Podcasts by Math

Ted Leonsis: “People want purpose.” from 2023-06-08T04:01

Tech pioneer Ted Leonsis is never one to shy away from a challenge. He’s an uncanny trend spotter, from his beginnings at companies like Wang Laboratories and AOL to his current role as Founder ...

Howard Makler: “Your brand is a fingerprint of your behavior.” from 2023-06-01T04:01

Howard Makler knows how vital small and medium-sized businesses are to the economy. But he also knows not everyone appreciates their value. A successful serial entrepreneur and CEO of Innovation...

Jacki Kelley: “Don’t be afraid to zig and zag.” from 2023-05-25T04:01

The world of media is ever-changing — and no one has played it quite like Jacki Kelley, CEO of the Americas and Global Chief Client Officer of advertising giant, Dentsu. Jacki has been at the ce...

Jon Bon Jovi: “It comes down to truth.” from 2023-05-11T04:01

Jon Bon Jovi is so well known that when his songs play, everyone can sing along – even those born well after they first hit the radio. That kind of success is rare in the music business and a lo...

Angela Yee: “Every time I learn something, I want to bring it to people.” from 2023-05-04T04:01

At its core, radio is a community service. No one knows that better than Angela Yee. She’s been on the airwaves for over a decade as a founding member of The Breakfast Club, host of her...

Paris Hilton: “I love to be someone who is underestimated.” from 2023-04-27T04:01

For so long, Paris Hilton’s story was told for her – in tabloids, through her persona on The Simple Life, and in the context of her legendary family. Now, Paris has taken the reins. She’s used h...

Gwyneth Paltrow: “Transaction can actually be a service” from 2023-04-13T04:01

These days, a lot of actors double as entrepreneurs. Yet no one has had their finger on the pulse quite like Gwyneth Paltrow. Before everyone else was doing it, the Academy Award winner started ...

Allen Grubman: “I’m a businessman first and a lawyer second.” from 2023-04-06T04:01

Allen Grubman is a legend in the music business, but he’s not a musician. He’s an entertainment lawyer who for over 50 years has been making deals for superstars in music and media. He’s a trust...

Blake Scholl: “It doesn’t matter what you’ve already done. It’s what you can learn to do.” from 2023-03-30T04:01

With Boom Supersonic, Blake Scholl is reaching for the impossible. When the Concorde was grounded in 2003, dreams of a profitable model for supersonic aviation were abandoned. It took an introve...

Math&Magic Returns March 30th from 2023-03-23T04:01

Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman for the new season of Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing.

This season, Bob sits down with leaders across various field...

Colin Cowherd: “I’m more interested in ‘the why’ than ‘the what.’” from 2022-12-08T08:01

You might be surprised to learn that legendary sportscaster Colin Cowherd rarely checks his ratings. As he puts it: checking your ratings doesn’t make your ratings better. Instead, Colin has som...

Christian Juhl: "I have to predict the future just slightly better than everybody else." from 2022-12-01T08:00

Throughout the tumultuous pandemic, Christian Juhl kept a steady hand at the helm of GroupM at WPP—the world’s largest advertising and media investment company. The key to Christian’s powerful l...

Mike Meldman: "If the product is bad, no matter who is behind it, it won’t work.” from 2022-11-17T08:00

After a brief stint as a Blackjack dealer, Mike Meldman thought he’d try his hand as a real estate developer. Cut to the present: Mike and his team at Discovery Land Company have created over th...

Byron Sharp: “Highly restrictive targets are a fantastic way to shrink brands.” from 2022-11-10T08:00

Although Byron Sharp grew up on a sheep farm, he’s spent his career defying herd mentality. As Director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, Byron has debunked marketing conven...

Stephanie Ruhle: “I want the world to get better and smarter.” from 2022-11-03T07:00

It’s impossible to make good business decisions with bad information. That’s where truth-seeking reporters like Stephanie Ruhle come in. Host of the 11th Hour on MSNBC and Senior Business Analys...

Tony Coles: “We are sourcing stories that mainstream newsrooms would never tell.” from 2022-10-20T07:00

In 2019, the Black Information Network— a full-time news service by and for the black community— was in the early stages of planning at iHeartMedia. But when George Floyd was murdered, Tony Cole...

Jeff Bewkes: “We didn’t care about the ratings.” from 2022-10-13T07:00

Jeff Bewkes started at HBO as something of a traveling salesman; his job was to urge motels to add HBO to their properties and their marquees. Later, Jeff would become the last CEO of Time Warne...

