#1: "My Job Is To Be An Explorer" | David Berdock (Riverside)

4Ps in a Pod

In our first-ever episode, we chat with David Berdock. Dave is the Director of Incubator Brands at Riverside Natural Foods (best known for the healthy snack brand MadeGood). He leads a team that is tasked with identifying new growth pockets for the company to innovate against. Prior to his current role, Dave worked in various brand management & innovation-centric roles at General Mills and in a partnership accounts role at A&C.
When Dave isn't changing the food space - you can find him changing diapers (he has two beautiful kids) & watching/playing basketball.
In this episode - we chat with him about charting out a career in innovation, how he likens his role to the history's greatest explorers, overcoming imposter syndrome & why Paw Patrol helped his career/personal life.
More specifically, Dave shares his thoughts on the following questions:

• What sparked your interest in marketing? (4:50)
• Were you looking to work on a specific product line within CPG? (7:25)
• What is a bigger priority - seeking a business problem you're interested in solving or working with a brand that you're passionate about? (8:25)
• What has kept you in marketing for this long? (10:31)
• Can you tell us how your view on marketing has changed since you started your career? (12:42)
• If you had to use an analogy to describe your current role - what would that be? (14:52)
• How does marketing and innovation differ a larger organization vs. a smaller one? (18:35)
• Can you speak to the art/magic of identifying white space? (22:47)
• Can you tell us about how you evangelize & build a sense of belief around an unproven idea? (24:55)
• How have you dealt with imposter syndrome? (30:18)
• Can you tell us what you're looking for from upcoming talent? (33:45)
• Anything else that you would like to share with someone thinking about a career that is innovation-focused? (36:53)
• Rapid fire - we put Dave in the hot seat! (40:10)