The Safari

The CPG CEO: Signature Brands’ Jared Konstanty

Jared Konstanty is the CEO of the 140 year old Signature Brands, a business centered on celebrations large and small. Its most current innovation focuses on making the act of decorating simple and compelling for families via some of their notable brands such as Betty Crocker decorating, PAAS and Pumpkin Masters. We talk about: the importance of consumer behavior, the strategies of crafting family memories, how to build a purpose driven company, building consistent brand messages, risk mitigation vs. innovation, and more. 

The Wholesale Innovator: NuORDER’s Heath Wells

Heath Wells is the CEO and co-founder of NuORDER, a digital showroom that is evolving an antiquated wholesale process. With over 500,000 retailers on the platform, NuORDER is only scratching the surface of how it can impact the wholesale space. We talk about: the shift in consumers’ buying incentives, the partnership between retailers and brands, the transition into new points of sales, DTC brands’ retail and wholesale strategies, trade shows, and more!

 

Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.

The Marketplace: Orchard Mile’s Jennie Baik

Jennie Baik is the co-founder and CEO of Orchard Mile. Few people have as direct a view into how businesses in luxury are doing on line. We talk about: what works on line and what doesn’t, What brands should do to amplify their DTC business, personalization, loyalty, the young luxury consumer, network effects and the future of retail in a “digalogue” world. 

 

Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.

The Investment Banker: Threadstone’s Billy Susman

Billy Susman helps bridge the left and the right brain in the industry of design, beauty and retail. Billy has been in banking for over 30 years. Billy runs one of the best known consumer focused boutique investment banks, Threadstone Advisors. He advises brands of all shapes and sizes on how to handle the often hard to navigate consumer corporate finance world. We discuss valuations, strategic vs financial partners and the future of investing in brands.

 

Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.

The Licensor Marketer: Beanstalk Group’s Michael Stone

Michael Stone is one of the oracles of branding and is the Chairman and founder of the Beanstalk Group, one of the world’s most storied licensing agencies who has helped build, through licensing, some of the world’s most storied brands ranging from Coca Cola to the Olsen twins. We discuss “customer entanglement” via licensing as well as segments from his new book: The Power of Licensing: Harnessing Brand Equity.

 

Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.

The Academic: The New School’s Joel Towers

Joel Towers is one of the most progressive thinkers in modern academia having instituted strict sustainability guidelines into the curriculum at Parsons over a decade ago. Joel is University Professor at The New School and the beloved former Executive Dean of Parsons. We speak about sustainability, the Anthropocene, polarizing times and design in the “board room”

 

Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.

The Talent Agent: Next Model Management’s Faith Kates

No two people know where the puck is going better than this talented duo. Faith Kates is the founder of Next Model Management. She is joined by her colleague Jennifer Gavin who heads up their influencer division. We discuss modeling, influencers, branding in the age of the internet, photography and “Gen Z”

 

Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.

Welcome to the Safari

The Safari is a guided tour around the retail, brand and consumer landscape. We interview the brightest and innovative industry leaders who share how they are shaping and evolving the industry in the years to come. Guests come from all corners of the industry from retail, beauty, fashion, CPG, academia, agencies, real estate, investing and more.

 Tune in to hear from some of the guests we'll be talking to in the months to come. 

 

Interviews conducted by Mortimer Singer.