Steve Cooper: “You should never get too comfortable.” from 2022-10-06T07:00

What do Enron, Warner Music Group and Krispy Kreme have in common? “King of the Turnaround” Steve Cooper’s guiding hand during key transitions. Bob sits down with the business legend to talk abo...

Dr. David Eagleman: “The conscious mind is like a broom closet in the mansion of the brain.” from 2022-09-29T07:00

If you think a neuroscientist couldn’t lead a master class in marketing, you haven’t met Dr. David Eagleman. Professor of Brain Plasticity at Stanford, best-selling author, TV host and CEO of ne...

Suzy Deering: “We are at the moment where everything changes. And a big reason we’re at that moment, is the F-150 Lightning.” from 2022-09-22T07:00

Suzy Deering has been preparing to take the business world by storm since the second grade, and she certainly has. She’s shaped powerhouse brands like Verizon and eBay, and now serves as the Glo...

Math&Magic Returns September 22nd from 2022-09-15T07:00

Join Bob Pittman for the new season of Math & Magic.

This season, Bob sits down with visionaries—from CEOs, to neuroscientists, and everyone in-between—to hear how they’ve used data a...

Bob Pittman on Minnie Questions with Minnie Driver from 2022-03-16T11:18

Today, Bob goes from podcast host to podcast guest and sits down with actor Minnie Driver for her iHeartRadio podcast, Minnie Questions. Bob shares why he’s grateful for a childhood injury, less...

Celebrate MTV’s 40th Birthday with the Real Story of MTV from 2021-07-31T07:01

In honor of the 40th anniversary of MTV, we’re rereleasing a fan-favorite episode: the real story of MTV, as told by the founders. Today MTV is a cultural institution, but people forget what a long...

Remi Kent: “A small act can make a difference.” from 2021-06-10T07:01

In Remi Kent’s first job as a library page, she discovered her love of stories. Now, as CMO of 3M, Remi is crafting stories for countless consumers across the globe! Despite this massive audience, ...

Christian Navarro: “I've been at the bottom; and if I can use that energy to help people stay on top, then I win.” from 2021-05-13T07:01

After dropping out of school and struggling with homelessness, a young Christian Navarro was rejected by his top-choice job and accepted a gig sweeping floors at a wine shop. There, Christian fine-...

Brad Gerstner: “If something's not a fast yes, then it's a quick no.” from 2021-03-18T07:01

When Brad Gerstner, a “simple kid from Indiana” set out to build a brand-new investment firm in the swirl of the 2008 financial crisis, his friends and advisors told him he was nuts. But that compa...

Gary Vaynerchuk: “Accountability's an incredible gateway to happiness.” from 2021-01-28T08:01

No one's story captures the spirit of the American Dream better than Gary Vaynerchuk. Fresh from the USSR, Gary’s earliest memories are of his family of eight crammed into a studio apartment in Que...

Sir Martin Sorrell: “Good people are by nature difficult” from 2020-10-15T20:12

Any good student of advertising and marketing should know Sir Martin Sorrell’s name! From his rising to star status as Saatchi&Saatchi’s CFO, to his building and shaping of WPP— growing it from a s...

Elizabeth Rutledge: “We call our employees colleagues.” from 2020-09-24T07:01

As the Chief Marketing Officer of American Express, Elizabeth Rutledge has a rare superpower... she's an introvert. And the way she wields it is impressive! Learn how she harnesses the power of sma...

Jan Brandt: “We had to break a lot of glass” from 2020-08-13T07:01

It’s hard to imagine what this pandemic would look like without the internet to keep us all connected, and we have Jan Brandt’s marketing genius to thank for that technological revolution. As the C...

Brad Hiranaga: “I’ve been in love with brands since I was 5 years old.” from 2020-07-02T07:01

It's not just about marketing for Brad Hiranaga. As the Chief Brand Officer, North America for General Mills, Brad has been helping the company realize its potential as a force for good: from encou...

The Real Story of MTV: Founder’s Edition from 2020-06-25T07:01

Today, MTV is a cultural institution. But people forget what a long shot it was to get the channel off the ground. Bob Pittman led the team that created MTV. In this special episode, he reminisces ...

Marisa Thalberg: “Connect the dots that aren’t obvious” from 2020-06-11T07:01

From Estee Lauder to Taco Bell to now EVP, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Lowe’s, Marisa Thalberg hasn’t had the most obvious career path. But when you’re as creative as she is, it’s easy to ...

