In April of 2022, the design-forward home scenting company, vitruvi, made a bold move that shocked their followers; they archived their entire Instagram feed, leaving up only a 3-grid with the phrase, “change is in the air.” Their followers guessed new packaging or the introduction of a brand color, but vitruvi took it a few steps further with an entire rebrand, launched in one day. The rebrand was impossible to ignore on social media, with posts from their 250+ affiliates sporting their new...

This week, Mike and Mitzi are in the hot seat as the Arcademy interns take over Waves Social. Nyarout Jock and Addi Ninaber, Arcade Studio's inaugural social media interns, host episode 52 for an all-out AMA with Mike and Mitzi. They ask the burning questions new grads and marketers want to know, from how to get started in the industry to tips for staying resilient in an ever-changing industry. Mike and Mitzi talk about how Arcade Studios and Waves Social got started, their work backgrounds...

After spending 12 years inside the in-house social media marketing world, Mario Moreno Sears knew it was time to mix things up. Armed with his experience working with Guess?, Forever 21, L’Oréal Paris and H&M, Mario was ready to start his entrepreneurial journey. He has since started a D2C brand, We Spill the Tea, launched his own social media agency, Moonrise Social Club, and has gathered more than 160k followers across TikTok and Instagram. His passion for the ever-changing social media...

For episode 50 of the Waves Social podcast, we are joined by the co-founders of THE NEW SAVANT, Ingrid Nilsen and Erica Anderson. We talk about their respective journeys, from working in tech and content creation to running a D2C brand that builds one-of-a-kind olfactory experiences. Ingrid shares her decade-long journey growing her YouTube channel to over 3.5M followers and 6M across platforms, her experience interviewing President Obama and choosing to retire from content creation to...

Welcome back to the Waves Social podcast. For episode 49, we are joined by business analyst and entrepreneur Dulma Altan. Dulma is the founder of Makelane and Startup Stork, and has over 63k followers on her “B-School for women” TikTok account. In this episode, Dulma shares her advice for D2C brands and business owners looking to build community, improve their cash flow and grow their online following. She shares her journey with her businesses and her growth on social media, advice for...

Welcome back to another solo episode of the Waves Social podcast. This time, we’re sharing the six routines and non-negotiables we live by now that we didn’t five years ago. A lot has changed since we started our business, and we’ve learned that many of our old habits weren’t going to make us successful in the long run. Over time we’ve developed these six routines that help us stay happy, healthy and creative as partners and individuals. From setting time boundaries to pursuing hobbies...

With 145k subscribers on YouTube, Scott Yu-Jan’s thoughtful storytelling style has undoubtedly resonated with watchers. His YouTube maker videos bring an approachable feel to the craft, inspiring audiences of all ages to test their creativity. For this episode, we sat down with Scott to talk about creativity, content creation and everything YouTube. We dive deep into the struggles of creative blocks and explore strategies to leverage the good, inspiring days. Scott takes us through his...

After spending eight years working in the creator economy, Kayley Reed realized the gaps she was working around wouldn’t go away on their own. That’s when she decided it was time to build a solution and began working on norm., a unique tech resource for influencers. In this episode, we catch up with Kayley about how the needs of the creator economy have been drastically changing over the last few years. We dive into the growth her influencer marketing agency, Hermana, has seen, how brand...

How often do you sit down and really hash out your quarterly goals with your content? If you said ‘never,’ you’re not alone. In this episode, we talk with Austen Tosone about how she’s grown her blog, “Keep Calm and Chiffon,” into her full-time job by treating it like she would any other career. She explains how she got started, the important role SEO has played in her growth, how she sees which keywords competitors are using, the importance of setting goals and why never burns a bridge. With...

How did a hard kombucha brand manage to disrupt the alcohol industry and reach a net-zero carbon footprint while simultaneously building a powerful ambassador program? Ask JuneShine, a hard kombucha brand based out of San Diego. For episode 44 of the Waves Social podcast, we sat down with Annie Atwell, Director of Marketing at JuneShine, to talk about her experience working for a leading-edge, sustainable alcohol brand. We learn how JuneShine came to be (and how alcohol was never the...

What does it take to tell a really good story? For episode 43 of the Waves Social podcast, we’re joined by renowned documentary filmmakers, Mark Bone and Michael Del Monte, to talk about their successful online course, ‘The Art of Documentary.’ We discuss what led them to filmmaking in the first place, what impact social media has had on the industry and how creators can find their niche in saturated markets. True storytellers themselves, Mark and Michael explore what it takes to be the best...

For episode 42 of the Waves Social podcast we’re joined by stylist and social media phenomenon, Charly Goss. Charly dives into what it has been like to grow her presence online through the pandemic, how she leaned into passive income streams to exponentially grow her business, her experiences fighting cancer twice and how she’s built trust with her audience. Charly is a hilarious, no-nonsense entrepreneur whose personality has been a key piece in growing her social media and business...

