Edition # 7 I Burnt the Midnight Oil

Welcome to this week’s Wednesday Windup. As I sit down to write this, Rosh Hashanah is just a few hours away. For those unfamiliar, Rosh Hashanah marks the Jewish New Year—a time of reflection, renewal, and gratitude. It’s an opportunity to look back at the year behind us, take stock of the moments that challenged us, the ones that helped us grow, and the ones we are grateful for.

With the same reflective mindset, I’ve been thinking about all of you. This community—whether through the Adventure Academy, AdVenture Media, or those simply following along—has been such a vital part of my journey. The Academy continues to empower thousands of marketers to hone their skills, while AMG has grown into a full-scale agency serving some of the largest brands. It’s incredible to see how far we've come together, from those early days of trial and error to building something impactful.

As we turn the page to a new year and continue pushing forward, I want to take this moment to thank you for being part of the journey. Your trust, your curiosity, and your willingness to keep learning are what make this work so meaningful.

Wishing you all a sweet new year filled with growth, optimism, and success. Let's make the next chapter our best one yet!

“Advertising people who ignore research are just as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals.”

- David Ogilvy

Unfiltered Stories From the Heart of the Agency: Chapter 7

I Burnt the Midnight Oil

Every experience changes the trajectory of your life in some small way, but there are certain decisions, wins, losses, or moments that you can look back at and say, “Things really changed after that.” This is one of those moments.

AMC Networks is the media/TV conglomerate behind hit shows like The Walking Dead, Little Drummer Girl, Better Call Saul, A Discovery of Witches, and the objectively best TV show of all time, Breaking Bad. They have north of 10 million paid subscribers to their SVOD platforms: Sundance Now (independent films) and Shudder (horror films).

In May 2018, AMC’s Director of Marketing submitted a form on our site. One of her staff had taken my AdWords course and spoke highly of our agency (see chapter 6). We were all jazzed for this pitch, and we spent two weeks preparing slide decks and concepts.

I love horror (I’ve read everything Stephen King has ever written) so I spent most of my time focusing on the Shudder side of the pitch. Side note: we didn’t get the Shudder business, but they stole my damned headline. The movies and TV shows too scary for Netflix. I didn’t complain. They were correct to steal it—it’s a great concept.

I remember this like it was yesterday. Nada, AMC’s Marketing Director, called to ask about video. Can we make video? “But of course we can do video, Nada!” I said.

Nada: that’s how many videos we’ve made up until that point. I called Patrick in a slight panic. He calmed me down with various unrepeatable expletives, and as I usually do, I replied with nervous laughter and hung up the phone.

I pulled into my driveway at 6pm the evening before our in-person pitch in NYC. I sat in my car with a pit in my belly. We were going to lose the pitch. I knew it with a sort of morbid certainty. We were up against much larger agencies, with more resources, experience, and production capabilities. We had our decks and our ideas, but we were still woefully unprepared.

I pulled out of my driveway and just drove aimlessly around my block for thirty minutes. How could I face Frayde if we lost this pitch because we didn’t show up? Worse, how could I face Patrick? And Ari?

Then I had an idea. It was a bullshit idea that would never work in a real campaign, but it was the sort of idea that might help us distinguish ourselves from other agencies. I called Frayde and asked her if we had popcorn kernels at home. No, we did not. I drove to the supermarket and bought some. I also bought paprika, some hipster-flavored oil, and other random spices with exotic-looking labels. Seriously. Just a bunch of idiot spices.

I was going to film a Tasty-style recipe video. Movie night recipes that pair perfectly with your Sundance Now subscription … that was the concept. Like I said, stupid.

I told Frayde I needed her hands—literally—and that it was going to be a long night. We filmed until 3 am. I literally burnt the oil. Then I burnt the oil, and the pot, again. I burnt the popcorn. We spilled paprika all over the kitchen floor. I also melted my iPhone duct-taping it to the stove’s hood trying to shoot an overhead time-lapse.I had no idea how to add effects in post-production, so I spent the rest of the night on YouTube, watching tutorials on color-correcting, stabilization, text overlays, and cutting musical tracks.

