Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo
An inside look at the unconventional choices of quality-obsessed creators – and the memorable things they made as a result. It's a show about trusting your intuition and your craft more than best practices and blueprints. Since 2016, Unthinkable has inspired creators to ship more personal, powerful work. In the era of AI and endless commodity content, that type of work is now urgent. Hosted by Jay Acunzo, founder of the Creator Kitchen.
Thu, June 06, 2024
Bonus - How Stories Happen #3 - Ann Handley, Bestselling Author
🟢 Dear Unthinkable listener: Thank you SO much for your support over the years! I invite you to find and follow the new show, How Stories Happen, in your preferred podcast player in just 2 taps right here: https://episodes.fm/1736586770 Every episode, an expert, entrepreneur, creator, or communicator dissects a single story or draft piece by piece. Hear how they found it, how they developed it, how it might improve, and how they're using it to build their business and leave their legacy. You'll walk away thinking more about the power of your words and less about the volume of your content. Find the show here: https://episodes.fm/1736586770 ABOUT THIS EPISODE OF HOW STORIES HAPPEN: When so many people are excited to create a higher volume of content, shouldn’t we think more about what gives our work greater power? That’s what our guest today understands better than most, and she draws that power from everyday moments she hunts out, like a squirrel finding nuts in the yard. Meet Ann Handley—she’s a best-selling author, a pioneer in content marketing, and a popular B2B speaker with a knack for imbuing ordinary moments with extraordinary meaning. Ann reveals her morning routine, her idea capture system, and most importantly, her process and practice of becoming a word-class noticer of stories during a time when so many people simply stuff a screen in their face or turn to cheat-sheets to produce generic content. In this episode, we dissect a signature story shared to her newsletter, Total Annarchy, which she sent to just over 50,000 readers. We zero in on a pivot point in the middle that makes the work resonate, and we find plenty of existential debates that unfolded in her writing process. Together, we discover how to connect with an audience on a more personal level and leave a lasting impression, ensuring your stories aren’t just heard but felt. The best part? You don’t need to experience anything groundbreaking for your words to hit hard. But you do need to become a notice. Jump into the conversation: (04:48) Meet Ann (19:36) Ann’s Story (26:21) Dissecting the Story Resources: ⚫ Follow Ann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhandley/ ⚫ Check out her website and subscribe to her newsletter here: https://annhandley.com/ ⚫ Read Ann’s book, Everybody Writes: https://annhandley.com/everybodywrites/ 🔵 Follow Jay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jaya
Mon, May 06, 2024
Bonus - How Stories Happen #1 - Andrew Davis, Keynote Speaker
🟢 Dear Unthinkable listener: Thank you SO much for your support over the years! I invite you to find and follow the new show, How Stories Happen, in your preferred podcast player in just 2 taps right here: https://episodes.fm/1736586770 Every episode, an expert, entrepreneur, creator, or communicator dissects a single story or draft piece by piece. Hear how they found it, how they developed it, how it might improve, and how they're using it to build their business and leave their legacy. You'll walk away thinking more about the power of your words and less about the volume of your content. Find the show here: https://episodes.fm/1736586770 ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Meet Andrew Davis. He is a powerhouse business speaker who’s given speeches in 35 different countries, at more than 50 events every year. He speaks to audiences ranging from marketers and entrepreneurs to plumbers and physicians — and there may not be a storyteller who is this craft-driven and obsessed with telling amazing stories in the worlds of business, marketing, and customer experience. Andrew hosts a popular video series called the Loyalty Loop on YouTube, and he’s had a long career crafting stories of all kinds, including jobs as a producer for NBC and a writer for the news legend Charles Kuralt. As an entrepreneur, Andrew has built and sold a marketing agency, produced docuseries for brand clients big and small, and authored multiple books about marketing and customer experience. In this episode, we dissect one of his signature stories. It's been with him for almost ten years, and he can customize it across audiences and projects to arrive at basically any insight he needs to teach. It’s a rare look at how a true master of the craft executes the tiny things that create a big impact both for his audience and his business. Jump into the conversation: (06:27) Meet Andrew (14:18) Andrew’s Story (22:38) Dissecting the Story (39:02) First, Last, Favorite Bonus Video: 🎨 Watch a video animation of Andrew’s signature story: https://jayacunzo.com/blog/how-stories-happen-episode-1-andrew-davis Resources: ⚫ Follow Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewdavishere/ ⚫ Explore his speaking: https://www.akadrewdavis.com/ ⚫ Watch the Loyalty Loop: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeegDFQqmxjBUpr5FCHzlpsKVyeEmPuf3 🔵 Follow Jay: https://www.linkedin.c
Fri, March 29, 2024
Keep Making What Matters | Follow My New Show, How Stories Happen
Find and follow How Stories Happen in your favorite podcast player, or visit howstorieshappen.com to learn more about the show and find the appropriate link for you. Every episode of the show, we’re dissecting stories and drafts with incredible storytellers to understand how they found their ideas, how they developed their work, and how they’re using their stories to build their business and leave their legacy. You’ll walk away ready to differentiate on the impact of your ideas, not the volume of your content. It’s a show for business storytellers focused on standing out easier and resonating deeper through substance and stories, not hollow stunts. *** You can also subscribe to my free newsletter, 💌 Playing Favorites, and learn more about my coaching for experts looking to differentiate and my membership for business storytellers (the Creator Kitchen) at jayacunzo.com *** ABOUT ME: Jay Acunzo helps business leaders develop more original premises — the big ideas they become known for publicly. His work focuses on his core belief in prioritizing resonance first, not reach. After starting his career in media and marketing roles at Google and HubSpot, Jay authored the book about questioning best practices, Break the Wheel , toured as a professional speaker, giving keynote sin 25 states and 3 countries, and cofounded the mastermind for business storytellers, the Creator Kitchen . As an advisor, he’s worked with more than 200 individuals and teams to help them differentiate through the impact of their ideas, not the volume of their content. Past clients include Salesforce, GoDaddy, Wistia, Drift, and Help Scout, as well as hundreds of individual thought leaders and experts, including the author behind Google’s innovative employee training program and the performance coach who helped Kobe Bryant develop his Black Mamba persona. Jay is a proud New England resident, a troubled Knicks fan, and an obsessive grilled pizza chef. His grandest aspiration (though he’d say delusion) is to be the Anthony Bourdain of business storytelling. 💛 Keep making what matters!
Mon, February 26, 2024
Going Streaking: the Relationship Between Creative Ambition, Quality, and Consistency
Why do we constantly underestimate how long something will take in the short-term? In other words, we tend to over-estimate just how much we can achieve right now. Then, when we think long term, the reverse tends to happen: we actually UNDER-estimate what we're capable of achieving over time. Today, we want to know more about the promise of a popular trend, the creative streak, and whether they can help us overcome our constant battle with planning our time and achieving something greater. This week, Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of the world-wide phenomenon NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month) gives us a peek into the power (and potential pitfalls) of creative writing streaks. Meanwhile, Giorgia Lupi, an information designer and partner at the firm Pentagram, reflects on her famous, collaborative creative streak, Dear Data, with Stefanie Posavec -- a year-long journey of sketching personal data-based postcards, which eventually led to exhibitions, book deals, critical acclaim, and internet fame. Can we change our relationships to deadlines? How might we banish our inner editors holding us back during crucial early stages in the creative process? And how might we reconcile both the short-term and long-term work we do? Let's go streaking. *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: 💌 Playing Favorites is the newsletter from Jay about resonance, storytelling, differentiation, and getting off the content hamster wheel to make things that matter more (because when your work matters more, you can hustle for attention less). *** WORK WITH JAY: ✅ If you're an expert/entrepreneur looking to develop and differentiate your personal brand, podcast, speaking, newsletter, or other pillar project, learn more about Jay's coaching. 👋 Or you can book Jay to speak to your organization or event. 📚 You can also explore Jay's books. *** ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay Acunzo helps business leaders develop more original premises — the big ideas they become known for publicly. His work focuses on his core belief in prioritizing resonance first, not reach. After starting his career in media and marketing roles at Google and HubSpot, Jay authored the book about questioning best practices, Break the Wheel , toured as a professional speaker, giving keynote sin 25 states and 3 countries, and cofounded the mastermind for business storytellers, the Creator Kitchen . As an advisor, he’s worked with more than 200 individuals and teams to help them d
Wed, February 07, 2024
How to Find Great Stories
As Ira Glass said, "Great stories happen to those who can tell them." This idea says everything we need to know to develop stronger stories in our work, so we can stand out easier and resonate deeper. But we're asking the wrong questions and searching in the wrong places. Let's rethink some things together... For the full transcript of this episode, read the original article. *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: 💌 Playing Favorites is the newsletter from Jay about resonance, storytelling, differentiation, and getting off the content hamster wheel to make things that matter more (because when your work matters more, you can hustle for attention less). *** WORK WITH JAY: ✅ If you're an expert/entrepreneur looking to develop and differentiate your personal brand, podcast, speaking, newsletter, or other pillar project, learn more about Jay's coaching. 👋 Or you can book Jay to speak to your organization or event. 📚 You can also explore Jay's books. *** ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay consults clients on the importance of resonance in a world obsessed with reach. He’s helped more than 200 individuals and organizations differentiate by getting off the hamster wheel to produce more valuable, more original content. Jay has been called a “creativity savant” by the marketing team at Salesforce and was named one of the 50 most influential B2B marketers in the world by influencer marketing firm TopRank. His podcast Unthinkable has been called a "must-listen" by the editors at LinkedIn. An early advocate for creativity and quality in content marketing, Jay has held marketing and media roles at Google, HubSpot, a tiny startup, and a seed-stage VC firm, NextView. His work has been cited by thinkers at Harvard Business School and the Washington Post, and his clients range from brands like Drift, Wistia, and GoDaddy to influential voices like the author behind Google’s innovative employee training and the performance coach for Kobe Bryant. As a storyteller, Jay has written books about questioning best practices, hosted docuseries about values-based business, and given speeches in 25 states and 3 countries. A proud New England resident obsessed with the Knicks and homemade pizza, Jay’s grandest aspiration (though he’d admit delusion) is to be the Anthony Bourdain of business storytelling
Mon, January 29, 2024
The Difference Between Forgettable and Favorite
The story of a surprisingly dynamic and captivating idea from a (sometimes) bland and boring space -- and what we can learn about crafting more resonant work. What does it look like when an organization, project, or individual’s work resonates so deeply that they have passionate fans and loyal followers who declare them a favorite ? This week we start in the sometimes bland, boring space of team training software and follow the story of a surprisingly dynamic, brilliant and captivating idea from 360Learning -- an original series called Onboarding Joei. This short docuseries follows Joei Chan, a new employee, as she navigates her first 3 months on the job. The docuseries has become a phenomenon for the brand, earning Joei Chan devout fans and 360Learning followers, viewers, and customers that feel connected to the show and compamy. Highly personal and transparent, the show proves that when a company does something risky, sometimes the reward is more than they’d ever expect. The most important theme through it all? The audience consistently reacting with a very emotional, very rare comment: "I feel seen." *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: 💌 Playing Favorites is the newsletter from Jay about resonance, storytelling, differentiation, and getting off the content hamster wheel to make things that matter more (because when your work matters more, you can hustle for attention less). *** WORK WITH JAY: ✅ If you're an expert/entrepreneur looking to develop and differentiate your personal brand, podcast, speaking, newsletter, or other pillar project, learn more about Jay's coaching. 👋 Or you can book Jay to speak to your organization or event. 📚 You can also explore Jay's books. *** ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay consults clients on the importance of resonance in a world obsessed with reach. He’s helped more than 200 individuals and organizations differentiate by getting off the hamster wheel to produce more valuable, more original content. Jay has been called a “creativity savant” by the marketing team at Salesforce and was named one of the 50 most influential B2B marketers in the world by influencer marketing firm TopRank. His podcast Unthinkable has been called a "must-listen" by the editors at LinkedIn. An early advocate for creativity and quality in content marketing, Jay has held marketing and media roles at Google, HubSpot, a tiny startup, and a seed-stage VC firm, NextView. His work has been cited by thinkers at Harvard Business School and the Washington Post, and his clients range from brands like Drift, Wistia, and GoDaddy to
Thu, January 18, 2024
Be Honest | One-Shot #26
No matter your craft, when you develop an idea, a project, or a key moment within a piece, the power of what you're sharing tends to start with the same question: Can you be more honest with yourself? In this one-shot episode, a dense dose of a single idea that can help us become stronger storytellers and produce higher-impact content, so we can get off the hamster wheel and produce more work that actually works. Plus, the backstory of a high-stakes moment when this question was put to the test. *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: 💌 Playing Favorites is the newsletter from Jay about resonance, storytelling, differentiation, and getting off the content hamster wheel to make things that matter more (because when your work matters more, you can hustle for attention less). *** WORK WITH JAY: ✅ If you're an expert/entrepreneur looking to develop and differentiate your personal brand, podcast, speaking, newsletter, or other pillar project, learn more about Jay's coaching. 👋 Or you can book Jay to speak to your organization or event. 📚 You can also explore Jay's books. *** ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay consults clients on the importance of resonance in a world obsessed with reach. He’s helped more than 200 individuals and organizations differentiate by getting off the hamster wheel to produce more valuable, more original content. Jay has been called a “creativity savant” by the marketing team at Salesforce and was named one of the 50 most influential B2B marketers in the world by influencer marketing firm TopRank. His podcast Unthinkable has been called a "must-listen" by the editors at LinkedIn. An early advocate for creativity and quality in content marketing, Jay has held marketing and media roles at Google, HubSpot, a tiny startup, and a seed-stage VC firm, NextView. His work has been cited by thinkers at Harvard Business School and the Washington Post, and his clients range from brands like Drift, Wistia, and GoDaddy to influential voices like the author behind Google’s innovative employee training and the performance coach for Kobe Bryant. As a storyteller, Jay has written books about questioning best practices, hosted docuseries about values-based business, and given speeches in 25 states and 3 countries. A proud New England resident obsessed with the Knicks and homemade pizza, Jay’s grandest aspiration (though he’d admit delusion) is to be
Wed, January 10, 2024
Create to Find Your Answers (Overcoming the Gap)
We want to make things that matter. To our careers, companies, and communities. When THAT is our aim and THAT is our driving belief, and yet our work comes out feeling like THIS? The way it is right now? Oof, that can cause all kinds of existential crises or at least panic-induced researching and debating and analyzing and asking. It's time to get to the next rep. It's time to cross the gap. *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: 💌 Playing Favorites is the newsletter from Jay about resonance, storytelling, differentiation, and getting off the content hamster wheel to make things that matter more (because when your work matters more, you can hustle for attention less). *** WORK WITH JAY: ✅ If you're an expert/entrepreneur looking to develop and differentiate your personal brand, podcast, speaking, newsletter, or other pillar project, learn more about Jay's coaching. 👋 Or you can book Jay to speak to your organization or event. Jay has helped over 200 *** SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE HEARD IN THIS EPISODE: Jeremy Enns, Jeanne Ivy, Molly Donovan, Tallie Gabriel, Telyse Adams, and Michael Ashford. "The Gap" quote is from Ira Glass and can be heard here . *** ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay consults clients on the importance of resonance in a world obsessed with reach. He’s helped more than 200 individuals and organizations differentiate by getting off the hamster wheel to produce more valuable, more original content. Jay has been called a “creativity savant” by the marketing team at Salesforce and was named one of the 50 most influential B2B marketers in the world by influencer marketing firm TopRank. His podcast Unthinkable has been called a "must-listen" by the editors at LinkedIn. An early advocate for creativity and quality in content marketing, Jay has held marketing and media roles at Google, HubSpot, a tiny startup, and a seed-stage VC firm, NextView. His work has been cited by thinkers at Harvard Business School and the Washington Post, and his clients range from brands like Drift, Wistia, and GoDaddy to influential voices like the author behind Google’s innovative employee training and the performance coach for Kobe Bryant. As a storyteller, Jay has written books about questioning best practices, hosted docuseries about values-based business, and given speeches in 25 states and 3 countries. A proud New England resident obsessed with the Knicks and homemade pizza,
Wed, January 10, 2024
Create to Find Your Answers
We want to make things that matter. To our careers, companies, and communities. When THAT is our aim and THAT is our driving belief, and yet our work comes out feeling like THIS? The way it is right now? Oof, that can cause all kinds of existential crises or at least panic-induced researching and debating and analyzing and asking. It's time to get to the next rep. It's time to cross the gap. *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: 💌 Playing Favorites is the newsletter from Jay about resonance, storytelling, differentiation, and getting off the content hamster wheel to make things that matter more (because when your work matters more, you can hustle for attention less). *** WORK WITH JAY: ✅ If you're an expert/entrepreneur looking to develop and differentiate your personal brand, podcast, speaking, newsletter, or other pillar project, learn more about Jay's coaching. 👋 Or you can book Jay to speak to your organization or event. Jay has helped over 200 *** SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE HEARD IN THIS EPISODE: Jeremy Enns, Jeanne Ivy, Molly Donovan, Tallie Gabriel, Telyse Adams, and Michael Ashford. "The Gap" quote is from Ira Glass and can be heard here . *** ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay consults clients on the importance of resonance in a world obsessed with reach. He’s helped more than 200 individuals and organizations differentiate by getting off the hamster wheel to produce more valuable, more original content. Jay has been called a “creativity savant” by the marketing team at Salesforce and was named one of the 50 most influential B2B marketers in the world by influencer marketing firm TopRank. His podcast Unthinkable has been called a "must-listen" by the editors at LinkedIn. An early advocate for creativity and quality in content marketing, Jay has held marketing and media roles at Google, HubSpot, a tiny startup, and a seed-stage VC firm, NextView. His work has been cited by thinkers at Harvard Business School and the Washington Post, and his clients range from brands like Drift, Wistia, and GoDaddy to influential voices like the author behind Google’s innovative employee training and the performance coach for Kobe Bryant. As a storyteller, Jay has written books about questioning best practices, hosted docuseries about values-based business, and given speeches in 25 states and 3 countries. A proud New England resident obsessed with the Knicks and homemade pizza,
Mon, December 18, 2023
Twas the Night Before Launching (2023)
Have a wonderful holiday season and a beautiful start to your 2024! Back in the new year with more... UNTHINKABLE IS TAKING A BREAK -- BUT DON'T UNSUBSCRIBE We're back with more soon. In the meantime... BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER: Subscribe to Jay Acunzo's free newsletter, Playing Favorites, and learn what it takes to stand out easier and resonate deeper by communicating with greater power, everywhere you show up. Join free at jayacunzo.com . Join the Creator Kitchen, a mastermind of smart experts learning to become more influential voices -- NOT by relying on any cheap tricks, but by mastering their craft and creating higher-impact content. Community, masterclasses, 1:1 and 1:few coaching from Jay Acunzo, and more. Learn about membership and see what's inside the Kitchen at creatorkitchen.com . Keep making what matters!
