Eric Morgenstern was doing integrated marketing before the industry had a name for it. Splitting his days between ad accounts and PR accounts at Brewer, serving as Hallmark's national spokesperson, then founding Morningstar Communications, Eric has always operated at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and people. He's also done it with his wife and business partner Shanny by his side for nearly three decades. It’s a partnership playbook that's as practical as it is rare. In this episode, Eric sits down with Sam and Mike to talk about building a firm, leading with ethics, and the principles that hold up across every era of this business.

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In this episode of Kansas City Marketing Legends, we sit down with Jack Schmid, a true pioneer who helped put Kansas City on the direct marketing map. From his early days at Fingerhut to launching the Halls catalog at Hallmark and eventually building his own agency, J Schmid & Associates, Jack has lived the full evolution of the industry from punch card databases and printed catalogs to the internet age and AI. He shares the story behind landing Marks & Spencer as a client (spoiler: it involved Harry Truman.) Jack tells us why the fundamentals of direct marketing — the right list, the right offer, the right creative — never go out of style, and what he’s still learning at 90. This one’s packed with wisdom, great stories, and lessons every marketer needs to hear.

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Brian Brooker didn't just write ads. He wrote campaigns that ran for years and years, helped Southwest Airlines find its voice under the legendary Herb Kelleher, and built a 100-person creative org as CCO of Garmin. From his early days at Bernstein-Rein and Barkley & Evergreen in KC to his move to GSD&M in Austin, Brian brought a deceptively simple philosophy to every room he walked into. He brought back his learnings in Austin to Barkley and helped create the memorable Two Guys campaign for Sonic. In this episode, he sits down with Sam and Mike to talk about the work, the craft, and the principles that guided it all: keep it simple, take the side door, and never forget that everything matters.

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