"Friendships go way beyond": On Brand With Jimmy Fallon's Lauren Karwoski opens up about her experiences

One of the contestants on the reality competition show, On Brand With Jimmy Fallon, Lauren Karwoski, has shared about her experience being a participant in the reality show, especially the importance of friendship and working together even beyond the competition.

The series, which premiered on September 30, 2025, is a competition where ten creative professionals present marketing campaigns to major brands worth millions of dollars, judged by host Jimmy Fallon, advertising expert Bozoma Saint John and the brand representatives. 

On Brand With Jimmy Fallon: Lauren Karwoski 

On Brand With Jimmy Fallon is a comedy game show that challenges a competitor to give creative ideas on marketing big brands like Marshalls, Dunkin, Pillsbury and Southwest Airlines each week.

Having completed Semester at Sea, Lauren Karwoski, a marketing professional with a strong foundation in global education, leverages her flexibility and cultural awareness to negotiate the highly competitive world of the show successfully.

Later in the series, Lauren not only develops ingenious campaign pitches but also genuine relationships with her contestants. 

In an interview with GeekSided, she reflected on the importance of these relationships.

“You wanted to maintain those relationships, because someone that you could be pitch-battling one week could be controlling a major part of your activation as your team lead the next week," Lauren said. "So, it was definitely like a real job in the sense that you need to get along with your co-workers. Truly, those friendships go way beyond what you see on camera. We all keep in touch. We’re all truly close friends, so it was easy in that aspect.” 

Her remarks also captured the high stakes of the competition. She said,

“There are only so many campaigns and brands left, so I feel like the pressure was on there. What I felt was so exciting was that the energy this day was so different from any other day, because we were in this super public place in New York City. ... It felt so surreal to see the public on such a massive scale interacting with the activations.”

She said that there were highs and lows in the series, with a high point at the beginning and then a low point that she overcame by sheer determination.

Looking ahead, Lauren shared her excitement for specific campaign opportunities, especially the Sonic challenge, which resonated with her personal interests. She admired fellow contestants and celebrated their talents, emphasizing the mixture of serious competition and genuine enjoyment that defines On Brand with Jimmy Fallon.

Her positive team dynamics were also notable at the time of facing adversities like pitching a Marshalls glambot activation, where teamwork and innovation played major roles. 

Lauren Karwoski's background and skills

Lauren has experience in a wide range of international travel and academic development, recognized abroad in the MV World Odyssey with Semester at Sea, where she learned to collaborate with cultures and think expeditiously.

These experiences reflected her marketing ideas on the show On Brand with Jimmy Fallon, concerning how to engage the audience and communicate the brand. She is also seen using tactical creativity in the branding duties during the show.

On one occasion, as part of an episode about Marshalls, she suggested red carpet glamour-based interactive activations. Although the glambot idea by her team was a concept that amazed the judges in terms of the potential for good interaction, the winning pitch was a branded closet concept that focused on product visibility. 

Show's Format and Impact

On Brand With Jimmy Fallon is a show that is aired on Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC, and is streamed the next day on Peacock.

The winner will receive a prize of $100,000, a feature in Adweek and a trip to Cannes Lions Festival, as well as recognition in the industry of innovation and marketing excellence.

Jimmy Fallon is the host and executive producer, with marketing guru Bozoma Saint John offering professional advice and commentary.

The show is a combination of the challenge of a reality competition and the challenges of reality-based advertising, which has made it a special addition to primetime TV. 

The character of Lauren and her readiness to accept the high-pressure tasks in the show and create long-term friendships are excellent examples of creative spirit on the show, On Brand With Jimmy Fallon.

Karwoski is committed to using her experiences to further her career in the creative business as the season goes on. She shares updates and insights from her journey on On Brand With Jimmy Fallon with the online community on a regular basis.

Stay tuned for more updates.