Mon, November 20, 2023
Signature Stories: Jay Baer
Signature Stories is a miniseries where world-class business storytellers take us inside one important story and dissect it with us. It's like Song Exploder meets storytelling for our work! In our sixth and final episode of the series, bestselling author and Hall of Fame keynote speaker Jay Baer brings one of his oldest, most proven stories to the show -- and we learn the two habits most driving effective storytellers like Jay. And also Jay. Both Jays. (There are two Jays on this episode, is what I'm saying...) Collecting stories regularly, in the seemingly mundane moments of life Designing stories so they arrive at an insight Jay Baer is the author of the book The Time To Win and six other business books. He's a globally touring keynote speaker, brand advisor, and marketing and customer experience thought leader. Jay is among the more process-driven storytellers in the world, and he takes us inside that approach in this episode in a refreshingly transparent way. UNTHINKABLE IS TAKING A BREAK -- BUT DON'T UNSUBSCRIBE We're back with more soon. In the meantime... BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER: Subscribe to Jay Acunzo's free newsletter, Playing Favorites, and learn what it takes to stand out easier and resonate deeper by communicating with greater power, everywhere you show up. Join free at jayacunzo.com . Join the Creator Kitchen, a mastermind of smart experts learning to become more influential voices -- NOT by relying on any cheap tricks, but by mastering their craft and creating higher-impact content. Community, masterclasses, 1:1 and 1:few coaching from Jay Acunzo, and more. Learn about membership and see what's inside the Kitchen at creatorkitchen.com . *** IN THIS EPISODE: Jay Baer: speaker site - book site - LinkedIn - Instagram *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, November 13, 2023
Signature Stories: Simone Stolzoff
Signature Stories is a miniseries where world-class business storytellers take us inside one important story and dissect it with us. It's like Song Exploder meets storytelling for our work! In our fifth episode of the series, a globetrotting, bestselling, keynote-giving, smart-opinion-having, big-idea-distributing author takes us inside what was ultimately a tiny moment in his life that sparked all that "big" stuff. Simone Stolzoff is the author of The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work. He's written for the Atlantic and Wired, worked as a design lead for the innovation firm IDEO, and even got his creative start in school delivering spoken word poetry from the stage. Together, we dissect a signature story that's become "mythology" to him from his own life, and we talk about what makes it work -- and why he approaches it with such restraint. Then, we learn why and how effective storytellers imbue stories with meaning to ensure they matter to others. BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER: Subscribe to Jay's free newsletter, Playing Favorites, and learn what it takes to stand out easier and resonate deeper by communicating with greater power, everywhere you show up. Join free at jayacunzo.com . Join the Creator Kitchen, a mastermind of smart experts learning to become more influential voices -- NOT by relying on any cheap tricks, but by mastering their craft and creating higher-impact content. Community, masterclasses, 1:1 and 1:few coaching from Jay, and more. Learn about membership and see what's inside the Kitchen at creatorkitchen.com . *** IN THIS EPISODE: Simone Stolzoff: website and books - LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads - Instagram *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, November 06, 2023
Fighting Endless AI Junk
We interrupt the current series to bring you this message. Find and share this rant in essay form. Subscribe to Jay's free newsletter to become a stronger storyteller. (Sent every other Friday, these essays help you get off the content hamster wheel, escape social feeds, and get the perspective and frameworks you need to write and speak with greater impact, everywhere you show up). Recommended resources to help you do the work AI can't: The Idea Impact Matrix: how to craft more valuable, original work How to create original work consistently (a visualization of Jay's process) The paradox of storytelling (how to ensure your work resonates emotionally with others) From telling stories to BEING storytellers (the first episode of our Signature Stories series) How to differentiate your ideas (the XY Premise Pitch) Super-Stories (how to shape the same story to teach anything and everything you need to say) JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN -- A MASTERMIND OF BUSINESS STORYTELLERS: Where smart experts become influential voices. Join fellow entrepreneurs, marketers, and creators learning to craft more valuable, more original content, with a community of creative, kind humans, daily access to the Kitchen’s founders, masterclasses and elite guest interviews, group calls and 1:1 support, and shared focus sprints fitting busy schedules. Learn more about membership at creatorkitchen.com
Wed, October 18, 2023
Signature Stories: Amanda Natividad
In this episode, we're joined by Amanda Natividad, the VP of marketing at SparkToro, who shares a story about the time she met her marketing hero: her now-boss, Rand Fishkin. Amanda is a former tech journalist and also a former test kitchen cook for the LA Times. She writes the newsletter The Menu which includes marketing advice and delicious recipes (for actual food, not marketing). And she takes us inside three different drafts for potential intros of this signature story, where we learn about the paradox in our storytelling: to connect deeper externally, we need to go deeper internally. But does our work and culture encourage that? Amanda and Jay wrestle with that. Throughout this series, we'll learn from how inspiring creators and experts craft their most valuable, most original stories that build connection and resonate deeply. We're putting on display the hidden details, tiny choices, and emotional moments, as we seek to go beyond telling stories to instead BECOME storytellers. BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER: Subscribe to Jay's free newsletter or work with Jay to consult your team or coach you personally: jayacunzo.com Hire Jay to develop a differentiated podcast. JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN MASTERMIND: Where smart experts become influential voices. Join fellow entrepreneurs, marketers, and creators learning to craft more valuable, more original content, with a community of creative, kind humans, daily access to the Kitchen’s founders, masterclasses and elite guest interviews, group calls and 1:1 support, and shared focus sprints fitting busy schedules. Learn more about membership at creatorkitchen.com *** IN THIS EPISODE: Amanda Natividad, VP marketing at SparkToro and writer of The Menu newsletter. Find her on LinkedIn . *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, September 25, 2023
Signature Stories: Jenny Blake
Up next in Signature Stories, we're joined by Jenny Blake, author, speaker and podcaster. She's written three books and hosts the wildly popular podcasts "Free Time" and "Pivot." Jenny sits down with Jay to share a story about a walk with her dog. Jay and Jenny unpack how we can pull out moments of meaning from a small interaction, and how to reshape a story for an audio-only medium versus video. Throughout this series, we'll learn from how inspiring creators and experts craft their most valuable, most original stories that build connection and resonate deeply. We're putting on display the hidden details, tiny choices, and emotional moments, as we seek to go beyond telling stories to instead BECOME storytellers. BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER: Subscribe to my free newsletter. Every other week, get a new story/framework to help you stand out easier and resonate deeper with your work: jayacunzo.com/newsletter CRAFT A PODCAST YOU’RE PROUD TO CALL YOURS: Work with me one-on-one to develop or improve a show that stands out easier and resonates deeper. Using your creativity, NOT your budget, you’ll walk away with an irresistible premise and format – and the on-mic skills to tell stories and conduct interviews that grip and inspire them. Book an hour now or learn more about my coaching and collaboration . JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN MASTERMIND: Connect with Jay and peers who care deeply about the craft: The Creator Kitchen is a mastermind of content creators learning to ship higher-impact work. We help you see the possibilities, decide the best approach, and execute with clarity + confidence on your most important projects. Learn more about membership – plus get some free samples – at creatorkitchen.com *** IN THIS EPISODE: Jenny Blake: author , podcast host of Free Time and Pivot with Jenny Blake, and international keynote speaker . "Reclining Liberty" Artist: http://www.zaqart.com *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, September 11, 2023
Signature Stories: Michael Bungay Stanier
Up next in Signature Stories, we're joined by Michael Bungay Stanier, speaker, coach and author of the wildly popular book "The Coaching Habit" and the brand new book, "How to Work with (Almost) Anyone." Michael sits down with Jay to share a story about a very bad job. Jay and MBS dive into how to use open loops, comedy in storytelling, and crafting tiny stories to create a sense of safety for your audience -- plus, they add some seasoning to the main ingredients of Michael's story to make it tastier. Throughout this series, we'll learn from how inspiring creators and experts craft their most valuable, most original stories that build connection and resonate deeply. We're putting on display the hidden details, tiny choices, and emotional moments, as we seek to go beyond telling stories to instead BECOME storytellers. BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER: Subscribe to my free newsletter. Every other week, get a new story/framework to help you stand out easier and resonate deeper with your work: jayacunzo.com/newsletter CRAFT A PODCAST YOU’RE PROUD TO CALL YOURS: Work with me one-on-one to develop or improve a show that stands out easier and resonates deeper. Using your creativity, NOT your budget, you’ll walk away with an irresistible premise and format – and the on-mic skills to tell stories and conduct interviews that grip and inspire them. Book an hour now or learn more about my coaching and collaboration . JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN MASTERMIND: Connect with Jay and peers who care deeply about the craft: The Creator Kitchen is a mastermind of content creators learning to ship higher-impact work. We help you see the possibilities, decide the best approach, and execute with clarity + confidence on your most important projects. Learn more about membership – plus get some free samples – at creatorkitchen.com *** IN THIS EPISODE: Michael Bungay Stanier: author of "The Coaching Habit", podcast host and keynote speaker *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, August 28, 2023
Signature Stories: Melanie Deziel
Up first in this mini-series, Creator Kitchen co-founder and author Melanie Deziel sits down with Jay to share a story about her time as the first-ever editor of branded content at the New York Times. Jay and Mel dive into the messy reality of crafting resonant narratives -- and using them to serve an audience and build your business. Throughout this series, we'll learn from how inspiring creators and experts craft their most valuable, most original stories that build connection and resonate deeply. We're putting on display the hidden details, tiny choices, and emotional moments, as we seek to go beyond telling stories to instead BECOME storytellers. BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER: Subscribe to my free newsletter. Every other week, get a new story/framework to help you stand out easier and resonate deeper with your work: jayacunzo.com/newsletter CRAFT A PODCAST YOU’RE PROUD TO CALL YOURS: Work with me one-on-one to develop or improve a show that stands out easier and resonates deeper. Using your creativity, NOT your budget, you’ll walk away with an irresistible premise and format – and the on-mic skills to tell stories and conduct interviews that grip and inspire them. Book an hour now or learn more about my coaching and collaboration . JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN MASTERMIND: Connect with Jay and peers who care deeply about the craft: The Creator Kitchen is a mastermind of content creators learning to ship higher-impact work. We help you see the possibilities, decide the best approach, and execute with clarity + confidence on your most important projects. Learn more about membership – plus get some free samples – at creatorkitchen.com *** IN THIS EPISODE: Melanie Deziel: speaker, author, co-creator of the Creator Kitchen with Jay *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, August 14, 2023
Tasty | One-Shot #25
What is taste? And once we understand it, how do we use our own taste? In this one-shot, Jay dives into they days before dating apps to find something unexpected - Bryan Cranston showing us just want the power of having taste can do. *** KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS: 1. Learn more about Jay's 1:1 coaching and collaboration: https://jayacunzo.com/accountability-group-for-b2b-marketers-creators 2. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter 3. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential. Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently. creatorkitchen.com (Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.) *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, July 31, 2023
Writer’s Block (Maker Monsters 4)
Writing matters... a lot. You don't need us to tell you that. But what happens when you feel like you can't write? Yes, on this episode we're talking about writers' block - what it feels like, how it shows up, and how we can tackle it once and for all. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. DEVELOP MORE INSPIRING IDEAS & STORIES: Jay's free newsletter, with a new idea for communicating in ways that connect shared every other Friday: jayacunzo.com/newsletter The Creator Kitchen : Jay's membership for quality-obsessed creators, built in partnership with Melanie Deziel (author, speaker, NY Times, TIME, HuffPost). Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership. Jay's 1:1 coaching : book an hour or a month of swapping voice memos -- or book Jay as your dedicated collaborator, coach, exec. producer, and creative partner to develop your ideas and tell more effective stories. *** VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Mia Quagliarello : Head of Creator Community at Flipboard , writes Mia's Queue newsletter Mark Schaefer : keynote speaker, founder and co-host of Marketing Companion , bestselling author (of 12 books!) Beth Dunn : coach, public speaker, author , Principal Content Designer at Thrive Global *** PAST MAKER MONSTER EPISODES: <a href="https://pod.link/jay/episode/16d151ee3
Thu, July 13, 2023
Fun with Formats
In this episode of Unthinkable, why formats matter so much. If you want listeners to stay engaged, for readers to finish an article, for your whole experience to resonate deeply, then we need to go beyond grabbing attention to genuinely HOLD it. Today, we focus on why formats are mission critical to creative work, and how you can search them out for yourself and craft your own to hook an audience and get them to the end. We’re joined by the most format-obsessed person out there: Hugh Garry, co-founder of Storythings. Hugh and his team (and friends) write the newsletter, Formats Unpacked, diving each week into a format and why they love it so very much and why, maybe, you should too. DEVELOP MORE INSPIRING IDEAS & STORIES: Jay's free newsletter, with a new idea for communicating in ways that connect shared every other Friday: jayacunzo.com/newsletter The Creator Kitchen : Jay's membership for quality-obsessed creators, built in partnership with Melanie Deziel (author, speaker, NY Times, TIME, HuffPost). Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership. Jay's 1:1 coaching : book an hour or a month of swapping voice memos -- or book Jay as your dedicated collaborator, coach, exec. producer, and creative partner to develop your ideas and tell more effective stories. *** INSIDE THIS EPISODE: Hugh Garry : Director at Storythings , writes the Formats Unpacked newsletter Tone Knob newsletter Brands and Humour newsletter *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, June 19, 2023
How to Define Quality | One-Shot #24
How you define quality is contextual, it's in the eyes of the beholder. In this one-shot, Jay breaks down the three questions we each need to ask to define quality - Who is it for? What is it for? How will I know if it's working? - and then shares the two habits that can help us to create quality content. *** KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS: 1. Learn more about Jay's 1:1 coaching and collaboration: https://jayacunzo.com/accountability-group-for-b2b-marketers-creators 2. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter 3. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential. Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently. creatorkitchen.com (Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.) *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, June 05, 2023
Speakeasy Business
In marketing today, there's the widely used, noisy way to market yourself and your business, but then, just maybe, there's a calmer, quieter, perhaps more effective way. Stories from one of the world's most surprising speakeasy lounges, based in London, as well as one of Jay's favorite marketers who doesn't show up much publicly -- least of all on social media -- yet has found a way to build a business which is in-demand and even overbooked. (Now that sounds pretty unthinkable.) In this episode: speakeasy business! Why going deeper instead of broader, emphasizing value instead of scale, and prioritizing resonance over reach are all viable ways to build your business and leave your legacy. DEVELOP MORE INSPIRING IDEAS & STORIES: Jay's free newsletter, with a new idea for communicating in ways that connect shared every other Friday: jayacunzo.com/newsletter The Creator Kitchen : Jay's membership for quality-obsessed creators, built in partnership with Melanie Deziel (author, speaker, NY Times, TIME, HuffPost). Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership. Jay's 1:1 coaching : book an hour or a month of swapping voice memos -- or book Jay as your dedicated collaborator, coach, exec. producer, and creative partner to develop your ideas and tell more effective stories. *** INSIDE THIS EPISODE: Michelle Warner: Website Paul Tvaroh and Lounge Bohemia (Lounge Bohemia Instagram ) Jay Clouse (Creator Science, Jay's podcast and business ) *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, May 22, 2023
Beware this Storytelling Advice | One-Shot #23
A list of steps isn't helpful if you're facing the wrong way. That's why in this one-shot, we try to pivot the right way... as it relates to story. Jay unpacks three common misconceptions about how we understand story and why it's actually more important to understand how to be storytellers than to understand story. *** KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS: 1. Learn more about Jay's 1:1 coaching and collaboration: https://jayacunzo.com/accountability-group-for-b2b-marketers-creators 2. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter 3. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential. Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently. creatorkitchen.com (Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.) *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Bonus · Wed, May 10, 2023
MINI-Series: Copywriting with Margo Aaron
In a 4-part Mini Series, we're unpacking how we create little pockets of resonance. Through conversations with sound designers, copywriters, comedians, and creatives, we are mapping out how we can create work that can make audiences feel connected, validated, and seen. First up is a conversation with brilliant copywriter Margo Aaron who walks us through some of her most powerful copywriting blogs, her opinions on watching the news (links below) and what copywriting can feel like when it’s done right. SHOW LINKS Margo's essay on watching the news: https://www.thatseemsimportant.com/media/what-happened-when-i-stopped-watching-the-news/ Jay's response to Margo's essay: https://jayacunzo.com/blog/differentiation-isnt-about-topics-how-to-find-actual-whitespace-to-stand-out VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Margo Aaron is a copywriting expert and has taught over 4,000 students in the art of copywriting through The Copy Workshop . She is the host of the popular internet talk show, “Hillary and Margo Yell at Websites” and a writer at her award-winning website, That Seems Important. KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS: 1. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter 2. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential. Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently. creatorkitchen.com (Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.) *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/364b1f2e-a002
Mon, April 24, 2023
You Are Wu-Tang | One-Shot #22
In 2016, Pharrell Williams dropped by NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music to speak to a class. There, he met a young Maggie Rogers and sampled her song "Alaska." His reaction, captured on camera, went viral. This is a relatively known moment on the internet. What's not known is just how the words Pharrell shared and the element he noticed from Maggie's work can be applied to the work we do. In this shorter, monologue episode, we take a closer look. *** KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS: 1. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter 2. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential. Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently. creatorkitchen.com (Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.) *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Bonus · Mon, April 10, 2023
In on the Secret
If you're going to reject conventional thinking and instead trust your intuition, you'll find yourself sharing tons of ideas with others. But this can feel scary, like our ideas are secrets we'd prefer to keep inside. And when someone shoots them down, we assume they just don't "get it." But what if the point of sharing our ideas is NOT to get the approval of others? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with Unthinkable contributor Andrew Littlefield to hear the story of an unusual art project in Brooklyn. Then, we talk to internet legend and creator of PostSecret.com, Frank Warren, to hear the story of his epic project. KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS: 1. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter 2. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential. Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently. creatorkitchen.com (Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.) *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, March 27, 2023
What Do You See When You See an Elephant? | One-Shot #21
Any story you find can serve your cause -- if you know how to mold it and change it appropriately to tell it your way, for your specific goals. Today, the four things we can change in any story we find to tell it better. "Better" doesn’t mean more epic or popular. It means more purposeful, more customized to your specific situation and needs — your audience, your goals, your desire to express yourself a certain way, to connect deeper with the world and others around you, and get your creative fingerprints all over the work. “Better” here means “more yours.” *** PUSH YOURSELF CREATIVELY: 1. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter 2. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program helping you push yourself creatively. Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay and others, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently. creatorkitchen.com (Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.) *** INSIDE THE EPISODE: Derek DelGaudio's version of the blind men and the elephant story on YouTube DelGaudio's full special, In and Of Itself, on Hulu *** PRODUCTION CREDITS: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Mon, March 13, 2023
Song Exploder Exploder (ft. Hrishikesh Hirway)
Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician and creator/host of the popular podcast Song Exploder. The show has a simple but powerful premise: each episode, a musician breaks apart a single track and, piece by piece, tells the story of how it was made. He's interviewed Madonna, Billie Eilish, Rick Astley, Lorde, U2, Yo-Yo Ma, and plenty of lesser-known artists creating beautiful music. Vulture even called the show "the best use of the podcast medium ever," and in 2020, Song Exploder became a TV show on Netflix, running for two seasons. Today, we turn the tables on Hrishikesh and ask him to break apart his work -- an episode of Song Exploder featuring the band The War On Drugs. We also examine this idea that artists and successful people are rarely asked questions that stick close to their work. There's a precedent set by big-picture interview shows and mass media hosts that leads to general advice or end-to-end biographies. Hrishikesh shares why starting his show was born out of a frustration with that approach, and he reveals what you can find when talking narrowly about the work. Plus, the creative strategy behind Song Exploder and why Hrishikesh removes almost all of his voice. This is a beautiful, existential, inspiring exploration of creativity -- all emerging from the tiny parts and pieces of doing the actual work. Because there's magic in the minutiae. *** KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS: 1. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter 2. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential. Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently. creatorkitchen.com (Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.) *** INSIDE THIS EPISODE: Hrishikesh Hirway: Website | Twitter | Music: Spotify , Apple | "Still Dreaming" music video Song Exploder: Website | Apple Podcasts | S
