Dear Reader,

March 1st, 2020. For Buchun and me, it was supposed to be the home stretch of senior year. Then everything changed. I had a job lined up at Edelman, but a hiring freeze delayed my start by nine months. Many of my friends weren’t as lucky, with the job market all but disappearing.

With time on my hands and a desire to help, the idea for a podcast emerged. I didn’t have all the answers, but I knew people who did. I met Buchun through the Ad Club at UIUC, and he quickly brought the visual experience to life. Mikey handled the audio, and Breaking and Entering was born. On April 16th, 2020, we released our first episode from my bedroom in North Lombard, IL. My friend Steph Maurer was the first guest—both of us about to graduate, unsure of what was next. That episode became a mix of advice and therapy, the beginning of what Breaking and Entering was meant to be: a guide for people like us, trying to break into the industry.

By 2022, the podcast had momentum, and Jack Westerkamp—a childhood friend—stepped in to lead growth and finance. Jack, Mikey, and I had grown up together in Lombard, and he understood the vision. We kept expanding. Cooper Colvig joined as lead strategist, focusing on the Crowbar Awards, while Ken Bates became lead copywriter and researcher.

We continued to grow. Sydney Bystrom joined to help lead our marketing efforts, while Sydney Stephens, a student at Michigan State, began creating content for our Blueprint segment—sharing her journey in a way that resonates with the college audience.

By 2024, we’d reached 150,000 listens and 320+ episodes. We launched Talent Unmasked, spotlighting top advertising professionals, and introduced the Brand-Side Segment, diving into client-side marketing. With Brian Bonilla from Ad Age, we began interviewing top industry figures and breaking down trends. We spoke at over 20 universities and created a GroupMe for students to connect.

But we’re not stopping there. Now, we’re connecting agencies with brands, production houses with agencies, and ad journalists with new followers. We’re matching universities with new students, and recruiters with top talent—all to help people break into their dream careers.

On September 19th, 2024, Jack and I left our full-time jobs to pursue Breaking and Entering Media full-time. We moved to New York City, where we now live in a shoebox apartment, recording episodes and working day and night to build something bigger. Today, it’s the advertising industry. Tomorrow, Breaking and Entering will be everywhere.

What started as a way to help friends has become a platform that connects thousands to the advertising world—and we’re just getting started.

Rock on,
Geno