In this episode of The OhHello Pod, founder and CEO, Jeremy Bloom sits down with Erik Huberman — founder & CEO of Hawke Media and Hawke Ventures — just hours before his second child might arrive.

What follows is one of the most honest, tactical convos we’ve had on building something real — and surviving the chaos that comes with it.

🔑 Topics Covered:

– How Erik bootstrapped Hawke Media to 260+ employees and 5,000+ brands

– Scaling Hawke Ventures into a $20M fund focused on marketing and eComm tech

– The $10 million curveball that nearly cratered it all — and how he fought through it

– Why 98.2% of people aren’t wired to build — and why Erik only hires the 1.8%

– How fractional mentorship and in-office osmosis beat traditional training

– Building a founder-led culture that values grit over ego

– Real talk on Gen Z, leadership, burnout, and staying uncomfortable

🎙️ Plus: Erik gives a shoutout to his personal advisory board — including Joshua Zad (Alfred Coffee), Cole Zucker (Green Creative), Josh Wand (ForceBrands), John Koeltl (UP.Labs), Blake Mallen (Herbalife), and Sieva Kozinsky.

🔥 If you’re building, leading, or scaling something of your own — this one’s a must.

🔗 Learn more at OhHello.ai [https://www.ohhello.ai/]

📢 We’re growing fast and fundraising now — and if you’re part of the 1.8%, you’ll know why that matters.

#Entrepreneurship #Startups #HawkeMedia #ErikHuberman #HawkeVentures #Leadership #VentureCapital #Marketing #OhHelloPod #Mentorship #Bootstrapping #Grit #BusinessPodcast

Ep. 98: Erik Huberman — Scaling Hawke Media, Dodging a $10M Curveball & Why 98.2% Aren’t Built to Build

In Episode 97 of The OhHello Pod, host Jeremy Bloom sits down with Heidi Hauver, a bold, empathetic leader who’s built people-first cultures and guided founders through every stage of growth.

Together, they explore:

 * What it means to “reimagine” leadership in the age of hybrid work
 * How great culture isn’t copied — it’s co-created
 * Why mentorship is no longer optional in a fast-changing workforce
 * How OhHello is making expert guidance accessible, scalable, and real-time

Whether you’re a founder, people leader, or exec looking to level-up your culture — this one’s for you.

🎙️ OhHello is building the mentorship infrastructure modern teams need. If you’re curious how it works, we’re happy to share.

Big thanks to Adrian Salamunovic for making the intro! 

#mentorship #peopleleadership #culture #futureofwork #reimagine

OhHello - Reimagine Leadership with Heidi Hauver: Culture, Curiosity, and the Mentorship Moment

OhHello!!

This one’s not just a story — it’s a blueprint for the future we’re building. This is Episode 96.

Meet Sahin Boydas [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] — an entrepreneur that gets shit done:

🎯 Built Remoteteam.com (Acquired by Gusto) [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] before remote work was a buzzword

💸 Sold to Gusto [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] in the middle of the pandemic

🎙️ Records 6,000+ hours of daily conversations with his wife + team

🤖 Runs his own AI to track life, ideas, and startup chaos

🌱 Now building from Claros Farm [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] — part lab, part vision, all heart

What hit hardest?

“Every company’s fate could change if every employee had a coach who really knew them.”

That’s the entire thesis behind OhHello.ai 👋 [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] — giving people real-time access to mentors, motivators, and modern guidance when it matters most.

We talked:

💥 Motivation over micromanagement

📈 How to build world-class teams from junior talent

🧠 Why every founder needs a friend-tor

💡 Why recording your life might be the best startup investment you make

This one flies — Sahin’s story is wild, honest, and inspiring as hell!

🎧 Tune in now wherever you listen/subscribe/watch: https://linktr.ee/ohhelloinc

🍒 Tag someone who need a lil inspiration

#OhHello #Startups #RemoteWork #AI #Mentorship #Founders #FutureOfWork

OhHello - Sahin Boydas 

It's episode 95 of the OhHello pod and this founder/CEO is not only wicked smart, but 

Everyone loves the “big leap” founder story.

But the truth?

The best companies aren’t built on leaps.

They’re built on small, smart, disciplined hops — over and over again.

