Speakers at this year's Ad Age Small Agency Conference will discuss topics including business-building strategies, client retention, culture-building and more. What they may not talk about is their French bulldog; their mad diving skills; their fan letters from prison or their failed attempts to quit advertising.

Until now.

We asked five of our panelists and keynotes to provide a few fun facts that the average person may not know. Some will surprise you. But one won't—this business has the most colorful and creative people, and you can hear from them Aug. 2-4 during our virtual event. Here's a sampling of what five of them had to offer.

Buy your ticket for the Aug. 2-4 virtual conference at AdAge.com/saca2021.

Paulo Carvajal, chief strategy officer, Noble People

• As an immigrant child I accidentally learned the wrong language by watching German TV instead of Dutch TV
• I never meant to go into advertising, but I did it to piss off my dad—and it worked
• I created a mobile game that was rejected by Apple for being too political. Twice.
• I tried to quit advertising three times and failed

Keith Cartwright, founder and chief creative officer, Cartwright 

• My father was a minister
• I have named my dogs after troubled TV sons. My current pet is a French bulldog named Roger after the son in the sitcom "What's Happening"
• I played basketball against Jason Kidd in high school. It didn't go well

Christy Hiler, president, Cornett 

• I have four wild and wonderful kids whose minds I blow with the tricks I can do off the diving board
• I stress eat Twizzlers
• In December I became the sole owner of Cornett. Need more Twizzlers

Dana Lytle, founder and CEO, Planet Propaganda

• I'm in Madison Wisconsin because of hashbrowns. Like most good breakfast potato stories, it’s a long one, too long for here
• We’ve also gotten fan letters from prison. Fortunately, I haven’t gone there for a “visit”
• Planet’s first office smelled like reubens. We were above a beloved (now-defunct) sandwich shop
• I absolutely hate pie. And gazebos 

Lizzy Sonenfeld, partner and creative director, Two Things 

• I once had a Jewish deli named after me
• I think there's as much to learn in an episode of "Star Trek the Next Generation" as in any classic literature
• I was in Mommy & Me swimming classes with Danny DeVito and his kid in the early '80s
• I studied audio engineering in college and left a graphic designer

The Ad Age Small Agency Conference & Awards is the only industry event specifically created for independent shops of fewer than 150 full-time employees. Buy your ticket for the Aug. 2-4 virtual event at AdAge.com/saca2021.