Thu, February 09, 2023
Fine, I'll Talk About AI | One-Shot #20
In this shorter, monologue episode, we explore how we arrived at a place where so many creators view AI tools like ChatGPT at a killer robot coming to beat down their doors and crush them and why we worry that these tools are greater masters of our craft than we are. We're obsessed with only one part of the craft, and it's the same part AI is getting alarmingly good at owning. What if we focused on the 3 Ps instead? Posture, process, and practice. For a full written version of this episode, read the original story . REFER A FRIEND Love the show? Help others find us in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Thu, December 08, 2022
Welcome to the Jumble
To be driven by creativity is to become a walking, talking collection of contradictions, but one conflicting notion sits at the center of the intertwining thoughts and emotions in our work -- the jumble, if you will. Today, we dive into that jumble to try and find an answer to this mysterious yet ubiquitous contradiction at the core, and it leads us to meet some of our listeners and experience their questions, conundrums, and even their creative work. REFER A FRIEND: Love the show? Help others find us in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** INSIDE THIS EPISODE: Cory Ames: Podcast | Twitter Ashley Cummings: Writing | Twitter Michael Ashford: Podcast | Twitter Minnow Park: Website | Twitter Jason Bradwell: Podcast | Twitter Amanda Delaney: LinkedIn | Instagram Tallen Gabriel: Website | Music *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Tue, November 15, 2022
The Best Thing to Do Is The Right Thing
For years, the promise of content marketing far exceeded its reality. But more than ever, brands -- even in B2B, the more "boring" cousin to consumer businesses -- are creating content that gives us reason to believe: creativity, community, and capitalism and not only co-exist, but for-profit can be used for-good. Today, the story of In the Works , a publication from the software company Help Scout. We go inside the decisions and the strategy of both the company's CEO and the head of content responsible for crafting a brand new publication with a bold mission. There, we find the true dividing line between brands who do this whole storytelling stuff well ... aaand everyone else. REFER A FRIEND: Love the show? Help others find us in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** INSIDE THIS EPISODE: Nick Francis: Twitter | LinkedIn Hillary Noble: Twitter | LinkedIn Help Scout In The Works The Chezie story List of brands building in-house media arms *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Wed, October 19, 2022
How to Write and Speak with Greater Impact | One-Shot #19
In this shorter, monologue episode, we learn from storytellers like Kazuo Ishiguro and Ira Glass just what it takes to speak and write in ways that instill the urge to act in others. Why would anyone pick you or stick with you? Why would they refer you to their peers or friends? What makes something truly resonate beyond simply holding your attention? After all, our jobs as communicators and storytellers isn't to "get in front of" them. It's to ensure they care. In this episode, you'll learn a simple but powerful technique to speak and write with greater impact. For a full written version of this episode, read the original story . REFER A FRIEND Love the show? Help others find us in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Wed, October 05, 2022
Expect the Unexpected
In this story, we hear from Chris Lavigne, the head of production at video software company, Wistia. His story helps reveal what it really means to build a big, meaningful body of work -- no matter where you work -- and how, maybe, the worst thing you can do is focus on the expectations of others. Instead, what if your entire aim was something else? Paradoxically, focusing there might THEN help you exceed others' expectations with your work. Plus, we go inside the projects that Chris says keep coming back to him, even years after he created them. He dissects the process and arrives at some inspiring philosophies about creativity too -- one which can help us all create higher-caliber work. REFER A FRIEND: Love the show? Help others find us in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** INSIDE THIS EPISODE: Chris Lavigne: Twitter | LinkedIn Chris Savage: Twitter | LinkedIn Wistia One, Ten, One Hundred Enterprise Plan (Parade video) Gear Squad iPhone video Webinar Attendee Sandwich Video MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, edito
Wed, September 21, 2022
How to Tell Gripping Stories About the Seemingly Mundane | One-Shot #18
One-Shots are monologue episodes complementing our longer-form narratives, which all seek to explore ideas like resonance, storytelling, and creativity in our work. Today, we learn how to tell stories about the seemingly mundane details in our lives. For a full written version of this episode, read the original story . REFER A FRIEND Love the show? Help others find us in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Wed, August 31, 2022
Going Bananas
This story is a surreal, escapist journey into the true story about how the Savannah Bananas became exceptional by being the exception. This minor league baseball team has majorly passionate fans -- with more social media success than some of the biggest teams in the Major Leagues, and a plan to disrupt the MLB itself. This story is told through the ever-optimistic, yellow-tux wearing Jesse Cole, the owner of the team. Not a fan of the sport? No worries. This isn't really a story about baseball. It's a story about our collective desire to make things that matter -- to ourselves, certainly, but to those we serve most especially. This is a story about what it means to truly build something that is, in Jesse's words, "fans first" -- and all the weird, wacky, wonderful things that follow. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** IN THIS EPISODE: Andrew and Pete of ATOMIC: atomic.site // twitter.com/AndrewAndPete *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Learn more and try it free at thejuicehq.com Connect with Masooma Memon on The Juice or on Twitter . *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Thu, August 25, 2022
An Ode to the Asterisk | One-Shot #17
One-Shots are complementary episodes to our longer-form narratives, which all seek to explore ideas like resonance, storytelling, and creativity in our work. As we continue our exploration, we have to stop to appreciate the tiniest mechanic that enables us to tell stories with the biggest impact. The more we master open loops, the more gripping our communication becomes -- and the more we inspire action in others. Isn't that our jobs? REFER A FRIEND Love the show? Help others find us in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Learn more and try it free at thejuicehq.com Connect with Meisha Bochicchio on The Juice or on Twitter . *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Tue, August 09, 2022
Working Bravely
In this episode of Unthinkable, the story of two marketers and community leaders, Andrew and Pete, of the brand ... Andrew and Pete! They were heading down that now-familiar creator path of digital fame and fortune -- the speaking, the books, the followers -- when they decided to leave that behind. Instead, they've been helping OTHERS conquer fears and make leaps in their small businesses. So often, what we need to see greater results in our business isn't an improvement in productivity. It's not about just working harder, or even working smarter. Instead, often, it's about conquering fear. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** IN THIS EPISODE: Andrew and Pete of ATOMIC: atomic.site // twitter.com/AndrewAndPete *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Learn more and try it free at thejuicehq.com Connect with Masooma Memon on The Juice or on Twitter . *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Fri, July 22, 2022
Special Episode: Jay on 2 Pages with MBS
Which books have shaped minds & changed lives? 2 Pages with MBS is described as a show where "brilliant people read the best two pages of a favorite book … a book that’s shaped them and changed them. Listen as authors, leaders, activists, academics, entrepreneurs, change agents and celebrities dig into the ideas that matter the most." This is the episode featuring Jay, only lightly edited to replace the intro and outro. It's unlike any other appearance you'll hear. Enjoy! SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** MORE FROM THIS EPISODE: Michael Bungay Stainer: Personal site | Twitter | IG Find and listen to 2 Pages wherever you get your podcasts: mbs.works/2-pages-podcast *** SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Learn more and try it free at thejuicehq.com Connect with Sara Pion on The Juice or on Twitter . *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Wed, July 13, 2022
10 Questions to Ask Creative People | One-Shot #16
In this One-Shot, a list of better questions to ask others to learn from them (whether you want to hire them or publish their thinking) than the typical conventional wisdom provides us. Interviews are too important to drift through them, unhinging our brains in favor of the basic questions that yield basic answers. We need to dig deeper. We also talk about how to create an inviting, comfortable space for others to share more personally, as well as suggestions for unpacking responses to really assess what they're saying truthfully. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Learn more and try it free at thejuicehq.com Connect with Katelyn Bourgoin on The Juice or on Twitter . *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins
Thu, June 30, 2022
MINI-Series: Sound Design with James T. Green
In the fourth and final MINI-Series episode, we learn from sound designer, artist, and brilliant documentarian James T. Green about their philosophy and practice around sound design and creation. James is the founder of the studio Molten Heart, and their work has been heard in 99% Invisible with Roman Mars, The Met, Pop Up Magazine, and more. By unpacking and dissecting small pieces of sound and music from James, we learn the thoughtful, intentional art of sound design and the power that small amounts of sound effects - or silence - can hold. Sound can make us feel, reflect, pause, or act, and often we don’t even notice this subtle art, despite its importance in providing scaffolding or key moments in building a story, a scene, or an emotion. In this episode, we make what is so often invisible in the construction of an audio story, visible. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Hire Jay to work with you 1:1 on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** MORE FROM THIS EPISODE: James T. Green: Personal site | Molten Heart | Twitter | IG James's award-winning audio doc, PMHx Seizing Freedom Finding Tamika *** SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Learn more and try it free at thejuicehq.com Connect with Katelyn Bourgoin on The Juice or on Twitter . *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website <a href="https://twitter.com/jayacunzo" target="_bla
Thu, June 16, 2022
MINI-Series: Jokes with Matt Buechele (The Tonight Show, Netflix)
Creativity doesn't mean BIG, and so we're exploring the tiniest pockets of the created work -- small bursts of making, or projects that fit neatly into the nooks and crannies of the internet. Today, joke writing and comedy songwriting with Matt Buechele. Matt is a writer, musician, and hilarious human who's performed original songs for Netflix commercials and worked as a writer on The Tonight Show, where he wrote jokes and music for the likes of Jimmy Fallon, Matthew McConaughey, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Together, we explore some of Matts projects, including his viral social media videos and his Tonight Show smash hit, This Christmas Will Be Different. We also hear the story of how he ended up at the show, as well as what a writer for such a program ACTUALLY does. Plus, we learn to like the little golden moments where we can say, Hey, yanno what? That's pretty good. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay *** MORE FROM JAY: Playing Favorites newsletter: stories and frameworks for creating work that resonates. Coaching and consulting: Work together 1:1 via video and chat on the most important elements of your brand or projects. Or, hire Jay to develop and/or host a show for your brand: jayacunzo.com/shows *** MORE FROM THIS EPISODE: Matt Buechele on Twitter , Instagram , and TikTok. Matt's music on Spotify: under artist name BOOSHELL *** SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Learn more and try it free at thejuicehq.com Connect with Ali Schwanke on The Juice or on Twitter . *** CONNECT WITH JAY ELSEWHERE: Website Twitter and LinkedIn Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com *** PRODUCTION: - Creator, host,
Wed, May 11, 2022
MINI-Series: Illustration with Haley Weaver (Haley Drew This)
Resonating deeply doesn't require us to do anything big or expensive. The MINI-Series explores four types of created work that don't take up much space -- but still carry tons of meaning to those who encounter it. Last episode was about copywriting. This episode: illustration, featuring Haley Weaver of the wildly popular instagram account, Haley Drew This. Together, we unpack some of her seemingly simple but deeply emotional webcomics -- many of which uplift those suffering with their mental well-being. Haley creates honest, beautiful, yet simple depictions of her own vulnerabilities and her experience of anxiety, relationships with friends, understanding of love, and more. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every other Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Haley Weaver is the acclaimed illustrator and writer behind Haley Drew This and the popular instagram account @haleydrewthis featuring her webcomics centered around anxiety + mental health, relationships, and selfhood. Her forthcoming book is Give Me Space But Don't Go Far. SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Get suggestions based on your job title, search top resources, or create and share playlists of useful ideas and content. Learn more and try it free at https://www.thejuicehq.com/ Connect with Hiba Amin on The Juice here: https://app.thejuicehq.com/creators/hiba-amin Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/h5amin CONNECT WITH ME ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com <p
Wed, May 04, 2022
MINI-Series: Copywriting with Margo Aaron
In a new 4-part Mini Series, we're unpacking how we create little pockets of resonance. Through conversations with sound designers, copywriters, comedians, and creatives, we are mapping out how we can create work that can make audiences feel connected, validated, and seen. First up is a conversation with brilliant copywriter Margo Aaron who walks us through some of her most powerful copywriting blogs, her opinions on watching the news (links below) and what copywriting can feel like when it’s done right. SHOW LINKS Margo's essay on watching the news: https://www.thatseemsimportant.com/media/what-happened-when-i-stopped-watching-the-news/ Jay's response to Margo's essay: https://jayacunzo.com/blog/differentiation-isnt-about-topics-how-to-find-actual-whitespace-to-stand-out SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every other Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Margo Aaron is a copywriting expert and has taught over 4,000 students in the art of copywriting through The Copy Workshop . She is the host of the popular internet talk show, “Hillary and Margo Yell at Websites” and a writer at her award-winning website, That Seems Important. SPONSOR: The Juice The Juice is like Spotify for B2B learning: a beautiful, curated collection of the best creators and resources serving sales and marketing pros today. Get suggestions based on your job title, search top resources, or create and share playlists of useful ideas and content. Connect with Jason Bradwell at http://jasonrbradwell.com/ or https://twitter.com/JasonRBradwell Explore his Creator Page on The Juice at https://app.thejuicehq.com/creators/jason-bradwell CONNECT WITH ME ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: <
Wed, March 30, 2022
Maker Monsters
Maker monsters often creep in at the least opportune times, drag us backwards, convince us of defeat, fill us with self-doubt, so where do we go from here? And what does that mean for our creative, professional work? We hear from Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast host and producer Lizzie Peabody and poet and keynote speaker, Tucker Bryant, about how their maker monster, perfectionism, creeps into their creative work. We dive into how they conquer, co-exist, or accept defeat with their own internal monsters and explore how we can each carve out ways to find joy in our work and continue to make what matters. * * * FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE: Lizzie Peabody: https://twitter.com/LizziePeabody and https://www.lizziepeabody.com/ Lizzie's podcast, Sidedoor: https://twitter.com/SidedoorPod and https://www.si.edu/sidedoor Tucker Bryant: https://twitter.com/tucksbryant Tucker's speaking site: https://tuckerbryant.me/ * * * SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unth
Thu, March 24, 2022
Announcement from Jay
Learn more about Elevate and apply here: https://jayacunzo.com/accountability-group-for-b2b-marketers-creators The first group begins work April 11. MORE DETAILS: Achieve your creative goals with small working groups of B2B creators and marketers, led personally by me, Jay Acunzo. 8 weeks of guided work on your existing, most important projects, with 1:1 and 1:few time with me. Sharpen your ideas, be more creative, and earn more passionate fans and customers. Connect with successful, generous, creative peers, vetted by me personally. (The first group will be limited to 9 people, at most.) ELEVATE is a premium offering for B2B marketers and creators to avoid stagnation and keep improving their output and results. If you’ve ever been stressed about time (to be creative), focus (thanks to endless to-dos), differentiation (on merit, not gimmicks), or results (from work you genuinely loved creating) ... this is for you. There is no one-size-fits-all “system.” Instead, this is a structured way for me to provide live and asynchronous help and guidance — along with other high-performing peers — in a way that’s customized to your actual work. Learn more and apply: https://jayacunzo.com/accountability-group-for-b2b-marketers-creators Our work begins the week of April 11. Trust your gut: your best work is in front of you.
Wed, March 23, 2022
In the Margins | One-Shot #15
In this one-shot, Jay reflects on a childhood writing lesson that continues to impact how he approaches his work today. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create. Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work” with stories “as captivating as some of the best, like Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Carlin.” Thanks for listening and suppo
Wed, March 16, 2022
Foster the Signal
A story about a writer and entrepreneur with an audacious mission driving the organization he helps lead. Together, cofounder Stew Fortier and his community-led business Foster is helping writers who care about turning their ideas into timeless writing, not viral hits that quickly fade. They're here to fight back against the hollow noise, to develop important ideas from unique voices, crafted into writing that’s meant to resonate deeper, even as the internet trends shallow. But to do that kind of work, to bet on quality and resonance and originality, is to fly in the face of a certain kind of online creative culture. That culture and those who embody it might be the antithesis of what we stand for, running counter to our values. But it's impossible to ignore the temptation of audience reach and fame, especially when doing meaningful work can feel so hard, so much of the time. How do we reconcile reach and resonance? How do we build a creative business according to our values? Is it even possible to focus on serving the audience more deeply when so many people we see on social media seem to focus on the things we dislike -- and succeed? We have lots of big questions this episode! SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay FORTNIGHTLY NEWSLETTER: GET REGULAR IDEAS FOR CREATING RESONANT Join thousands of marketers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and creative people both independent and in-house at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, a16z, and the New York Times: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter FROM THIS EPISODE: Stew Fortier, cofounder of Foster: https://stewfortier.com | https://twitter.com/stewfortier Foster: https://www.foster.co/ Author AJ Jacobs: https://ajjacobs.com/ | https://twitter.com/ajjacobs AJ Jacobs's Medium article: https://medium.com/the-mission/an-entrepreneurs-most-important-tool-self-delusion-616de720fc39 SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Ind
Thu, March 10, 2022
New Rockstars vs. Conventional Wisdom
In this episode, we hear from the founder of the media company New Rockstars, Filup Molina, and their first head of operations, Holiday Kinard, about how a small team of creative people operating out of one tiny room established themselves as just part of the viewing experience alongside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You can find New Rockstars on YouTube and become one of their nearly 4M subscribers at https://www.youtube.com/newrockstars SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay GET REGULAR IDEAS FOR CREATING MORE RESONANT WORK: Join thousands of marketers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and creative people both independent and in-house at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Filup Molina, founder of New Rockstars - https://twitter.com/filupmolina | epicheroshop.com Holiday Kinard, COO of Zero Edition - https://www.instagram.com/holidaykinard/ Erik Voss (via video clip) - https://twitter.com/eavoss MT (via video clip) - https://twitter.com/MasterTainment SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH ME ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay
Wed, March 02, 2022
The Concept: Learned Helplessness
In the second installment of The Concept, we learn about the idea of learned helplessness, which causes us to hit our ceilings as creators or even refrain from pursuing an opportunity, never attempt to overcome a challenge, or simply avoid asking for help. We learn how learned helplessness forms in the brain -- and what it DOES to our brain -- through two experiments involving both dogs and humans. Then, we learn about the three parameters of how we explain the world to ourselves and how we can spot moments of learned helplessness to CHANGE the story in our minds. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/
Wed, February 23, 2022
Nothing Is Boring (And You Can Too)
Patrick Campbell is cofounder and CEO of the software company ProfitWell, which sells tools to help subscription businesses (SaaS and DTC) reduce cancellations and optimize pricing and ultimately earn more revenue. Their media team -- a small group of about 6 full-time employees and a few freelancers -- has been setting the B2B marketing world on fire of late, as they've created 11 original series in audio and video form, plus dozens of other projects. The thing is, these projects don't feel much like B2B marketing. ProfitWell isn't building a brand so much as creating culture -- and their brand's growth and the passionate fans surrounding the company become byproducts. Their culture-building activities include storytelling, sure, but also things called drops -- hot sauces, trading cards, and more. The company has also figured out how to balance the often competing desires of creative teams and deadlines or business goals. In doing so, they've overcome the biggest barriers holding back better creative work. TAKE THE SURVEY TO HELP ME BUILD SOMETHING NEW FOR YOU: https://jayacunzo.com/survey SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Patrick Campbell, CEO of ProfitWell: https://profitwell.com and https://twitter.com/Patticus Dan Callahan, Head of ProfitWell's Recur Studios: https://twitter.com/danfcall SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH ME ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: <a hre
Wed, February 09, 2022
Smell Like You Mean It
Suzy Batiz calls herself CEO to more conservative crowds, but PEO to everyone else. To define PEO, however, would be to make more than a few people blush. The Poo Executive Officer. Suzy is the founder of Poo-Pourri, a toilet spray that solves the problem of bathroom smells in a way that runs counter to conventional thinking. But more than the hilarious branding and advertising (and there's plenty of that, as we hear in this episode), Suzy and her company showcase the power of something called First-Principle Insights in helping us create more innovative work. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Suzy Batiz -- https://www.suzybatiz.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/suzybatiz/?hl=en SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH ME ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com
Wed, February 02, 2022
What You Need to Know About Rocky | One-Shot #14
In this one-shot, Jay unpacks one of Rocky’s most iconic scenes to better understand how we can approach our own constraints and begin to use them to our advantage. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create. Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work” with stories “as captivating as some of the best, like Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Carlin.
