makes far more than short, educational videos with the launch of One, Ten, One Hundred, a four-part docuseries. JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. Here's what to expect: IMMEDIATELY: A quick welcome note and video. WEEK ONE: A few of the most foundational ideas we need to go on this journey together. EVERY WEEK THEREAFTER: One new story and idea for questioning best practices, being consistently creative, and producing refreshing work. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

A plea about creativity in the workplace, and a brief exploration of the evolution of the internet to learn why we should change how we communicate our value to others as creators. We're joined by Patreon's CEO, Jack Conte, as well as a collection of creative voices: Chase Jarvis (CEO of CreativeLive), Deb Aoki (Sr. Experience Designer, Adobe), Josh Bernoff (author, editor, and blogger at Without Bullshit), Juliana Casale (Head of Marketing, CrazyEgg), Angela Schneider (writer and photographer), Macaela Vandermost and Corey Fanjoy (both from Newfangled Studios). JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. Here's what to expect: IMMEDIATELY: A quick welcome note and video. WEEK ONE: A few of the most foundational ideas we need to go on this journey together. EVERY WEEK THEREAFTER: One new story and idea for questioning best practices, being consistently creative, and producing refreshing work. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

Robby Novak's most popular video has been seen over 44 million times, and even though it's his face, his words, and his VIDEO, almost nobody watching knows his name is Robby Novak. Instead, they call him something else: Kid President. In this episode, hear why even the most enjoyable of videos KP has created -- and the best work from the best creators on the planet -- suffers from one issue that we must face as well. Watch Kid President's Pep Talk video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. A quick welcome note and video. IMMEDIATELY: A quick welcome note and video. WEEK ONE: A few of the most foundational ideas we need to go on this journey together. EVERY WEEK THEREAFTER: One new story and idea for questioning best practices, being consistently creative, and producing refreshing work. WORK WITH ME: Keynote Speaking: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT UNTHINKABLE: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

I kick off Season 5 by sharing the worst advice I've ever received and announcing the next leg of our journey together to fight against conventional thinking in our work. As promised, here are the two links mentioned: TRAVEL LOG: http://bit.ly/jay2019log My transparent, public, and continually updated account (editorial calendar and more) of my work this year, packaged as a travel journal. We're fighting against one awful phenomenon in business (shortcut culture) and fighting for one major goal (creating unassailable work). My hypothesis is that we need to master the ability to create consistently great work -- that consistency is key. But how does that work? What does it take? The Travel Log contains all questions, ideas, stories, mental frameworks, science, and other goodies I'm uncovering and creating. NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices Subscribe to get a new story to start each week feeling inspired. The newsletter is the main vehicle where I push this quest forward, sharing everything from the podcast, as well as exclusive 1:1 video chat invitations, new projects and experiments, and behind-the-scenes insights that don't make it anywhere else. WORK WITH ME: I give ~20 keynote speeches a year to audiences ranging from 40 global brand executives to 400 fire safety officers to 4,000 marketers and everything in between: [email protected] or jayacunzo.com Hire me to host/produce an original series for your B2B company: unthinkablemedia.com Read my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT UNTHINKABLE: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay is a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer, as well as the founder of Unthinkable Media, which creates documentary series with brand clients. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. In a world where “storyteller” has become a buzzword, Jay has earned a living by understanding how to tell actual stories -- emotional tales of people and teams doing their best work that help inspire others to push past conventional thinking in theirs.

In Episode 7 of my docuseries with brand partner Drift, we go inside a rising star in B2B, Lessonly. The company's internal principles guide everything they do, and they articulate some very atypical but refreshing principles. Underpinning every principle and every action spawned from those principles is one core concept: Psychological Safety. Hear why it's so dangerous to overlook this idea, and the very real ways it's changed Lessonly's team for the better. Plus, why is the company's VP of Marketing Kyle Lacy spraypainting 700 toy llamas gold in his garage? MORE GOOD STUFF: My book, Break the Wheel, is about questioning best practices to think for yourself. If you want to make better decisions, faster, in your unique context, check it out on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ You can also get one new story each each week about thinking for yourself when surrounded by conventional thinking by subscribing to my newsletter at bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices

