What does it take to think on a higher creative plane—and still keep your feet on the ground?

In this in-person episode, Stew Redwine sits down with longtime collaborator Shelby Hayden Craig—aka “Shelby from the Future”—to unpack the mindset, methods, and muscle memory behind great creative strategy. From Sydney to Los Angeles, Shelby has been both literally and figuratively “ahead” on countless Oxford Road projects, pulling teams toward sharper thinking with a mix of humility, firmness, and curiosity.

Together they explore the art of balancing openness with confidence, why the best insights often sound like great stand-up jokes, and how AI is raising the bar for human creativity. You’ll hear the story behind Shopify’s cha-ching sonic branding breakthrough, the discipline of crafting ideas worth fighting for, and Shelby’s three guiding “C”s for lasting performance optimization: Create, Craft, and Care (a.k.a. C3PO).

Plus: a full Audiolytics® breakdown of IBM’s recent podcast ads—produced spots, host reads, and sonic logos—to see whether there’s a unifying insight guiding the brand’s audio presence or just a list of proof points.

You’ll learn:

How to turn everyday observations into true insights (and why it takes work)
The difference between an idea and an insight—and why you need both
How sonic branding can drive measurable performance when it’s consistent
Why optimism is a creative’s best survival skill in a critical industry
How to recognize when your posture toward AI is helping or hurting your work

It’s part creative masterclass, part shop talk, and part reminder that in audio advertising—and in your career—caring is the real performance optimizer.

Support the show

Ad Infinitum is Presented by Oxford Road and Produced by Caitlyn Spring & Ezra Fox, MFA, written & hosted by Stew Redwine, and sound designed by John Mattaliano, with audio production by Zach Hahn.

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