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

Michael Nyman has spent decades operating at the crossroads of entertainment, media, and culture. He built one of Hollywood's most respected communications businesses inside the traditional holding company world, then set out to do it differently, founding Acceleration Community of Companies, a network of specialized firms spanning PR, experiential, data, and talent. In this episode, he joins Michael Kassan to unpack why speed and courage now beat scale, why great brands can survive bad products, and what it takes to lead through multiple business cycles without losing your edge.

Michael Nyman has spent decades operating at the crossroads of entertainment, media, and culture. He built one of Hollywood's most respected communications businesses inside the traditional holding company world, then set out to do it differently, founding Acceleration Community of Companies, a network of specialized firms spanning PR, experiential, data, and talent. In this episode, he joins Michael Kassan to unpack why speed and courage now beat scale, why great brands can survive bad products, and what it takes to lead through multiple business cycles without losing your edge.

The Acceleration Effect: Michael Nyman on Why Speed, Courage, and Story Still Win

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/db9e6f6b-de74-4566-9739-b480016f4923/transcript

Christine Cook has navigated nearly every major shift in modern media, from early digital days at The New York Times, to to the rise of mobile and social at Flipboard, the scale and speed of CNN, and now Bloomberg Media, where she serves as Chief Commercial Officer overseeing one of the most influential audiences in the world. In this episode, she joins Michael Kassan to explore why trust and context are reasserting themselves in an AI-saturated media landscape, and what it means that audiences are gravitating toward human-curated sources precisely when algorithmic convenience is at its peak. They unpack Bloomberg's multidimensional evolution across video, live events, data, and original content, and why the live experience business is most powerful when it's built around journalism first, not sponsorship dollars.

Christine Cook has navigated nearly every major shift in modern media, from early digital days at The New York Times, to to the rise of mobile and social at Flipboard, the scale and speed of CNN, and now Bloomberg Media, where she serves as Chief Commercial Officer overseeing one of the most influential audiences in the world. In this episode, she joins Michael Kassan to explore why trust and context are reasserting themselves in an AI-saturated media landscape, and what it means that audiences are gravitating toward human-curated sources precisely when algorithmic convenience is at its peak. They unpack Bloomberg's multidimensional evolution across video, live events, data, and original content, and why the live experience business is most powerful when it's built around journalism first, not sponsorship dollars.

The Barbell Theory: Christine Cook on Human Curation, Trusted Media, and the Power of Presence

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bd91b700-77e7-412e-8f1c-b46b016ee237/transcript

As media, commerce and technology converge, Nili Klenoff is helping shape one of the most consequential shifts in modern marketing. She joins Michael Kassan to explore commerce media, AI-powered decision-making, consumer trust, and the challenge of driving innovation at global scale, offering a rare look inside the systems increasingly influencing how people discover, choose and buy.

As media, commerce and technology converge, Nili Klenoff is helping shape one of the most consequential shifts in modern marketing. She joins Michael Kassan to explore commerce media, AI-powered decision-making, consumer trust, and the challenge of driving innovation at global scale, offering a rare look inside the systems increasingly influencing how people discover, choose and buy.

The Priceless Purchase: Nili Klenoff on Trust, Choice and Consumer Behavior

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f7dac4ae-2ee2-4159-8ec5-b45e002c9d24/transcript

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

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