Wed, January 26, 2022
The Concept: Telic
In the first installment of The Concept, we learn about telic and its opposite, paratelic. These ideas inform our own internal motivations -- or that of our teams -- and they can radically change the results we see from our work. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH ME ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com RESEARCH LINKS: https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:182009/datastream/PDF/view https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00746/full https://trans4mind.com/transformation/transform4.2.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversal_theory <a href="https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?artic
Wed, January 19, 2022
The Battle for the Soul of the Internet
Today, we hear the story of Patreon, as told by cofounder and CEO Jack Conte. More pressing for our purposes as makers, however, is the driving belief Jack shares which is the beating heart of the creator economy -- or should be. There's a coming fork in the road we'll face if we want to create for a living and thrive. The decision is embedded into the very name of the movement: creator economy. I think the pendulum has swung too far towards the economy part, and we need to remember what this is for: finding ways to fund the work and lives of the creative people who make our world -- and our experience of it -- better. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Jack Conte, cofounder and CEO of Patreon -- https://twitter.com/jackconte SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH ME ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast abo
Wed, January 12, 2022
Every List is a Lie | One-Shot #13
In this one-shot, we unpack how we can become more discerning about the real intent behind lists. Jay walks us through a very special ingredient list for his mom’s famous green bean casserole to give us a real-life example of how sneaky lists can be. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create. Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work”
Wed, January 05, 2022
Going Bananas
It’s a team that borders on a circus, bucks baseball traditionalists, and is unapologetically authentic. It’s a team that deeply resonates with fans both near and far, whose players go through “Fan First U” to join the team, and then try all kinds of atypical things to entertain fans -- sometimes off the field, and often, on it. What’s the difference between a fan and a customer? Why should baseball's walks be sprints? From dancing grandmas to babies in banana gear, hiring people using "future resumes" to asking fans for THEIR autographs instead. Even championships. Yes, winning baseball played by this wild and wacky team. Don't miss this one. There's no other team like the Bananas. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Jesse Cole: https://twitter.com/YellowTuxJesse Founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. He is also the author of “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” and host of the Business Done Differently podcast. SPONSOR: Riverside Riverside is the easiest way to record podcasts and videos in studio quality, from anywhere. Record separate audio tracks to avoid the cut-outs, optional video to enhance the show’s experience, and even clip content for sharing elsewhere, all without leaving the platform. Riverside is powerful enough to be used by Marvel, the NY Times, TED, Freakonomics, Indie Hackers, GaryVee, and Guy Raz, but simple enough for thousands of indie creators and new podcasters to use it for their shows. Learn more and try it free at https://riverside.fm/ CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo -
Wed, December 29, 2021
Resonance Revisited with Jay Clouse
What does it take to create work that resonates? This week, Jay unpacks his framing of resonance - why it matters, why we should prioritize it, and how to build it - with one of his creative sparring partners, Jay Clouse. From dissecting how competition comes into play to analyzing how it differs from reach, they look at resonance from all angles. It’s a raw, messy, and unfiltered conversation that gives listeners a behind the scenes look at being an investigator in our own daily work. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Jay Clouse is an entrepreneur and the creator and host of Creative Elements. He has created courses for creators including Podcast Like The Pros and Freelancing School Course Bundle. He also writes a newsletter, Creative Companion. Learn more: jayclouse.com SPONSOR: THE JUICE Discover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free. Learn more at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from A
Wed, December 22, 2021
My Weekly Constraint | One-Shot #12
Every week Jay waits until the last minute to write his weekly newsletter, why? In this short episode, Jay unpacks why he puts a weekly constraint on himself and how that has served as a tactic to wrestle with, dance with, and address his persistent maker monster. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: THE JUICE Discover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free. Learn more at https://thejuicehq.com The Modern Day Marketer's Guide to Turning Down the Volume and Turning Up the Quality: The Modern Day Marketer's Guide to Turning Down the Volume Game and Turning Up Quality Content [eBook] | The Juice CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, vide
Thu, December 16, 2021
One Person, Ten Million Times
We often hear one word used to describe a person or team that's built something big: empire. They've built a business empire. For Chris Sharpe and Adriene Mishler, the idea might have applied ... but only at first. Chris (as CEO of YWA's company, Find What Feels Good) and Adriene (as the performer and personality) co-founded something that did expand in such a way that it felt empire-bound. But then they decided to make a switch. The reason why can be found hidden in how they speak to their audience. Today, a story about depth vs. breadth and reinvention vs. stagnation. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Chris Sharpe, cofounder and CEO of Find What Feels Good: https://www.chrissharpe.com // https://twitter.com/csharpe Adriene Mishler recordings via the Yoga with Adriene YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene // https://yogawithadriene.com SPONSOR: THE JUICE Discover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free. Learn more at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jaya
Wed, December 08, 2021
Maker Monsters 3
No matter how new or experienced we are at the craft, inevitably, we face maker monsters -- these internal barriers that hold us down and prevent us from doing our best work. These aren't external factors like budget, time, team, or tools. Instead, they sound like imposter syndrome or fear of rejection or procrastination. Today, we explore the fear of being unoriginal. In the working world, that might sound like "differentiation." Regardless of how it shows up, all we can do is learn to confront it. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Qudsiya Naqui (lawyer, activist, board member, and podcast host of Down to the Struts) - https://twitter.com/QudsiyaNaqui // https://www.downtothestruts.com/about Joe Pulizzi (founder/CEO of The Tilt, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, author of 7 books, and host of 2 podcasts) - https://twitter.com/JoePulizzi // https://www.joepulizzi.com // https://www.thetilt.com Marie Poulin (founder of Notion Mastery and Okie Dokie) - https://twitter.com/mariepoulin // https://mariepoulin.com // https://notionmastery.com/ SPONSOR: THE JUICE Discover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free. Learn more at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: <a href=
Wed, December 01, 2021
I Feel Seen
What does it look like when an organization, project, or individual’s work resonates so deeply that they have passionate fans and loyal followers who declare them a favorite ? This week we start in the sometimes bland, boring space of team training software and follow the story of a surprisingly dynamic, brilliant and captivating idea from 360Learning -- an original series called Onboarding Joei. This short docuseries follows Joei Chan, a new employee, as she navigates her first 3 months on the job. The docuseries has become a phenomenon for the brand, earning Joei Chan devout fans and 360Learning followers, viewers, and customers that feel connected to the show and compamy. Highly personal and transparent, the show proves that when a company does something risky, sometimes the reward is more than they’d ever expect. The most important theme through it all? The audience consistently reacting with a very emotional, very rare comment: "I feel seen." SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Joei Chan: Content Director for 360 Learning and star of Onboarding Joei (available to watch at https://360learning.com/studio/onboarding-joei/ ) SPONSOR: THE JUICE Discover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free. Learn more at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and <a href="https://twit
Wed, November 10, 2021
The Science of Resonance | One-Shot #11
What does resonance really mean? In this short episode, we explore the science of resonance and how understanding the definition of the word can help us to focus on making content that matters. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: THE JUICE Discover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free. Learn more at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create. Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work” with stories “as captivating as some of the best, like Malcolm Gladwell and
Wed, October 27, 2021
Maker Monsters 2
In this episode, we follow multimedia journalist Natalia Aldana, organizer and artist Aisha White, podcaster and indie creator Jay Clouse, and we hear from marketing legend Joe Pulizzi as they (and me, Jay Acunzo) learn to navigate how these maker monsters attempt to take hostage their (and our) sense of self worth. So many of us conflate our professional success with personal worth, so what happens when we don’t believe in ourselves or we are paralyzed by potential rejection? And how can we all keep fighting back and overcome our own maker monsters? SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Weekly stories and frameworks about how to create more resonant work. Join thousands of subscribers, from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: Natalia Aldana is a multimedia journalist and international news editor. She is an audio producer for Al Jazeera’s podcast, The Take after working for The Ezra Klein Show and Recode Decade. She reports on stories around crime and justice, immigration, politics and music. Aisha White is a cultural organizer, artist, and researcher focused on community building and social impact. Her personal work is built around public health and fellowship. Joe Pulizzi is an entrepreneur and marketing speaker and entrepreneur. Joe has founded multiple startups including The Tilt and is the author of several books including the best-selling Content Inc. Jay Clouse hosts the podcast Creative Elements and builds projects to serve fellow creators. He's also the head of community at Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn. SPONSOR: THE JUICE Discover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free. Learn more at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/jayac
Wed, October 20, 2021
The Thing About Art | One-Shot #10
The word "art" is often misunderstood, especially by those who don't consider themselves artists. But make no mistake, if you're in the change business, you're in the art business. In this episode, a short but inspiring look at how. SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. SPONSOR: THE JUICE Discover the world's best and brightest thinking and resources for sales and marketing pros on The Juice. They're like the Spotify of B2B, with content playlists and suggestions based on your job title and level. Avoid the endless lead-gen forms, skip all the system-gamers found via Google searches, and browse the most useful and transformative ideas affecting your work, for free. Learn more at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/UnthinkableShow - Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacunzo - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo - Email: jay@unthinkablemedia.com PRODUCTION: - Creator, host, writer, and editor: Jay Acunzo - https://jayacunzo.com - Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins - https://www.ilananevins.com ABOUT THE SHOW: Unthinkable is a storytelling podcast about creative people who break from conventional thinking to make what matters most. We’re traveling the business world to learn how to create work that resonates — with powerful stories from makers, marketers, and leaders like the CEOs of Zoom and Patreon, execs from Adobe and Disney, and creators like writer Tim Urban, comedian Sarah Cooper, and photographer Chase Jarvis. From artisans to entrepreneurs, writers, designers, podcasters, video creators, and all the weird and wonderful nooks of the working world, we’re meeting inspiring people to learn what we can do to resonate more deeply with the work we create. Listeners have called the show “This American Life for my work” with stories “as captivating as some o
Thu, October 14, 2021
Leaving Expertville
So many of us focus on becoming an expert in our professional field. But what if instead, we wanted to become visionaries? Not THAT kind of visionary, mind you -- the over-hyped media machines that become the business world equivalents of the Kardashians. But instead, a type of useful, practical, attainable, and much-needed visionary. On this episode we begin to unpack what it means to be a visionary. We learn about the “Quest Matrix,” and we begin to chart a path away from Expertville toward some new territory. Along the way, we hear from John Bonini, a marketer at a crossroads. QUEST MATRIX IMAGE : https://bit.ly/quest-matrix SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times. VOICES IN THIS EPISODE: John Bonini is a long-time content marketer, working for brands like IMPACT Branding and Design and the email software company Litmus as head of growth. He's now director of marketing at Databox and the owner of a membership and community group for marketers, Some Good Content. Andrew Davis is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker. Before building and selling a thriving digital marketing agency, Andrew produced for NBC’s Today Show, worked for The Muppets in New York and wrote for Charles Kuralt. SPONSOR: The Juice is a new kind of media company (like the Spotify of B2B). Specifically, they serve sales and marketing professionals. By registering for free, users can find the most original, deeply resonant ideas and advice in sales and marketing -- things optimized for people, not algorithms. The Juice curates from tens of thousands of sources to find what's popular and also what's most customized to your specific job function and level. Browse the best and brightest thinking, find new sources of inspiration to follow, and create and share content playlists about specific topics that help your career and company grow. Learn more and sign up for free at https://thejuicehq.com CONNECT WITH US ELSEWHERE: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo and https://twitter.com/U
Thu, October 07, 2021
How to Resonate | One-Shot #9
It's time for another one-shot -- a short-form, monologue episode sharing short stories, metaphors, and frameworks from my perspective to complement the longer-form stories about others that we share every other week. In this one, I answer a crucial question -- some might say mission critical to all our careers. Then, I detail why my answer to the question is extremely, laughably biased, and why we all face that same bias when others make decisions involving our work. What does it take to resonate? I have no idea. Sounds like a worthy investigation to me! Let's go... * * * FLYWHEEL VISUAL: Visit this blog post: https://jayacunzo.com/blog/how-to-resonate-a-framework-for-building-bigger-innovating-faster-and-reaching-higher-in-your-work * * * KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: jayacunzo.com/books Hire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes * * * THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: The Juice, the Spotify of B2B, curates and suggests content for sales and marketing professionals based on what is resonating with humans, not what's been optimized for algorithms. Their mission is to improve the signal of the B2B web and give all of us access to better, more transformative ideas and tactics that we can use to elevate our work. No more basic, redundant posts seen from every competitor in a given niche. Get the best and brightest thinking and most useful resources for sales and marketing pros. Learn more and sign up for free at thejuicehq.com . * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Thu, September 30, 2021
Going Streaking
Why do we constantly underestimate how long something will take in the short-term? In other words, we tend to over-estimate just how much we can achieve right now. Then, when we think long term, the reverse tends to happen: we actually UNDER-estimate what we're capable of achieving over time. Today, we want to know more about the promise of a popular trend, the creative streak, and whether they can help us overcome our constant battle with planning our time and achieving something greater. This week, Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of the world-wide phenomenon NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month) gives us a peek into the power (and potential pitfalls) of creative writing streaks. Meanwhile, Giorgia Lupi, an information designer and partner at the firm Pentagram, reflects on her famous, collaborative creative streak, Dear Data, with Stefanie Posavec -- a year-long journey of sketching personal data-based postcards, which eventually led to exhibitions, book deals, critical acclaim, and internet fame. Can we change our relationships to deadlines? How might we banish our inner editors holding us back during crucial early stages in the creative process? And how might we reconcile both the short-term and long-term work we do? Let's go streaking. * * * KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: jayacunzo.com/books Hire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes * * * IN THIS EPISODE: Giorgia Lupi: http://giorgialupi.com // https://twitter.com/giorgialupi Dear Data: http://www.dear-data.com/ Grant Faulkner: https://grantfaulkner.com // https://twitter.com/grantfaulkner NoNoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/ Unthinkable is written, hosted, and edited by me, Jay Acunzo, with production support this episode from Molly Donovan ( https://mdonovancontent.com ) and Ilana Nevins ( https://www.ilananevins.com ) * * * THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: The Juice, the Spotify of B2B, curating and suggesting the most popular content for marketing and sales professionals based on what's trending and what's resonating with others like you (not what's most optimized for sea
Wed, September 22, 2021
Stealing Shots | One-Shot #8
In 2019, I helped develop, write, and direct a business docuseries called Against the Grain, which I also hosted. You can find that series at helpscout.com/atg . We told three stories of teams rethinking what success in business looks like. It was epic. But the budget ... was not. It was a lean production, with a small budget and small team. In talking to others in documentary production, they were amazed to hear how we produced THAT series with THOSE resources. What helped was a technique known as "stealing shots." I think this technique has power even if you don't create films. In this episode, a short story and a powerful idea to help us all elevate our work WITHOUT adding resources. * * * KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: jayacunzo.com/books Hire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, September 15, 2021
Maker Monsters
Maker monsters often creep in at the least opportune times, drag us backwards, convince us of defeat, fill us with self-doubt, so where do we go from here? And what does that mean for our creative, professional work? We hear from Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast host and producer Lizzie Peabody and poet and keynote speaker, Tucker Bryant, about how their maker monster, perfectionism, creeps into their creative work. We dive into how they conquer, co-exist, or accept defeat with their own internal monsters and explore how we can each carve out ways to find joy in our work and continue to make what matters. * * * KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: jayacunzo.com/books Hire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes * * * FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE: Lizzie Peabody: https://twitter.com/LizziePeabody and https://www.lizziepeabody.com/ Lizzie's podcast, Sidedoor: https://twitter.com/SidedoorPod and https://www.si.edu/sidedoor Tucker Bryant: https://twitter.com/tucksbryant Tucker's speaking site: https://tuckerbryant.me/ * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, September 01, 2021
The Worst Advice Ever | One-Shot #7
What's the worst advice you've ever received? Can you recall? Mine happened in my mid-20s. I'd just been hired to lead a team for the first time. I found myself in my first purely managerial role ... and I was miserable. Trying to salvage my schedule and my career, I marched into my boss's office and declared, "I'm not doing my best work here." What followed was the worst advice I've ever received. But here's the thing: at the time, I thought it was GREAT. I was wrong. Maybe we all are. * * * KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: jayacunzo.com/books Consider my course on podcast premise development, Growable Shows (for new or existing shows): jayacunzo.com/growable-shows Hire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, August 25, 2021
The Beginner's Mindset
We hear from education entrepreneur and former urban designer Saba Ghole, whose own education journey has led her to rethink and rebuild how we can teach young people. She cofounded NuVu Studio, creating an educational space for imagination and innovation to help build creative, critical thinkers and problem solvers. Writer and researcher Molly Donovan dives into the messiness that is growing up, learning to judge and chasing being right. She explores how we can start dismantling that need and instead chase the next messy rep, the possibility of something new, different, and maybe, the beginning of something else. So how do we, with past experiences and habits, with routines and outside pressure, summon the beginner’s mindset on demand? How can we build in some sense of possibility and curiosity into our already busy days? And how can we use the beginner’s mindset to create work that is thoughtful, innovative, and imaginative? * * * KEEP LEARNING + SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to my free newsletter: jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: jayacunzo.com/books Consider my course on podcast premise development, Growable Shows (for new or existing shows): jayacunzo.com/growable-shows Hire me to speak to your organization or event: jayacunzo.com/keynotes * * * VOICES & MENTIONS IN THE SHOW: Saba Ghole: https://twitter.com/sabarani NuVu Studio: https://cambridge.nuvustudio.com/ Molly Donovan: https://twitter.com/MHDonovan Shunryu Suzuki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunry%C5%AB_Suzuki * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, August 18, 2021
This Is Your Brain on Mushrooms | One-Shot #6
I used to think I somehow escaped the clutches of imposter syndrome. Oh, the ego in that statement. Surprise, surprise, I was wrong. My imposter syndrome grips me as a writer, a podcaster, a speaker, and a creator-of-things-that-people-are-supposed-to-enjoyer. It's the worst when I face gatekeepers -- people like editors or publishers who decide whether or not someone is worthy of coming onto their platform or working with their service. Most of us face some flavor of imposter syndrome, and it can feel impossible to beat. Recently, I heard the story of a friend's brother obsessed with searching for mushrooms in the woods behind his house. That led me to a realization that can help us change the way we view or work and our relationship to it, which can in turn help us beat imposter syndrome. In the end, we aren't experts. We're explorers. We're not creators. We're foragers. What might happen if we thought about our work in those terms? * * * TO GET MORE INSPIRATION + SUPPORT THE SHOW: Subscribe to my newsletter: Equal parts human story and pep talk, my weekly newsletter is focused on inspiring us to make what matters to our careers and communities. Subscribe for free and join creatives from brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, and the NY Times, as well as thousands of freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs. >>> jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: Stories and frameworks for questioning best practices, honing your intuition, and doing your best work. >>> jayacunzo.com/books * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, August 11, 2021
Get Together and Feel Alright
The company Museum Hack, founded by Nick Gray, was at one point a promising new startup. It helped reinvent and reinvigorate a stale museum experience. It lured people out of their homes, away from their screens, and into groups of people. There, connection happened. Learning. Inspiration. And another concept, pulled from Dutch culture, known as "gezellig." As I re-air this story, we're in the midst of the pandemic. (Again? Still?) The Delta variant is raging. People are making foolish, selfish decisions about the vaccine, prolonging this difficult time and harming people near them who continue to get sick or even die because of those choices. It's time to remind ourselves of what it can feel like when we're together, not apart, both for nostalgia but also to stir up some hope for the future. As creators, we have a role to play in making this world better -- whether through companies we build or projects we ship. We can't lose sight of that. We can provide connection in a world in desperate need of more. * * * TO GET MORE INSPIRATION + SUPPORT THE SHOW: Subscribe to my newsletter: Equal parts human story and pep talk, my weekly newsletter is focused on inspiring us to make what matters to our careers and communities. Subscribe for free and join creatives from brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, and the NY Times, as well as thousands of freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs. >>> jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: Stories and frameworks for questioning best practices, honing your intuition, and doing your best work. >>> jayacunzo.com/books * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, August 04, 2021
How I Push Through My Own BS | One-Shot #5
As creative people, how we see the world changes how we think about it which changes how we communicate which changes how we resonate which changes the results we see. Want to change you results? Start at the beginning. Consider changing, or at least thinking critically about, how you see the world. It's not often a tiny tactic or hidden marketing channel or technology that's needed. It's something far more transformative, but it needn't be difficult to grasp. (PS: Thanks to everyone who shared feedback on the initial four One-Shots! People seem to like them, so I'll continue running roughly two of these each month.) * * * TO GET MORE INSPIRATION + SUPPORT THE SHOW: Subscribe to my newsletter: Equal parts human story and pep talk, my weekly newsletter is focused on inspiring us to make what matters to our careers and communities. Subscribe for free and join creatives from brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, and the NY Times, as well as thousands of freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs. >>> jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: Stories and frameworks for questioning best practices, honing your intuition, and doing your best work. >>> jayacunzo.com/books * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Thu, July 29, 2021
Recovery
