On today’s episode we’re thrilled to welcome Edmund Lam, Global Brand and Creative Director at Cozey.
Edmund's journey from graphic designer to Global Brand and Creative Director is nothing short of inspiring. With a background that spans across music, fashion, and now furniture, he brings a unique perspective on how brands can and should evolve beyond traditional brand guidelines.
Edmund shares his insights on why brand books might be a thing of the past and how embracing principle-driven branding can lead to more authentic and relatable connections with consumers.
Edmund's approach to creativity is all about experimentation and pushing boundaries, making this conversation a must-listen for anyone looking to innovate in their work.
On today’s episode we’re hanging with Chief Creative Officer Josh Tierney of BMF, a global integrated creative marketing agency.
Josh is not only a CCO but also a conceptual artist who explores the tension between following trends and leading them and he believes Creative Directors need to think and act more like artists.
We’ll discuss the new Reality for CDs, The Trend Paradox and much much, more.
Jody Orsborn Medina's career has been a whirlwind that has taken her from LA to London and from owning her own shop to global freelancing.
She’s also the founder of the amazing resource Creative Playbook and Recess: Creative Show and Tell which are live talks where designers, strategists, producers and other creative minds share what’s inspiring them right now.
We’ll also touch on battling imposter syndrome, the joy of juggling multiple creative passions and her all-female Bruce Springsteen tribute band! You really do have to listen to the whole show.
On today’s episode I’m thrilled to welcome Myron Nilson, CEO of AdPipe Studio in Atlanta and former Executive Creative Director at Hilton. Today he’s going to talk about a difficult time in his personal life, how it wiped out his mental creative hard drive and what he did to comeback stronger than ever. He’ll also share his thought on dyslexia as a superpower and what he’s seeing on the horizon for AI.
• Myron on Wipeout: https://youtu.be/iLCL4xVCgiY
• AdPipe: https://www.adpipe.com
• Modular Event (Oct 22): https://www.adpipe.com/modular-2025
On this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Emily Kurek, Creative Director at Ammunition in Atlanta, Georgia.
Emily and I struck up a conversation on LinkedIn and during our exchange she mentioned that when she became a creative director at just under 30 years old, she got a lot of flack from some people that thought she didn’t have enough experience or was too young to be effective.
And that got me to thinking….I bet there are a few things a young creative director knows more about or can do better than the older generation CD. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today. So if you wanna come after anyone, come after me because I came up with this topic and she bravely stepped up to the plate. Perhaps bravery is one of things a younger CD brings to the table?
On episode 83, I speak with Nat Resende, who grew up on a coffee farm in Brazil and has worked her way up to EVP and ECD, leading Creative for Digitas North America.
She’s a champion of inclusive representation in the world of advertising and mentors creatives navigating the industry from a minority experience.
Today, we’re focusing on the importance of weaving inclusivity into our creative work—especially at a time when DEI is under attack. It’s a timely and hugely important issue.
I’m thrilled to welcome back pitch and presentation expert Ben Levy for his encore appearance on Confessions of a Creative Director. Ben has a new book out called Stop Reading Slides: How to nail creative presentations and sell your best ideas.
This book covers everything you need to know about the topic but today we’re going to focus on perhaps the most important part which is overcoming client objections. We've all been there. We present the best work of our lives....and the client just doesn't "get it" or thinks "it won't work."
On this episode, we nerd out with Creative Director Calvin Innes from JVM Nerd London, a full service creative and media agency for Gaming, Nerd-Culture, and Fandom Communities. He’s going to deliver the Pop Culture Trends Creative Directors need to know about including the rise of the Kidults and the influence of gamification on retail and culture.
On this episode I speak to Andrew Carty Head of Strategy and Glen D’Souza Head of Creative respectively for Forsman & Bodenfors Canada about their unique approach to integrating creative and strategy into what they call “The Product”. They’ll also touch on the importance of creative teams being involved early in the process, the tools they use to foster creativity, such as 'what if' statements and their innovative concept of 'flooring' work for peer review, and embracing the messy nature of the process to achieve impactful results for clients.
On this episode I speak to Creative Strategist and Director David Levine, whose wide ranging career has taken him from working in the scrappy world of the music business to the burgeoning of experiential marketing to now working alongside scientists and engineers.
Listen as we break down David’s concept of using hyphens as a superpower, which emphasizes the importance of embracing multiple skills and perspectives in the creative process.
We’ll also discuss his insights on collaboration, the challenges of ambiguity, and the importance of collecting and connecting weird dots. This is the perfect episode to end the year and get us thinking about how to make the most of 2025.
