Process The Podcast

Arielle Thomas rewinds her journey from growing up in a luxury hotel to acting school, filmmaking, and founding Cinema Thom. She recounts building Kmart’s high-performing TikTok strategy, expanding creative work internationally, and turning a personal project into a thriving creative community. She also looks ahead to what’s next for both businesses.

Paulina Paige, designer and creative director who co-founded Persona, and Grace O'Neill, experienced magazine editor and relaunch strategist, discuss building a biannual single-subject art-book magazine from scratch. They talk cold-emailing Bella Freud, uncovering a 90s photo archive, securing rare portrait rights, DIY production and budgeting, brand partnerships, and the launch gamble behind a $75 print object.

"The beauty of great satire is you blur the line of whether or not something is true or not true."- Claudia BursillBefore she was Miss Double Bay, Claudia Bursill was just a uni student with a Woolworths review that spiralled into a national news story. Today, that same anonymous meme account is her literal resume; it's how she landed a job at the Betoota Advocate, and now leads talent and business development at its sister agency, Leverage.In this episode, Claudia breaks down the real mechanics behind building a satire brand: why great comedy always "punches up," never down, how she decided to reveal her identity after years behind the account, the brand deals she's turned into some of her most-shared content, and why she thinks a running joke can build more trust than a perfectly polished post ever could.INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: Claudia Bursill A.K.A Miss Double Bay 01:30 — The 'Miss Double Bay' Persona & Origin Story 02:33 — Origin Story: The Woolworths Avocado Review 06:25 — The Identity Reveal 10:57 — Miss Double Bay (MDB) & Job Opportunities 13:01 — Why Authenticity Beats the Traditional Influencer Brief 14:59 — From Meme Account to Writer to Business Development 16:12 — The Future of the Creator Economy 17:23 — A Day in the Life at Leverage 20:16 — What Is Satire, Really? 20:54 — The Golden Rule: Always Punch Up 24:41 — Turning a Moment Into Content 30:12 — Climbing & Fighting the Cringe Mountain 33:41 — Riding a Trend the Right Way 40:32 — Your Relationship With Your Phone 46:12 — PNLs in Media 48:18 — Trivia Night! 52:17 — Closing & Where to Find HerTRIVIA NIGHT TICKETS! Get it hereConnect with our Guest:Miss Double Bay on Instagram: @missdoublebayClaudia Bursill on Instagram: @claudiabursillThe Betoota Advocate: @betootaadvocateEnjoyed this Episode?Join our Community!Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcastWhatsapp Community @processthepodcastFollow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!This episode includes third-party references (news coverage, satire case studies) used for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected]

Aila Morin, founding CMO of Merit Beauty who built a product-led, community-first D2C brand. She recounts launching from a secret Instagram moodboard, skipping paid ads to test ideas with real people. Conversation covers product UX reinventions, iterative Kaizen development, storytelling-led casting, sampling strategies like “see-to-believe,” and why Merit resists AI in creative work.

Your showreel might be quietly costing you clients, and no one's telling you that.In this solo petite episode, host Arielle Thomas walks through the exact framework she's using to recalibrate Cinema Thom: why clients now hire for problem-solving over taste, the real difference between a showreel and a case study, and the asset-mapping system replacing both. Part life update, part masterclass in founder transparency; including the six months she went quiet online, why that was a mistake, and the Tyler the Creator clip that changed how she thinks about promoting her own work.In this episode, you'll learn:The real difference between a showreel and a case study and why clients now expect bothHow to build a campaign asset map (Arielle's own team framework)Why "Rome wasn't built in a day" should be a content strategy, not an excuseThe system Arielle's team uses to keep posting consistently without her being the bottleneckINSIDE THE EPISODE:00:00 — Intro00:43 — Why Clients Hire Me Now02:54 — Showreel vs. Case Study, Defined03:35 — Building the Asset Map05:15 — Put Out Your Work (Tyler the Creator clip)06:19 — Systems & Processes08:15 — Behind-the-Scenes Beats the Hero Shot09:15 — The Recalibration Roadmap11:04 — Who Do I Want to Be?12:12 — Closing & CommunityEnjoyed this Petit? Join our Community!Cinema Thom: @cinema_thom ( https://bit.ly/4fwwZI7 ) Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ (https://bit.ly/4v21hby)Us, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKl)Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/44pdcFf)Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes third-party audio used for educational commentary and reference. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please get in touch with [email protected]

