DM Me with Doug Melville

Doug Melville hosts an episode recorded at LinkedIn’s Talent Connect in New York City, featuring an interview with Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn’s chief business officer, about LinkedIn’s newly launched AI recruiting product, Hiring Assistant 2. Mark explains the tools relevance in the recruiting process, and advises job seekers to keep profiles rich and updated since AI systems pick up keywords and activity signals like follows and content engagement. The two discuss how AI is reshaping leadership demands and skills needs, with AI job requirements growing faster than AI skills on profiles, and Lobosco urges employees to build AI fluency, prompt well, and stay adaptable. He also outlines effective organizational AI adoption, and frames the future as a human-plus-AI workforce where tasks shift and new jobs emerge. DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville welcomes Emmy-nominated journalist Mimi Brown, Front Page News correspondent for The Breakfast Club and host of Front Page with Mimi Brown on the Black Effect Podcast Network, to discuss what it takes to build a career in journalism amid today’s nonstop social media driven news cycle. Brown explains her daily process of curating stories for different audiences in different mediums, distinguishing national policy impact from local relatable news, and emphasizes old-school standards like training, sourcing, and fact-checking versus today's 'race to be first'. They explore why journalists now need a clear personal brand, and how shifting corporate dynamics and DEI pullbacks are pushing more people—especially Black women—toward ownership and content creation. They also touch on the midterm election urgency, civic literacy, and Brown’s advice to know your value, create opportunities, and avoid staying in a narrow lane. More of Mimi: @MimiBrownTV Front Page Podcast DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Doug answers a listener question from Jasmine in Washington, D.C. about breaking into the luxury industry. He explains that luxury has distinct culture and philosophy from fashion and operates within an unwritten hierarchy. He shares five tips for getting your foot in the luxury door, including that the hiring process can take up to a year. DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug answers a mailbag question from Janelle, a New York City professional who lost her corporate job and is struggling to find a new full-time role in this brutal job market. Sharing five practical tips drawn from his Stanford GSB reputation management teaching, Doug emphasizes that reputation precedes you, urging a Google first-page audit, and considering private social media settings. He notes that “ghost jobs” are on the rise, and with them, the rising importance of referrals. Doug advises proactively activating your network and understanding whether you’re in the “tennis” or “golf” phase of a career. DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug talks with longtime friend Andrew “Andy” Hilfiger about building culture at the intersection of fashion and music, from early retail lessons with his older brother Tommy Hilfiger, to creating Tommy Jeans, and his own brand, Andrew Charles. Andy recounts key moments in his career, including styling hip-hop and R&B artists, launching iconic campaigns with Aaliyah, and how Snoop Dogg ended up wearing his designs on Saturday Night Live. He tells Doug about launching J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez, and remembers where he first met Doug... on Britney Spears' Baby One More Time tour. Andy shares advice on how to start your career in the fashion industry and reflects on changes driven by e-commerce and fast fashion in recent decades. For more of Andy Hilfiger: Andy's Instagram www.AndrewCharles.com DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.com   Original Publish May 26, 2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug hosts a mailbag episode explaining how to pivot from a corporate career to becoming a published author, answering listener questions about his path to writing Invisible Generals with Simon & Schuster. He stresses understanding the marketplace and your niche category, avoiding memoirs without name recognition, choosing a story you’re uniquely positioned to tell, and constructing a realistic marketing plan focused on selling tens of thousands of copies. He outlines using AI for research and editing but not to write the book or proposal and recommends hiring a book proposal writer and securing a literary agent to pitch the "Big Five" publishers. DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug interviews Emmanuel Waters, CEO and co-founder of Durham, North Carolina-based Old Hillside Bourbon Company. Launched in 2020 and expanding across the U.S., Emmanuel shares his pivot from a Department of Defense and contracting career to entrepreneurship after a COVID-era “aha moment”. He talks about breaking a state sales record at launch, but not before planning his career exit with his wife by reviewing finances, relying on benefits, and reviewing the spirits industry’s regulation and low margins. Old