On this episode, Nick Sonderup, Co-Chief Creative Director of Strawberry Frog in New York City, shares his incredible journey in the advertising industry, including stints at MTV, Wieden+Kennedy, and BBDO.
Then, we’ll dive into an exclusive preview of his forthcoming book, How Not to Hate Advertising, which is, in reality, a love letter to the business. The book emphasizes the importance of mentorship, navigating new technologies, maintaining empathy in client relationships, and finding fulfillment in your work.
On this episode, I speak to Emily Jeffrey-Barrett, founder of Among Equals in the UK, a brand and campaign agency for people who want to make more than *just* money.
Emily shares her journey from working in large advertising agencies to one day realizing that her fear of not starting her own agency became bigger than her fear of actually doing it. That was the day she handed in her notice and jumped head-first into starting Among Equals during a global pandemic, no less.
She discusses the challenges she faced and how she struck gold with her agency’s strategy of “start with no one cares.”
If you’ve ever wanted to start your own agency this episode might change your life.
I am thrilled to welcome my friend and former colleague, Creative and Brand Strategist Matt Jones. Matt and I met during his time at Jack Morton where he was Global SVP of Strategy and Creative… and to this day, he is hands down the best, most brilliant, most effective creative strategist I've ever worked with.
His career has taken him from the halls of Parliament to the C-Suites of some of the biggest brands in the world, to co-creating a highly successful brand of his own, about which he’s written a new book called “Lessons From Gin.”
On this episode, we’re speaking with Eric Segal, CCO of X&O, which stands for Experts and Officers, a unique creative and strategy company composed of a network of over 100 big thinkers, all formerly associated with top brands and powerhouse agencies.
They describe themselves as a CMO’s secret weapon, brought in to solve tough marketing challenges in record time. And the coolest part? They all operate anonymously, known to clients only by their colorful code names.
Eric will share some insider information on how they operate with near-surgical efficiency and precision, as well as some ways you could adopt their industry-disrupting practices.
On the latest episode of the show, we have Christian Lachel, Chief Creative Officer of BRC Imagination Arts, a unique design and production agency that specializes in Brand Homes and Flagships and Cultural Attractions and Museums.
If you’ve been to the Johnnie Walker Princes Street Venue in Scotland or the Raiders Stadium Tour in Las Vegas, you’ve likely experienced their work.
Christian is here today to talk about how brands can and should use their history to fuel their future.
I’m excited to have Colin Jeffery, CCO of Doner and Co-Founder and CCO of Wolfgang, on the show today for a very interesting and timely discussion. Colin has worked for top agencies all around the world, from his homeland of South Africa to Singapore to the US, so I think it’s fair he’s seen a thing or two.
And over the last several years, he’s spotted a distressing trend: advertising professionals falling out of love with advertising and the advertising world and I have to say, I don’t disagree with his assessment.
But fear not faithful listeners, because he’s here to share a few actionable things we can do to reignite our passion and love for what I still believe is one of the best gigs in the world.
On another international episode, Laura Stein, Chief Creative Officer of Bruce Mau Design in Toronto Canada, is here to share 5 things we as creatives can do right now in our work and in our lives to be more sustainable. This cause is near and dear to her heart and something she brings to every project. Spoiler Alert: If you’re a user of Post-It Notes, you might be in for a big surprise. Laura will also explain how her years spent playing in an indie rock outfit led to her career in design. It’s a really cool story and an important topic so don't miss it!
On today’s show we have Ly Nguyen, Head of Creative at Movement Strategy, the social media agency behind some of the best brand social channels on the inter webs.
Ly is here to share how her unique and versatile career path set her up perfectly to deliver on the agency’s social centric approach, as well as some misconceptions about executing effective social media campaigns.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyunguyen/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/movement-strategy/
https://twitter.com/mvmtstrategy
https://www.facebook.com/MovementStrategy/
https://www.instagram.com/movementstrategy/
All the way from Thailand, it's Creative Director and Creative Coach Rodd Chant!
Rodd and I are kindred spirits who share the same passion for finding the perfect black t -shirt and for helping bring up the next generation of creative directors. I've been following him on LinkedIn for some time and a recent post really caught my eye. Rodd believes that AI will kill all agencies, but it might destroy those that sacrifice senior creative talent in the name of innovation and efficiency.
Gordy Sang and Brian Siedband, Co-Chief Creative Officers and founders of Quality Meats Creative (recently named Ad Age Small Agency of the year!) share the story of their once-fledgling agency that is now exploding by forgoing conventional wisdom, trusting their instincts, maintaining a high standard of work, and fostering a collaborative environment where all disciplines are valued.