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Keith Smith
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Keith Smith2025-08-08 11:15:132025-08-08 11:22:50Aaron J. Reardon: Digital WeirdnessDavid Meikle - Author, creative agency growth consultant & pitch expert
“Keith’s Fuel podcast was one of the best interviews I’ve had, we covered so much ground effortlessly – it was more like a chat with somebody at a party who you wish you’d met 20 years earlier.”

Steve Fair, Founder Sponge New Business, professional speaker
“Keith’s podcast earns its place in the world. His smart questions alongside his easy-going personality lead to conversations that open subjects up. As a guest, I learned a lot thanks to the way conversation, investigation and curiosity were encouraged. Fuel is a podcast about business and it’s one of the very few gems that are well worth listening to.”

Alex Sibille - Co-founder The Future Factory, new business development
“Keith was the most lovely and complimentary podcast host.
I’m really not comfortable with ‘public speaking’, but Keith made it so easy and thoroughly enjoyable.”
Dr Chris Arnold - Author ‘Flip, Unthink Everything You Know’
“If you ever have to do one podcast in your life do this one. Keith is the perfect host, he makes you feel comfortable and pulls out your best.
He finds what is interesting and creates a fascinating podcast that once you start listening to you just can’t turn it off.”
Tim Lindsay - Chairman D&AD, advertising industry legend
“Keith Smith asked me to be a guest on his Fuel podcast out of the blue. Warning; he’s quite persuasive. He prepared thoroughly and professionally – both himself and me, hosted the talk itself with panache, flexibility and great good humour and generally turned it into a really good experience. I hope it’s as enjoyable to listen to as it was to take part.”

Peter Souter - ex-Chairman & CCO, TBWA
“Fuel podcast does exactly what it says on the tin. It fuels the passion we should all have for the fine art of persuasion. If you aren’t listening to Fuel, God was wasting his time giving you ears.”

Showreel
“I’m only ever three phone calls away from disaster” – Nigel Bogle, BBH
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” – Mike Tyson
Build your new business pipeline with ideas and inspirational techniques from people working on the front line of new business sales
The Fuel podcast is brought to you in association with agency new business platform The Advertist
The Advertist is the UK’s most accurate database of marketing news, insight, contact information, mergers and acquisition and freshly funded companies, giving agencies the all-important advantage when looking for new business.
The Advertist offers agencies a free trial of its service, just email hello@theadvertist.com and see what your new business drive is missing!
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Keith Smith
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Keith Smith2025-08-08 11:15:132025-08-08 11:22:50Aaron J. Reardon: Digital Weirdness
Matt Webster - Get Over Yourself: Sales Chemistry
Building rapport with strangers. Developing skills that help you build confidence to make meetings and clients winners. Sales and marketing doesn't need to be hard; it just needs to be natural and Matt is an expert at natural chemistry. And he knows his sea-life too.

Rachel Konrad: The Succession Sessions
Only 50% of companies have a succession plan - this is why you need one and why the clever companies have them. Working with Carlos Ghosn & Elon Musk, the succession playbook, CEO factories & the world's best CEO, how the Vatican manages succession, under-performing bosses, what makes the best CEO and handling the media.

Amy Taylor - Zevia: Creative Fizzness
Former Red Bull CMO on the transition to CEO of a publicly listed company with a mission to be verbified for all types of positive, healthy food and beverage products. We discuss Brand Heat, making America healthy again, new consumers, new flavors, DEI & neurodiversity, punching up and the art of being disruptive.

Tom Salmon - Welcome to Agencyland!
How the research was carried out, common agency phrases used, the role of the UK government in sector growth, how education influences distribution of specialties, the pandemic's effect on sector growth and the birth of the Nano-Agency.

Rob Harrison-Plastow: Sales Revelations
The Meta Crisis, pluralistic ignorance, how marketing can address feelings of helplessness and overwhelm, changing perceptions through creativity, climate change mitigation, ecological overshoot, the new economy and collective brain power.

Richard Robinson: The Game Changer - Agency Pitch Predictor
Why and when big brands pitch their marketing, advertising and PR accounts. Richard Robinson is Executive Director of Ingenuity+ whose 'Pitch Predictor' research gives you and your agency the best chance of winning new business.
How much does it cost to pitch?
What is a pitch?
Advice for CMOs on holding a pitch.
How to write a brief, and the value of operational discipline.