Dave Cote: “I benefited from second chances. I always kept that in mind” from 2020-05-28T07:01

For anyone struggling to lead their company through the current climate, Dave Cote has some advice for you. The legendary former chairman and CEO of Honeywell ushered his company through two big re...

“Believe in your own greatness”: Advice from Tim Cook, David Chang, Abby Wambach and more from 2020-05-21T07:01

In this Special Edition of Math and Magic, Bob sifts through his favorite graduation speeches from Commencement: The Podcast, to share lessons for aspiring leaders. Learn why Google X's Astro Telle...

Hans Vestberg: “This country relies on connectivity. My job is to empower and energize my company in these times.” from 2020-04-16T13:15

Though the world has stopped, we've been able to text with friends, video conference relatives, check e-mails and stream content. It's easy to take for granted. But that incredible access is possib...

Special Covid-19 Episode: "Market with humanity" from 2020-03-26T07:01

The world has changed a lot in the last week. We’re dealing with a pandemic that’s shaken us in unimaginable ways. But how should CMO's shepherd their brands through these times? Join Bob as he cal...

Philippe Krakowsky: “If you say you’re going to do something, do something.” from 2020-03-19T07:01

It's hard to imagine an exec with a more colorful background than IPG's Chief Operating Officer and EVP Philippe Krakowsky. Hailing from Mexico City, Philippe grew up speaking three languages. He p...

Shazi Visram “Finding solutions— that’s just a part of my DNA.” from 2020-03-12T07:01

The way Shazi describes it, she had a magical childhood. Living in the motel her family owned and operated, she had no shortage of things to keep her busy-- from hanging out with cooks to watching ...

Rich Lennox: “I came from a culture where I saw big ideas transform businesses.” from 2020-03-05T08:01

As a kid, Macy's CMO Rich Lennox had two dreams: to be the next Chuck Yeager, or to be a veterinarian. But after a “bizarre series of accidents,” he took a different path: joining J. Walter Thompso...

Fan Favorite: Judy McGrath: “I didn’t know anything about TV; I didn’t even like it!” (rebroadcast) from 2020-02-27T08:01

All Judy McGrath wanted to do when she grew up was to write for Rolling Stone. Instead, the storied CEO of MTV Networks now sits on the board of Amazon. Discover how the creative giant got seduced ...

Bonus Episode—How They Made It from 2020-02-20T08:01

From The Breakfast Club to Nickelodeon, Bobbi Brown to CoverGirl, there’s no question these brands and personalities have shaped culture. But how did they get their big breaks? And how did they tur...

Ken Auletta: “My task is to understand them” from 2020-02-13T08:01

BusinessWeek once called him “the James Bond of the media world.” The Columbia Journalism Review declared “No other reporter has covered the news communication business as thoroughly.” And the trut...

Raja Rajamannar: “Even the brightest ideas get killed if they're not emotionally embraced by your team.” from 2020-02-06T08:01

As a child in Hyderabad, India, Raja Rajamannar figured he'd study hard and grow up to be a chemical engineer. But when a twist of fate led him to marketing, he realized he'd found his calling. Tod...

Bobbi Brown: “I started doing it my way... and it caught on!” from 2020-01-30T08:01

When Bobbi Brown couldn't find a major she wanted, she created her own at Emerson College. When she didn't want to conform to the style of the times, she innovated a more natural make-up look. And ...

Marian Goodell: “In this day and age, we need more bridges.” from 2020-01-23T08:01

When Marian Goodell first pulled up to Burning Man in 1995, two men in the desert-- one with a machine gun, and another wrapped in a white sheet holding a plastic flamingo, told her to drive straig...

Paul Tudor Jones: “All I had was a checkbook and a big heart.” from 2020-01-16T08:01

After 44 years of trading, Paul Tudor Jones has built an enviable career as a hedge fund manager. But the way he uses that success to improve the world is even more admirable. As co-founder of  the...

Charlamagne tha God: “You fail by trying to be the next anything. You should just be yourself.” from 2020-01-09T08:01

Charlamagne tha God is one of the most powerful people in media, reaching millions of ears every week as co-host of the nationally syndicated The Breakfast Club morning show. But he’s also a New Yo...

Marc Pritchard: “We serve all humanity. We need to reflect that.” from 2020-01-02T08:01

Live from Cincinnati, Bob sits down with Procter&Gamble’s Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard to discuss the company’s unique culture,  how it’s adjusted its marketing strategy in recent years, and ...