In Episode 6 of my docuseries with brand partner Drift, I continue to explore why the world's best B2B companies are betting big on brand. Today, we go inside social media software company Buffer. They're an exception for many reasons, but chief among them is how they increase emotional resonance between their team and their audience. In this episode, I define the differences between traffic, audience, and resonance, and we hear how Buffer executes against each. Special thanks to Brian Peters and Kevan Lee for joining. MORE GOOD STUFF: My book, Break the Wheel, is about questioning best practices to think for yourself. If you want to make better decisions, faster, in your unique context, check it out on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ You can also get one new story each each week about thinking for yourself when surrounded by conventional thinking by subscribing to my newsletter at bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices

In Episode 5 of my docuseries with brand partner Drift, I continue to explore why the world's best B2B companies are betting big on brand, with a twist: We go outside the world of product companies and talk to one of the world's most well-known VC firms in tech, First Round Capital. In the episode, we talk to Looker cofounder and CTO Lloyd Tabb about his experiences working with FRC, and then hear from Bill Trenchard, one of the partners at the firm. MORE GOOD STUFF: My book, Break the Wheel, is now available on Amazon in print, ebook, and audio formats: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ You can also get one new story each each week about thinking for yourself when surrounded by conventional thinking: bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices

In the third of three Thanksgiving Week specials, we hear the incredible story of two individuals who so in-touch with WHY they do their work that they make decisions others can't possibly stomach, and overcome challenges most of us have never faced. It's Unthinkable ;) (For more weekly stories, subscribe to my newsletter, Damn the Best Practices: bit.ly/damnpractices)

In the second of three Thanksgiving Week special episodes, an old classic featuring a New York artist's odd but revealing experiment and the story of Frank Warren, creator of PostSecret. Why do we let judgment of our ideas affect our willingness to share them? How do we overcome that? Can we reach a place where we stop shoving others away when they criticize us, claiming they don't "get it"? (For weekly stories, subscribe to my newsletter, Damn the Best Practices: bit.ly/damnpractices)

Why do we gorge ourselves on holidays? Why do we do ANYTHING that seems mindless? "Because that's how we do things around here." In this story, the psychological phenomenon that explains this type of decision-making ... and what we need to do to break from it. This concept was pulled from my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work. Buy now on Amazon in print, ebook, or audiobook formats: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/

In Episode 4 of my docuseries with brand partner Drift, I continue to explore why the world's best B2B companies are betting big on brand. Today we go inside Help Scout an talk to CEO/cofounder Nick Francis, head of support Abigail Phillips, and an actual Help Scout customer. Plus, we hear from some of their employee's plants. MORE GOOD STUFF: My book, Break the Wheel, is now available on Amazon in print, ebook, and audio formats: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ You can also get one new story each each week about thinking for yourself when surrounded by conventional thinking: bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices

This is Part 2 of a story that originated in my newsletter, Damn the Best Practices. It got such a great response that I'm syndicating it here. You can subscribe at http://bit.ly/damnpractices Last time, I shared a psychological concept I uncovered while researching for my book, Break the Wheel. Today, the solution to that mental barrier blocking better decision-making at work. GET THE BOOK ON AMAZON OR AUDIBLE: Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work Amazon (print, Kindle, audiobook): https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Break-the-Wheel-Audiobook/B07JH7FQCJ Thanks for listening!

This story originated in my newsletter, Damn the Best Practices. It got such a great response that I'm syndicating it here. You can subscribe at http://bit.ly/damnpractices I first uncovered this psychological concept in the research for my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work, now available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Thanks for listening!