Hannah Springett: HLabs - What's the Story?
How no code is revolutionising web design for marketing and branding work. The importance of constant innovation, how over-servicing clients works, the difference between luck and opportunity, remote working and diversity and new tools for presenting and pitching.

A Survival guide for noligarchs: How the wheels came off at Tesla, with Rachel Konrad, Esben Pedersen & Craig Davis
Can Tesla reclaim its clean, green status? Will Musk abandon Tesla or will Tesla abandon Elon? Who is Elon Musk, what was he like to work with and what has be become? Three of his closest former employees give their views on how we got here and what we can do.

Tina Fegent: Eat the Pitch
How procurement solves CMO problems, RTO, the power of independent agencies, diversity, how to make the agency short list, the importance of creativity, agency remuneration, public sector work and AI's efficiencies.

Keith Smith & Ian Truscott: PRCA NewBizFest'25
The average first meeting to pitch process can take up to 21 months. How do you keep the prospect engaged and informed throughout this time?

Paul Holmes: Thought PRovoking
One of the most high-profile figures in the global PR industry – Paul Holmes on Purpose and profit, PR’s role in the climate debate
Working from home and the WPP rule, Unsocial media and free speech with Trump, Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, DEI and America’s abandonment of equality laws
AI and modern journalism,
Pitching and new business, Man’s best friend and a place called home.

Debbie Little: Better pitching for PR agencies
PRCA's 'Pitch Forward' research detailed, dissected and analysed. How PR agencies can improve the pitch process and tip the odds in their favour.

Domenica Di Lieto: Breaking China
Predictions for the year of the snake, what US and UK can learn from China's business methods, common assumptions dispelled, how to know your customers, competitors and your advantages, how sales process works in China, the influencer market and the Chinese consumer mindset.

Peter Souter: 'That Christmas' Special
Everything you need to know about adverting industry legend Peter Souter's new movie 'That Christmas' produced with Richard Curtis, based on the book of the same name, featuring Brian Cox, Bill Nighy, Jodie Whittaker, Ed Sheeran, Fiona Shaw and India Brown. We play trivia games, puzzles and drink lashings of hot chocolate!

Peter Anderton: the Two Rules of Great Leadership
Learning the secrets of great leadership isn’t hard. Peter Anderton, TEDx star, seasoned business coach and management mentor is here to rip up the expensive rule books and make team leadership simple.
Old bosses rated from worst to best. Focusing on the stuff you can control, how to practice gratitude, the power of positive belief, saying nice things about people behind their back, why appreciation goes a long way.

Justin Wohlstadter: How to be an EXPERT in SECONDS
Justin is CEO of Waldo - one of the most powerful AI research and analytics tools for creative agencies. Trust in AI, B-to-genius, how hallucination can help creativity. How to become an expert on any business subject in seconds!

Jason Falls: The Podcast Revolutionary
The advantages and disadvantages of video and audio shows. Why b2b shows thrive on audio, vocal techniques, news in detail. Podcastst as internal comms and learning and development tools. Cost efficiencies, why you should create a podcast and when to advertise.

Linking-In with Keith & Natasha: The Perfect Client
Is there ever such a thing as the perfect client for any agency?
Is it a myth and legend on a par with Excalibur and Xanadu?
What can clients do to get the best out of their agencies?
What should agencies do to get the best out of their clients?
Is it right for agencies to question the brief they’re given?
How should clients react if you offer up diverse, radical ideas?

Steve Fair: The GOOD, the BAD & the UGLY pitch decks
Steve Fair of Sponge NB is an expert in agency credentials targeting, preparation and presentation and in this show, he gives us a simple list of do’s and don’ts for advertising, marketing and PR businesses. What is a creds deck for? The correct new business meeting format. What clients really want from an agency. Hot & cold outreach and 100 new business tips free!
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Interesting facts
The Fuel Podcast is brought to you with huge thanks to Matt Smith at Quijibo Design our friend, technical and artistic wizard.
Here’s where we live
Produced by Orchard Media Consultancy, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Tel: +44 203 356 3717