Allison Whalen, CEO and Founder of Parentaly, joined Jeremy Bloom of OhHello to share what scaling a real company actually looks like:

 * Why smart founders de-risk their bets before they jump
 * How doubling her pricing (thanks to the right mentor) shifted her company’s trajectory
 * The emotional pressure of building when it’s personal — and how boundaries create better leaders
 * How “worst-case scenario thinking” can actually fuel, not freeze, growth

This conversation isn’t just about parental leave — it’s a blueprint for how real resilience is built.

If you’re building, investing, or mentoring the next generation of founders, this is a must-listen.

🎧 Full episode now live.

Massive thanks to Allison for keeping it honest, smart, and actionable.

#startups #founders #resilience #riskmanagement #venturecapital #ohhello

OhHello - Allison Whalen of Parentaly 

OhHello!

It's episode 94 -- Welcome Vanessa Otero [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessaotero/], founder & CEO of Ad Fontes Media [https://www.linkedin.com/company/adfontesmedia/], the force behind the viral Media Bias Chart! Vanessa is a passion fueled change-agent who has been walking the walk, since day 1, as her company's vision is more important than ever. In fact, just yesterday, at the Association of National Advertisers [https://www.linkedin.com/company/association-of-national-advertisers/] Media Summit, Lou Paskalis [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loupaskalis/] + The Trade Desk [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trade-desk/]'s Jeff Green [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefftgreen/] talked about the integration and importance of advertisers NOT avoiding hashtag#news [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=news&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7313057730724827136] content b/c of great integrations like what Ad Fontes has been building.

(This pod was initially scheduled for later in the month, but I've also gotten to know Vanessa over the past couple years and wanna help get her some more ⛽⛽⛽⛽ for her 🔥 because this is an important mission)

She left a successful law career to fix the broken way we consume news. Today, her company rates media for reliability and bias... and her POV on truth, leadership, and mentorship is 🔥

💥 Highlights:
🧠 “We’re all biased... but systems don’t have to be”
🔍 She created a hiring process that builds in ideological diversity
📈 Her mentorship rule: Only take advice from people who have exactly what you want
💡 And the big one: Don’t quit. Be the one who stays in the game

In a biased and misleading news landscape, it's beyond essential to know where your information and sources are coming from hashtag#bias [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=bias&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7313057730724827136] hashtag#politics [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=politics&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7313057730724827136] hashtag#media [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=media&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7313057730724827136]

And with honest, unfiltered, and raw 1:1 mentorship sessions that businesses are providing for their teams via OhHello.ai 👋 [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oh-hello-inc/], it's more important than ever to have access to real, empathetic, leaders like Vanessa.

OhHello - Vanessa Otero

OhHello - it's episode 93 w/ OhHello mentor and advertising agency, creative expert, entrepreneur. and marketing exec Jason Damata



Jason Damata is the founder and CEO of Fabric Media, an award-winning communications and strategic consulting group launched in 2007 to serve innovative companies at the intersection of media, technology and advertising.

Fabric develops and executes go-to-market programs that accelerate growth, build brand equity and deliver positive impact for companies that are evolving how content is experienced, delivered and monetized, including TV makers and networks, streamers, leading ad tech/martech platforms and measurement companies.

Damata is also the co-owner and publisher of TVREV, an analyst group and media company with 40,000 subscribers known for its industry trend reports, and The Measure, a forum for data-based reporting and bespoke insight services.

He has helped architect go-to-market strategies and establis marketing operations for numerous companies from start-up to merger and acquisition (for 10 partners) or major funding events (for 18). Among them: Damata led Fabric through a decade of service for iSpot.tv, a pioneer in TV measurement; seven years for Madhive, the streaming ad tech company reshaping local TV; and seven years for smart TV maker VIZIO through its transformation to a software-led company — including leading marketing for the IPO; the launches of VIZIO Ads and Inscape (VIZIO’s data division); and the expansion of its SmartCast OS.

He also served as Acting CMO for Trendrr, the first company to quantify real-time social trends, until it was acquired by Twitter; served as the CMO of bebo.com when it was the world’s third-largest social network; has put in 7-plus years in service of CreatorIQ, the world’s largest social media data platform; Tubular Labs, the world’s largest social video measurement platform and explore.org, where he helped build the planet’s largest live internet TV network (for animals!).

Damata is an active investor in and advisor to technology start-ups that aim to bring better accountability, transparency and innovation to the media industry.

