In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of North Seventy Five is joined by Mike Khouri, CEO of tactical, to talk about the future of social and Tactical's newly launched report, Build Your World.

Mike explains why he stripped the agency back from 17 services to three, and how a deep dive into Hollywood's creative systems led to a new methodology built around "effective entertainment" - the idea that social platforms aren't really social at all, but interest-led entertainment engines.

The conversation covers world-building over trend-chasing, why brands should focus on retention rather than fleeting attention, how cultural lanes and recurring characters build brands over time, and what it actually takes for an independent to define its own DNA.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of North Seventy Five is joined by Elisabeth Anne, Regional Managing Director of Imagination and Sally Henderson, Founder, High-stakes leadership mentor & Author of "The How of High Performance", for an honest conversation about women and leadership.

Together they explore how the regional conversation has shifted from representation to genuine influence, who controls budgets, shapes strategy, and wins the major mandates. They also discuss the art of saying no without guilt, knowing your role, setting consistent boundaries and separating being liked from being respected.

They also dig into the double standards women still navigate, why trust, not popularity, is the foundation of leadership, and the underrated role of recovery and energy in high performance. It's a warm, candid episode with an emphatic call to action for women to be authentic and find moments to laugh, but also be brave, set boundaries fearlessly and put yourself first.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai

In this episode of The Edge of Influence, host Iman Issa, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of North Seventy-Five, is joined by Richard Bonner-Davis, Co-Founder & CEO Gabriel Worldwid and Arne Mosselman, Founder, CEO & Gen AI Strategist @ Ainigma, an AI transformation consultancy in Amsterdam.

Together they unpack what AI really means for agencies, talent and leaders, and make the case for moving past a fear-based, cost-cutting mindset, toward AI as an investment in the future building it into your people and processes rather than treating it as a side tool.

The conversation covers two questions every leader should ask - what will no longer be valuable, and what impossible things can we now? They also discuss how AI shifts an agency's value toward judgement and advice, the rise of new roles and skill sets, and the practical case for a dedicated AI line item and "playground" budget. They close on why human creativity, the tension behind ideas like "reassuringly expensive", remains something AI can't replicate.

Production Credits:

Presented by: Iman Issa
Editor: Ian Carless
Executive Producers: Iman Issa & Ian Carless
Produced by: North Seventy Five & Poddworx Dubai