On the show, we keep talking about the importance of reaching that next rep of your creative process consistently, faster, and better, but often, those ideas are in conflict. Often, we shouldn't move to the next iteration or project quickly. Then there are other times where taking a break is actually a form of hiding. We want the perfect conditions or the Muse to visit us. How do we spot the difference? How do we know whether we should just keep showing up, shipping the work, putting in the reps ... or we need to recover so the next rep is better? There's a hidden a tension between being consistent and being better. Sometimes, they work in harmony, but when they don't, we experience burn out. We'll visit with a writer, Margo Aaron, who became a marketer by accident, burnt out, and has found a smart, repeatable way to recover and consistently show up improved. We'll also hear from editor and researcher Molly Donovan, who brings us some of the science behind recovery in athletes, as well as a concept called Default Mode. We'll learn why that mode is so critical for the health of our brains and, specific to our exploration together, to creating more resonant work. Recovery is a messy topic, and we have so many more questions than answers. Sounds like an Unthinkable episode to me! * * * TO GET MORE INSPIRATION + SUPPORT THE SHOW: Subscribe to my newsletter: Equal parts human story and pep talk, my weekly newsletter is focused on inspiring us to make what matters to our careers and communities. Subscribe for free and join creatives from brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, and the NY Times, as well as thousands of freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs. >>> jayacunzo.com/newsletter Buy a book: Stories and frameworks for questioning best practices, honing your intuition, and doing your best work. >>> jayacunzo.com/books * * * VOICES IN THIS STORY: Margo Aaron: twitter.com/margoaaron | thatseemsimportant.com Molly Donovan: twitter.com/mhdonovan | mdonovancontent.com * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Thu, July 15, 2021
An Untapped Creative Superpower | One-Shot #4
This week, another "One-Shot." These are my short-form, experimental episodes, where I read a short written piece for you, covering an observation I've made or story I've experienced firsthand. Whereas my main episodes share stories from the perspectives of others, these shorts are from my perspective alone. It's all part of the journey we're on to understand how to avoid stagnation, keep improving, and ultimately reach that next rep of the creative process consistently and better. In this one, we discuss an untapped creative superpower. It involves the story of a misshapen mug (to put it kindly) and my childhood home -- which I can no longer visit. GET MORE STORIES AND INSIGHTS TO ELEVATE YOUR CREATIVITY: Subscribe to my newsletter: Equal parts human story and pep talk, my weekly newsletter is focused on inspiring us to make what matters to our careers and communities. Subscribe for free and join creatives from brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, and the NY Times, as well as thousands of freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs. >>> jayacunzo.com/newsletter Become a member: Get access to a community forum of ambitious creators who help each other level up, plus exclusive riffs, rants, and courses from me, a 1:1 call with me, and all paid projects I create included as part of your membership. >>> makewhatmattersgroup.com Explore my books: Stories and frameworks for questioning best practices, honing your intuition, and doing your best work. >>> jayacunzo.com/books * * * THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Thu, July 01, 2021
Creative Elements
While I'm on vacation, I wanted to ensure I shared something special. Jay Clouse's show, Creative Elements, is among my favorite interview podcasts about creativity and building a career as a content entrepreneur and artist online today. Jay asks me about... My experiences as a sports journalist and sports PR intern at ESPN and elsewhere, before getting into marketing. How I think about and develop stories. Why I aspire to be the Anthony Bourdain of workplace storytelling. How I structure and schedule my weeks to juggle lots of projects. How I broke into public speaking as a big piece of my career and revenue. ...and a lot more. I hope you enjoy this bonus episode! If you do, consider listening to Creative Elements with Jay Clouse. Find your podcast player of choice at pod.link/elements You can also find Jay Clouse on Twitter @jayclouse . SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: Equal parts human story and pep talk, my weekly newsletter is focused on inspiring us to make what matters to our careers and communities. Subscribe for free and join creatives from brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, and the NY Times, as well as thousands of freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs. >>> jayacunzo.com/newsletter BECOME A MEMBER: Get access to a community forum of ambitious creators who help each other level up, plus exclusive riffs, rants, and courses from me, a 1:1 call with me, and all paid projects I create included as part of your membership. >>> makewhatmattersgroup.com LEARN MORE ABOUT MY BOOKS, SPEAKING, AND ORIGINAL SERIES: >>> jayacunzo.com THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Thu, June 24, 2021
Maybe Don't Be Like Mike
Alex Cook's obsessions are ever-changing, from growing and farming mushrooms to men's haircare products to riding Fat bikes on the beach ... to investigating family mysteries involving his grandfather, a dog, and an old wooden chest full of clues. All of this led Alex to create his company, NanaGram. It's the most rewarding app you'll ever use (full disclosure: I'm a longtime customer). THANKS TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS EPISODE: Max Yoder, CEO of Lessonly. Check out his book: https://dobetterwork.com/ or his company: https://www.lessonly.com/ SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: Equal parts human story and pep talk, my weekly newsletter is focused on inspiring us to make what matters to our careers and communities. Subscribe for free and join creatives from brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, and the NY Times, as well as thousands of freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs. >>> jayacunzo.com/newsletter BECOME A MEMBER: Get access to a community forum of ambitious creators who help each other level up, plus exclusive riffs, rants, and courses from me, a 1:1 call with me, and all paid projects I create included as part of your membership. >>> makewhatmattersgroup.com LEARN MORE ABOUT MY BOOKS, SPEAKING, AND ORIGINAL SERIES: >>> jayacunzo.com THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, June 16, 2021
3 Phases of Storytelling Skills | One-Shot #3
The stories that inspire us and move others to action don't often feel within our grasp. Maybe we think it's about budget, or more time, or even more team. But so often, creativity is about resourcefulness, not resources. This applies squarely to storytelling. In fact, if we just learned (or re-learned) what a "story" really is, we might better equip ourselves to tell great stories. Stories require one ingredient above all others: tension. Want to evolve and improve as a storyteller? Master the use of tension, across three phases. Today, in another one-shot episode, we talk about the traits of each phase and use some examples, all so we can continue to change how we see the work and elevate our creativity -- without adding tons more resources. SUPPORT THE SHOW + CONTINUE TO ELEVATE YOUR CREATIVITY: 1. NEWSLETTER : Subscribe to my free newsletter and get one new story each week. Join thousands of creators, from in-house makers and marketers at Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, the NY Times, and similar, to tons of entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators. Subscribe free at jayacunzo.com/newsletter 2. MEMBERSHIP : Become a monthly supporter (get bonus content and invites to live masterclasses) or become a full member (includes access to a community forum). Learn more at makewhatmattersgroup.com 3. COURSE : Thinking of making your own podcast, or trying to level up an existing show? Explore my course for more creative podcasts, Growable Shows, at jayacunzo.com/growable-shows 4. SPEAKING & BOOKS: Learn more about my books and public speaking, and all my other projects, at jayacunzo.com ---------- Thanks so much for listening, supporting, and sharing! Keep making what matters. - Jay Twitter: @jayacunzo IG: @jacunzo LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo
Tue, June 08, 2021
Thank Dog
Alex Cook's obsessions are ever-changing, from growing and farming mushrooms to men's haircare products to riding Fat bikes on the beach ... to investigating family mysteries involving his grandfather, a dog, and an old wooden chest full of clues. All of this led Alex to create his company, NanaGram. It's the most rewarding app you'll ever use (full disclosure: I'm a longtime customer). THANKS TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS EPISODE: Alex Cook: https://twitter.com/aacook NanaGram: https://nanagram.co/ SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE NEWSLETTER: Equal parts human story and pep talk, my weekly newsletter is focused on inspiring us to make what matters to our careers and communities. Subscribe for free and join creatives from brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, and the NY Times, as well as thousands of freelancers, creators, and entrepreneurs. >>> jayacunzo.com/newsletter LEVEL UP AS A CREATOR AND SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a Supporter: Get bonus content and exclusive invites to projects and educational opportunities for creative people. Become a Member: Get access to a community forum of ambitious creators who help each other level up, plus exclusive riffs, rants, and courses from me, a 1:1 call with me, and all paid projects I create included as part of your membership. >>> makewhatmattersgroup.com LEARN MORE ABOUT MY BOOKS, SPEAKING, AND ORIGINAL SERIES: >>> jayacunzo.com THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, May 26, 2021
What's Your Waggle? | One-Shot #2
In a new monologue story, we try to understand how to bring greater focus and our own unique form to our creative work more consistently. After all, being a professional creator means showing up even when we don't feel amazing in order to tinker, draft, and ship. We need to bring our focus and our form to our work upon command. How do we do that? We look to an unexpected source of inspiration. FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: Playing Favorites shares one new story every Friday morning that you can't find anywhere else, focused on creating work that matters. Subscribe at jayacunzo.com/newsletter COMMUNITY FOR CREATORS: $13/month makes you a supporter of this show, with bonus content shared monthly. Or you can become a full-blown member of the group, Make What Matters. Make What Matters is where independent content creators (in function or in spirit) learn to elevate their creative skills, earn more in resources and income, and execute their best work yet. Through peer support and members-only content (live and asynchronous), each member benefits from greater clarity, more confidence, and a stronger network. Consider joining at makewhatmattersgroup.com LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? SHARE THE SHOW: Mention me on Twitter, @jayacunzo , or Instagram, @jacunzo . *** THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Thu, May 20, 2021
Creative Reps
In a new story, we try to understand what the heck a "rep" is in creative work, so we can reach our next rep faster, better, and more consistently. We hear the story of visual artist Matthew Zaremba and learn more about reps from Grammy-nominated music educator and CrossFit coach Kevin Mazzarella. FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: Playing Favorites shares one new story every Friday morning that you can't find anywhere else, focused on creating work that matters. Subscribe at jayacunzo.com/newsletter COMMUNITY FOR CREATORS: $13/month makes you a supporter of this show, with bonus content shared monthly. Or you can become a full-blown member of the group, Make What Matters. Make What Matters is where independent content creators (in function or in spirit) learn to elevate their creative skills, earn more in resources and income, and execute their best work yet. Through peer support and members-only content (live and asynchronous), each member benefits from greater clarity, more confidence, and a stronger network. Consider joining at makewhatmattersgroup.com SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS EPISODE: Matthew Zaremba: matthewzaremba.com | instagram.com/matthewzaremba Kevin Mazzarella: kevinmazzarella.com *** THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Thu, April 29, 2021
A New Experiment: One-Shots (#1: Making Bad)
In this episode, I experiment with something I'm calling "One-Shots." In this particular One-Shot, "making bad" -- what creative people we admire seem to have in common. FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: Playing Favorites shares one new story every Friday morning that you can't find anywhere else, focused on creating work that matters. Subscribe at jayacunzo.com/newsletter COMMUNITY FOR CREATORS: $13/month makes you a supporter of this show, with bonus content shared monthly. Or you can become a full-blown member of the group, Make What Matters. Make What Matters is where independent content creators (in function or in spirit) learn to elevate their creative skills, earn more in resources and income, and execute their best work yet. Through peer support and members-only content (live and asynchronous), each member benefits from greater clarity, more confidence, and a stronger network. Consider joining at makewhatmattersgroup.com *** THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Fri, April 23, 2021
The Gap
Every creative person is trying to make what matters. The projects and jobs they pursue, the bosses or clients they like or dislike, and the works they admire -- it all comes back to that one idea. Not "rank #1" or "drive massive growth." Make. What Matters. I believe everyone has what it takes to make what matters, but we often stop or stagnate in our creative process. So what do prolific, thriving, ever-improving creators have in common? What does a healthy body of work require to create? Well, if we stop to consider what a body of work actually is, we'll notice something tiny, something we all grapple with, and something that, when you really distill creativity down to its essence, represents the ONLY thing that matters to us as creative people. The next rep. Welcome to a new journey, where each episode, we explore stories and ideas about reaching the next rep consistently, faster, and better. I have a TON more questions than answers at this point, but if we can learn what it takes or what successful creators do to constantly reach the next rep, then we'll understand how to build an entire body of work -- all in the name of making things that make a difference. Welcome to this journey. Welcome to The Next Rep. NEWSLETTER: Playing Favorites shares one new story every Friday morning that you can't find anywhere else, focused on creating work that matters. Subscribe at jayacunzo.com/newsletter MEMBER GROUP: Make What Matters is where marketers, freelancers, podcasters, writers, and creatives join forces to push themselves and each other to create more elevated work and accelerate their careers. For techniques, connection, collaboration, and inspiration, consider joining at makewhatmattersgroup.com SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS EPISODE: Jeremy Enns, Jeanne Ivy, Molly Donovan, Tallie Gabriel, Telyse Adams, and Michael Ashford. "The Gap" quote is from Ira Glass and can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91FQKciKfHI *** THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Tue, April 06, 2021
Experts vs. Explorers
Your knowledge is finite. Your curiosity is infinite. So why, oh why, do we usually rely more on our existing knowledge than our boundless curiosity? We live in a society that seems to value the ability to have the answers, but the path to making work that matters just might mean admitting, "I don't have the answers, but I'm going to figure this out." What if we stopped acting like experts and started acting like ... well ... something else? In this episode, we hear stories from keynote speaker Andrew Davis, bestselling author Shane Snow (Dream Teams, Smartcuts, The Storytelling Edge), and Dr. Jade Wu, sleep psychologist and researcher from Duke University. NEWSLETTER: Playing Favorites shares one new story every Friday morning that you can't find anywhere else, focused on creating work that matters. Subscribe at jayacunzo.com/newsletter MEMBER GROUP: Make What Matters is where marketers, freelancers, podcasters, writers, and creatives join forces to push themselves and each other to create more elevated work and accelerate their careers. For techniques, connection, collaboration, and inspiration, consider joining at makewhatmattersgroup.com SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS EPISODE: Andrew Davis: akadrewdavis.com | twitter.com/DrewDavisHere Shane Snow: shanesnow.com | twitter.com/shanesnow Jade Wu, PhD: jadewuphd.com | twitter.com/jadewuphd *** THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Tue, March 23, 2021
Voices
In this episode, the story of Lisa Schneider, (former) Chief Digital Officer at Merriam-Webster, and their award-winning, President-trolling, brilliant and witty Twitter account, social media presence, and dictionary brand -- yes, a beloved dictionary brand. Their success started with a simple aspiration that threw into question the most accepted approach to their marketing work. It all ended in a very personal place for the team. Meanwhile, story producer Andrew Littlefield goes exploring in New York and meets a jazz trombonist who gives us something we can use in our quest to trust our intuition. Finally, Tom Webster voices the dictionary. You can't make this stuff up! It's almost ... unthinkable? (No. Nope. No. I won't go there...) NEWSLETTER: Playing Favorites shares one new story every Friday morning that you can't find anywhere else, focused on creating work that matters. Subscribe at jayacunzo.com/newsletter MEMBER GROUP: Make What Matters is where marketers, freelancers, podcasters, writers, and creatives join forces to push themselves and each other to create more elevated work and accelerate their careers. For techniques, connection, collaboration, and inspiration, consider joining at makewhatmattersgroup.com SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS EPISODE: Lisa Schneider on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaschneider64 Merriam-Webster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/merriamwebster Andrew Littlefield (story producer) on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FSUAndrew Mariel Bildsten (jazz trombonist) on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6MYXOUN2105Bi2ROMNmoYS?autoplay=true Tom Webster (voice of the dictionary) on Twitter: https://twitter.com/webby2001 *** THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Tue, March 09, 2021
Sarah Cooper Time Machine
Standup comedian and comedy writer Sarah Cooper's rise to mainstream fame feels inevitable. Looking at her 2020, she was one of the biggest stories in entertainment and the creator economy more broadly. It started when her nephew turned her onto TikTok, and it's there where she went viral. She filmed herself in her apartment doing lip-sync videos of Donald Trump speeches and media appearances. Her popularity doing these didn't stop at TikTok, either. The surge in fame spilled across social media, attracting the attention and praise of fellow comedians like Mike Birbiglia and Jerry Seinfeld, and landing her profiles and guests spots everywhere from the New York Times, Vogue, and Vanity Fair to CBS Sunday Morning, the Tonight Show, and a guest hosting gig for Jimmy Kimmel. She was even offered a Netflix special doing sketch comedy, a project called "Everything Is Fine." The struggling standup suddenly found herself shooting her OWN show, featuring an all-star list of cameos, like Aubrey Plaza, Marisa Tomei, Winona Ryder, Ben Stiller, Jon Hamm, Jane Lynch, Megan The Stallion, Maya Rudolph, and Helen Mirren! And just a few days prior to me recording this, it was announced that CBS purchased a pilot from Sarah Cooper based on her book, How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings. (Editor's note: In my intro, I said this episode originally aired in 2016, but it was actually 2019. Either way, it was The Before Times, so it's all the same, isn't it?) SUPPORT THE SHOW + HELP FUND FUTURE STORIES: 1. Monthly/annual membership group, Make What Matters: makewhatmattersgroup.com Tiny techniques, creativity concepts, business and buy-in support, and plenty of behind-the-scenes of Unthinkable and other projects. *** 2. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Playing Favorites: jayacunzo.com/newsletter One original story and idea for making your audience's favorite things, sent each Friday morning. *** THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Wed, February 24, 2021
Break the Wheel (ft. Tim Urban, Wait But Why)
Tim Urban writes a blog about ... well ... lots of stuff. Understanding ourselves and our relationship to each other and the world, maybe? From making friends to exploring space, cultural and societal forces to neuroscience breakthroughs ... all packaged as brilliant, entertaining, and sarcastic essays. Tim Urban has written about it all. But like any exceptional project or career, Tim's is not one that reveals any singular secret to success. In fact, it just might be the millions of "secrets to success" that we're drowning in today which are holding us back in our own projects and careers. Best practices. Tips and tricks. Cheats and hacks. Gurus and get-rich-quick schemes. Trendy new tactics. Conventional wisdom. These are all just spokes on a wheel. But if we truly want to make what matters, perhaps we're better off escaping that wheel -- or dare I say, we should break the wheel ? (This episode originally aired in 2018. I am re-airing this because it perfectly ties into our new journey to tell the stories of Idea Explorers -- people who made the shift from viewing themselves as experts to viewing themselves as explorers, and where that leads them in their creative work.) SUPPORT THE SHOW + HELP FUND FUTURE STORIES: 1. Monthly/annual membership group, Make What Matters: makewhatmattersgroup.com Tiny techniques, creativity concepts, business and buy-in support, and plenty of behind-the-scenes of Unthinkable and other projects. *** 2. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Playing Favorites: jayacunzo.com/newsletter One original story and idea for making your audience's favorite things, sent each Friday morning. *** THANKS FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING! Keep making what matters. -Jay
Trailer · Mon, February 08, 2021
Unthinkable's Next Focus
Fundamentally, Unthinkable is a podcast about creativity -- creativity at work, creativity used to enact change, and creativity as a form of practice, improvement, and exploration. For several years, the show focused on one problem, one source of frustration: our obsession with best practices, and all the problems that causes. So we set out to change how we all see the work. Now, we're embarking on a new adventure -- to change how we see ourselves. Let's stop acting like experts and start acting like explorers. In fact, that's what we are. Idea explorers. You and me? We're fellow travelers. We know that where we stand right now, the status quo for ourselves as individuals, our teams, our industries, communities, society, where we stand right now, isn't going to do. In the distance we see the mountain peak, but between here and there is a jungle and we have no idea how to get there. So we're picking up our machetes and we're going to hack through it. We're going to try to reach that mountain peak, swing after swing, episode after episode. That's what creativity is: attempts. Practice. It's just repetition plus reinvention, over time. It's exploration, and we're setting out to find and learn from some inspiring Idea Explorers. TO SUPPORT THE SHOW & FUND BETTER STORIES... 1. Consider my course on show development: Learn how to build your initial ideas into a pithy, powerful premise that prompts subscription -- for your podcast or video series. Learn more about Growable Shows here: https://marketingshowrunners.podia.com/growable-shows-developing-your-ideas-into-an-irresistible-premise-your-audience-loves-shares *** 2. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Playing Favorites: Get one original idea or story every Friday morning about making what matters most -- to others and yourself. What does it take to be their favorite? Isn't that the goal? Subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/gWVi_9 Thanks for listening!
Wed, May 06, 2020
Gravy (a Relevant, Cathartic Story for Right Now)
How does your intent for your work change your results? If your goal is to build something big, does that increase the odds of succeeding? Why, then, do so many stories about huge successes start out the same way: with a shrug, and a quick, "I just wanted to brew some beer." ? Today, we explore the story of The Alchemist, makers of the industry sensation, Heady Topper. And we hear about a brutal setback they didn’t control, and how they rebounded stronger than ever -- -- -- If you like these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Get my weekly email for podcasters exploring what it might take for you to create your audience's FAVORITE show: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe - Inquire about my keynote speaking (including virtual talks that have been better-produced than webinars, much like this podcast) for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Read my dailyish blog sharing 3-5 very short posts per week about making a difference through work you create: jayacunzo.com/blog - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel Thanks for listening!
Wed, April 29, 2020
What Is That?
Plus, a story about a legendary warrior's ship, and mind-bender about what makes this podcast THIS podcast -- or any podcast, or shirt, or pizza, or book... --- If you like these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Get my weekly email for podcasters exploring what it might take for you to create your audience's FAVORITE show: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe - Inquire about my keynote speaking (including virtual talks that have been better-produced than webinars, much like this podcast) for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Read my dailyish blog sharing 3-5 very short posts per week about making a difference through work you create: jayacunzo.com/blog - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel Thanks for listening!
Tue, April 07, 2020
Favorite Things
Plus, a story about pizza, and a new show format we're trying as we re-launch Unthinkable during a rather odd and trying time in the global conscience. --- If you like these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking (including virtual talks that have been better-produced than webinars, much like this podcast) for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas each week on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel Thanks for listening! READ MORE ABOUT IDEAS FOUND IN THIS EPISODE: https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/04/small-children-and-favorite-colors-research-into-why-colors-are-so-important-to-kids-identity.html http://jayacunzo.com/blog/what-marketers-can-do-during-tough-times-for-customers https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-neuroscience-of-everybody-favorite-topic-themselves/ https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/why-do-we-like-what-we-like
Wed, April 01, 2020
Seasonish 6ish Trailerish
In the meantime, if you'd like to join me, fellow makers and marketers, and some special guests to get re-inspired to make stuff, join us every Tuesday, 1:30pm Eastern, for the 1-Star Club. It's on Instagram Live: instagram.com/jacunzo It's all about creative catharsis and community, deconstructing the creative process, and hanging out with special guests and friends. Stay tuned for future episodes of Unthinkable, stop by the IG Live on Tuesdays, 1:30 Eastern, or say hi on Twitter ( twitter.com/jayacunzo ).
