EY's Lou Cohen talks about what happens when AI actually starts thinking instead of just generating answers. He's sharing his philosophy on why people are the real product and the advice he wishes he'd told his younger self. People Are the Product: Chief Digital Officer at EY and professor at three NYC universities, the real value comes from employees bringing knowledge and experience to clients 🎓 From Marvel to Microsoft: Started at Marvel Comics launching AOL shopping, built his own collectors site during the dot-com boom, became an original hire for MSN Search that became Bing Ads 🚀 Neurocognitive AI Revolution: Going beyond Gen AI to where AI actually starts thinking, not just generating answers that might give you 11 when you ask for one plus one 🤖 Privileged Seat Philosophy: Talks with smart people thinking 5-10 years ahead for corporations, then brings that back to transform EY's own way of working 💡 Advice to Young Lou: You're not going to be a doctor, lean into marketing and business, embrace the internet early to accelerate faster, and the 100 emoji ends every conversation ✅

Origin Media’s Michael Rosen is making brand spots work harder with CTV creative, sharing why service beats speed and his go-with-the-flow philosophy on everything from karaoke to business. CTV Creative Powerhouse: Just joined Origin, a platform that amplifies brand spots and TV commercials to make them work harder by enhancing messages for specific locations, products, and audiences 📺 The CMO Secret Weapon: Solving a creative problem, not just a media problem, by taking massive brand investments and making them drive specific KPIs with a creative director approach 💡 Service Over Speed: Slowing down, providing good service, and doing things smartly and effectively actually drives better outcomes together 🤝 Go With the Flow: No set karaoke song, he evaluates the crowd and sees how he's feeling before deciding what to sing 🎤 Stay Strong Philosophy: "Strength" has become his go-to because it represents the resilience needed in business, the world, and his health and wellness routine 💪

Axios's Kerry Flynn covered the creator economy when it was a niche beat nobody cared about, and now that the industry is finally catching up, she's sharing what Smart Brevity really means and why respecting people's time matters. Journalist Since Middle School: Wanted to start a middle school newspaper and dreamed of being a journalist in New York, made it happen with almost 12 years in the industry and four at Axios 📰 Smart Brevity Philosophy: Not everyone loves the news like journalists do but everyone needs information, Axios respects people's time by delivering what they need to be better at work and life 📊 Creator Economy Pioneer: Been covering social media and the creator economy since it was a niche beat, watched it evolve from Facebook and Snapchat to becoming a massive part of the economy 🎥 Industry Finally Waking Up: YouTube has been around for 20 years but the industry is just now standardizing influencer marketing, excited to see what's next after covering this space for so long 🚀 Karryoke Queen: Loves karaoke so much she calls her birthday celebration "Karryoke," go-to song is Misery Business by Paramore, doesn't need drinks to perform 🎤

Mastercard's Jay Altschuler got the brief to rip up the media playbook - he shares his full circle Priceless moment, launching Mastercard Media Commerce Network, and why 20th-century ad models need to go. Ripping Up the Media Playbook: Got the dream Mastercard brief to forget everything about media and build something completely new after stints at Unilever and Samsung 📋 Full Circle Priceless Moment: Started in advertising through his aunt at McCann, who worked on the original Priceless campaign, now leading media at the brand behind the iconic tagline 💳 Buy Side Meets Sell Side: Launched Mastercard Media Commerce Network to leverage their data and create programs that benefit the entire industry, not just buy media 📊 Agent-to-Agent Marketing Era: Preparing for agentic commerce by rethinking what marketing looks like when reaching consumers through AI agents instead of traditional channels 🤖 Rewriting the Rules: Done slapping 20th-century ad models onto 21st century tech, this is the moment to completely reinvent how brands go to market ✨

From industry support through loss to daily prayer for teams, celebrating failure, blessed decades, and authentic spaces, Part Three gets powerful. Charlstie Veith - Industry Support Through Loss: Thankful for industry support after losing her partner to suicide in 2021 and prioritizing mental health 💙  Nadja Bellan-White - Leading with Love: Grateful for her team—prays for them daily and leads with respect, empathy, and consideration 🙏  Jamie Power - Empowered to Fail: Thankful for an organization that rewards curiosity and failure, plus her husband who keeps everything on track 🚀  CJ Mosley - 11 Years of Blessings: Finished 11 years grateful for teammates, coaches, family, kids, and partner—living blessed 💪  Claribel Herrera - No More Code Switching: Grateful for people who empower her to be herself, support crazy ideas, and let her show out ✨

From new beginnings to extended grace, challenging worldviews to supportive communities and strong women legacies, Part Two reveals deeply personal gratitude. J. Brooks - Sobriety & New Beginnings: Thankful for sobriety and the family and friends who saw them through it all, plus two new beautiful children who make everything worth it 💙  Dana McGraw - The Grace We All Need: Grateful for their village—family, friends, their health—and especially for people who extend grace when we inevitably fall down 🙏  Joe Plummer - Learning from a 14-Year-Old: Really grateful for his 14-year-old son whose radically different, wonderful worldview challenges him to rethink how things are supposed to be done 👁️  Sarah Kramer - Surrounded by What Matters: Thankful for family, kids, and the community surrounding her daily, plus the Sparklers, mentors, and being part of a company on the cutting edge of what's next ✨  Cheryl Guerin - Support on Both Sides: Grateful for her husband and two boys whose pride enables her career, and a top-notch team whose love and drive to take chances makes success possible 💪  Louise Dilulio - Raised by Badasses: Thankful for health, New York, family who raised her, and a long line of incredibly strong, badass women (plus an amazing dad) who shaped everything 👑