In 2014, Damata moved from Denver to Los Angeles to start Fabric’s studios division, which houses a cross-disciplinary consortium for artists and creators to collaborate on projects and events while developing IP in emerging media fields.

Damata got his start in media at C-SPAN in 2002, helping to produce distance education programming and later traveling the country in collaboration with cable companies.



OhHello - Jason Damata

OhHello!

It's Episode 92 and this one features a wise old soul who carries himself with grace and curiosity. Good things come to those that wait...and for that, thanks for being so patient, Nikhil Lai [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#]!

Nikhil is a Senior Analyst at Forrester [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#], so our conversation took us from the importance of creative and data-driven #advertising strategies, all the way back to the historical roots of #mentorship.

Why tune in?

⏳ Timeless Mentorship: Nikhil highlighted how centuries-old apprenticeship structures still fuel success—whether it’s for 17th-century artisans or today’s ad tech innovators.

🐵  Embracing Curiosity: His relentless curiosity has shaped an impressive career journey, from growing up in Connecticut to studying at the The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#], and now advising top brands at Forrester while living w/ his wife in LA and appreciating words of wisdom from his sister, parents, mentors- Dave Morgan [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#], Jeff Immelt [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] and more

🔬 Creative Ad Tech & Data Deprecation: If you’re a marketer or brand builder, Nikhil’s take on the future of creative optimization—particularly in a world where data signals are dwindling—is a can’t-miss.

Ready to access a community of empathetic mentors that want to help you and your business grow? Sign-up at OhHello.ai! Each week, we'll continue to highlight how our OhHello.ai 👋 [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#] mentors can elevate your business and teams' outputs. Let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments; we'd love to hear from you!

#marketing #advertising #career

OhHello - Nikhil Lai 

OhHello!

What happens when you blend genuine curiosity, fearless failure, and real mentorship? You get a leader like Mike Zeman [https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#] dropping in for episode 91 of the OhHello.ai ☕️ [https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#] pod.

This next mentor's journey spans ad agencies to tech giants (Publicis Groupe [https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#], Netflix [https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#], Google [https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#], Square [https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#]). Mike shares powerful insights on career growth, mentorship, and the art of turning failures into fuel for innovation. Plus, we learn about his covid 🐰🐰.

Key Takeaways:

♟️ Mentors that made an impact on Mike:

Shoutout to  Rishad Tobaccowala [https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#], who taught Mike to play the long game and steer clear of short-term politics. Christian Kugel [https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#] showed him how to have fun while pushing for excellence

😌 Confidence and Optimism Breed Results

Mentorship should spark your team’s confidence. Confident people take bigger bets, and that’s where real growth happens

🌊 Embrace Failure

If your failures aren’t getting bigger over time, you’re likely not innovating enough (inspired by Jeff Bezos). Encourage your team to try, fail, learn, and repeat.

👂Active Listening

Instead of planning your response, really lean in and ask “why?” multiple times to uncover valuable insights.

This was a great convo; thank you, Mike. The best employers are the ones that invest in their people. Ready. Set. Grow.

We're bringing on new mentors and businesses in March - sign-up now at OhHello.ai

#Mentorship #CMO #Marketing #Leadership #Tech #CareerGrowth

OhHello - Mike Zeman of Life360 

🚀 The OhHello Pod is back! And we’re kicking things off with an episode you don’t want to miss…

🎙️ Our guest? Zack Holland, founder of Select Few & Avery. Zack built his first software at 15 and learned (the hard way) that mentorship is the ultimate cheat code for success.

We talked about:
✅ The power of mentorship—and why it’s the shortcut to avoiding costly mistakes
✅ His top mentors, including Sam Parr (The Hustle, Hampton) & Tom Logan (Coley)
✅ The biggest marketing mistakes founders make (and how to avoid them)
✅ Mental health, stoicism, and why taking care of yourself is a competitive advantage

💡 “One great mentor can change everything.”

💬 Who’s been a game-changing mentor in your career? Drop their name in the comments👇

🎧 Listen now & let us know your favorite takeaway!

#OhHello #Mentorship #Marketing #Founders #AI #Startups #Growth

OhHello - Zack Holland 

OhHello! We took a lil OhHello.ai ☕️ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oh-hello-inc/] podcast breather, but we're back w/ some Thanksgiving gratitude!

