Experiential Alchemy: A Podcast by Agency EA: Recent Episodes

Agency EA

Experiential Alchemy is powered by Agency EA, a full service brand experience agency in the heart of Chicago. In each episode, President Rick Cosgrove and Chief Development Officer Lucy Stratton chat with brand-side leaders in tech, sports, e-commerce and more about their career paths, advice they have for young professionals, and their thoughts on the future of experiential and event marketing...with some amusing, unexpected anecdotes along the way. For more information on Agency EA, visit www.agencyea.com.

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In this episode of Experiential Alchemy host Lucy Stratton and guest host Danica Milich, Director Technical Production at Agency EA, are joined by Channyn Lynne Parker and Anna DeShawn to discuss pride. Channyn, CEO of Brave Space Alliance, discusses her career of 20 years and the philanthropy and work she does for the community. Anna Deshawn left the corporate world three years ago and has been troubled by the lack of black and queer voices. This led her to The Qube and E3 radio which both focus on giving people the opportunity to tell their story. In this episode they talk about what they are doing to celebrate Pride, how to help educate individuals, and how to be a good ally.

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Join hosts Rick and Lucy in an engaging episode featuring Katie Robinson, Director of Events at Suzy, as she dives into her vast 17+ years of experience in event management and marketing. Katie opens up about her dream activation, shares invaluable career advice, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Suzy's first AI summit, a proud moment in her career. With over a decade of experience at American Girl, Katie brings some amusing sidebars with an almost horror story you don’t want to miss.

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In this episode of Experiential Alchemy, guest Kelly Knowlen, vice president, sales engagement, and special events at Hilton joins host Rick and Lucy to share valuable insights with our audience. Stemming from her 30+ year career with Hilton, Kelly covers all things career advice and overcoming industry challenges to impactful experiential storytelling and attendee wellness.

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In this episode, hosts Rick and Lucy are joined by Vanessa Karlsson Dorau, Head of Events at Dropbox. With over 20 years of event marketing and account management experience, Vanessa has an expansive knowledge base and unique perspective - making this episode a must listen! Vanessa shares her predictions for experiential trends, a project horror story, and her insights on Dropbox Dash, Dropbox’s native AI tool. And with Mattel as a former client, Vanessa shares her opinions on the marketing powerhouse behind Barbie!

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In this episode, hosts Lucy Stratton and Rick Cosgrove dive deep into experiential with Casie Nguyen, a Global Experiential Events Producer who has worked with top brands like Meta, Google, AEG, Fox Entertainment and more. From planning celebrity events and weddings to executing activations at marquee events such as VidCon and E3, Casie reveals how she has brought global events to life in a thoughtful, curated way. Join us as we take a closer look at her experiential journey and dream activations, explore the trends she's predicting, and so much more!

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In our recent episode of Experiential Alchemy, hosts Lucy Stratton and Rick Cosgrove chat with Senior Events and Experiences Manager at Stack Overflow Matt Bohn. He shares his journey into experiential marketing, how he predicts AI will influence the industry, advice to young professionals, and a glimpse at the most unforgettable events throughout his career.

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We chat with Loran Nordgren, behavioral scientist and Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, about the psychological barriers affecting great ideas and experiences, applying psychology lessons to marketing, and much more.

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We chat with Katherine Tooley, VP of Global Events and Experiential Marketing at HubSpot, who shares her take on community building at INBOUND, trends for the year ahead, and how her team finds new audiences — with some amusing sidebars from her experience at Bonnaroo and Vice Media along the way.

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In our first episode recorded in-person at Studio Sage’s new podcast room, we talk to Charlie Eder, Senior Director, Global Events and Experiential Marketing at Yahoo (and formerly a producer with us at Agency EA!), about the differences between being agency-side vs. brand-side, advice he’d give to his younger self, and dream Bridgerton-style activations.

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We chat with Jessica Jennings, Associate Director of Experiential Marketing at Cameo, about her extensive background in entertainment marketing, how she’s building an experiential and events strategy from the ground up in her new role, and why the Island Boys are a Cameo favorite right now.

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We talk to Beth Malafa, Senior Director of Marketing, Global Events & Brand Partnerships at Under Armour, about her background in sports marketing, changes she's seen in experiential, and how she's navigated being a woman in a male-dominated field — with some sidebars about event horror stories, risk-taking, and celebrity anecdotes along the way.