Don Kurz has lived enough lives for three careers - from championship lacrosse fields to Studio 54 dance floors to Wall Street trading desks to the boardrooms of modern advertising - and in this candid conversation with Michael Kassan, he reflects on the chaos, reinvention, and hard-earned instincts that shaped them all. With the release of his new book, Do the Hustle, Don opens up about resilience, risk, leadership, and why the most valuable lessons rarely come from the wins, but from the moments when everything veers off script.

 

Don Kurz has lived enough lives for three careers - from championship lacrosse fields to Studio 54 dance floors to Wall Street trading desks to the boardrooms of modern advertising - and in this candid conversation with Michael Kassan, he reflects on the chaos, reinvention, and hard-earned instincts that shaped them all. With the release of his new book, Do the Hustle, Don opens up about resilience, risk, leadership, and why the most valuable lessons rarely come from the wins, but from the moments when everything veers off script.
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Marketing, media, entertainment and tech are intersecting and transforming faster than ever. How are its power players influencing change and navigating trends across these industries? Join Michael Kassan in the company of the strongest leaders in the industry, who are building great companies from the ground up. It’s “all good.”

Marketing, media, entertainment and tech are intersecting and transforming faster than ever. How are its power players influencing change and navigating trends across these industries? Join Michael Kassan in the company of the strongest leaders in the industry, who are building great companies from the ground up. It&rsquo;s &ldquo;all good.&rdquo;

Good Company with Michael Kassan

Do the Hustle: Don Kurz on Resilience, Reinvention, and Trusting Your Gut

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/64386eb6-dc3a-4aed-8e18-b442000f9229/transcript

Music is no longer just something we listen to... it’s something we interpret, share, and use to make sense of the world around us. In this episode, Michael Kassan sits down with Jackie Vignone, CRO of Genius, to explore how the platform has evolved from a lyrics destination into a powerful meeting point for artists, fans, and brands. Together, they unpack what music reveals about culture, why context now carries as much weight as content, and how the relationship between artists and audiences is evolving in a more participatory world.

Music is no longer just something we listen to... it&rsquo;s something we interpret, share, and use to make sense of the world around us. In this episode, Michael Kassan sits down with Jackie Vignone, CRO of Genius, to explore how the platform has evolved from a lyrics destination into a powerful meeting point for artists, fans, and brands. Together, they unpack what music reveals about culture, why context now carries as much weight as content, and how the relationship between artists and audiences is evolving in a more participatory world.

Between the Lyrics: Genius' Jackie Vignone on Music, Culture, and Connection

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5f67ca79-bd6c-4423-bf30-b42d00610270/transcript

Christian Muche has built his career on a contrarian instinct: when the world pulls back, he builds opportunities that bring people together. From co-founding DMEXCO during the 2008 financial crisis to launching POSSIBLE in the middle of COVID, Christian has consistently bet on one idea: real progress happens when the right people are in the same room.

In this episode, he joins Michael Kassan to unpack the limitations of the traditional conference model, why scale is no longer the defining metric of success, and how curated connections, not crowded stages, drive business forward. They explore what makes POSSIBLE different, the growing complexity of the marketing ecosystem, and why in a world of AI, remote work, and constant digital noise, showing up in person may be more valuable than ever. At the center of it all is a simple idea: “POSSIBLE” It is so much more than the name of an event, it’s a mindset. One that reframes complexity as opportunity and focuses the industry on what can be built, together.

Christian Muche has built his career on a contrarian instinct: when the world pulls back, he builds opportunities that bring people together. From co-founding DMEXCO during the 2008 financial crisis to launching POSSIBLE in the middle of COVID, Christian has consistently bet on one idea: real progress happens when the right people are in the same room.
In this episode, he joins Michael Kassan to unpack the limitations of the traditional conference model, why scale is no longer the defining metric of success, and how curated connections, not crowded stages, drive business forward. They explore what makes POSSIBLE different, the growing complexity of the marketing ecosystem, and why in a world of AI, remote work, and constant digital noise, showing up in person may be more valuable than ever. At the center of it all is a simple idea: &ldquo;POSSIBLE&rdquo; It is so much more than the name of an event, it&rsquo;s a mindset. One that reframes complexity as opportunity and focuses the industry on what can be built, together.

The Possible Effect: Christian Muche on the Currency of Time ... and Connection

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d180cee8-a0eb-41f4-a20c-b41f0055df04/transcript

What if the most powerful growth strategy isn’t another ad, but a simple “thank you”? Nift Founder and CEO, Elery Pfeffer, joins Michael Kassan to unpack why gratitude may be the most overlooked engine in modern commerce, how AI can create meaningful discovery instead of digital noise, and why the brands that recognize customers as people (not just wallets) will win the future.

What if the most powerful growth strategy isn&rsquo;t another ad, but a simple &ldquo;thank you&rdquo;? Nift Founder and CEO, Elery Pfeffer, joins Michael Kassan to unpack why gratitude may be the most overlooked engine in modern commerce, how AI can create meaningful discovery instead of digital noise, and why the brands that recognize customers as people (not just wallets) will win the future.

The Business of Gratitude with Elery Pfeffer, CEO & Founder, NIFT

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a2571c6c-a9c7-4122-8f09-b41001244f1a/transcript

Do the Hustle: Don Kurz on Resilience, Reinvention, and Trusting Your Gut

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