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, Sep...
Mar 13, 2017•22 min•Ep. 42
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 ...
Mar 06, 2017•22 min•Ep. 41
"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 posse...
Feb 27, 2017•16 min•Ep. 40
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 [email protected] 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 TO...
Feb 20, 2017•9 min•Ep. 39
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 [email protected] 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 D...
Feb 13, 2017•11 min•Ep. 38
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 [email protected] 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...
Feb 06, 2017•18 min•Ep. 37
FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? Email [email protected] 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. ...
Jan 22, 2017•21 min•Ep. 36
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=EVMH...
Jan 15, 2017•9 min•Ep. 35
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 serie...
Jan 09, 2017•45 min•Ep. 34
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 stor...
Dec 12, 2016•19 min•Ep. 31
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 t...
Dec 05, 2016•6 min•Ep. 30
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 find...
Nov 28, 2016•24 min•Ep. 29
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 oth...
Nov 21, 2016•8 min•Ep. 28
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...
Nov 13, 2016•20 min•Ep. 27
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 ...
Nov 07, 2016•7 min•Ep. 26
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 Hir...
Oct 30, 2016•25 min•Ep. 25
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 ...
Oct 24, 2016•10 min•Ep. 24
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 o...
Oct 17, 2016•28 min•Ep. 23
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 ...
Oct 10, 2016•8 min•Ep. 22
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 th...
Oct 03, 2016•26 min•Ep. 21
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 indust...
Sep 25, 2016•10 min•Ep. 20
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 Ji...
Sep 19, 2016•26 min•Ep. 19
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...
Sep 11, 2016•8 min•Ep. 18
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 us...
Sep 04, 2016•24 min•Ep. 17
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 a...
Aug 29, 2016•6 min•Ep. 16
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...
Aug 21, 2016•21 min•Ep. 15
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/lo...
Jun 27, 2016•56 min•Ep. 14
A message from Jay about the future of Unthinkable. Be sure to subscribe at unthinkable.fm .
Jun 06, 2016•9 min•Ep. 13
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 Fo...
May 30, 2016•7 min•Ep. 12
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 t...
May 23, 2016•36 min•Ep. 11
