Best Upfront Ventures Podcasts (2025)

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‘The merger’ – SCA/SWM dissected, ex-Edelman CCO weighs in on redundancy crisis, and ChatGPT’s major move 34:50

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4h ago34:50

34:50

2 October 2025 Southern Cross Austereo and Seven West Media’s proposed merger is fascinating: a power move or alliance between two disrupted businesses? We go over the merger’s details to determine which company’s culture — TV or radio — will dominate. Last week, Mumbrella ran a story on the redundancy crisis that has struck the marketing and media…

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Remade revelations, the Murdoch Tiktok deal, and unpicking Optus' latest PR nightmare 24:23

6d ago24:23

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24 September 2025 This week: Yesterday's Remade event put retail media under the microscope. In separate sessions, Zitcha's Alberto Vergara shared his theory that impulse buying is going to be destroyed by AI agents, and Jonathan Hopkins of Sonder and Commbank's Patrick Crowley dove deep into Commbank's journey of building its own retail media netw…

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Mat Baxter's tattoo skincare venture, inside Mumbrella360 2026, and marketing death successfully 23:21

13d ago23:21

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18 September 2025 Expert marketer Mat Baxter rolled out a tattoo luxury skincare line, Skingraphica, after finding that popular cosmetic brands didn't supply products specifically for tattoo skincare. He spoke with Hal about the new venture, and revealed the unorthodox marketing practices he's going to deploy for it. Meanwhile, Mumbrella360 2026 ha…

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Youtube going strong at 20, Mamamia starts its engines for new era, and Mango Comms Sydney is no more 24:25

19d ago24:25

24:25

11 September 2025 Youtube marked its 20th birthday by gathering 600 industry personnel in Sydney and dazzling them with its own version of a TV upfront. The video streaming platform shared its latest products with the crowd, and Hal was there to see if it was all worth it. The latest radio ratings are in, and Nine Radio climbed back in Melbourne. K…

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Frank Rotman: The Midas List Veteran on Building Fintech Empires at Capital One and QED Investors 50:47

26d ago50:47

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In this episode I talk with Frank Rotman, Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer of QED Investors, a leading fintech-focused venture capital firm managing $4.3 billion that has backed over 200 companies. A seven-time Forbes Midas List honoree, Frank shares his remarkable journey—from shaping Capital One’s groundbreaking, data-driven strategy…

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The TV industry's Canberra invasion, upfronts season is here, and Vinyl Media shaves off the top 24:02

27d ago24:02

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4 September 2025 The bosses of the Australian TV industry flooded Canberra this week to lobby the government for tax relief and to put an end to gambling ad restrictions. Tim was there too, and he's here to share all the details of the event - and the conversations he had with the industry's most powerful people. Upfronts season has finally arrived…

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Nine posts big numbers, ARN vs SCA financial results, and AANA responds to health concerns 23:13

1M ago23:13

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28 August 2025 Nine's finances for FY2025 were released this morning, and the combined weight of the Olympics, Stan and Domain helped the media organisation stay upright. But should Nine be celebrating? Meanwhile, rivals ARN and SCA have released their own financial results, while rumours of Nine being interested in buying SCA continue. Nathan is h…

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Inside Hardie Grant's Keep Left acquisition, OOH's big week, and ex-Paramount owner talks Skydance and Trump 25:24

1M ago25:24

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Media and publishing group Hardie Grant has made a major investment in the communications space, acquiring PR agency Keep Left. We discuss if Hardie Grant made the right move, and what prompted Keep Left to sell after 23 years. The country's sole independent newswire, Australian Associated Press, has struck a deal with Google to feed its news into …

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'I put all my skin in the game': Ebiquity CEO Ruben Schreurs opens up to Mumbrella 52:44

2M ago52:44

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Global performance consultancy Ebiquity oversees US$160 billion of advertising spend for the majority of the world's top brands. CEO Ruben Schreurs sat down with Mumbrella's Hal Crawford for a wide-ranging interview that ran the gamut from agency disruption, to advertiser news avoidance, Elon Musk, outdoor, the rise of Publicis and a personal attac…

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Is James Taylor the man for the job at Ooh Media? 26:04

2M ago26:04

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SBS has announced that its managing director, James Taylor, is gearing up to leave the broadcaster after 13 years to become the boss at Ooh Media. But is it the right move for both the outdoor company and the long-time media leader? And who should replace him? At the same time, Seven released its full-year financial results, and the numbers are sob…