Hillside’s differentiation is storytelling, using nontraditional packaging and on-bottle narratives to honor Black American history, including early Kentucky Derby Black jockeys and the Trifecta women of horse racing. Emmanuel and Doug discuss product persistence in the spirit market, capital access challenges, celebrity liquor brands, being lumped with other Black-owned labels, and advice on chasing purpose over money. More of Emmanuel: Old Hillside Website Forbes Article DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville interviews Angelique Chamberlain, an LA Times Magazine travel contributor and telecom executive who has visited 108 countries, ALL seven continents, and the wonders of the world. She talks about how family travel, (and a UCLA gap year) sparked her passion, and how travel inspires - from luxury trips and experiences from Kenya’s Giraffe Manor to Bhutan. Angelique and Doug discuss the growth of solo travel, why she prefers it, and shares solo travel safety tips. She also describes her “Passport University” alternative education concept, and her ultimate goal of inspiring broader travel. Doug's Forbes Article on Angelique More of Angelique: @YourTravelSensei Los Angeles Times DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville interviews seven-time Grammy winner and founder of the Black Eyed Peas Will.i.am at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativit in France. The discussion is about implementing AI for creativity and problem-solving. Will.i.am shares his history in the tech space over the past 20 year and his pivot from music into hardware, recounting early work with music executive and entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine, building of an AI watch with contextual voice capabilities, and being an early investor in companies like Tesla, Twitter, Lovable, Anthropic, and others. He explains his platform, FYI.ai, and its value proposition as a secure, collaborative messenger for large files and IP protection. Will.i.am argues it’s too early to fear AI and compares it to a life “cheat code” people should learn.  DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville hosts Sarah Davis and Ben Hemminger, founder and co-founder of Fashionphile, now CEO and COO of the largest ultra-luxury handbag and accessory retailer in the U.S. They trace their roots from selling on eBay in 1999 and bootstrapping the business, including a strategic early base in Beverly Hills to build trust and credibility through authentication guides and strong feedback. They discuss partnering after an earlier startup, leaving stable career paths, and finding product-market fit in luxury resale. Fashionphile has grown to hundreds of millions in revenue, 400+ employees, 14 locations and major flagships in San Diego, LA, and New York, plus London and Tokyo offices. They cover supply-vs-demand dynamics, the “pay her fast and fair” seller strategy, brand relationships, pricing trends, and evolving authentication tools and anti-fraud efforts, and close with advice to start quickly and obsess over customers. Fashionphile.com Fashionphile on Instagram DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doug Melville welcomes in Lanny Smith to discuss his pivot from basketball to entrepreneurship as the founder of athleisure brand Actively Black. Lanny recounts playing college basketball, and signing as an undrafted free agent with the Sacramento Kings shortly before a knee injury ended his NBA career after 33 days, triggering an identity crisis. He explains how faith helped him launch his first brand, Active Faith, which Steph Curry later partnered in, and how experiences with racism and the 2020 social climate led him to launch Actively Black. Lanny discusses the brand’s “This is Not a Fashion Show” New York Fashion Week event featuring figures such as Ruby Bridges, and the daughters of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. As always, Doug closes with asking his guest for the best advice they've received, and Lanny tells us about rejecting fear. For more of Lanny Smith: Lanny's Instagram www.ActivelyBlack.com DM Doug: @DougMelville www.DougMelville.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DM Me with Doug Melville is a direct, practical self-help podcast in which Doug Melville answers real questions with clear guidance to help listeners grow and take action on their careers, reputation, culture and life. Doug Melville is a seasoned executive, bestselling author, and Forbes contributor with 25 years of leadership experience. His career spans the music industry in Los Angeles, top advertising agencies on Madison Avenue, and senior roles in the global luxury sector in Geneva. He has traveled to 77 countries and all 50 U.S. states, gaining rare insight into culture, business, and human behavior. Recognized as a trusted voice, Doug advises professionals at every stage of their careers—from Stanford University to Davos —helping them navigate change and chart meaningful new paths. Equal parts historian and guide, he brings depth, clarity, and perspective to audiences seeking personal and professional growth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.