What started in a bedroom during the pandemic is now a full-scale media company for the next generation of creatives.

In March 2020, Geno Schellenberger was a senior at the University of Illinois. He had a job lined up at Edelman. Then the pandemic hit. The world paused. His job was delayed by nine months, and the advertising industry felt out of reach for nearly everyone trying to break in.

So Geno decided to do something about it. With time on his hands and a lot of uncertainty, he launched a podcast to help his peers find their way into the industry. He didn’t have the answers, but he knew people who did.

He brought on Buchun Jiang, a fellow student he met through Ad Club, to design the look and feel. Mikey Melarkey, a childhood friend, helped produce the first 100 episodes. On April 16, 2020, the first episode of Breaking and Entering dropped, recorded from Geno’s bedroom in North Lombard, Illinois.

The concept was simple: real conversations with advertising professionals about how they got in and what they’ve learned. The show was raw, honest, and surprisingly useful. It started to catch on.

By 2022, the podcast had real momentum. Jack Westerkamp, another childhood friend from Lombard, joined the team to lead growth and business strategy. With Geno hosting, Buchun designing, and Jack building, the foundation was set.

Since then, the mission has expanded. Breaking and Entering is no longer just about breaking in. It’s about helping everyone in advertising and marketing get better at their jobs—whether they’re just starting or trying to level up. From students to CMOs, our content is made to help people break in, break through, and stay sharp.

The team built a full media platform. They launched the Crowbar Awards, a quarterly spec competition for aspiring creatives. Then came The Vault, a paid newsletter offering behind-the-scenes advice. Jack launched his own podcast, Creator Incorporated, focused on the creator economy. Geno introduced new series like BrandSide and Breaking with Brian Bonilla.

They added a daily video series called Whiteboard News, which quickly became a go-to source for fast-moving industry headlines. Weekly content like Ads in the Wild and seasonal coverage around the Super Bowl and Cannes Lions helped further establish Breaking and Entering’s role in creative media.

In September 2024, Geno and Jack moved to New York City to go full-time. They settled into a tiny East Village apartment, signed for office space on Madison Avenue, and haven’t looked back. They now produce content daily, run a multi-format podcast network, and reach millions of creatives each month.

Five years after it started, Breaking and Entering Media has published over 50 episodes, built a vibrant student and professional community, and earned recognition from Ad Age, Campaign US, and The Wall Street Journal.

But the story isn’t finished. This is just the beginning.