Podcast · 51 episodes
D2C Diaries
by Loukas Hambi and Olly Hudson · English
Join Olly Hudson and Loukas Hambi in a laid-back yet insightful podcast, where we dive into the heart of D2C and e-commerce. With a combined experience of managing over £150 million in ad spend across Meta and TikTok and helping scale over 200 brands, we bring you a digestible blend of performance, operational, and creative wisdom.
Latest episodes
He Took ironSource to $11B. Here’s His $180M AI System for Scaling DTC| Omer Kaplan, ZygOmer Kaplan explains how he scaled IronSource (mobile ad monetization/distribution) to a public $11B valuation, then applied the same “test, score, and scale” approach to DTC via Zig—an AI-driven…28 Sep 2026 · 58 min
What Will It Take To Win Peak 2026 - Soar x FosphaPre-recorded webinar (DTC Diaries) with Phosphor on how to prepare for and win during Peak/Black Friday–Cyber Monday in 2026, including creative strategy, full-funnel budget allocation, automation…22 Sep 2026 · 46 min
Creative Research 101 | The Hidden System Behind Ads That ScaleCreative Research 101—how to research for ads that scale by starting from outcomes, identifying the binding constraint, and using both manual and targeted automated research (not “spray and pray” or…14 Sep 2026 · 1 h 5 min
All episodes
He Took ironSource to $11B. Here’s His $180M AI System for Scaling DTC| Omer Kaplan, ZygOmer Kaplan explains how he scaled IronSource (mobile ad monetization/distribution) to a public $11B valuation, then applied the same “test, score, and scale” approach to DTC via Zig—an AI-driven…28 Sep 2026 · 58 min · 19 chapters
What Will It Take To Win Peak 2026 - Soar x FosphaPre-recorded webinar (DTC Diaries) with Phosphor on how to prepare for and win during Peak/Black Friday–Cyber Monday in 2026, including creative strategy, full-funnel budget allocation, automation…22 Sep 2026 · 46 min · 19 chapters
Creative Research 101 | The Hidden System Behind Ads That ScaleCreative Research 101—how to research for ads that scale by starting from outcomes, identifying the binding constraint, and using both manual and targeted automated research (not “spray and pray” or…14 Sep 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 19 chapters
From Complete Burnout To A £40M Category Leader! Mark Scott | The Leader MindsetMark Scott (founder of Bella & Duke) explains how he went from complete burnout to building a £40M+ raw pet food category leader, arguing that founders often become the bottleneck, and that growth…7 Sep 2026 · 59 min · 20 chapters
Meta Creative Strategy | Building Banger Yapper Ads That ACTUALLY ConvertMeta creative strategy for “yapper” (yapper) ads—raw, face-to-camera, vulnerable storytelling that’s manually copywritten to drive funnel performance.1 Sep 2026 · 56 min · 28 chapters
Meta AI Creative Strategy | What’s Working Now (Secrets From $100M+ Spend This Quarter)Meta/Facebook creative strategy for Q3: what’s working now, how to audit ad accounts (binding constraints), and how to prioritize post-click improvements via landing pages, including AI-assisted…24 Aug 2026 · 52 min · 18 chapters
Understanding Your True LTV and Company Value | Prof. Daniel McCarthyHow to measure true customer lifetime value (CLV) and use it to assess company value, profitability path, and acquisition/retention strategy for D2C and subscription businesses.18 Aug 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 22 chapters
Carl Weische - CRO Mastermind Behind IM8's $50M/Month, Spills On Funnels, Offers & Post-ClickCarl Weische (Accelerated Agency) explains CRO beyond ads: post-click funnel congruence, offer/perceived value, and post-purchase upsells.10 Aug 2026 · 52 min · 14 chapters
How Lapland Turned an In-Person Experience Into a Global $20M+ DTC EmpireLapland’s journey from a high-attention in-person Father Christmas experience to a global DTC empire, using storytelling-first e-commerce, limited-capacity ticket demand, and product “magic” that…30 Jul 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 21 chapters
£1B Ecom Operator Shares His Best Advice (What e-com founders get wrong)Paul Gedman (ex-Huck Group, eComplete) explains what DTC/e-commerce founders get wrong: private equity is optimized for PE, not founders; exits are extremely rare; and success depends on long-term,…10 Jul 2026 · 1 h 8 min · 21 chapters
