The Fictional Agency Draft - Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast

This week on the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast, Geno Schellenberger sat down with Ad Age’s Brian Bonilla for a creative exercise unlike any other. They held a Fictional Agency Draft where they built out their dream advertising agencies using only characters from movies, TV, or books.

The Rules:

• Every pick had to be a fictional character.

• Each pick had to fill a real agency role like CEO, Strategy, Creative, Production, or New Business.

• The goal was to imagine how these personalities would actually run an agency.

WATCH THE FULL EP HERE

Brian’s Agency Picks

Brian built an agency designed to corral misfits with the help of a rock-solid, positive leader. Here is his lineup:

• CEO: Ted Lasso

  • The ultimate motivator who unites a chaotic team and keeps morale high.

• Chief Strategy Officer: Saul Goodman

  • A marketing-savvy lawyer who knows how to brand anything and is willing to get his hands dirty.

• Chief Creative Officer: Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet version)

  • A visionary creative with wild, experiential ideas and a competitive streak.

• Head of Production: Wanda (Fairly OddParents)

  • Magic-powered production for limitless, cost-free ideas and executions.

• New Business and Comms: Flo from Progressive

  • An expert saleswoman who embodies her brand and knows how to deliver a pitch.

• Founding Client: Netflix

  • A brand that demands diverse, constant, and highly creative marketing work.

Brian’s agency vibe focused on unconventional thinking with a touch of chaos, all held together by a strong leader who believes in people.

Geno’s Agency Picks

Geno went for maximum tension and personality clashes in pursuit of big creative ideas and a memorable culture. His team looked like this:

• CEO: Michael Scott

  • Creates a fun, if unpredictable, culture. Sets a goofy but loyal tone for the agency.

• Chief Strategy Officer: Sherlock Holmes

  • Hyper-analytical with an obsessive approach to research and insight.

• Chief Creative Officer: Charlie Day

  • A true wildcard who brings surprising and out-there ideas no one expects.

• Chief Visionary Officer: Raven Baxter (That’s So Raven)

  • Literally sees into the future for trend forecasting and rapid pivots.

• Head of New Business: Captain Jack Sparrow

  • Irresistible in pitches with his flair, drama, and persuasive storytelling.

• Founding Client: Goodyear

  • A brand ready for bold activations and wild creative ideas.

Geno’s shop leaned into chaotic genius, betting that the tension between personalities would fuel innovative work while delivering a memorable agency culture.

Highlights from the Episode

• The dramatic coin toss for first pick.

• Arguments over unpaid Oompa Loompas and the ethics of certain hires.

• Debates about which CEO pick would actually hold the team together.

• Discussions on who might break into song during client pitches.

• Geno’s belief that tension and conflict lead to better ideas.

• Brian’s clever use of magic to reduce production costs.

Honorable Mentions

Characters they considered but left on the board:

• Ferris Bueller for effortless charm and persuasion.

• Aang from Avatar for showmanship and big-picture thinking.

• Gordon Ramsay for creative vision but impossible-to-manage personality.

• Don Draper for obvious pitch skill but too many HR issues.

• The Detroiters for heart and passion but questionable track record on closing business.

WATCH THE EPISODE AGAIN HERE

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