Wed, March 11, 2020
Best of Unthinkable: Resonance over Reach, ft. Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon
Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon, has some firm beliefs about making stuff on the internet -- namely, that the economics simply don't reward great, quality, resonant, service-minded creators. Thus, the sensationalism and clickbait and algorithm-gamers win out. But that trend is changing, with Jack's company helping lead the charge. This episode goes deep inside some rather cathartic ideas for creators. Enjoy! --- If you like these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Wed, March 04, 2020
I Made It: Gibi ASMR on the Upside & Downside of YouTube Fame
Gibi can't use her real name publicly, at least not anymore. Yet her work on YouTube is her calling, it's her everything. Despite the harassment and public criticism for what might ultimately be something rather mundane and sometimes rather wonderful, Gibi persists. Why? And what is the project that most embodies this double-edged sword of her work? She takes us inside its making. Whether you love video, or just love makin' stuff, there's something in this episode for all creators. If you enjoy these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Wed, February 26, 2020
Best of Unthinkable: Grado Shouldn't Exist (It's Thriving)
This is the story of a company which, by today's typical business standards and best practices, shouldn't exist. They're the perfect example of why there is no ONE right way in this work we do. We visit them live and in-person and discover some rather surprising things. --- If you enjoy these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Wed, February 19, 2020
3 Clips: The Cathartic Creative Journey of Neil Pasricha's 3 Books
The podcast 3 Books was selected by Apple Podcasts as a top show in 2018. Neil's journey is audacious and enjoyable: A search for the 1,000 most transformative books in the world. You may have heard interviews before with the likes of Judy Blume, Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, or David Sedaris ... but not like this. Neil keeps it weird, while also making something wonderful and differentiated, all without a big budget. --- If you enjoy these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Wed, February 12, 2020
Best Of Unthinkable: Constraints and Creativity
We all wish we had the wide open creative field -- total creative freedom. It turns out, however, that creative freedom doesn't work. It may not even exist. Today, two stories about constraints, creativity, and the surprising outcomes of embracing limitations. If you enjoy these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Wed, February 05, 2020
I Made It: Joanna Wiebe Takes Us Inside a Timeless Writing Project
Joanna Wiebe never meant to quit her job and start her business, Copyhackers. In fact, she quit Intuit by accident. Blame the boss, or the wine, or the way Outlook was configured. But don't blame fate. In fact, THANK fate, if you believe in such things, because without Joanna leaving her job all those years ago, thousands of aspiring writers would be worse-off ... and thousands of pages of great writing teaching writing may not exist. If you enjoy these stories, there are a few ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Thu, January 30, 2020
Best of Unthinkable: Carving the White Whale
Today, a classic episode from the Unthinkable archives about Erik Devaney, a writer and content marketer, who goes deep inside the emotions and the amusing tale of carving the white whale. Find Erik's Medium article, referenced in the story, right here. If you enjoy these stories, there are 3 ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Tue, January 28, 2020
BONUS: The Book Writing Process with Ryan Hawk
A bonus, behind-the-scenes episode originally aired on the popular podcast, The Learning Leader Show. --- Ryan's book, Welcome to Management, is now available on Amazon . You can find his podcast, The Learning Leader Show, on Apple and everywhere you podcast. --- If you enjoyed this episode, there are a few ways to go deeper with my work: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Wed, January 22, 2020
3 Clips: The Subtle Genius of Radiolab's Hosts
3 Clips is the official podcast of my company, Marketing Showrunners. MSR serves marketers who want to find and share their voice, make a difference, and shift the culture of their industries. We believe the best vehicle for doing this is called a show, so we want to help marketers make their audience's favorite shows. In this episode, we deconstruct an episode of Radiolab called "Memory and Forgetting." If you enjoy these stories, here are a few ways to go deeper: - Subscribe to 3 Clips on Apple Podcasts , Overcast , or wherever you listen. - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Wed, January 15, 2020
Best of Unthinkable: The Pike and the Minnow
Today, a classic episode from the Unthinkable archives about InVision, a software company that made a feature film seem less risky than writing more How-To blog posts. If you enjoy these stories, there are 3 ways to go deeper: - Inquire about my keynote speaking for your next event or company meeting at jayacunzo.com - Subscribe to my blog to get a few short ideas on creativity, finding your voice, and questioning best practices: bit.ly/acunzosub - Support what I do by purchasing a copy of my book for you or a friend: bit.ly/break-the-wheel
Wed, January 08, 2020
I Made It: Chase Jarvis Deconstructs His Writing Process
"I Made It" is the podcast I'm creating together with Podia, which sells tools for creators who run their own businesses, helping them sell things like courses, digital downloads, and membership/paid subscription. In this episode, world-class photographer and the CEO of CreativeLive Chase Jarvis deconstructs a favorite project: his book, Creative Calling. Subscribe to the I Made It feed separately wherever you podcast, or join the newsletter for the show at podia.com/podcast To work with me, inquire about keynote speaking and show hosting/consulting by visiting jayacunzo.com
Tue, December 17, 2019
Introducing "3 Clips" | Understanding Great Podcasts, a Few Pieces at a Time
Today, the second of two new original podcasts I've been working on: 3 Clips, the official podcast of Marketing Showrunners. SUBSCRIBE TO 3 CLIPS WHEREVER YOU LISTEN Apple . Overcast . Spotify . Stitcher . On 3 Clips , we make sense of great podcasts, a few little pieces at a time. In this episode, the debut episode of the show, we profile one of marketing's most under-appreciated yet stellar podcasts, talking to the hosts to dig up some hidden creative techniques and ideas. ABOUT MARKETING SHOWRUNNERS At MSR , we cover and advance the movement of marketers making shows. We believe that great marketing isn't about who arrives. It's about who stays. Focusing more of our marketing on that is better for the brand, the audience, and the world, because it rids the world of all the short-sighted, spammy tactics. If you're focused on holding attention, not just grabbing it, the only plan that works is to provide a great experience others genuinely enjoy. Learn more and subscribe free at marketingshowrunners.com
Fri, December 06, 2019
Introducing "I Made It" | World-Class Creators Deconstruct 1 Favorite Project
Announcing the launch of a brand new podcast I'm hosting and writing, "I Made It," the official show of Podia. You can subscribe wherever you listen, but also join our exclusive community at podia.com/podcast -- you'll get exclusive content + invites to join me and Podia CMO Len Markidan on live video calls, discussing creativity, the various creative types of work we all do, and creator businesses. Enjoy the show!
Tue, November 12, 2019
5 Small Ideas with Big Impact
Today, a reinvented type of episode sharing 5 quick concepts that can help transform your work (or, yanno ... do a little good here and there at least?) -- -- -- HELPFUL LINKS: Book Jay to speak: jayacunzo.com Read Marketing Showrunners, the media company Jay founded to help cover and advance the practice of brands making original series: READ or SUBSCRIBE FREE
Mon, October 21, 2019
The Green Smoothie Problem
When you share an idea and others simply don't get it, what's happening? And how can we be more persuasive in presenting our creative ideas so we can do our best work? Link to subscribe: marketingshowrunners.com/subscribe Inquiries about Jay's public speaking appearances: jayacunzo.com or email speaking@unthinkablemedia.com Jay's book is available in print, Kindle, and audio forms on Amazon. It's called Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work
Mon, October 14, 2019
A Small Fiction [Revisited]
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.com Learn 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.
Mon, October 07, 2019
The Stuff Inside [Revisited]
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.com Interested 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.
Mon, September 30, 2019
Deconstructing the Art of the Interview
In this episode, Ryan Hawk, host of the Learning Leader Show, and Jay Acunzo deconstruct the art of conducting a great interview for shows and in conversation with others. Among other things, we'll explore... -What to do when the other person won't open up. -How to create an environment where others feel they can share their best ideas (i.e. how to cut through the corporate babble) -Deconstructing Ryan's three most challenging interviews: NBA player JJ Redick, filmmaker/screenwriter/TV showrunner Brian Koppelman, and TV show host Adam Savage. -The delicate dance of the interview: how to master the right moves to make the interview go your way. -And so much more... -- -- -- For more from Ryan Hawk, listen to the Learning Leader Show wherever you get your podcasts, or visit https://learningleader.com For Jay's speaking, visit http://jayacunzo.com To learn more about making a great show for your brand, get insights and ideas at MarketingShowrunners.com/blog
Tue, September 24, 2019
Dumb Ways to Die [Revisited]
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
Tue, September 17, 2019
How to Reinvent Live Music
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
Wed, September 11, 2019
Something Smelly This Way Comes [Revisited]
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.
Wed, August 28, 2019
What's Next for Unthinkable
A brief look at where we started, where we're at, and where we're going.
Mon, August 26, 2019
The Man Bun [Revisited]
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 speaking@unthinkablemedia.com
Fri, August 09, 2019
Creative Cafe: We All Write Menus
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
Wed, July 31, 2019
Stagnation Is The Enemy
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
Thu, July 18, 2019
Wrinkles
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: speaking@unthinkablemedia.com or jayacunzo.com
Thu, July 11, 2019
Innovation Impossible
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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/
Wed, July 03, 2019
Triple Dip! #3: Intuition and Process
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
Wed, July 03, 2019
Triple Dip! #2: The Pike and the Minnow
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
Wed, July 03, 2019
Triple Dip! #1: The Bias to Act
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
Thu, June 27, 2019
There's Something About the Light
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
Fri, May 31, 2019
The Shift We Don't Discuss Enough
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
Mon, May 27, 2019
Don't Be Like Mike
"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
Mon, May 20, 2019
Creative Cafe: Standup Comedy with Sarah Cooper
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
Mon, May 13, 2019
Make It So
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
Tue, May 07, 2019
A Very Persuasive Porpoise
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
Tue, April 30, 2019
Sound Comes First
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
Wed, April 24, 2019
Creative Cafe: The Speaking Business
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 )
Thu, April 11, 2019
Thank Dog
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
Wed, April 03, 2019
Creative Cafe: How to Make a Great Show
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
Mon, March 18, 2019
A Small Fiction
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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
Wed, March 13, 2019
Miniseries Update: Exceptions Now In Its Own Feed
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
Tue, March 05, 2019
The Paradox of Exceeding Expectations
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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.
Mon, February 25, 2019
Bad Different | Eye-Opening Stories about Being Unique
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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.
Mon, February 18, 2019
Made to Stick | Anthony Constantino, CEO of Sticker Mule
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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.
Wed, February 13, 2019
Creative Cafe: Dan Mills, Creative Director at Wistia
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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
Mon, February 04, 2019
Resonance vs. Reach | Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon | Season 5 Premiere
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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 call
Mon, January 21, 2019
Kid President's Battle
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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 w
Mon, January 07, 2019
The Worst Career Advice
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: jay@unthinkablemedia.com 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 a
Wed, December 26, 2018
Why LESSONLY Prioritizes Psychological Safety Above All Else ["Exceptions" Ep.7]
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
Mon, December 17, 2018
Why BUFFER Thinks About Traffic vs. Audience vs. Community ["Exceptions" Ep.6]
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
Fri, December 07, 2018
How FIRST ROUND CAPITAL Changed VC Brands Forever ["Exceptions" Ep.5]
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
Wed, November 21, 2018
Gravy
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 )
Tue, November 20, 2018
In on the Secret
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 )
Mon, November 19, 2018
The Picnic Experiment
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/
Tue, October 30, 2018
How Did HELP SCOUT Build Customer Support's Most Refreshing Brand? ["Exceptions" Ep.4]
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
Fri, October 26, 2018
Short Story: The Choice That Makes or Breaks Great Work (Part 2)
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!
Wed, October 17, 2018
Short Story: The Choice That Makes or Breaks Great Work (Part 1)
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!
Mon, October 08, 2018
How Does INVISION Make Big Creative Projects Look Logical? ["Exceptions" Ep.3]
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=
Mon, October 01, 2018
Book Launch Day! Special AMA & Behind-the-Scenes Episode
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.
Mon, September 24, 2018
Short Story: What We Really Mean by "Visionary"
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?)
Thu, August 30, 2018
Why Is WISTIA So Creative? ["Exceptions" Ep.2]
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
Mon, August 27, 2018
Short Story: The Schreader [Plus, Signed Books for You]
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).
Sun, August 05, 2018
What Makes GUSTO Exceptional? ["Exceptions" Ep.1]
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
Wed, July 18, 2018
Intuition [Re-aired]
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
Thu, June 28, 2018
Voices [Re-aired]
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
Mon, June 11, 2018
"Try to Be Awesome" - A Tribute to Anthony Bourdain
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...
Tue, May 29, 2018
The Bias to Act [Re-aired]
As I work on Season 4 of Unthinkable, I wanted to share with you one of the most popular episodes from the backlogs: The Bias to Act. Two incredible stories and some inspiring-yet-weird-yet-warm commentary (yanno ... like every episode). Hope you enjoy! In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to the Maker Channel wherever you get your podcasts. TMC is where we release experimental episodes for shows still in development, plus go behind the scenes making great podcasts. Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-maker-channel/id1372336578 Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ie67mcy53xhoawnu5fo6wmo4igu Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/unthinkable-with-jay-acunzo/the-maker-channel
Tue, May 15, 2018
Don't Start with Data [Re-aired]
I'm hard at work making Unthinkable Season 4 AND writing my first book, Break the Wheel, due out this fall (2018). The book is inspired by and pulls from the first three seasons of Unthinkable! For now, here's an oldie but a goodie -- a sneaky-good episode from the archives. Enjoy! Subscribe to get one new story or idea every Monday morning about being better than best practices: http://bit.ly/joinunthinkable
Tue, May 01, 2018
Anthony Shaves the World [Re-aired]
As I work on Unthinkable Season 4 and the book relating to this show, called Break the Wheel (Fall 2018), I wanted to dip into the archives and resurface a sneaky-good episode. Enjoy! Subscribe to get one new story or idea for being better than best practices every Monday morning: http://bit.ly/joinunthinkable
Trailer · Mon, February 12, 2018
Why Unthinkable Media Exists
A welcome note to all those new to the Unthinkable Media website (launching later this week!) and community, and an explanation of why I'm starting this company in the first place. Email me anytime at jay@unthinkablemedia.com Or say hi on Twitter @jayacunzo or Instagram @jacunzo Thanks for your support!
Thu, December 21, 2017
Holiday Special: Twas the Night Before Launching
A final treat and sign-off until next season. Thank you SO. FREAKING. MUCH. for supporting for my work, from speaking to podcasting and beyond! So much in store for 2018, and I'm grateful to you for your time, feedback, and love. If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to get my regular Monday emails: bit.ly/joinunthinkable
Mon, December 18, 2017
Break The Wheel [Season 3 Finale]
In the Season 3 finale of Unthinkable, it's time for a story and a battle -- a story about a runaway creative success that flies in the face of conventional thinking and a battle that all of us face whenever we aspire to be better than average in our careers. Finally, at long last, we blame one dastardly demon for our nasty habit of always taking the easy way out, the accepted route forward. Finally, we enter the battle within, and things get hairy. Luckily, Tim Urban from Wait But Why is here to help. Well. Kinda. It's Unthinkable. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: bit.ly/JoinUnthinkable LINKS TO KNOW: Wait But Why Tim Urban on Twitter Tim's TED Talk The original post, Why Procrastinators Procrastinate
Mon, December 11, 2017
Gravy [Season 3]
How does your intent for your work change your results? If your goal is to build something big, does that increase the odds? Why, then, do so many stories about huge successes start out the same way: with a shrug, and a quick, "I just wanted to brew some beer." ? Today, we explore the story of The Alchemist, makers of the industry sensation, Heady Topper. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER http://bit.ly/joinunthinkable LINKS TO KNOW The Alchemist brewery
Sun, December 03, 2017
A Monumental Shift [Season 3]
Most brand-created podcasts are -- how shall I put this? -- IMPRESSIVELY terrible. So, naturally, Steve Pratt finds total creative fulfillment in that industry. Obviously. See, to invent the future of an entire industry and collaborate with some of the world's top brands, Steve gets to crash through one barrier after another. And as he excitedly does so, his weapon of choice isn't massive budget, a bestselling book, or a big "personal brand." No, instead, Steve calmly walks to the board and draws a simple graph for his clients to see. From the outside looking in, his work is just so unlikely that you MIGHT call it ... Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Steve Pratt on Twitter Pacific Content Slack's podcast, Work In Progress SUBSCRIBE to Unthinkable via email at unthinkable.fm
Mon, November 27, 2017
Something Smelly This Way Comes [Season 3]
Suzy Batiz had sworn off starting companies. NEVER AGAIN, she thought. But one sniff and one conversation later, she was obsessed. Her curiosity took over, and a decade later, she's built a 300-million-dollar empire. And all of it started by trying to solve a problem none of us care to even think about, let alone build a career around. It's Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Viral video link Company website
Sun, November 19, 2017
The Pike And The Minnow [Season 3]
Nobody actually takes risks, especially in business, so what if the key to doing better work is making unconventional paths seem SAFER than the best practice? That's exactly what Clair Byrd, Clark Valberg, and the team behind Design Disruptors did. They took a massive project in scope and found a way to make each step seem safer than the last. They built a refreshing, eye-opening project without ever changing their team's goals. They did everything we aspire to do in our work in a way that seems, well, anything BUT Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Design Disruptors site Clair Byrd on Twitter Clark Valberg on Twitter The original Design Disruptors movie trailer
Mon, November 13, 2017
Dumb Ways To Die [Season 3]
Looking for the video link? Scroll down! For now, a blurb on the episode: Unsurprisingly, one of the catchiest songs ever created topped the iTunes charts. It beat epic songs by Rhianna and Drake, and narrowly missed topping Adele and even Gangnam Style. Away from the charts, this song sparked a global movement -- merchandise and microsites, mobile games and parodies galore. One song and one video, going crazy viral, and snowballing into something much larger than itself. And while none of that seems all that surprising in our digital world today, when you learn about who created this song -- and the insanity that ensued -- it'll seem like pure insanity. You might even call it ... Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: The original DWTD video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw The DWTD website: http://www.dumbwaystodie.com/ DWTD on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7lZ_iOz3NhA6krGfILerQA
Mon, November 06, 2017
The Man Bun [Season 3]
Scott Stratten looks every part a blacksmith. He's mastered a rare craft in our digital world today, but make no mistake -- he's a master craftsman. And while he may not work with any type of metal, he still forges his work with red hot fire. It’s Unthinkable. LINKS TO KNOW: Scott on Twitter: http://twitter.com/unmarketing Scott's website: http://unmarketing.com Scott's podcast: http://www.unmarketing.com/category/podcast/
Fri, September 01, 2017
Sound Comes First [Season 3 Premiere]
If there was a Yelp listing for every industry niche, "Headphone Brand" would appear with the most possible dollar signs. Big brands use bigger celebrities and spend some of the biggest ad budgets around to promote their products and, really, the emotion they want you to feel when you buy their products. Artists like Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj, athletes like LeBron James, and brands like Apple, Sony, Bose, and more, all slug it out to deliver the same message in increasingly expensive ways: "These headphones are the best." This is a flashy, fast-paced industry niche. So what in the heck do we make of Grado Labs? In 1918, a Sicilian immigrant purchased a small building on a nondescript block in Brooklyn. Over nearly a century, while the world around this building changed at breakneck speed, the world inside plodded along. It was one kind of business, and then, gradually, another. It was led by one generation of Grado, and then, gradually, another. They don't advertise, not one cent. They don't upgrade much, using the same old equipment in the same old building. And they even make their headphones by hand. So why are they such a success in the digital age? It's Unthinkable. Get behind-the-scenes photos and videos, host commentary, plus this week's "email antipasto" by subscribing to the newsletter: unthinkable.fm Follow Jay on Twitter or Instagram: twitter.com/jayacunzo // instagram.com/jacunzo Hire Jay to speak: jayacunzo.com -------------------- MUSIC CREDITS: Calmant - Calming by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100859 Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Mon, July 31, 2017
First-Principle Insights [Season Finale]
We call the show "Unthinkable" because anytime someone uses their intuition, it feels like they did something crazy. Maybe they broke from conventional thinking -- that alone feels pretty unthinkable in many jobs and industries. Maybe they came up with an incredible idea in an instant -- that can be tough to understand from the outside looking in. Or maybe they did work that was exceptional, i.e., an exception, from all the average, familiar, safe, down-the-fairway, just-so-basic-I-could-punch-a-watermelon junk. But here's the catch: When you do that kind of great work, it rarely feels crazy TO YOU. So maybe ... it's not unthinkable at all. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo
Mon, July 24, 2017
Your Unfair Advantage [How Intuition Works #7]
What if intuition was actually the same as the kind of thinking we value in the business world, but it reaches full potential quicker? Wouldn't that be an insanely valuable skill? If you could instantly skip ahead of your peers by seven, 17, or 77 steps or pull from seven, or 17, or 77 sources of ideas ... wouldn't you want to figure out how that stuff works?! Wouldn't you cultivate it? Practice it? Get to the point where you could actually RELY on it? Intuition. Your unfair advantage. It's Unthinkable. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo
Mon, July 17, 2017
Aspirational Anchors [How Intuition Works #6]
The information age has a downside: Advice Overload. In the face of ubiquitous experts and never-ending best practices and how-tos and secrets, what if you trusted your intuition? Well, for starters, you'd need to focus more on your own context than all that advice. Luckily, today, we explore one question you can ask yourself to instantly make sense of all the advice in this Information Age. And we revisit one of our most popular stories EVER to see how this question affects our ability to create exceptional work. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo
Mon, July 10, 2017
Making the Leap Pt. 2 [How Intuition Works #5]
We use our intuition every single day to make decisions. So why does it still feel like a leap to trust it when it comes to the more meaningful stuff in our work? The answer is more complicated than you think. But your response can be a lot simpler than you image, too -- and that's great news if you want to do meaningful work. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo
Sun, June 25, 2017
Making the Leap Pt. 1 [How Intuition Works #4]
Last we spoke, we wondered why we don't trust our intuition more. I mean, it's with us at all times, telling us things. But we often feel like it's a LEAP to listen to our intuition. This week, we wonder: How do we cross that chasm? To help make sense of this, we revisit the story of Alec Brownstein, the Executive Creative Director at Dollar Shave Club, and his incredible side project, viewed by billions: The Google Job Experiment SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo
Sun, June 11, 2017
Week Off Mailbag Special!