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Dentsu ANZ's leadership bombshell, News Corp's full-year financials, and the great copyright debate 27:13

2M ago27:13

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6 August 2025 Dentsu ANZ dropped a bomb this morning, revealing that its CEO Patricio De Matteis is leaving the business with the company's New Zealand boss, Rob Harvey, stepping in as his replacement. We discuss what this means for the holdco. News Corp released its full-year financials, and despite declining revenue for its Australian operations,…

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Google's legal threats, Solstice Media's latest acquisition, and the media industry's season of change 24:32

2M ago24:32

24:32

30th July 2025 Over the weekend, Google ramped up the under-16s social media ban fight by sending at letter to the Australian government with legal claims for exemption (which it has just officially lost). We analyse Google's arguments to see if the tech juggernaut has a case or if it's shouting at a wall. Hal interviews executive director of media…

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Omnicom's Oceania restructure, FM trumps AM in Melbourne, and Nine's upcoming payday 26:44

2M ago26:44

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23 July 2025 The restructure of Omnicom's Oceania operations has dominated the trade press this week, particularly with the confirmation that Nick Garrett will be returning to lead the new organisation. Is Omnicom just aligning with the rest of the industry or is there something different afoot here? Meanwhile, Nathan spoke with ARN's chief audienc…

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Eric Ries: The Lean Startup Revolution in an AI-Driven World 55:41

2M ago55:41

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Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author of the bestselling book "The Lean Startup," ignited a movement that reshaped how founders and corporations build and scale businesses worldwide. Drawing from his experiences in Silicon Valley startups, Ries introduced a methodology centered on rapid experimentation and iterative development that encouraged entrepr…

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SCA's content head departs, Telstra leans into the hate, and Linkby co-founder on today's publishing industry 23:07

3M ago23:07

23:07

16 July 2025 Southern Cross Austereo's chief content officer, Dave Cameron, is leaving the business after three decades, and with the network recently selling its regional TV licence and doubling down on an 'all about audio' ethos, it's made us wonder: Did he jump or was he shown the door? This week has also seen the publication of independent stud…

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Healthcare to receive the Mat Baxter treatment 1:05:41

3M ago1:05:41

1:05:41

14 July 2025 During the Covid pandemic, a serious accident left Naked Communications Australia co-founder Mat Baxter with serious injuries, forcing the agencyland leader into 12 weeks of recuperation — while trying to fill his role of chief executive officer at global consultancy Huge in New York. But the tragedy became a cornerstone moment for Bax…

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Commbank goes big with new campaign, media mushroom sins, and Mat Baxter's take on agencyland 27:20

3M ago27:20

27:20

9 July 2025 The Commonwealth Bank has the industry and consumers talking about its latest ad campaign. But it's not just the 90-second whirlwind of a TVC featuring cars, several Matildas, and even a biplane that has captured people's attention — it's the 'Australian first' media strategy leveraging a 48-hour roadblock across BVOD. We break down the…

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Junk food ad ban, publishers unite against AI bots, and Tim's Madfest adventure 27:55

3M ago27:55

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2 July 2025 As of yesterday, the South Australian government has banned junk food advertising on its own properties, a move that advertising bodies are none too happy about. Lauren breaks the situation down — and reveals the South Australian government's sharp jab back at advertisers. Meanwhile, Cloudflare, an internet backend provider, is moving t…

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Antoinette Lattouf wins, the eSafety commissioner's swing at Youtube, and Google riles small publishers 25:20

3M ago25:20

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25 June 2025 After months of battling the ABC in court on the grounds that she was unfairly dismissed from her radio gig over her views on Israel and Gaza, the Federal Court ruled in favour of journalist Antoinette Lattouf. What did the judge say and what does the verdict mean for the ABC? Overseas in the United States, the FTC officially approved …

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A look inside Hubspot's content strategy 25:55

3M ago25:55

25:55

In this special interview edition of the Mumbrellacast, Hal Crawford speaks with VP of Hubspot Media Jonathan Hunt about ways of finding an audience in a world that has become a lot tougher for content creators. Hunt covers Linkedin's recent push for video and how it has created an opportunity, Reddit as a traffic source, and an AI workflow that ca…

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Aussies win big at Cannes, the trouble at Clems, and are women avoiding news? 26:41

3M ago26:41

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18 June 2025 Telstra and creative agency Bear Meets Eagle On Fire won the Film Craft Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It's one of the most prestigious awards in adland — Lauren breaks down the win and shares an update on other awards the Australian industry has secured. Clemenger Group's changing of the guar…