Another side note (say sorry): I was twenty days into a 30-day Peloton challenge, part of a team, all of us committed to riding 30 miles a day every day for 30 days. At 4:30 am, I took the YouTube tutorials on the bike and got my ride in. I finished the cut at 7:30, got to the office at 8, and showed the team what we had. Patrick held the expletives. Thank God for small favors.

When we got to the city, Ari took us to the wrong address. I discovered a few unique expletives of my own as we ran fifteen city blocks in the rain to AMC’s headquarters. My butt cheeks arrived a few seconds after I did. I needed a defibrillator. After watching our video, Nada turned to me and said, “wow, this is great energy. No one showed us a video campaign idea during their pitch. But this is just super, super rough, right? You wouldn’t actually suggest we run … this … thing … right?”

We won the Sundance Now account. We filmed four more recipe videos. I still think the popcorn ad we made overnight when we burnt the midnight oil was the best of the lot. Those ads generated tens of millions of impressions over the course of the campaign. It was pretty cool and the work we did for them was legitimately successful.

We lost the account when AMC got acquired by a global media brand. It happens, but that doesn’t take away from the work, the experience, and the results.

From time to time, burn the midnight oil.

P.S: You can watch the popcorn video here.

What's Going On at AdVenture Academy

It’s that time again—QBRs are in full swing, and we’re knee-deep in Black Friday planning chaos (the good kind). If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to juggle client updates, holiday sales strategies, and year-end wrap-ups all at once, this is it.

QBRs, aka Quarterly Business Reviews, are more than just a check-in. They’re a chance to dig into the numbers, showcase results, and realign on what’s next. We’ve got the templates ready to make your life easier—just grab our free QBR template and keep that client relationship running smoothly.

On the Black Friday front, it’s all about playing the long game. We’re not just talking about the day-of sales—we’re plotting out every detail leading up to the big event. If you’re looking to win big this year, you’ll want to get your hands on our Black Friday Mega Guide. It’s packed with everything you need to hit your targets and then some.

So, whether you’re prepping for the holidays or wrapping up Q3, we’ve got the tools to help you succeed.

Access the QBR template and the Black Friday Mega Guide.

This gave me a good laugh... 

The BCFM Balancing Act...

Client Strategy

Let's discuss this chart... 

This is the hidden logic behind every successful Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) strategy—the part that makes most of us feel like we’re walking a financial tightrope. You see, BFCM isn’t just about the sales that explode on the day itself. It’s the culmination of every carefully placed dollar before those chaotic 24 hours.

Here’s the cognitive gymnastics: in the lead-up to BFCM, costs (that’s your ad spend and marketing investment) often soar while revenue barely budges. This feels uncomfortable—watching the purple line (cost) climb steadily, while the red line (revenue) takes its sweet time to catch up. But this isn't a mistake. It’s exactly how it’s supposed to work.

The reason? BFCM success doesn’t start on Black Friday—it starts weeks, even months earlier. You’re front-loading your investment to build brand awareness, capture new audiences, and set the stage for the real payoff. Early spending might feel risky because, yes, you’re investing more than you’re making in those initial weeks. But when BFCM hits, that red line (revenue) skyrockets past costs, if you’ve executed well.

This week, we’re breaking down why every effective BFCM strategy requires risk tolerance—because investing early and strategically is the only way to maximize the payoff when the big day arrives.

We’ve seen this play out year after year with every client. So, whether you're managing expectations with your client, your boss, or planning for yourself—communicate early about the need for risk tolerance. Front-loading costs might feel uncomfortable, but mapping out the strategy ensures everyone can stomach the lower revenue up front, knowing the payoff is coming.

P.S. We want to make this newsletter valuable to YOU! If you have any specific topics you want us to cover or questions you want answered, hit reply to this email, and let's get in touch! 

P.P.S. Seriously, I mean it! I read every email. I am here to help you!