What's Working in Meta Ads Right Now with Alex Cooper | AI Animation, Research & Winning FormatsMeta ads creative strategy and what’s working now: hyper-relevant feed experiences, persona/micro-persona targeting, AI execution (especially AI animation), and winning format/iteration approaches.29 Jun 2026 · 1 h 11 min · 36 chapters
We Audited 40+ 8-Figure DTC Ad Accounts in 2026. Here's What's Broken and How to Fix ItQ2 2026 audit recap of 40+ DTC Meta ad accounts (mostly $10M+/year) explaining what’s broken and how to fix it: attribution misconfiguration after March attribution changes, audience/network issues,…29 Jun 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 18 chapters
The Organic Content Playbook Behind Tonic Health's 1.7M Followers: Sunna on Disrupting SupplementsHow Tonic Health founder Sunna built an organic, education-first supplement brand using supermarket “ingredient truth” videos, scaled to ~1.7M followers, and used audience insights to launch kids…12 Jun 2026 · 58 min · 26 chapters
Creative Strategy for Meta Ads | How a Top Creative Strategist Actually Works in 2026How a senior creative strategist at SOAR Group builds Meta ads strategy in 2026—using AI for execution while relying on manual research, clear constraints, and systematic testing (persona + messaging…11 Jun 2026 · 1 h 2 min · 23 chapters
Creative Forecasting Masterclass: How to Calculate Your Exact Creative Volume for Any Spend TargetCreative forecasting for Meta ads—how to calculate the exact monthly number of new creatives needed to hit a spend target, using ad-account “inventory” metrics (hit rate, churn, survival/half-life)…8 Jun 2026 · 27 min · 11 chapters
Claude Mastermind: Building a Creative Strategy System That Powers 6K Ads Per MonthHow the hosts use Claude (Opus, Code, Skills, and CodeWork) to build a creative-strategy “operating system” that turns brand/domain context into scalable ad scripting and QC, claiming it supports…20 May 2026 · 1 h 15 min · 32 chapters
The AI Stack Behind £100M Annual Ad Spend in 2026How the hosts build and use “AI stacks” (personal operating systems and an agency “creative strategy operating system”) to turn marketing/service work into predictable, compounding workflows;…30 Apr 2026 · 52 min · 25 chapters
The 4 Growth Levers Every DTC Brand Needs To AuditThe episode introduces a “Growth Compass” framework to audit and prioritize DTC growth.24 Apr 2026 · 59 min · 23 chapters
Q1 2026 D2C Debrief: AI Animation, Attribution Updates, and the Creative Gap Brands Are MissingQ1 2026 D2C/Meta performance creative debrief covering AI animation, attribution changes, “creative gap” brands miss (especially self-messaging), and scaling via creative volume + forecasting.14 Apr 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 25 chapters
The Persona Mastermind: How Top 1% DTC Brands Drive Incremental Reach on MetaJoin Olly Hudson and Loukas Hambi as they delve into the D2C and e-commerce space, leveraging their extensive expertise in managing significant ad spends across platforms like Meta and TikTok.16 Mar 2026 · 50 min · 19 chapters
M&A Secrets for selling your DTC brand in 2026Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) in the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) space, particularly for beauty brands aiming for exits by 2026.5 Mar 2026 · 1 h 9 min · 31 chapters
How to Make AI UGC Ads in 2026: Sora 2, Claude and the Full WorkflowIn this episode, Loukas outlines a detailed workflow for creating hyper-realistic UGC (User Generated Content) style ads using AI tools, emphasizing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.26 Feb 2026 · 46 min · 16 chapters
Meta Insider Reveals How £100M+ Disruptor Brands Scale With AndromedaIn this episode, Olly and Loukas dive deep into the workings of Meta and how disruptive brands are leveraging the platform's capabilities for effective scaling, with insights from Maxime, a Meta…17 Feb 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 24 chapters
Meta Algorithm Update: How to Adjust Your Organic and Paid Media StrategyInsights on D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) and e-commerce strategies backed by extensive ad spend management experience across major platforms like Meta and TikTok.5 Feb 2026 · 1 h · 28 chapters