What happens when you combine decades of marketing expertise, the evolution of AI, and a unique perspective on mentorship? You get an unforgettable conversation with Bryan Simkins [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryansimkins/], a global leader in creative media solutions and all things hashtag#advertising [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=advertising&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7266671889664606208] at Publicis Groupe [https://www.linkedin.com/company/publicis-groupe/] / Publicis [https://www.linkedin.com/company/publicis/] / Publicis Production [https://www.linkedin.com/company/publicis-production/]

In this episode, Bryan shares:
✅ Insights into the shift from digitized media to the digitization of creative and production
✅ His refreshing take on mentorship, breaking it down into “advisors” and “angels” who guide, protect, and inspire
✅ How leaders can ensure aptitude meets opportunity to drive growth and equity in today’s dynamic business world

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating innovation, leadership, and personal growth in a rapidly changing industry.

💡 Discover Bryan’s wisdom on embracing change, empowering teams, and leveraging creativity for impact
📢 Shout-outs to Bryan's Advisors + Angels: (Bryan's brother) Steve, Merrill Squires [https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrillsquires/], Todd H. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hauser321/], Steve Pacheco [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevepacheco/], Karen Jacobs [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-jacobs-b0b3b814/], Lisa Donohue [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-b-donohue/], Andrew Swinand [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewswinand/], Steve Katelman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevekatelman/], Matt Spiegel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewspiegel/], Sean Finnegan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanfinnegan/] (in memoriam), Laura Desmond [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradesmond/]


hashtag#Mentorship [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=mentorship&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7266671889664606208] hashtag#Innovation [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=innovation&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7266671889664606208] hashtag#Leadership [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=leadership&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7266671889664606208] hashtag#Creative [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=creative&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7266671889664606208]

OhHello - Bryan Simkins of Publicis 

At OhHello, we unlock the full potential of your workforce through personalized, real-time mentorship. Powered by AI, we deliver 1:1 mentor matches that drive growth, engagement, and immediate results.

The post-pandemic workplace is fractured. Employees feel isolated, disconnected, and disengaged—leading to productivity slumps and high turnover. Traditional mentorship programs are outdated, while businesses struggle to offer meaningful career support. Key challenges include:

 1. Quiet Quitting is Spreading: Disengaged employees do just enough to get by, killing productivity and innovation.
 2. Remote Teams Feel Lost: Lack of in-person interaction drains team cohesion and trust.
 3. Mentorship is Broken: Outdated programs fail to provide the timely, personalized guidance modern employees crave.
 4. No Access to Expertise: Employees struggle to find guidance or career support when they need it most.
 5. Vulnerability is Lacking: A culture of "fend for yourself" leaves employees feeling unsupported and alone.

 OhHello offers an urgent remedy to today’s workplace challenges. Our platform provides:

 * Instant Human Connection: Employees get real-time access to mentors who can guide them through challenges via 1:1 video sessions.
 * Top-Tier, Empathetic Mentors: Selected from the best global companies, our mentors deliver guidance with empathy and real-world expertise.
 * AI-Powered, Personalized Matching: Our AI ensures employees connect with the right mentor at the right time, accelerating problem-solving and development.
 * On-Demand Mentorship: Employees can book sessions on-demand, ensuring they get help exactly when they need it by hand-selecting multiple mentors to learn from.
 * Scalable, Annual Membership: As your company grows, OhHello.io scales with you, providing structured monthly sessions to keep your teams engaged and on track.

Mentorship with a Purpose: Our unique model incentivizes mentors by connecting their time to 50+ charities. Mentors give back while delivering value to your team, creating a win-win.

OhHello - a show about non BS career mentorship and expert advice

Jeremy Bloom's Show

OhHello.io is THE marketplace for hungry go-getters to seek guidance, advice, and inspiration via 1:1 video w/ advertising, marketing, and tech professionals. All while giving back —> up to 100% of the mentor’s proceeds can be donated to causes near and dear to their hearts- nearly 50 charities to choose from!  Please go to ohhello.io to sign-up to become a mentor/expert, mentee, and for updates.  Thanks for engaging with our content; it means a lot to the community we're building! 🔥🔥🚀  🎧 We release weekly podcasts/vodcasts featuring our empathetic community of diverse empathetic leaders in our space!  🙏 Big thanks to our pod sponsors  Say hello --> hi@ohhello.io

OhHello 

The marketplace for non BS career mentorship and expert advice. 

Jeremy Bloom

Shows