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Greg Hywood's view from the river bank 52:16

4M ago52:16

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Former Fairfax CEO and Free TV Chair Greg Hywood has moved out of the media world for the first time in 50 years. Mumbrella editorial director Hal Crawford talks with Hywood at length in this interview edition of the Mumbrellacast, covering Hywood's career, the nature of journalism and journalists - and, intriguingly, his view on whether the Nine F…

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The Project and Q+A get the boot; Challenges women face in media; and Greg Hywood's thoughts on Nine 28:35

4M ago28:35

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11 June 2025 Two long-running television shows, ABC's Q+A and Ten's The Project, have officially been axed at their respective networks. Q+A is being replaced by documentaries, while The Project is being replaced by an investigative news and current affairs program. We discuss what these major changes mean for Australian TV. Meanwhile, a new Women …

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Adland’s revolving door; Clive Dickens’ new business venture; and Mamamia’s new video strategy 21:42

4M ago21:42

21:42

4 June 2025 Last week, iconic Australian adland figure David Droga announced he would be stepping down from Accenture Song. Since then, M+C Saatchi’s APAC CEO, Justin Graham, and Dentsu Creative ANZ’s chief creative officer, Ben Coulson, also revealed they were moving on. They’re just a few among the many major talent movements in the industry — we…

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Mumbrellacast goes live: Linkedin, highly paid talent, and where it all began for Burrowes 37:15

4M ago37:15

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29 May 2025 Recorded live on stage at Mumbrella360, this special episode of the Mumbrellacast sees the worlds of Unmade and Mumbrella collide. Over the past two weeks, we've been hearing from multiple sources that Linkedin is becoming increasingly relevant for marketers. We discuss if the platform's moment is just a fad or the start of a new age of…

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ABC, SBS and the gender pay gaps data; inside outdoor media; marketers and Google’s AI Mode; Resolution Digital’s new chapter 22:36

4M ago22:36

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21 May 2025 For the first time ever, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has released the gender pay gaps of companies in the Commonwealth public sector — and that includes broadcasters ABC and SBS. We unpack the data to see who’s winning and who needs to catch up. Last week, Hal interviewed Ooh Media’s chief revenue officer, Mark Fairhurst, who t…

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News Corp, AI and Donald Trump; Anika Wells; and the OMA's party without a purpose 22:01

5M ago22:01

22:01

14 May 2025 The Outdoor Media Association held a conference in Sydney last week, where it revealed that its new metrics suite, Move, is launching… at some point. It has been years in the making, so why the delay? Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp, issued a stark warning to US President Donald Trump that AI companies are stealing content, such as his…

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Kobie Fuller: Upfront Ventures Partner’s High-Speed Sprint from Track Star to Venture Capital Powerhouse 44:15

5M ago44:15

44:15

Kobie Fuller is a partner at Upfront Ventures. He came to the firm after investing at Accel and leading marketing efforts at EVOLVE, the large global fashion ecommerce platform. Highlights from our conversation. -- we covered a lot of ground, so this is just a small part: Kobie’s Athletic Background and Vision for Track and Field: Kobie, a former t…

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Are Media CEO on US deal; SCA finally exits TV; Netflix's Aussie earnings; will AI take jobs? 19:48

5M ago19:48

19:48

7 May 2025 This morning, Are Media announced a deal that it would sell ads for US publisher Dotdash Meredith in the Australian market. Hal had a rare chat with Are Media's CEO Jane Huxley who claims the sun has come out. Meanwhile, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) is officially selling its remaining regional TV licences to Seven West Media — and not A…

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A nothing-off-limits chat with Meta ANZ boss Will Easton 28:08

5M ago28:08

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30 April 2025 Metafest has just wrapped up for 2025, and to mark the occasion, Hal and Tim sat down with Meta's ANZ managing director Will Easton. From the News Media Bargaining Code to Meta's tax payments and the highly publicised social media ban for people under the age of 16, Easton faced questions on some controversial issues in this special e…

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The Chrome threat; Click-through down on Google ads; Liz Hayes joins Seven 22:23

5M ago22:23

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23 April 2025 The US Department of Justice recently stood in court and said it wants Google to sell Chrome — and since the tech giant has already been found to possess an illegal search monopoly, there is actually a chance it will have to give up the world’s most popular web browser. Hal spoke with In Marketing We Trust’s CEO Paul Hewett to unpack …