Technically supposed to be taking a week off but ... I won't tell if you don't! Send your examples of conventional wisdom, pithy quotes-as-gospel, or popular best practices to jay@unthinkable.fm -- we might use them in a future show! Subscribe to the Monday AM newsletter at unthinkable.fm
Mon, June 05, 2017
The Leap [How Intuition Works #3]
Last week, we defined intuition once and for all. This week, we wonder: Why don't we routinely TRUST our intuition? We came up with a practical definition, but why can't we seem to make it practical in our daily lives? Why does it so often feel like a leap? To help make sense of this, we revisit the story of Neil Pasricha, a bestselling author, TED speaker, and the creator of the blog 1000 Awesome Things. SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo
Mon, May 29, 2017
Defining Intuition [How Intuition Works #2]
So we aspire to do something exceptional, and we can't stand all that average noise created by the endless "hacks" and "cheats" and "secrets" out there. So now what? If all that expertise is simply generalized advice that gets us to average, what can we use to go from average to exceptional? What can we rely on to get the rest of the way there? Intuition. But what the heck IS intuition? And how can we actually control it proactively? SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo VIDEO PREVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHwnz1cSCVY
Mon, May 22, 2017
Our Journey Begins [How Intuition Works #1]
After a year, we finally land on the common thread that ties us all together as listeners. Then, we revisit one of our most popular stories and find out some new things we missed last time. And we begin our march forward, week by week, to solve the biggest problem facing our projects, companies, and careers today. MIKE'S SUPER BOWL AD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_3H_Y5QUWw SUBSCRIBE TO MONDAY'S EMAIL: unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK & FOLLOWS: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo VIDEO PREVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvVtu4fed8&feature=youtu.be
Mon, May 15, 2017
Names You Know, Stories You Don't: Amy Schmittauer
Our our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't concludes with Amy Schmittauer. In this brutally honest and hilarious discussion, Amy talks about her parody of the Wizard of Oz, why she loves editing more than being on camera, and how she grapples with her early speaking careers. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. How are well-known speakers trusting their own intuition? PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Amy Schmittauer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Schmittastic Amy's YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/savvysexysocial
Mon, May 08, 2017
Constraints [Intuition Series #11]
Remarkable stories of what happens when you embrace constraints, rather than fight for "creative freedom" (and an exploration of what the heck "creative freedom" even means). Stories today from First Round Capital (one of the premier venture capital firms in tech, with investments in Uber, Warby Parker, Blue Apron, Square, and more) and Soviet Visuals, a remarkable side project from a former Russian ballerina and current Facebook employee revealing something special about constraints. What might happen if you embraced or even sought out constraints in your work, instead of fought them? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday morning email by subscribing at unthinkable.fm Contact Jay: jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo Book Jay to speak: jayacunzo.com LINKS TO KNOW: First Round Review: firstround.com/review Camille Ricketts on Twitter: twitter.com/camillericketts Soviet Visuals on Twitter: twitter.com/sovietvisuals Business Podcast
Sun, April 30, 2017
Names You Know, Stories You Don't: Doug Kessler
We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we get existential and emotional with one of the most creative content marketers on the planet, Doug Kessler. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. How are well-known speakers trusting their own intuition? PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit http://contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Doug Kessler on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dougkessler The new way Doug's team created to tell digital stories: https://velocitypartners.com/resources/the-new-media-message/
Sun, April 23, 2017
Insides [Intuition Series #10]
When we say the word content, MOST of us refer to the container -- a blog post, a video, a podcast. But the audience we aim to serve is after what's INSIDE our content -- the information, the education, the entertainment. So why the heck do brands and marketers spend so much less time focused on the stuff INSIDE the content they create? Stories today from Slack, the fastest-growing business app of all time, and their director of content, Julie Kim. Then, bestselling author Andrew Davis (Brandscaping, Town Inc) pulls from his time in TV production with the Jim Henson Company and Charles Kuralt to teach us how to think more strategically about the stuff we create and how we structure it. What happens when you spend way more time thinking about the stuff INSIDE our work? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday morning email by subscribing at http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Slack's amazing blog: https://slackhq.com/ and podcast: https://slack.com/podcast Julie Kim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/onejuliekim Andrew Davis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewdavishere Andrew Davis's website: http://www.akadrewdavis.com/
Mon, April 17, 2017
Names You Know, Stories You Don't: Robert Rose
We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we think the big thoughts and feel the big feels with Robert Rose. We talk music, on-stage interviews with celebrities, and making others FEEL SOMETHING by creating great experiences. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Robert Rose on Twitter: https://twitter.com/robert_rose Robert's newsletter: http://contentadvisory.net/
Mon, April 10, 2017
Voices [Intuition Series #9]
We live in the era of experts. If we don't have an idea or answer, we can find and follow everyone else's. This creates copycat, forgettable work. Luckily, the most powerful way to differentiate from all of that is obvious and free. The only question is whether we have the courage to deploy it. Stories about Lisa Schneider, Chief Digital Officer at Merriam-Webster, and their award-winning, President-trolling, brilliant and witty Twitter account. Their success started with an aspiration and ended in a very personal place. Meanwhile, Producer Andrew Littlefield also goes exploring New York and meets a jazz trombonist who gives us something we can use in our quest to trust our intuition. What happens when you combine intent with hunger? It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Lisa on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaschneider64 Merriam-Webster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/merriamwebster Merriam-Webster's Washington Post piece: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/12/19/were-descriptivists-not-jerks-an-interview-with-twitters-edgiest-dictionary/ Andrew Littlefield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FSUAndrew Mariel Bildsten's music: http://marielbildsten.com/ Special thanks to Tom Webster, who voices the dictionary: https://twitter.com/webby2001
Sun, April 02, 2017
Names You Know, Stories You Don't: Tamsen Webster
We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, we get starry-eyed over big ideas with Tamsen Webster. Stories include Tamsen's love affair with speeches, space bags for her brain, and her latest big idea: the Red Thread. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be an opening keynote! Come see me and dozens of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! jay@unthinkable.fm twitter.com/jayacunzo snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Tamsen Webster on Twitter: twitter.com/tamadear Tamsen's new idea: The Read Thread: tamsenwebster.com/what-is-the-red-thread/
Sun, March 26, 2017
Just Ship It [Intuition Series #8]
We hear the phrase a lot, from friends, bosses, clients, peers: JUST SHIP IT! Just ship your work already. But should you? COULD you? Is this idea friend ... or foe? Today we go exploring the topic of shippin' it, and shippin' it good. Stories about Chris Piascik, an illustrator who has published a new drawing every single weekday since 2007, and Andrea Fryrear, a newly-minted author who wrote her book in 6 months and got her start writing 5 articles every week for work. We care about craft. And results. We want to make it GREAT. But also done. Let's make sense of this hairy idea today. It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK // WORK WITH JAY: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Chris's portfolio: http://chrispiascik.com Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrispiascik Andrea's site: http://theagilemarketer.net/ Andrea on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndreaFryrear Andrea's book: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Marketer-Marketings-Troubled-Approach/dp/0998721107/
Mon, March 20, 2017
Names You Know, Stories You Don't: Mitch Joel
We continue our every-other-week series profiling names you know sharing stories you don't. This week, a frank discussion with Mitch Joel. Stories include Mitch's first-ever keynote speech (and the celebrity that headlined the event); his obsessive and prolific writing habits; and why he believes there's one platform we'll all use in the future. That's right: ONE. About the series: In an era full of content marketing thought leaders, we want to get behind the tactics and tips and understand what makes the PERSON break free of conventional thinking and become an exception to the noise. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. This fall, I will be the opening keynote! Come see Jay, Mitch, and hundreds of other speakers, plus mingle with 4,000 top content marketers. September 5-8 in Cleveland. Use code UNTHINKABLE to get $100 of your ticket price. Visit http://contentmarketingworld.com FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? LET ME KNOW! http://jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Mitch Joel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mitchjoel Mitch's Podcast: http://www.twistimage.com/podcast/
Mon, March 13, 2017
Wizards [Intuition Series #7]
Exploring how magic-makers in marketing stand out from the noise by relying more on their personalities than any best practices or tools. Stories about Jay Baer's barbecue adventures (and why his favorite quote involves a pigeon) and Jessica Best's email geekery. At the end, I share some big news. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. Come see me, Jay Baer, Jessica Best, and the world's top content marketers speak, September 5-8 in Cleveland. (If you listen and attend the event, PLEASE alert me you're going. I'd love to meet!) Learn more and register at http://contentmarketingworld.com (use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off the main event and all-access passes) FIND ME HERE: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Jay Baer on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jaybaer Jay's company: http://convinceandconvert.com Jessica Best on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bestofjess
Mon, March 06, 2017
Travel [Intuition Series #6]
Travel and creativity seem to go hand-in-hand (and then they go skipping down the street in some foreign land). Today we go exploring the topic of exploration: Why is travel linked to inspiration? Does travel help our work, or can it derail our productiveness? And how can we better tap into the benefits of travel to our work ... without booking a single ticket? Stories about Anthony Berriola, a barber with a side project to satisfy his wanderlust, and Carla Johnson, and author and speaker about creativity who is on the road more often than not. And Jay decides to take a left instead of a right and test out what we learn ... but things don't go according to plan. It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm FIND JAY HERE: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Anthony's side project: http://www.anthonyshaves.com/ Razors Barbershop: https://www.razorsbarbershop.com Carla Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarlaJohnson Carla's site: http://typeacommunications.com/
Mon, February 27, 2017
Process [Intuition Series #5]
"What is your writing process?" Like cats on catnip, us content marketers just can't resist when someone answers that question. We positively obsess over each others' writing process, and the more known the marketer, the more we swoon and purr. Ann Handley writes in a tiny house in her backyard? TO HOME DEPOT, TEAM! Seth Godin shaves his head 'til you can SEE the brilliance? HONEY! CAN YOU GET THE BACK OF MY HEAD PLEASE? Process. It's like the skeleton key to our creativity. If we can just possess the right one, the BEST one, we'll do our best work yet. Today, we go exploring deep into this topic, and we question what makes this concept so damn addicting. It's Unthinkable. >> Get the Unthinkable Monday AM email by subscribing http://unthinkable.fm Boston-based bands who helped make this episode sound great: http://www.ballroomthieves.com/ https://crumbtheband.bandcamp.com/releases FIND JAY HERE: jay@unthinkable.fm http://twitter.com/jayacunzo http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Justin Blackman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@alittlebetterme/ Justin Blackman's blog: https://justalittlebetter.net/ Knar Bedian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/live_hye Sound of Boston: http://soundofboston.com/
Mon, February 20, 2017
Facing Yourself [Intuition Series #4]
Richard's side project started with that familiar feeling when you just can't wait to see people's reactions. But in this case, it was his own reaction that surprised this serial side hustler. SUBSCRIBE at http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email jay@unthinkable.fm Tweet http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Snap http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo Insta http://instagram.com/jacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Richard's side project: http://theuserisdrunk.com Richard on Twitter: https://twitter.com/richlitt TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Web Development User Experience Design Side Projects Alcoholism HubSpot Hacker News Startups
Mon, February 13, 2017
Brilliance in Plain Sight [Intuition Series #3]
Content marketers put creativity up on a pedestal. But when you actually create for a living, you know something far simpler, and you see something hidden in plain sight: brilliance. SUBSCRIBE at http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email jay@unthinkable.fm Tweet http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Snap http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Joe Lazauskas: https://twitter.com/JoeLazauskas Cara Hogan: https://twitter.com/CaraHogan27 Chris Heivly: https://twitter.com/chrisheivly TOPICS DISCUSSED: Content Marketing Creativity Journalism Craft Children Dogs Entrepreneurship Mapquest TechStars Startup Incubator Media
Mon, February 06, 2017
Content Creator Confessions [Intuition Series #2]
We've all been where Angela is at in her work right now. Today, we dive deep into this feeling and try to make sense of it. SUBSCRIBE at http://unthinkable.fm FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email jay@unthinkable.fm Tweet http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Snap http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo LINKS TO KNOW: Angela's Twitter: https://twitter.com/that_angela Angela's project: http://ourgreatescape.ca/ TOPICS DISCUSSED: Content Creation Photography Sheep Dogs Side Projects Creativity Craft Print Media Journalism
Sun, January 22, 2017
That Gut Feeling [Intuition Series #1]
FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email jay@unthinkable.fm Tweet http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Snap http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TODAY'S STORY: The role of your gut instincts in creating exceptional work. With a story about music legend Sting from executive producer Andrew Davis, followed by the tale of Tim Jensen, a former U.S. Marine who doesn't believe people rise to the occasion as much as they do something else -- something he's mastered and we should, too, if we want to be exceptionally creative. SUBSCRIBE at http://unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Davis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewdavishere Tim Jensen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/target_tim Grunt Style: https://www.gruntstyle.com/ TOPICS DISCUSSED: Music The Beatles Tango Army & Military Service Graphic Design Intuition Craft Content Marketing Business Growth
Sun, January 15, 2017
The Thoughtless Thought Leader [Creativity Series #30]
Tyler Littwin took a deep breath, walked up on stage in front of his entire company, and let them have it. And they...loved every minute of it. Today in this short story about a side project, we hear the tale of Orlando Scampington. Join the community for content-obsessed content marketers: http://unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Orlando on Twitter: http://twitter.com/oscampington Tyler on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tblittwin Watch Orlando's conference keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVMHN_iApIo Watch Orlando's company pet policy video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1ZIL8gOmhQ Feedback on the show? Say hi to jay via email ( jay@unthinkable.fm ), Twitter ( http://twitter.com/jayacunzo ) or Snapchat ( http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo ) TOPICS DISCUSSED: Writing Thought Leadership Marketing Startups Mobile Apps Keynote Speeches Public Speaking HubSpot Inbound Marketing Parody Comedy Craft Creativity Content Marketing Company Culture
Mon, January 09, 2017
Behind-the-Scenes Making the Show
This week, go behind-the-scenes with the making of Unthinkable with Jay and executive producer Andrew Davis, as the two discuss the thinking behind the show, the audience they're out to serve, and why Jay wants to be the Anthony Bourdain of business content. Get Monday's email: http://unthinkable.fm Follow Jay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Follow Andrew on Twitter: http://twitter.com/drewdavishere Get daily behind-the-scenes thoughts & moments, plus Jay's One-a-Day On My Way series sharing daily lessons learned: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo
Mon, December 12, 2016
Don't Start with Data [Creativity Series #28]
What does it take to trust your intuition and succeed? Get a new hypothesis every Monday morning via email, packaged as an irresistible story. Text TRUST to 444999 ... or subscribe at unthinkable.fm TODAY: What if something is based not on historical precedent, but potential? How do you measure that? Can you? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with a Grammy-nominated music teacher who helps us re-think our conventional wisdom about data. Then, we return to the business world and hear the story of Michael Brenner, the former VP of content marketing at software giant SAP. He shares his personal odyssey that unfolded after the company CEO tapped him to transform the business's entire approach to marketing. LINKS TO KNOW: Michael Brenner on Twitter: twitter.com/BrennerMichael Say hi to Jay on Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Go behind-the-scenes with making the show on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Music Education Jazz Improv Students Leadership Risk-Taking Curiosity Content Marketing Managing Up Creativity Craft
Mon, December 05, 2016
Slingshot: Writing Without Bullshit [Creativity Series #27]
Josh Bernoff writes a blog about writing, putting him among a TON of others that could be completely the same. So he uses a hook in order to stand out. In this short story about Josh's side project, we dive into how that hook has built him a successful career as a solo entrepreneur and author. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) Join the journey to figure out what it takes to trust your intutiion: unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Josh on Twitter: twitter.com/jbernoff Josh's writing: withoutbullshit.com Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the show): snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Business Writing Books Forrester Research Blogging Donald Trump Creativity Careers Intuition
Mon, November 28, 2016
Best Practices [Creativity Series #26]
Join our Unthinkable journey -- each week, a new hypothesis for what it takes to trust your intuition and suceed. Subscribe at unthinkable.fm or text TRUST to 444999. TODAY: If you want to break from convention and follow your intuition, where does that leave all those best practices out there? It's so easy to follow a list or do what someone else says works. But what if best practices aren't even the best? Go outside the echo chamber with the story of a football coach bucking the trend and finding success -- and hear why his peers STILL think he's crazy, despite mountains of data from Harvard PhDs saying otherwise. Then, hear the story of Mike Brown and Death Wish Coffee -- and hear about the cardinal sin he committed early on that actually wound up HELPING his brand grow. LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Littlefield: http://twitter.com/fsuandrew Mike Brown: https://twitter.com/mikebrowndwc Death Wish Coffee: https://www.deathwishcoffee.com/ Say hi to Jay on Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Or go behind-the-scenes with making the show on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: College Football Best Practices Marketing Coffee Super Bowl TV Advertising Ecommerce Craft Creativity Intuition
Mon, November 21, 2016
Slingshot: Beer2B [Creativity Series #25]
Juliana Casale's story is not unlike most of ours, because Juliana Casale is not unlike us -- trying hard to use her creative craft to elevate her career. But unlike many of us, Juliana recognizes something about her side project that has launched her career in B2B marketing forward. In this episode, she shares the story of how it all started in the most unlikely of places. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) Join the journey to figure out what it takes to trust your intutiion: http://unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Juliana on Twitter: http://twitter.com/attackofthetext Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the show): http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: B2B Marketing American Craft Beer Label Design Side Projects Creativity Careers Intuition
Sun, November 13, 2016
Think Smaller [Creativity Series #24]
Subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm to get our weekly hypothesis answering one question, explored through story: What does it take to trust your intuition? TODAY: We assume creativity has to be big. We need to tackle broad, sweeping ideals, produce massive, industry-leading projects, and find deep, life-affirming meaning in our work. But what if to get all that, we need to think smaller? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with James Miller, creator of the project A Small Fiction. Then, we hear the story of Larry Smith and the Six Word Memoir project. LINKS TO KNOW: A Small Fiction on Twitter: http://twitter.com/asmallfiction The tweet discussed: https://twitter.com/ASmallFiction/status/659251935199891456 Larry Smith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/larrysmith Six Word Memoir Project: http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/ Say hi to Jay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Or go behind-the-scenes with making the show on Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Twitter Fiction Writing Creativity Books User-Generated Content Content Marketing Social Media Marketing Magazines Publishing Craft Side Projects Intuition
Mon, November 07, 2016
Slingshot: 20 Minutes to Do the Impossible [Creativity Series #23]
Harry Stebbings managed to break into venture capital -- one of the most difficult industries to work in -- at the age of just 20. And he did so with a side project that took a strong stance on industry norms: The Twenty-Minute VC. In this episode, he recounts the early days of coming up with his idea, longing to work with millionaires who would hardly give him the time of day, and the moment when everything changed. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Harry's side project: http://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/ Harry on Twitter: http://twitter.com/harrystebbings Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the show): http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Venture Capital Tech Startups Investing Brad Feld Mark Suster Tim Draper Social Network Mark Zuckerberg Podcasting Side Projects Creativity Craft Career Growth
Sun, October 30, 2016
Jumping the Shark [Creativity Series #22]
Subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning about trusting your intuition. TODAY: Why do some people seem totally fine using tactics that make us nauseous? If we're going to trust our intuition, then often times, that means rejecting some of the gimmicks and hacks and cheats that others don't seem to mind using. Why the gap in thinking? How can we make sense of that? And how does it change our behavior? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with Emily Hirshey, a writer on Ashton Kutcher's Netflix show, The Ranch. Then we hear the story of two veteran content marketers who completely rejected one of the most common -- if gimmicky -- B2B marketing tactics. LINKS TO KNOW: Emily Hirshey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilyhirshey The Ranch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80077977 Dave Gerhardt Twitter: http://twitter.com/davegerhardt Erik Devaney Twitter: http://twitter.com/bardofboston Drift home page: http://drift.com What did you think of this episode? Say hi to me (Jay) on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Or go behind-the-scenes with making it each week on Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: TV Television Happy Days Creativity Craft Art Growth Hacking Marketing Content Lead Generation Demand Generation Scripting Intuition SaaS B2B Software
Mon, October 24, 2016
Slingshot: The Odyssey of Writing a Book [Creativity Series #21]
GET THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION from this episode -- subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm before October 30, 2016. TODAY: Jonathan Fields has written several books, hosts a top podcast, and speaks all over the world. By most measures, he's "made it." But his latest book, How to Live a Good Life, caused him to question everything he knew about writing. In this episode, he recounts the odyssey of writing the book and shares what he learned studying the most successful authors in business. He also geeks out about the most exciting part of reading great writing -- and the weird reaction we all seem to share when we encounter it. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Jonathan's new book is available here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Good-Life-Surprising/dp/1401948413 Jonathan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathanfields Jonathan's podcast: http://www.goodlifeproject.com/radio/ Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the show): http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Writing Books Reading Authors Novels Creativity Intuition Craft Side Projects Podcasts
Mon, October 17, 2016
In on the Secret [Creativity Series #20]
Subscribe at unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning about trusting your intuition. TODAY: If you're going to reject conventional thinking and instead trust your intuition, you'll find yourself sharing tons of ideas with others. But this can feel scary, like our ideas are secrets we'd prefer to keep inside. And when someone shoots them down, we assume they just don't "get it." But what if the point of sharing our ideas is NOT to get the approval of others? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with Unthinkable contributor Andrew Littlefield to hear the story of an unusual art project in Brooklyn. Then, we talk to internet legend and creator of PostSecret.com, Frank Warren, to hear the story of his epic project. LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Littlefield: twitter.com/FSUAndrew Oliver Warden: twitter.com/robotbigfoot Frank Warren: twitter.com/postsecret What did you think of this episode? Say hi to me (Jay) on Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Or go behind-the-scenes with making it each week on Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Art Performance Craft Intuition Business Marriage Love Theater Side Projects
Mon, October 10, 2016
Slingshot: Magic Markers [Creativity Series #19]
SUBSCRIBE at unthinkable.fm to get a quick note every Monday morning containing new episodes, exclusive bonus content, and new experiments to join. TODAY: Deb Aoki is like many of us craft-driven creators. She aspires to do great work, but she's held more than a few jobs that treat her like a voiceless, last-in-line asset machine. They decide the strategy and lead the meetings. She inserts copy and creative where they see fit. Ugh. But Deb Aoki is no ordinary member of the team. She has a quiet superpower that gives her a massive voice in the room ... all without needing to say a single word. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Deb Aoki's site (comics, sketches, etc.) http://mangacomicsmanga.com/ Deb's Twitter: https://twitter.com/debaoki Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Drawing Cartoons Comics eBay Meetings Executives Graphic Novels Graphic Recording Creativity Intuition Craft
Mon, October 03, 2016
Art of the Unfinished [Creativity Series #18]
FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT: Subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning. TODAY: Your creative intuition is a powerful guide. So why does it occasionally seem like you're wandering in circles, unable to move past a single piece of a project? It just doesn't feel like you can get it RIGHT, so you keep agonizing over that part of the work. Today, we learn about the Art of the Unfinished. We assume that, to ship something successful, we need to share only the good stuff, the completed stuff. But new Unthinkable contributor Cara Hogan joins us to share a story that refutes that -- the story of the George Washington painting on the US dollar bill. Then, we hear from two product managers, Adam Sigel and Karen Rubin, about how they involve others in their process. If your default setting is to believe your ideas are wrong, how do you keep shipping your work? We'll find out from them. LINKS TO KNOW: Professor Patricia Hills: http://www.bu.edu/ah/profile/patricia-hills/ Cara Hogan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaraHogan27 Adam Sigel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamsigel Karen Rubin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenrubin What did you think of this episode? Say hi to me (Jay) on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo or go behind-the-scenes with making it each week on Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Craft George Washington Government History Painting Self Portraits Art Content Marketing Product Management Design Business Intuition
Sun, September 25, 2016
Slingshot: I'm No Spider-Man [Creativity Series #17]
SUBSCRIBE at unthinkable.fm to get a quick note every Monday morning containing new episodes, exclusive bonus content, and new experiments to join. TODAY: Tom O'Keefe is one of the most well-known people in all of Boston. But ask people around town if they know Tom O'Keefe, and they'll say no. This is the story of a simple side project that vaulted Tom from behind-the-scenes in his work to front-and-center, including invites to Fenway Park parties, free rooms at Mohegan Sun, and the radio industry wishing they were as influential as Tom. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Tom's Twitter: twitter.com/bostontweet Tom's Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/bostontweet Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Business Restaurants Radio Baseball Red Sox Public Speaking Marketing Media Twitter Entrepreneurship Startups 2008 Crash Technology Creativity Intuition Boston
Mon, September 19, 2016
Comfortable Being Uncomfortable [Creativity Series #16]
FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + CREATIVE EXPERIMENTS: Subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning. TODAY: As humans, we're wired to seek out experiences that make us feel comfortable. But in order to hone our intuition and follow it in our creative work, we need to constantly make ourselves slightly UNcomfortable. We need to push outside our comfort zone to grow and create better and better work. Today, we go outside our echo chamber to hear a story from Jim Mourey, professor of marketing at DePaul University in Chicago, about how he made guests at his mom's BBQ uncomfortable to change the amount of food they ate. Then, we hear from Tim Washer, creative director of Cisco and a comedian who trained under Amy Poehler and Stephen Colbert's lead writer, on why you need to constantly follow the fear. LINKS TO KNOW: Jim Mourey's site: http://www.jimmourey.com/ Tim Washer's Twitter: https://twitter.com/timwasher Tim Washer's speaker page: monumentalshift.com/tim-washer Jay's Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Marketing Intuition Standup Comedy Art Psychology Cultural Fluency Academia Creativity Craft Content Marketing
Sun, September 11, 2016
Slingshot: A Side Project Saved My Startup [Creativity Series #15]
FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + CREATIVE EXPERIMENTS: Subscribe at unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning. TODAY: Hear the story of a creative side project that saved a startup. Crew co-founder and CEO Mikael Cho talks about Unsplash.com, a photography side project that now boasts billions of photo views each month and salvaged a startup heading for bankruptcy. The project is so widely used today that a photo on the site gets viewed more times than a photo on the cover of TIME Magazine ... but it all started with a ridiculously small amount of time and an even smaller budget. LINKS TO KNOW: unsplash.com Mikael's company: crew.co Mikael's Twitter: twitter.com/mikaelcho Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Side Projects Startups Photography Creativity Craft Intuition Art Technology Content Marketing
Sun, September 04, 2016
The Bias to Act [Creativity Series #14]
FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT: Subscribe at unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning. TODAY: Too often, creative people idolize the IDEA of being creative. But our jobs aren't to "be creative." Our jobs are to CREATE. In other words, we need a bias to act. But that's much easier said than done. Until you hear our stories today... Today, we go outside the echo chamber with executive coach Heather Legge. Although she coaches some of the most powerful women in business, she uses a subtle trick pulled from -- of all things -- golf, in order to build creative momentum for her clients. Then, in our feature story, we hear from a side project master: Alec Brownstein, creative director at Dollar Shave Club. His experiments have shaken the internet, getting passed around the big agency world on Madison Ave, inside Google globally, and all around the world. LINKS TO KNOW: Heather Legge's site: http://www.envisionsuccessinc.com/ Heather Legge's Twitter: https://twitter.com/esiresults Alec Brownstein's site: http://alecbrownstein.com/project.php?cat=3 Alec Brownstein's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jusfonzin The Google Job Experiment explainer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FRwCs99DWg Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Momentum Google Dollar Shave Club Golf Mitt Romney Side Projects Creativity Craft Intuition Art
Mon, August 29, 2016
Slingshot: Scott Monty, Oxymoron [Creativity Series #13]
SUBSCRIBE: unthinkable.fm to get a quick note every Monday morning containing new episodes, exclusive bonus content, and new experiments to join. TODAY: Scott Monty is one of the world's most forward-thinking marketing minds. He spends his time helping big brands evolve, whether that was in-house at Ford or today as a consultant. So why is he so obsessed with the past? And what is he doing building a side project that historians and NBA players alike seem to love? (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Scott's side project: http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/ Scott's newsletter and related mini-podcast: http://fullmontyshow.com/ Scott's Twitter: http://twitter.com/scottmonty Jay's Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Marketing Media Newsletters Technology Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Blogging Podcasting Creativity Intuition
Sun, August 21, 2016
Zig When Others Zag [Creativity Series #12]
SUBSCRIBE AT unthinkable.fm to get a quick note every Monday morning containing new episodes, exclusive bonus content, and new experiments to join. TODAY: In a noisy world like ours, you don't just want to be the best of the best. You want to be the only one who does what you do. Today on the show, we explore the need to zig when others zag -- the need to own some white space and be original rather than incrementally beat others who do something similar. First, we talk about penguins. Because, I mean...penguins. Then we go outside the echo chamber for some tropical house music from DJ Viceroy. Then we hear the story of writer and marketer Finn Dowling of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, as well as Eddie the Terrible -- a tiny dog at the shelter that got some big internet fame, all because of one very hilarious blog post. LINKS TO KNOW: Far Side penguin comic: goo.gl/WuhnTk Viceroy's music: @ viceroymusic Viceroy's site: www.viceroymusic.com/ Eddie the Terrible blog post: hssvacc.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-full…e-reasons.html Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Jay's Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Penguins Music Grateful Dead Rock and Roll The Far Side Cartoons DJ Viceroy Tropical House Writing Blogging Viral Content Creativity Craft Intuition Art
Mon, June 27, 2016
On the Making of Unthinkable
While we're on hiatus from releasing new episodes, here's a closer look at the thinking and inspiration behind making the show. Be sure to subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm for our emails each Monday morning -- we're sharing the entire framework and process behind making the show run while we tinker on new episodes! SUBSCRIBE: http://unthinkable.fm BEHIND-THE-SCENES: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SAY HI: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo TODAY'S EPISODE SYNDICATED FROM: https://soundcloud.com/louderthanwordsjohnbonini
Mon, June 06, 2016
A Message From Jay
A message from Jay about the future of Unthinkable. Be sure to subscribe at unthinkable.fm .
Mon, May 30, 2016
Slingshot: Scott Belsky & Behance [Creativity Series #11]
The story of how Scott Belsky created Behance, a global community of creatives focused on making ideas happen. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Behance.com Scott's Twitter: twitter.com/scottbelsky SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Get a note from Jay every Monday morning, plus links to the newest episode of Unthinkable. Subscribe at unthinkable.fm GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES Follow Jay on Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo or Snapchat: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Tech Startups Design Designers Portfolios Venture Capital Uber Pinterest Warby Parker Creative Missions Product Design User Experience (UX)
Mon, May 23, 2016
Beauty in the Broken [Creativity Series #10]
Betting your career on your creativity means you'll have your fair share of saving bad ideas (or "polishing turds" as you'll hear in one of our stories). It also requires the ability to look past the obvious and see the potential for something better or higher quality or generally more creative. It requires you to see beauty in the broken. Today, we look at these ideas from multiple angles. First, I wrestle with some leftovers (BONUS: you get a recipe out of this episode!). Then, we go outside the echo chamber to hear the curious case of the Warriors -- starting in a very bad place. Then we hear the story of entrepreneur John Marsh, whose career journey looks a lot more like a detour. LINKS TO KNOW: John Marsh: www.linkedin.com/in/john-marsh-1576069 John Marsh's real estate business: http://www.liveopelika.com/ New York Times piece on the Warriors: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/magazine/what-happened-when-venture-capitalists-took-over-the-golden-state-warriors.html?_r=0 SUBSCRIBE TO UNTHINKABLE Get a simple note written by Jay every Monday morning along with the new episode -- subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm Jay's Twitter: http://twitter.com/jayacunzo Behind-the-Scenes making Unthinkable: http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: http://RightSideShirts.org - Empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Craft Creativity NBA Basketball Golden State Warriors Joe Lacob Stephen Curry Draymond Green Michael Jordan Real Estate Online Marketing Lead Generation Used Cars Small Businesses Entrepreneurship Suicide Depression Drugs Redemption Cooking Restaurants
Mon, May 16, 2016
Slingshot: The Cooper Review [Creativity Series #9]
Slingshots are a mini-series within the Unthinkable show where we go deep into a creative side project that winds up someplace surprising. Tinkering on side projects is a powerful way to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, Sarah Cooper talks about her journey from acting to Google to making the leap pursuing her comedic writing full-time. She parodies business culture, and she's built a nice audience for herself ... but what happens when your creative aspirations differ from what your audience expects from you? LINKS TO KNOW: TheCooperReview.com Sarah's Twitter: twitter.com/sarahcpr 10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Join the newsletter at unthinkable.fm Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Show Behind-the-Scenes: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Comedy Standup Side Projects Entrepreneurship Blogging Meetings Corporate Culture Books Startups Silicon Valley San Francisco New York Running Writing
Mon, May 09, 2016
2% Better [Creativity Series #8]
People driven by their creative craft often spend hours agonizing and obsessing over the details of a project. Why? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? How do we know when to actually ship the work? And what does it take in order to operate with that level of detail in a business world often based on seeking shortcuts and cutting corners? Today, we go outside the echo chamber for the story of Niko at Granny's Pie Factory to find out why creative people operate with this extreme care for the details, then we hear about Macaela, Cory, and the team at Newfangled about how and why a creator can be both obsessively connected to a project AND ready to ship it. LINKS TO KNOW: Granny's Pie Factory: grannyspiefactory.com Newfangled: newfangledstudios.com SUBSCRIBE: Join the list at unthinkable.fm for all episodes plus other goodies and behind-the-scenes content. Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Behind-the-Scenes making Unthinkable: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Pies Craft Family Business Small Business Cooking Sauce Video Audio Live Action Creative Direction Beeple Dailies Design Macaela Vandermost Niko Harovas Newfangled Studios Content Marketing Brand Marketing
Mon, May 02, 2016
Slingshot: The Danger Booth [Creativity Series #7]
Slingshots are a new mini-series within the Unthinkable show where we go deep into a creative side project that winds up someplace surprising. Tinkering on side projects is a powerful way to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, Zac Wolf and Becca Goldring discuss their award-winning open-air photo booth, The Danger Booth. LINKS TO KNOW: Zac's Twitter: twitter.com/zacxwolf Becca's Twitter: twitter.com/Becca_Bakes TheDangerBooth.com ZacXWolf.com SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Join the newsletter at unthinkable.fm Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Show Behind-the-Scenes: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Photography Side Projects Entrepreneurship Sales Boston Weddings Startup Business Growth Dogs
Mon, April 25, 2016
The Muse Is An Excuse [Creativity Series #6]
For thousands of years, humans have invoked "The Muse" (or any of the nine Muses) to inspire creativity within them. But are we thinking about creative inspiration the wrong way? Also, a major announcement is made by one of our guest's on this episode, featuring legendary creative thinkers. Today, we go outside the echo chamber with Elliott Bell of The Muse to think about career coaching and what we can learn about the creative muse. Then, Chase Jarvis - world-famous photographer and the CEO of CreativeLive - shares a story from his childhood, debunks some myths around creativity and inspiration, and shares a HUGE announcement with us. LINKS TO KNOW: Elliott's Twitter: twitter.com/ellbell9 The Muse: www.themuse.com Chase's Twitter: twitter.com/chasejarvis Chase's Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/chasejarvis CreativeLive: creativelive.com 30 Days of Genius: creativelive.com/30daysofgenius SUBSCRIBE: Join the list at unthinkable.fm for all episodes plus other goodies and behind-the-scenes content. Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Behind-the-Scenes making Unthinkable: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity The Muse Creative Inspiration Education Career Culinary School Iron Chef Coffee Photography Design Writing Mark Cuban Seth Godin Richard Branson Arianna Huffington Brene Brown EduTech Genius
Mon, April 18, 2016
Slingshot: Wooden Nickel Shorts[Creativity Series #5]
Slingshots are a new mini-series within the Unthinkable show where we go deep into a creative side project that winds up someplace surprising. Tinkering on side projects are powerful ways to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, Dan Milano talks about the comedy group and video project, Wooden Nickel Shorts. LINKS TO KNOW: Dan's Twitter: twitter.com/DanMilanoHere Wooden Nickel Shorts: youtube.com/user/WoodenNickelShorts SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Join the newsletter at unthinkable.fm Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Show Behind-the-Scenes: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Comedy Video Production Video Editing Saturday Night Live Twilight Google Plus Hollywood Yetis Side Projects
Mon, April 11, 2016
Craft-Driven [Creativity Series #4]
When you agonize over the act of creation itself -- for its own sake, not for some ulterior motive or end result -- good things happen. But in the business world, whether in marketing or as an entrepreneur or freelancer, that mentality is surprisingly rare. So what do you call that behavior when someome wants to skip right to the end result, craft be damned? There's a word for it -- a behavior we need to avoid if we want to be truly creative in our careers. In this episode, we hear the story of Alessandro "San" Bellino, owner of Gracenote Coffee, an espresso bar in downtown Boston. He takes us deep into his approach to his craft, where we'll learn what really matters and get inspired for attacking our own work. LINKS TO KNOW: Gracenote's Twitter: twitter.com/gracenoteboston The Coffee Trike's Twitter: twitter.com/TheCoffeeTrike SUBSCRIBE: Join the list at unthinkable.fm for all episodes plus other goodies and behind-the-scenes content. Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Behind-the-Scenes making Unthinkable: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Coffee Espresso Ice Cream Italy Culture Employee Happiness Management Boston Craftsmanship The Coffee Trike Gracenote Coffee Consciousness Focus Work/Life Balance Being Craft-Driven Game Theory Game Mechanics Intrinsic Motivation
Mon, April 04, 2016
Slingshot: Carving the White Whale [Creativity Series #3]
Slingshots are a new mini-series within the Unthinkable show where we go deep into a creative side project that winds up someplace surprising. Tinkering on side projects are powerful ways to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, Erik Devaney talks about carving the white whale. LINKS TO KNOW: Erik's Twitter: twitter.com/bardofboston Erik's Medium article: https://medium.com/@bardofboston/carving-the-white-whale-7cf0a830b9da SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Join the newsletter at unthinkable.fm Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Show Behind-the-Scenes: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Craftsmanship Moby Dick Customer Personas Marketing Content Marketing Side Projects Wood Carving HubSpot Medium Netflix Procrastination Writing
Mon, March 28, 2016
Side Projects [Creativity Series #2]
Creative side projects are powerful ways to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, we hear the story of Neil Pasricha, creator of 1000AwesomeThings.com, a TED speaker, and author of multiple New York Times bestselling books, including The Book of Awesome. LINKS TO KNOW: Neil's Twitter: twitter.com/1000awesome Neil's TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome?language=en Neil's new book: http://goo.gl/sKAxzL Subscribe at unthinkable.fm for all episodes plus other goodies and behind-the-scenes content. SUBSCRIBE: Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Show Behind-the-Scenes: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Blogging Career Growth Content Marketing Risk-Taking Daily Routines Books Writing TED Talks Space Exploration Awesome Things The Book of Awesome The Happiness Equation
Mon, March 21, 2016
Quality vs. Quantity [Creativity Series #1]
In the official launch of Unthinkable, we'll tackle the bizarre but huge debate of quality vs. quantity in marketing. Plus, creator & host Jay Acunzo shares the theme of the show and why it's time to finally, mercifully, start being loud about our one true desire -- to create great content for a living. We'll go outside the marketing echo-chamber to the smartest place on the planet, as well as hear from a prolific content creator who would make most marketers blush. LINKS TO KNOW: Subscribe at unthinkable.fm for all episodes plus other goodies and behind-the-scenes content. @jayacunzo & UnthinkableFM snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo facebook.com/UnthinkableFM SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org - empowering kids to be more creative and helping art programs in need.
Thu, March 17, 2016
Unthinkable Mic Check
See you soon! Be sure to subscribe at Unthinkable.fm to get episodes as soon as they launch, plus other exclusive content, goodies, and behind-the-scenes. Twitter: @UnthinkableFM @JayAcunzo
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