DRAMA on Tour: with Chris Nott and Frankie Guzi

Today, we are excited to have Chris Nott and Frankie Guzi of Studio DRAMA on the program! They crossed the pond to record the pod! ​Studio DRAMA designs type that sharpens identities, scales across systems, solves real business challenges, and makes every word unmistakably yours. They believe typography is one of the most powerful yet under-appreciated tools in branding. They are on a mission to change that through thoughtfully crafted custom typefaces that give brands a distinct look, making them recognizable beyond the logo. Studio DRAMA has worked with Heinz, D&AD, Mozilla, Body Armor, Vogue, New Balance, Glamour, and others. We had a ton of fun chopping it up with these lads! Enjoy!

Alex and Kevin are together again on opposite sides of the Country. Kevin, live from SF, gives an honest review of his first Waymo ride, shares about his recent travels, and his surprising adoption of the Oakley Meta Glasses gifted to him by Alex. The two go on to discuss Zuck’s Miami mansion, looksmaxxing, burger mogging, the new Snapple Rebrand, The Update Update, David’s new protein ice cream, World’s First Music-Streaming Urn, and more!

Today, we are stoked to welcome Chad Hogan to the program! Alex’s mentor, first boss, and only creative director ever, Chad, hired Alex as a Junior Designer at vitaminwater, where they both flourished.Chad tells us about his journey. Inspired as a kid discovering skateboarding and hip-hop at their early stages, inspiring him to make zines. He was a part of the club scene in NYC as a teen and was on the forefront of the Rave culture when he moved to the city in the 90’s. Chad’s design career started at the New York office of the British Design Firm The ATTIK, which brought graphics from Rave Culture to big mainstream brands. He went on to design records for Bad Boy and later Rawkus before a stint at Rocawear. Chad became Creative Director at Vitamin Water, where he linked up with Alex. Today, Chad runs Chandler Farms, where he designs commercial and residential spaces. Chad is an absolute legend. He’s been at the forefront of culture his entire life, and we were so fired up to have him on the show! He may be the coolest dude ever. Enjoy!

Krista Schultz is a Multidisciplinary Leader, Holistic Innovator, and the Creative Director at Tractor Beverage Co. Tractor, a client of ours, is the first and only Certified Organic and non-GMO full-line beverage in the foodservice industry. They are now expanding into retail. Tractor is committed to sustainability, tracking the environmental benefits of its organic sourcing and partnering with restaurants like Chipotle to support farming initiatives. We had a great conversation with Krista; she shared her journey from owning a gym to becoming a Creative Director and told us about the cool initiatives Tractor is taking to support farmers.

Today, we welcome Jackie DeJesu Center to the show for our 5th annual Valentine’s Day Super Bowl Spectacular! She needs no introduction, but regardless, here it is: Jackie is the Founder and CEO of DEEJAYZOO, the Inventor of SHHHOWERCAP, a former award-winning advertising Art Director at some of the top Agencies in the world, and Alex’s beloved wife! as an expert in both advertising and love, she joins us today to break down some Super Bowl ads before we run through what brands are doing for Valentine’s Day. 

We got some Cali boys in the house! Nikolos Killian and Tanner Woodbury are Founders and Creative Directors at Forth+Back, the Los Angeles-based cross-disciplinary creative studio. Their work spans from creative direction and identity design, art direction and photography, to all levels of print and digital design. They’ve worked with Apple, The Athletic, Chipotle, Netflix, NFL, Nike, Sotheby's, and many others. They’ve launched some of our favorite personal projects, like the book Dreams of New York and the Football zine Spiral. Nik and Tanner are leading awesome, thoughtful, and beautiful work in a variety of different industries. We had a great conversation about their humble beginnings, doing personal projects to attract the clients they wanted to work for, they shared some of their new and upcoming work, and more! These dudes rock, enjoy the show!

Alex and Kevin are here with a BANGER. Coming off the long weekend, refreshed and reenergized, the fellas discuss everything going on, which is dominated by fitness and nutrition stories in a sort of new year, new me energy. They talk about the new food pyramid by the National Design Studio, The Sweetgreen Function Menu, Equinox’s question everything but yourself campaign, David’s Bronze campaign, the Prime Protein Shake, The Beyond Protein Drink, Graza's mayo launch, Honda’s updated logo, and more! 

Today, we are thrilled to welcome Leland Maschmeyer to the show! Leland is the Co-Founder and CEO of COLLINS, the globally renowned design firm. He was formerly the Chief Creative and Brand Officer at Chobani, where he led its brand relaunch, portfolio expansion, and marketing transformation. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum alongside many other impressive people. Leland is also a podcaster, co-hosting Hitmakers with Ana Andjelic.We had an enlightening conversation with Leland. We talk about the future of creativity and commerce, the Collins origin story, designing Spotify's brand, leaving for Chobani and the great work he led there, coming back to take Collins into the future, and more! Enjoy!

Hello and Happy New Year! 2026 is going to be our year! Let’s go! Excuse me while I break the 4th wall… We recorded this at the end of the day on the first Monday back from 2 weeks off. This was quite possibly the worst day of the year, and still, we deliver! This is going to be such a fire year. Alex and Kevin discuss their breaks, their resolutions, the Jake Paul fight, Marty Supreme, the Critics' Choice Awards, David Bronze, RIP to the NYC Metro Card, the McRib Class-Action Lawsuit, the 10-hour log fireplace YouTube video, and more!

It’s the best time of the year to celebrate the worst of the year! The Annual Backies are here once again! This year was quite the doozie! We had stiff competition for many of the awards, and many brands and stories didn't make the cut. SAD! This year we dole out: Brand of the Year, Recession Indicator of the Year, Stunt of the Year, Zuck of the Year, QSR TikTok Trend, Rebrand of the Yea, Infidelity of the Year, Fake Ah of the Year, Back it Backie, Lowest Hanging Fruit, Clanker of the Year, Flop of the Year, Refreshing Defresh, Sooo Back of the Year, Ass Backie, and Color of the Year. Don't miss these awards, plus some positive shoutouts as we close the year on a negative note! Thanks for another great year! Shout out to all you listeners, especially those reading this right now!