The marketers group chat.
Catch 22 is the marketing podcast for anyone who's over the copy-paste AI slop information filling their algorithm.
Hosted by Ashton Tuckerman and Mikayla Nicol from TwentyTwo Digital.
Each episode, we dig into the trends, contradictions, campaign wins, and spectacular flops shaping modern marketing. From AI and content strategy to brand positioning, agency life, and the stuff nobody else wants to say out loud.
No fence sitting. Honest opinions and candid conversations.
I'm Not a Marketer | Ft. James Pelecanos | Accidental Careers, Our Biggest F*ck Ups, The Maths Behind Marketing
Today we're drinking and thinking.
In this episode of Catch 22, we're joined by James Pelecanos: girl dad, serial entrepreneur, college dropout, resident Galvaniser, life of the party, and the most marketer-y person we know who swears he's not a marketer.
James shares his role in the start of TwentyTwo Digital, how a side hustle turned into a full-blown agency during COVID, and how he went from setting up desks and buying laptops to having a hand in pretty much everything.
We also hear about tomato picking, an identity crisis at a bus stop, and why you don't have to turn the thing you love into your job.
Then we get into the marketing misconceptions. Why do people think marketing is just ads? What's the maths behind it all? And does marketing need a rebrand to bring more young guys into the industry? Plus imposter syndrome, earning your XP, and what a Galvaniser actually brings to a team.
Finally, we wrap up with Spill the Agency, where we confess our biggest work f*ck ups (one cost around $250K) and talk about why owning your mistakes always wins.
Founder lessons, career chaos, and a marketer in denial.
Links from the episode:
👤 Mikayla Nicol on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaylanicol/)
👤 Ashton Tuckerman on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtontuckerman/)
🌐 TwentyTwo Digital (https://twentytwodigital.com/)
Credits
Co-host: Ashton Tuckerman
Co-host: Mikayla Nicol
Producer: Mikayla Nicol
Editor: Bria Harper
24 Jul 2026
BONUS: Marketing in This Economy? | Budget Cuts, The Death of Juniors, Fractional Everything
Description:
Things are feeling... crunchy.
In this episode of Catch 22, we're unpacking what happens to marketing when business confidence drops and budgets start tightening.
We break down why "fractional" seems to be the buzzword of 2026, whether it's actually a sign of the economy, and why consultants might need a rebrand. Then we tackle one of the biggest shifts happening across agencies right now: the disappearing junior workforce. Is AI replacing entry-level roles, or are businesses creating a future skills shortage?
From there, we dive into marketing budgets. Why is marketing always the first thing to get cut? What should businesses protect during an economic downturn? And how do you decide what to stop without breaking your entire acquisition funnel?
Finally, we wrap up with a discussion on sunk cost fallacy, making faster decisions with data, and a debate about whether phones belong in the workplace at all.
A conversation about uncertainty, smarter marketing, and why playing it safe isn't always the safest option.
Links from the episode:
📊 NAB Business Confidence Index (https://www.nab.com.au/news/economy-markets/nab-march-business-survey-confidence-plunges-echoing-gfc-and-covid-falls)
🎓 TRMNL Agency Report (https://trimline.co/)
👤 Mikayla Nicol on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaylanicol/)
👤 Ashton Tuckerman on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtontuckerman/)
🌐 TwentyTwo Digital (https://twentytwodigital.com/)
4 Jun 2026
The Agency Sucked So I Built My Own | Being Unmanageable, Don't Hire Your Friends
In this episode of Catch 22, we’re throwing open the agency doors with our very first guest.
Joining us is Sarah Pelecanos - founder of TwentyTwo Digital, creator of Full Stack Marketer, 30 Under 30 winner, and, well… our boss.
Sarah shares her thoughts on the AI panic, what people underestimate about running an agency, and the hidden mental load that comes with leading a growing team.
We unpack what’s changed as the business has scaled, why founders need to stop being the smartest person in the room, and the challenge of finding your place as a business grows beyond you.
Then we get into the messy stuff: hiring friends, being “unmanageable” as an employee, career growth, TikTok, agency hot takes, and the marketing advice Sarah thinks people get wrong.
A mix of founder lessons, marketing debates, and chaos.
Links from the episode:
🎓 Full Stack Marketer (https://www.fullstackmarketer.com.au/)
👤 Sarah Pelecanos on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-e-newport/)
👤 Mikayla Nicol on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaylanicol/)
👤 Ashton Tuckerman on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtontuckerman/)
🌐 TwentyTwo Digital (http://twentytwodigital.com/)
12 May 2026
Hashtag Take Me Back | AI Therapy, Gen-Z vs Millennial Manager, Nostalgia Marketing
In this episode of Catch 22, we’re going from the future to the past, and somehow finding our way back to the present 🔮
We kick things off with a slightly terrifying story about AI psychosis (seriously, check Nan’s phone 👵📱) before diving into the ethics of AI “therapy”, therapy bots, and whether guardrails around AI are keeping up with reality.
Then we open up the generational group chat: millennial managers 🤝 Gen Z teams. From dial-up internet and Ask Jeeves to “what’s a dongle?”, we unpack why younger generations are romanticising an offline world they never actually lived through.
Finally, we throw it way back (and it’s not even Thursday) to unpack the rise of nostalgia marketing: why brands are leaning into Y2K aesthetics, loud visuals, retro internet culture, and how to tap into the trend without the cringe.
Links from the episode:
Coinbase “Your Way Out” advert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQJMzTpckPo)
Victa Mowers (https://victa.com/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=22d)
Apple “For All Mankind” Time Capsule (https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/For_All_Mankind:_Time_Capsule)
What's a Dongle (https://www.tiktok.com/@twentytwo_digital/video/7603271401184726290)
22 Mar 2026
This Could Be Terrible | 2026 Trends Take-Down, AI Influencers, The Resurgence of Hashtags
Catch 22 is here! This is our debut, so it could be terrible... we'll let you be the judge.
Welcome to Episode 1 of Catch 22: the marketing podcast from TwentyTwo Digital where Ashton Tuckerman and Mikayla Nicol turn down the noise and turn up the conversations that actually matter.
In this episode, we're breaking down five marketing trends defining 2026, including:
🤖 AI influencers: hype, helpful, or quietly unsettling? #Hashtags: dead, reborn, or just misunderstood?🔥 Plus: Rage-bait as a brand strategy, The offline marketing resurgence, and ChatGPT ads in Australia (early adoption play or wait-and-see era?)
Finally, a little segment we call "UNspo", where we drag the campaigns that really needed another draft.
Brands and campaigns we get into: Good Rituals (and the founder-led content playbook), the Dove Reddit campaign and its Real Bodies platform, Priceline Pharmacy's menopause campaign, and the industrial resin TikTok account we're secretly obsessed with.
Hit play and let's catch up!
🎧 Find us at twentytwodigital.com
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