Ep 76: Craig Allen - Founder and CCO at CALLEN

Craig Allen co-wrote Old Spice's "Smell Like a Man, Man," spent five years at TBWA\Chiat\Day and ten at Wieden+Kennedy, then went home to Austin to start CALLEN. Along the way, he put an NFL running back's name on a jar of gourmet mustard. Craig joins Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa to talk creativity, AI, creators, and why advertising needs to be fun again. In this episode: Why Dan Wieden told Craig to name the agency after himself The Wieden+Kennedy values that still shape CALLEN, including "fail harder" How "Smell Like a Man, Man" came together in three days and one continuous take Bored vs. burned out, and why the difference matters for creative teams Bijan Mustardson and the hard truth about turning an idea into a product Why CALLEN works for clients and builds its own brands Whether Cannes Grand Prix wins still matter for independent agencies Turning project work into long-term client relationships Making advertising fun again for burned-out creative talent Agencies vs. creators, and why buying creators as media is the lazy route AI in advertising, proof of person, and where automation actually helps Career advice: big agency or small shop? Hosted by Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa. For marketers, by marketers, with just a touch of snark. Subscribe here for new episodes and follow the Snarketing Podcast on Spotify, iHeart, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. #SnarketingPodcast #Advertising #CreativeAdvertising #AdAgency #OldSpice #AIinAdvertising #CreatorEconomy #Marketing