Besides Ads is more than a podcast.
We are a podcast services company, helping some of the world’s biggest brands create compelling audio stories.
Our team is made up of veteran advertising professionals who’ve made ads and things besides ads: experts in storytelling, podcast production, strategy, marketing, and sound design.
We offer decades of experience, expertise and insight without the costs of a giant network. Our priority is creating impactful content that entertains, informs, and inspires listeners. Meet the team below!
Marc Hartzman
Creator, Co-Producer, Host
Marc has been writing in the ad industry for more than two decades. He helped develop IBM’s “Let’s Put Smart to Work” platform at Ogilvy New York and spent nearly ten years at KBS developing creative for BMW, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Windstream (consumer and small business), Monster, American Express, and NASDAQ OMX.
In addition to writing a Super Bowl spot ranked by CBS as the 17th best Super Bowl commercial of all time, he’s led dozens of award-winning marketing efforts in the digital space and traditional media.
Besides ads, Marc keeps busy raising two daughters and writing things that aren’t ads, including seven published books. Oh, and he also happens to be a recent winner on Wheel of Fortune.
Marc lives, works and podcasts from New Rochelle, New York, and is available to travel for speaking engagements.
Contact Marc for more info.
James Archer
Co-Producer, Audio Engineer, Sound Design
James is a freelance podcast producer, audio engineer and sound designer with a passion for narrative-driven storytelling. He is the producer and co-host of The Miami Chronicles: Booby Trap, a true crime documentary series formerly on Terry O'Reilly's Apostrophe Network, which has been featured in Canada's Hot Docs International Documentary Festival as well as CBC Radio One’s Podcast Playlist program. In addition to Besides Ads, James has provided technical assistance and audio engineering to Marc Hartzman’s Weird Historian podcast, as well as various musical projects and art installations in Canada and the US.
Stephie Coplan
Music
Stephie is an associate creative director and writer originally from Washington, DC. Her band, Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians, charted on rock radio in 2012 with their single, "Jerk," which led to a two-year tour opening for Cake and writing with Lauv, Rachel Platten ("Fight Song"), and more. After buying a blazer and starting her copywriting career in-house at Apple in California, Stephie moved to Toronto in 2017, where she's developed integrated campaigns for some of Canada's most well-known brands. (No, not Tim Horton's.) Her work has been recognized at award shows like Cannes and One Show and in media outlets like the New York Timesand the Toronto Star, but her biggest flex is making ads that people actually like. In her free time, Stephie teaches at Miami Ad School, writes and produces songs, and hangs out with her dog, Scrabble, who thinks her work is hilarious. Especially when he wants a treat.
Rich Wallace
Art Director
Rich has been working in advertising for over 25 years. He began his career as a graphic designer and later transitioned into the role of art direction and creative direction.
Rich spent 16 years at Ogilvy, New York. There, he created campaigns for many top brands, including IBM, American Express, Cisco, Miller Beer, Kodak, Time Warner Cable, NASCAR and Morgan Stanley.
Prior to that, Rich spent several years at various agencies in New England, working on a variety of clients including: Nextel, Monster.com, Swiss Army, Stanley Tools, General Motors, Oxygen Network, Four Seasons, Polaroid, Hewlett Packard, Bose, Lindt Chocolate and Radisson Hotels.
His work has been recognized by One Show, Communication Arts, Cannes, Clio, London International Awards, Addy, Graphis, Effie and Webby Awards.