Gerry Laybourne: "Have you ever been slimed? It is wonderful!" from 2019-12-26T08:01

Known as the "fairy godmother of Nickelodeon," Gerry Laybourne took a channel for pre-schoolers and turned it into a cultural phenomenon. Hear how she led Nickelodeon into tween entertainment; why ...

Norm de Greve: "You have to be facile; you have to teach creativity back into yourself" from 2019-12-19T08:01

This episode Bob sits down with Norm de Greve, the Chief Marketing Officer of CVS, to learn how having a Dutch father gave him a unique perspective as a marketer; why being from Rhode Island gives ...

Bill Koenigsberg: "I built a culture where business is personal" from 2019-12-12T08:01

To kick off Season 2, Bob sits down with CEO and Founder of Horizon Media Bill Koenigsberg and discovers how Bill pulled off the ultimate trick: convincing his bosses to sell him the company that w...

Bonus: Our favorite Audio Stories from 2019-12-10T08:01

Leading up to the Season 2 launch, Bob revisits some of the incredible ways his guests have embraced audio. Walter Isaacson discusses why podcasts will save story-telling; Steve Stoute recalls how ...

Bonus: Our favorite Marketing Stories! from 2019-11-26T15:10:10

Bob recounts a few of his favorite stories from Season 1-- from the real origin story behind Olivier Francois' "Imported from Detroit" tagline (it's way more spontaneous than you might think!), to ...

Season 2 of Math&Magic Coming Soon! from 2019-10-25T15:56

Join Bob Pittman for more stories from the frontiers of marketing starting December 5th. And in the meantime, we'll be keeping the feed warm with a few bonus episodes.  Learn more about your ad-ch...

Bertha González Nieves: "I've always been an entrepreneur." from 2019-10-17T07:01

From starting a poinsettia business as a kid, to making and selling her own greeting cards, Casa Dragones CEO and co-founder Bertha Gonzalez knew she was an entrepreneur from the start. But when sh...

Walter Isaacson: "People want to hear ideas. There's a hunger for that." from 2019-10-10T07:01

You might know Walter Isaacson as a legendary biographer, or as the former Editor of Time, or as the Chairman and CEO of CNN ... but did you know he was a high school crime reporter for the Times-P...

David Zaslav: “We’re betting for the long term.” from 2019-10-03T07:01

In this week’s episode, Bob sits down with David Zaslav to learn how the Discovery CEO and President grew a network of just three channels (Discovery, Animal Planet and TLC) to become an internatio...

Michael Kassan: “If you can find chaos, there’s going to be opportunity.” from 2019-09-26T07:01

Few people can charm and foster connections the way MediaLink Founder, Chairman and CEO Michael Kassan does. Learn how Michael changed the media buying business by treating it like a mutual fund; w...

Scott Hagedorn: “I like agencies to have some funk.” from 2019-09-19T07:01

Scott Hagedorn is CEO of Omnicom Media Group, but don’t let his C-suite title fool you. From why he started a snake wrangling business as a kid, to his stint fabricating Flying Barricudas, to  why ...

Jeremy Zimmer: "I grew up loving stories." from 2019-09-12T04:01

Bob sits down with UTA co-founder and CEO Jeremy Zimmer to discuss how fixing a chair got him his first real gig in Hollywood; why the best storytelling is rooted in empathy, and why UTA's podcasti...

David Solomon: “I think the culture starts with leadership. And the leadership has to live it.” from 2019-09-05T04:01

David Solomon never thought he was a shoe-in to become Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs. In fact, as a young man, he’d twice applied for jobs at the firm… and was rejected! Hear how Solomon has us...

Tom Freston: “I never wanted to be a mainstream businessman. I still don’t.” from 2019-08-29T04:01

Tom Freston has a rare skill: the ability to pair raw, creative visionaries with the establishment to create bigger and bolder ventures than either could dream up on their own. From his work at MTV...

Steve Stoute: “Music Moves Culture” from 2019-08-22T04:01

As a kid, there were some things Translation's founder and CEO Steve Stoute just knew: that there were 50 houses on his block (he used to count them!), that there was no job he wasn’t willing to do...

John Sykes: “I love to see if I can defy conventional wisdom.” from 2019-08-15T04:01

Judy McGrath once said John Sykes had the gift of “making everyone want to be at the party.” Hear Bob and John relive the scrappy and ingenious marketing from MTV (including why you should look a l...