"If people want to work with you, they’re going to find you. So you've just got to create the work, be aligned with your own taste, and put it out there." — Ali MittonFrom a darkroom in the Gold Coast to shooting global campaigns in Los Angeles, photographer Ali Mitton has built an undeniable, sun-drenched career capturing freedom, raw movement, and elevated beauty. But what happens when the high stakes of commercial advertising pull you away from your artistic centre?In this incredibly raw and transparent conversation, Ali opens up about building massive relationships with legacy brands like CoverGirl and Aerie, navigating the toxic comparison loops of Instagram, and how a devastating personal crisis, losing her dream home in the 2025 LA wildfires, sparked an existential creative reckoning. We dive deep into the differences between the Australian and American industry landscapes, the realities of high-stakes commercial sets, and why true artistry requires the courage to say "no".INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro04:32 — Owning the Title Before You've Earned It07:46 — Protecting Your Signature as Jobs Get Bigger12:06 — The No-Retouching Era16:16 — Getting Dropped21:10 — How Dream Clients Actually Find You24:35 — Shooting Playboy for the Female Gaze28:29 — Legacy Clients, Celebrities & Managing Egos34:35 — Being the Client for Once36:55 — Losing the House in the LA Fires43:45 — Learning to Say No48:04 — The Impossible Shot List57:51 — Beauty's Nostalgic Rewind1:01:28 — Instagram Rewind: Behind the ShotsConnect with our Guest:Ali Mitton on Instagram: https://bit.ly/4vLjmuR Website: www.alimitton.com https://bit.ly/3T12QJjEnjoyed this Episode? Join our Community!Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ https://bit.ly/4v21hbyUs, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKlWhatsapp Community @processthepodcast https://bit.ly/44pdcFfFollow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! * This episode includes third-party images and video clips used for educational commentary and visual references. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or  copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected]

Zoë Yasemin, creative director, researcher and curator behind The Art Direction Substack, shares how deep visual research shapes original work. She talks about aesthetic flattening, digging beyond Pinterest into archives and magazines, training the eye with a visual curriculum, and finding unexpected sources to keep imagery fresh.

"The reason why I want to instill you guys to care about this... is not because I want you to care about basketball. It's because I want you to care about the shape of the story. It's the unglamorous, the hours and hours and hours that go into unrewarded work." — Arielle ThomasWelcome back to another episode of Process the Podcast. We are sliding right back into the studio this week, and the way we are looking at our craft is getting a little bit sharper.In this unfiltered, solo Petit, Arielle steps directly up to the microphone to strip away the soft, algorithmic romanticism of the creative life. This episode drops a massive operational framework: creatives must think and work like high-performance athletes to truly get ahead.Pulling structural parallels from the historic 53-year championship wait of the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson’s relentless work ethic, and Kobe Bryant’s obsessive midnight training methods, Arielle breaks down how to navigate the modern wave of AI slop and self-optimisation burnout. This is a raw, grounded look at how to get excited about the unglamorous reps, master the actual volume of your craft, and build an unbreakable work ethic when absolutely nobody is watching.Inside the Episode: 00:00 Resetting the Outlook: The Creative Entrepreneurship Shift 02:04 The New York Knicks & The Half-Century Wait for Greatness 04:24 The Myth of the Short-Cut: Fighting AI Slop with Athlete Logic 07:51 The Unglamorous Reps & Staring Down Unrewarded Work 09:43 Borrowing the Engine: Inspiration vs. Disciplined Refusal 11:01 Kobe Bryant, Michael Jackson, & The Strategy of Deconstruction 13:50 Mastery in Volume: The Truth of the 10,000-Hour Privilege 17:16 Audacious Thinking & The Quest to Build the Best Creative Podcast 18:50 The Toxic Optimisation Wave: Resisting Algorithmic Laziness 21:51 Romanticising the Boring: Stripping the Workspace Back to the Greats Enjoyed this Petit? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ (https://bit.ly/4v21hby) Us, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKl) Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/44pdcFf) Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