In this episode of the Waves Social podcast, we dive into 5 things we’re starting in 2022 and 5 things we’re leaving behind. From content creation to client relations, we explore what has and has not been working for us as an agency. We discuss the importance of creating video content that’s personable, in the moment and low-fi; we explore client dynamics and how we’ve learned how to say ‘no’ to projects that aren’t our best fit, and we talk about why we’re going to be providing more free...

Welcome to Episode 40 of the Waves Social podcast. On this episode, we sit down with Gary Williams, Chief Creative Officer for Creative Theory Agency, to talk about his experience scaling the agency over the last year. Creative Theory is a culture-focused agency that has worked with big names like Google, Meta and YouTube. We talk with Gary about how the team knew it was time to grow, what it was like bringing in HR, how they work to keep their mission central to the work they do, the...

Welcome back to the Waves Social podcast. For Episode 39 we are joined by Alyssa Lau, founder of the popular slow fashion web-store, New Classics. Alyssa is a Chinese-Canadian photographer, creator and new mom. On this episode we discuss how Alyssa went from studying chemistry in Edmonton to running an online boutique, a YouTube channel with 30k+ followers and working with brands like Chanel and MAC while balancing life as a partner and new mother. Alyssa dives into what helped her and her...

For the final episode of our fourth season, we are joined by Franke Rodriguez, Partner and CEO of Anomaly, a global strategic and creative marketing agency. Franke’s desire to take Anomaly to new heights made him the perfect fit for his role as the youngest-ever CEO of their New York and Toronto offices, and he has worked with major blue-chip brands such as Nike, Budweiser, Captain Morgan, Carnival Cruises, and Google in their marketing missions. In today’s episode, he nerds out with us about...

Despite being an experienced flyer at the peak of her career, a panic attack brought on by the prospect of another plane journey changed Sophie Gray's life forever. Instead of getting on the plane, Sophie and her husband tackled the long trip home in a car while the panic attacks continued. It was then that she realized that she needed to change something. After setting out to learn about her own mental wellbeing, she founded DiveThru, a mental wellness platform that partners with mental...

Today on the podcast, we welcome Sara McCabe, business coach, consultant, box-breaker, and not-so-secret dancer. After spending over a decade leading and developing teams across North America, she left the corporate world to help creative entrepreneurs work and lead in a way that actually works for them. Sara is Mitzi’s personal business coach or, as Mitzi likes to say, her ‘business therapist’ and, in this episode, she shares some of her business consulting strategies, coaching skills, and...

Welcome to our first ever ask-us-anything episode, where your hosts, Mike and Mitzi, answer the questions you’ve been asking on Instagram. Many of you may know that we run an award-winning digital agency called Arcade Studios, which specializes in digital strategy, content production, social media, and email marketing. Our company has doubled in size over the last year and, in order to scale our agency that quickly we have had to learn a lot of important lessons along the way! In today’s...

Today’s guests join us to talk about digital advertising and paid media. Affectionately known as our very own ‘Paid Papis', Josiah Sinanan and Benjamin Velazquez bring tons of expertise on the subject. Josiah is the Digital Lead at Arcade Studios, where he provides an array of unique clients from e-commerce to entertainment with paid media strategy and execution. Josiah oversees digital advertising activities for these clients across platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Instagram, and...

Today on the show, we speak with Lars Bankston, Chief Content Officer at Havas Health & You. Lars has built his career partnering with some of the world’s most ambitious brands and creatives, which you’ll learn a bit more about this interview. He joined Havas Health & You this year as their CCO, with the mission to help the global health industry recognize and actualize their ability to create content that builds deeper and more meaningful connections with HCPs and patients. He came...

A few years ago, Alexander Simonelli, who had no prior experience in the food and beverage industry, swapped out his condo and his sales job for his parents’ home and a big idea, which evolved into a one-of-a-kind company; Daydream. A sugar-free, flavored sparkling water, infused with adaptogens that reduce stress, and a digital-native brand strategy, Daydream is unlike any other product on the market. In today’s episode, Alex shares some insider information as Daydream’s Founder and CEO...

Why is it so difficult to meet other cool women? Rachel Wong and Istiana Bestari asked themselves this over and over again while attempting to make meaningful connections through boring networking events and male-dominated workplaces. Intent on finding a better way to build their careers, they cofounded Monday Girl, Canada’s first social club for professional women. With over 4,000 active members and more than 18 sold-out venues featuring industry icons, Monday Girl is now the fastest-growing...

Welcome back to Waves Social! We waste no time kicking off season 4 with an incredible guest, Lissette Calveiro, a renowned Latina business coach, entrepreneur, and content creator. In 2020, Lissette was named a top 10 social media coach by Yahoo Mail, and she also received a Shorty Award for her Kindness Cards campaign. In today’s episode, Lissette shares how she got started in influencer marketing and how she translated her agency experience to the world of influencing. Although there is a...

A collective approach to connectedness might seem a bit obvious, but today’s guest has blazed a trail that embraces new forms of digital interaction to create deeper levels of community. Scott Bakken is passionate about creating spaces where people can...