The NDA Podcast

The dirty topic of money. A conversation held in hushed tones in the staff kitchen. Tentatively approached around the pub table. Awkwardly brought up in a final interview. The creative industry has long had a money problem. But why is it so difficult to discuss? Today’s episode lifts the lid on salary secrecy, debating the pros & cons of transparency, and interrogating why we’re all so tight-lipped about our finances. Cat How, Founder of How&How shares how salary transparency works in their studio and whether her team (both present and future) is on board with telling the world what they earn.Alec Dudson, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at Intern, talks about the creative industry being chronically undervalued and how this bleeds into our view on salaries.Josie Young, an independent designer, reflects on negotiating with employers & sharing with peers, and how those experiences have shaped her negative feelings around money.In an episode filled with those awkward, difficult questions… ultimately, we’re asking today's guests to put their money where their mouth is. –Hosted & created by Katie CadwellEdited by James from Be HeardOriginal music 'Theme From NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLarenHonourable mentions include Johnson Banks & BufferState salary increase bans 'https://www.hrdive.com/news/salary-history-ban-states-list/516662/' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not many of us can relate to being in university during a pandemic. But we will all meet those who can, as a new generation of epidemic trained academics enter the industry. Creative courses are known for their collaboration, the osmosis of ideas, and use of amazing facilities…. Experiences the 2020 – ’22 graduates missed out on.In this episode, we’re hearing from both sides of the desk. Neeraj Kainth, 2021 BCU graduate, talks about lockdown fatigue affecting his projects and a year’s worth of work that’s banished to the bottom drawer. Claudia Aggett, 2020 Falmouth alumni shares how anti-climactic the end of her degree was and the fear of graduating into a stalled job market.Lecturers Nicola Salkeld (Senior Lecturer at Falmouth, UAL External Examiner) and Martin Schooley (Course Leader at Norwich) look back on how the universities handled the pandemic, the long-lasting effects on the graduating years and how education has changed forever. We ask them all, was it worth the money? And ultimately, did an epidemic education produce designers armed and ready to hit the workforce? –Hosted & created by Katie CadwellEdited by James from Be HeardOriginal music 'Theme From NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Good managers and bad managers. We’ve all had them. And do we all become them?In today’s episode, we’re going to be discussing progression in the creative industries, and the realities of updating your LinkedIn status. After years spent learning a craft, creatives are promoted into roles where they’re taken off the tools and dropped into resourcing meetings. A leap that doesn’t suit everyone — are there other ways to move up the ladder? Are we all suffering at the hands of those pushed into management before they’re ready?We’re talking to Kim French, Head of Production/Marketing at Preen, who shares her decision to step down from the boardrooms and budgets in order to be closer to the work she loves. Senior Designer at JKR, Maisie Benson, discusses what it’s like to be in the grey area between Designer/Director, and the pressure to choose between your craft & your career. Along with Gerald Torto, Practice Director at Re about the importance of job titles and how we can use them to our advantage. Plus a whole lot of stories from the DMs about the worst managers out there. One not to miss.–Hosted & created by Katie CadwellEdited by James from Be HeardOriginal music 'Theme From NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I can’t believe they paid for that” “That kerning burns my eyes” “Seen this a million times” “Wouldn’t touch this project with a barge pole”Scrolling to the bottom of the page to see the comments is some people’s guilty pleasure — but if it’s your work they’re commenting on, it becomes a more sinister read.What’s the purpose of this echo chamber? Should we be stepping in when comments turn personal? Are we making the work better, or damaging the designers behind it? These are just some of the questions we’ll be asking in this week’s episode, chatting to the people both behind and at the mercy of the keyboards. Speaking to Armin Vit, Co-Founder of UnderConsideration / Brand New and Tom Banks, Editor of Design Week, about the platforms they’ve created and the commentary they incite. To understand what it’s like on the other side, we’re talking to James Greenfield, CEO & Founder of Koto Studio and the designer behind some of the most reviewed projects in history. Plus Olivia King, Head of Design at Eucalyptus discusses a project that was revered in the industry and ripped to pieces by the audience. A conversation that will make you think twice before you hit post.–Hosted & created by Katie CadwellEdited by James from Be HeardOriginal music 'Theme From NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just 12% of the creative industry is from a working-class background. Did this statistic happen by accident? Or is there more we can do to diversify our studios? Discussing parental privilege, accent mocking, social embarrassment, regionality importance and so much more – this episode highlights some of the barriers to working-class creatives trying to crack the industry, and those already working within it.Relaying lived experience is Verity Wheatley, a Senior Designer who faced some post-graduate hurdles that impacted her whole career. Co-founder of Common People, Lisa Thompson shares stories from her network of working-class creatives and how a lack of diversity affects work. We hear from Craig Oldham, Founder of Office of Craig, who shares how he’s code-switched during his career and how those experiences influence his running of a studio. Along with recent graduate Charlotte Cole who shares what it’s like to study and enter the industry with these additional barriers.A very powerful discussion that should be heard by every creative striving for social diversity. –Hosted & created by Katie CadwellEdited by James from Be HeardOriginal music 'Theme From NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLarenHonourable mentions include Fiasco Studio, DixonBaxi, Koto, Common People, The Working Class Creatives Database, ‘What Is Your Working Class?’ podcast by Aidan TeplitzkyStatistics from The Sutton Trust ‘Bridging the Gap’ report Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When did it become normal to set a brief for an interview? Why are agencies ashamed to admit they do it? How much work is too much work? And should it be free?This week, we're discussing Interview Tasks and the effect they're having on hiring in the creative industry. We'll be hearing from Nikky Lyle who is a Creative Recruiter, and hear all the inside info on what these tasks look like and who is setting them. Fauzima Fazilat Rafiq tells us about her relatively positive experience doing one as a Junior Designer, and how it opened doors for her. Whereas Senior Designer Josie Evans relays a pretty terrible interview experience and a task that became very taxing. We'll hear from Luke Woodhouse, Creative Director of Ragged Edge discussing the reasons he'd never set them (and how his mind was changed)A brilliant conversation, interrogating a practice that's becoming commonplace without anyone realising.–Hosted & created by Katie CadwellEdited by James from Be HeardOriginal music 'Theme From NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The NDA Podcast. The creative podcast that's here to challenge topics the industry has been keeping under waiver for years.Unfiltered conversations, without the fear of being cancelled. Bringing creatives of different levels, different backgrounds and very different opinions together. To debate the contentious issues we only dare discuss in our DMs.This season, we'll be exploring topics like Salary Secrecy, Design Commentary, Working Class Barriers and so many more. With over 25 guests from across the creative industry. Speakers from the top agencies, best publications, most awarded universities, fresh graduates, creative veterans... the list goes on (and the opinions are plentiful)So, get ready for some honesty. Because we’re about to break all the NDAs.Hosted & created by Katie CadwellEdited by James from Be HeardOriginal music 'Theme From NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.