In Episode 3 of my docu-series with brand partner Drift, I continue to explore why the world's best B2B companies are betting big on brand. Today's most exceptional companies rely on creating great experiences to stand out from the commodity noise. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Damn the Best Practices, for one new story each week about questioning conventional thinking: bit.ly/damnpractices You can also say hi on Twitter @jayacunzo or Instagram @jacunzo My new book, Break the Wheel, is now available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition/dp/1544501056/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Order your copy of Break the Wheel on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Wheel-Question-Practices-Intuition-ebook/dp/B07HQF97J7 ABOUT THE BOOK: Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, & Do Your Best Work Our world is flooded by advice, ideas, and experts, but we shouldn’t make decisions based on “best practices.” Instead, we should do what works best for us, building careers and companies with the sort of clarity that leads to exceptional work. Only, first, we need to escape the endless cycle of stale approaches and trendy tactics that holds us back. We need to Break the Wheel. In this quick-hitting, powerful book, keynote speaker and podcaster Jay Acunzo hands us a sledgehammer. With a diverse range of real-world stories, Break the Wheel offers a simple but powerful way to think for yourself when surrounded by conventional thinking. Along the way, Acunzo offers six fundamental questions to ask in any situation to start making the best possible decisions, regardless of the best practice. Remember: Finding best practices isn't the goal. Finding the best approach for you is.

Break the Wheel's NEW publish date is Oct. 1, 2018! That means this is the final week to get signed copies plus bonus goodies sent to you in the pre-sale. Visit jayacunzo.com/book for that, or head over to Amazon to purchase your print, Kindle, or audiobook version of Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, Do Your Best Work. Today, the problem with dubbing an innovator or creator a "visionary," and how we, too, can act just like them. (Spoiler alert: The very idea that they possess any kind of foresight is BS. Like you'd expect me to say anything else?)

Big News: My book, Break the Wheel, is now available for pre-orders at jayacunzo.com/book! Today, Episode 2 of my new documentary series with brand partner Drift, where I go inside some of the world's best B2B companies to understand why and how they're proactively building their brands. "Brand" was a dirty word in many B2B companies for awhile, but these individuals are proving why it's arguably the most important strategy today for creating exceptional companies. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Damn the Best Practices, for one new story each week about questioning conventional thinking: bit.ly/damnpractices You can also say hi on Twitter @jayacunzo or Instagram @jacunzo

Visit jayacunzo.com/book for the pre-sale in the United States. Purchase single or bulk, and get each signed. Available now through October 2018 when the book launches worldwide. Also ... a story (obviously).

Episode 1 of my new documentary series with brand partner Drift, where I go inside some of the world's best B2B companies to understand why and how they're proactively building their brands. "Brand" was a dirty word in many B2B companies for awhile, but these individuals are proving why it's arguably the most important strategy today for creating exceptional companies. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Damn the Best Practices, for one new story each week about questioning conventional thinking: bit.ly/damnpractices My first book, Break the Wheel, arrives this fall. First to know will be the newsletter. You can also say hi on Twitter @jayacunzo or Instagram @jacunzo

While I work on Season 4 plus my book, Break the Wheel (Fall 2018), I wanted to share with you one of the most popular episodes from the backlogs: "Intuition." Insight into how the world seems to define intuition and why it's so darn broken. Then, we do something unthinkable: We try to define it together, not in some fluffy sense, but in a practical, real-world way, so we can proactively hone and use this skill. In this episode, we hear from one of the most legendary photographers on the planet and the founder/CEO of CreativeLive, Chase Jarvis. In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, sharing one new story every Monday for being better than best practices. That's at http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices

As I work on Season 4 of Unthinkable, I wanted to share with you one of the most popular episodes from the backlogs: Voices. The incredible story of Lisa Schneider and her warm, witty, and wonderful team working for ... the dictionary. What they did seemed unthinkable, until you hear their side of the story. Hope you enjoy! In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, sharing one new story every Monday for being better than best practices. That's at http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices

Anthony Bourdain inspired much of this very show. Though my style is a bit different than his, I've learned from his method, watched him work with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide, and aspire to be the Anthony Bourdain of the business world. His window into the human experience was food. Mine is careers. In this episode, a tribute, pulled from my newsletter "Damn the Best Practices." Subscribe to that weekly email at bit.ly/damnpractices. Thank you, Anthony Bourdain, for sharing your art with the world. Rest in power...