Tom Brokaw: “I’m not one who says we ought to go back to the old days.” from 2019-08-08T04:01

Tom Brokaw didn’t win all those Peabodies and Emmys (and a Presidential Medal of Freedom) by cooling his heels! Hear how the legendary anchorman worked his way up from a little radio station in Oma...

Wendy Clark: “Creativity is the biggest, most important lever you can pull.” from 2019-08-01T04:01

As Global President and CEO of legendary ad firm DDB, Wendy Clark keeps pushing the company to break new ground. (Consider the branded Broadway Show she wrangled for Skittles!) Learn why Wendy beli...

Fred Seibert: “When in doubt, count!” from 2019-07-25T07:01

It isn’t hard to call Fred Seibert a creative genius: from his early role in shepherding the look of MTV and crafting a brand image for Nickelodeon, to running Hanna-Barbera, to commissioning some ...

Daniel Glass: “A-minuses don’t sell. They don’t make it anymore.” from 2019-07-18T07:01

This week Bob sits down with Daniel Glass, President and Founder of the indie darling Glassnote Records. Dive into his origins as “Disco Danny” spinning tracks at the legendary Regine’s; learn why ...

Gayle Troberman: “There’s an endless number of stories brands have the right to tell” from 2019-07-11T07:01

This episode Bob puts iHeart’s own CMO Gayle Troberman in the hot seat! Learn how Gayle outfoxed a tiny marketing budget and got all of NYC talking about her 90s start-up; why she believes audio an...

Olivier Francois: "You need to recognize the brand without seeing the product" from 2019-07-03T07:01

This week Bob interviews Olivier Francois, the legendary CMO of Fiat Chrysler. Learn why Eminem volunteered to put himself in Olivier’s commercial, how coming up with a soundtrack for every brand h...

Shaggy: "I'm a direct representative of Brand Jamaica" from 2019-06-27T04:01

If you want lessons in reinventing your brand while keeping it relevant for decades, Shaggy is a smart place to start. Fresh off his tour with Sting, the two-time Grammy Award winning artist sits d...

Jarl Mohn: "The best ideas come from desperation" from 2019-06-20T04:01

At 15, Jarl Mohn got himself a pseudonym (Lee Masters!), a radio license and a job at a local station. Learn how the legendary CEO of NPR worked his way up from spinning records, how competing with...

Ben Lerer: “The Place We Win is Empathy” from 2019-06-13T04:01

Ben Lerer knows brands. As the co-founder of Thrillist, Ben created the go-to recommendation engine for everything from secret menu items to must-have flip flops (they came with bottle openers buil...

Judy McGrath: “I didn’t know anything about TV; I didn’t even like it!” from 2019-06-06T04:01

All Judy McGrath wanted to do when she grew up was to write for Rolling Stone. Instead, the storied CEO of MTV Networks now sits on the board of Amazon. Discover how the creative giant got seduced ...

Julie Rieger: "Storytellers run the World" from 2019-05-30T04:01

Just because she's a self-proclaimed data nerd doesn't mean she only cares about the numbers! Julie Rieger, former President Chief Data Strategist and Head of Media at 20th Century Fox is one of th...

Tim Castree: “I’m trying to be 80% Australian” from 2019-05-23T04:01

Advertising giant GroupM CEO Tim Castree is everything you want from a leader: smart, calm, resourceful, and a Change Agent who also happens to be a client guy. Learn how Tim got his start as an Ad...

Maurice Lévy: “No Silos, No Solos, No Bozos” from 2019-05-16T04:01

When he was hired, Maurice Lévy was just supposed to be the IT guy. Instead, his 3 decades at the helm as CEO of the Publicis Group transformed advertising on a global scale. Bob goes into the boot...

Scooter Braun: “Burn the Ships” from 2019-05-16T04:01

Few people hustle as hard as Scooter Braun. This episode, Bob discovers how the renowned entrepreneur, investor and entertainment exec dropped out of college to place a bet on himself (and a young ...

Introducing: Math and Magic from 2019-05-14T04:01

How do the smartest marketers cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? Join Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing. Learn more about your ad-choi...

Introducing: Math and Magic from 2019-05-14T04:01

How do the smartest marketers cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? Join Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing. Learn more about your ad-choi...

Introducing: Math and Magic from 2019-05-14T04:01

How do the smartest marketers cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? Join Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing. Learn more about your ad-choi...