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Facebook’s sad cobblers saga; Rob Mayhew’s chat with Tim; walled garden ad exchanges; Albo’s love of papers 25:26

6M ago25:26

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16 April 2025 According to the ACCC, Australians are increasingly falling victim to fake business scams orchestrated through Facebook. The new crop of scammers pretend to be old Australian businesses closing down, and they seem to be everywhere. What does the platform have to say about it? Meanwhile, Tim sat down with agencyland’s favourite comedia…

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Principal media in a very public spotlight; Mike Sneesby lands a big job; Trade press schooled by Oztam CEO 25:22

6M ago25:22

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9 April 2025 Tuesday’s Future of TV Advertising conference in Sydney saw a bit of friction on stage when the topic shifted to principal media trading (PMT). The panel of industry experts were divided: evil, 80% evil, or non-existent in Australia? Meanwhile, Nine’s ex-boss Mike Sneesby is heading halfway across the world to become CEO at the Middle …

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Growthops' demise; the government's smoking gun; Darren Woolley on getting CEOs out of pitches 25:14

6M ago25:14

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2 April 2025 Recently, news broke that agency group Growthops has entered administration with liquidators flooding in to officiate the group's companies' end — should we have seen this coming? An audit on government spending has shown that X (formerly known as Twitter) advertising was banned in 2022. We ask TrinityP3's Darren Woolley for his take o…

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David Anderman: Space (Investing) is Big. Really Big. From Lucasfilm’s Star Wars to SpaceX to…The Final Frontier 58:34

6M ago58:34

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David Anderman is co-founder and General Partner of Stellar Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage space technology startups. He spent 16 years at Lucasfilm Ltd., creator of the Star Wars franchise. As Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, he notably negotiated Lucasfilm’s $4 billion sale to Disney in 2012. Moving from imagi…

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ESPN levels up; the federal budget's impact on adland; the Gazette blow-up 19:05

6M ago19:05

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26 March 2025 This week: Two big streaming television plays, and the Australian federal budget are dominating media and marketing industry chatter at the moment. This week, American sports channel ESPN is launching in Australia on Disney+, while on Monday, Warner Bros Discovery is rolling out its streaming service, Max. What does this mean for spor…

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Roy Morgan's CEO on retail's future and media trust; on the ground at our Retail Marketing Summit 19:44

7M ago19:44

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19 March 2025 This week: Data is the name of today's game as we took our show to our Retail Marketing Summit at the Crown, Sydney. Michele Levine — Roy Morgan's chief executive officer — delved deeper into the data that shows the forces impacting the retail sector. From the increasing popularity of Shein and Temu to an embattled Australia, what's g…

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Clive Palmer's Trumpian antics; WeAre8 shuts down Australia; Tim's chat with News Corp's Michael Miller 19:10

7M ago19:10

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12 March 2025 This week: Ex-parliamentary member and businessman Clive Palmer's political ads mirror Donald Trump's anti-woke views - should the media stop running them? Meanwhile, social network app Weare8 is shutting down its Australian offices, with nine people being let go. But according to its founder, Zoe Kalar, the company is not slowing dow…

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Adland’s best and worst payers; the gender pay gap; Triple M’s latest departure 18:41

7M ago18:41

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5 March 2025 This week: Fresh data on the gender pay gap in Australia—and how adland is contributing to it—is the hot topic in the industry this week. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency released its annual gender pay gap data on Tuesday, including insights into the media and marketing sector. Why does the gender pay gap still persist in modern-da…

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The latest at Nine; results season for media companies; Max's launch date set; Ita Buttrose's explosive legal letter 21:27

7M ago21:27

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26 February 2025 Half-year results, massive takeover bids, and the ABC's ongoing legal battle with Antoinette Lattouf have given the industry much to talk about in the last seven days. This week: The saga between Nine Entertainment Company, Costar and Domain; the financial half-year results from ARN, SCA, Ooh Media and Nine; Warner Bros Discovery's…

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Cyan Banister: The Future is Cool Again / Falling in Love with Technology / A Brush with Star Wars 1:06:05

7M ago1:06:05

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Cyan Banister of Long Journey Ventures is truly one of the most successful and interesting early stage venture investors. And by ‘successful investor’, I mean “invested early in Uber and SpaceX” kind of successful. She overcame a challenging childhood that included periods of homelessness (a surprisingly uplifting story, covered deeply in Tim Ferri…