"You had an idea every ten seconds for Vogue. You can have an idea every ten seconds for yourself." - Kirstie ClementsWelcome back to Process: Encore. In this archival series, we bring forward the timeless dialogues that laid the groundwork for Process. This week, Arielle revisits a deeply layered, expansive conversation with best selling author, journalist, and legendary former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Australia, Kirstie Clements.Kirstie’s 27-year trajectory at the absolute pinnacle of fashion publishing is a masterclass in creative longevity. Starting on the reception desk at age 23, she scaled the masthead to lead the iconic title through nearly thirteen years of epochal cultural shifts, international coups like anchoring Karl Lagerfeld's guest editorship and massive corporate evolutions. In this honest session, Kirstie unpacks what happens when you step out of a rigid corporate cocoon, how she completely shed the heavyweight skin of public expectation, and what it truly means to safeguard your innate creative power.Inside this Episode:  00:00:00 - From Vogue Receptionist to Editor in Chief: A look at a legendary 27-year trajectory, proving why mastering the unglamorous nuts and bolts of an industry scales creative longevity. 00:06:29 - Building a Vision for Australian Vogue: Navigating the intricate tightrope between corporate commercial profitability and world-class aesthetic execution. 00:12:51 - Karl Lagerfeld Guest Edits Vogue Australia: An inside look into the complex, midnight operational choreography of securing one of fashion’s biggest editorial coups. 00:14:45 - Lessons from Fashion Legends: Unpacking the relentless stamina and surprisingly unpretentious nature required to keep a creative fountain thriving over a lifetime. 00:16:16 - The Pre-Social Media Era: Celebrating the legacy of keeping monumental interactions private, far away from the obligations of front-facing camera validation. 00:20:19 - Life After Vogue: The profound psychological execution of self-reinvention once you entirely decouple your identity from corporate structures. 00:35:50 - Creative Reinvention and Freedom: Moving past corporate politics to realize that your innate ability to generate ideas can never be institutionalized. 00:44:01 - Modern Pressures on Women: Deconstructing the hyper-monetized, algorithmic anxiety targeting women's aesthetics and biological timelines. 00:53:52 - Advice for Overwhelmed Creatives: Why modern multi-hyphenates must intentionally protect their artistic sensibilities from copy-and-paste digital algorithms. 01:02:44 - What Inspires Kirstie Now: Shifting entirely away from corporate consensus to find ultimate creative sovereignty in travel, freedom, and deep mentorship. Connect with our Guest: Kirstie Clements on Instagram: @kirstie_clements (http://bit.ly/4oNOVSS) Website: www.kirstieclements.com.au Substack: @kirstieclements (https://bit.ly/4eyPcEh) Read Her Books:  Why Did I Buy That? (https://amzn.to/4eCKipX) The Vogue Factor (https://amzn.to/4eyA9uk) Impressive (https://bit.ly/4fVBIoy) Enjoyed this Encore? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ (https://bit.ly/4v21hby) Us, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKl) Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/44pdcFf) Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.  See you at the next one! 

"I don't say to my assistants that you're working for me... you're working for the picture, so everything you do is about making the picture better. The picture is my boss." - Georges AntoniWelcome back to Process: Encore. In this archive series, we spotlight the foundational conversations that continue to guide our creative landscape, unedited, uncut, and re-centred for our community today.This week, we are throwing it back to a deeply insightful conversation with one of Australia’s most in-demand commercial fashion photographers, Georges Antoni. Georges took a beautifully unconventional route into the industry, transitioning from corporate strategy at Coca-Cola and PricewaterhouseCoopers to shooting portfolio books out of his parents' crystal-cabinet front room. Today, he architects massive productions for leading brands while fiercely maintaining a family-first philosophy. In this episode, Georges and Arielle pull apart the critical intersection of artistic integrity, active diplomacy on set, and why Australian retail is falling behind on a global scale.Inside the Episode: The Potency of Art Buying: Why conservative corporate hierarchies give local retailers a major global disadvantage. The "Picture as the Boss" Protocol: Stripping ego entirely out of production so the whole team serves the final image. The 95% Active Diplomacy Matrix: How to manage high-volume commercial mechanics while making talent feel entirely unjudged. The 1,900 Lighting Diagram Rule: Why Georges documents every single setup to avoid lazy, repetitive lighting styles. The Unified Creative Umbrella: Constructing a symbiotic stills-and-motion framework to stop fractured social media content. Selling the Sizzle Over the Brand: Shifting from flawless product form to building an identity consumers actually want to ascribe to. Connect with our Guest: Georges Antoni on Instagram: @georgesantoni Website: www.georgesantoni.com Enjoyed this Encore? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.  See you on the next one!