Confessions of a Creative Director

Will Chau is Vice President of Creative and Design at Whole Food Market. He and his team oversee and produce most every single touchpoint a consumer might have with the brand - from TV ads to social media to package design to in-store signage and everything in between. And while the former agency CD still gets a thrill from big campaign work he's come to really love and enjoy the nitty gritty detail work that drives a consumer's IRL experience with the brands. Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation on everything from lessons learned from a hard-nosed instructor to a confession about pitching new clients that will make you chuckle. 

Ty Stafford is the real deal. As ECD Content at NVE Experience Agency, he's helping take the historically experiential agency to new heights by leveraging the whole of his experience, from early breakout YouTuber to cutting his teeth at the iconic RedBull Media House to being named to the Forbes 30 under 30 in Marketing in Advertising. Listen to our amazing conversation and take special note of his big takeaway - YOU have the power to carve your own path in the creative industry. 

Ashley Davis Marshall...the name alone should tell you she means business. An ECD at The Martin Agency, Ashley shares valuable lessons and thoughts she's gathered along a journey that is the envy of any creative professional. Plus, three-quarters of her recipe for queso dip (hmmm, she left out her secret ingredient!) and a somewhat surprising realization about the possible cause of her imposter syndrome. 

Sonny Thomas, SVP Creative Director of PureRED, is a Renaissance Man. He's a designer, painter, musician, songwriter and all around cool dude. Check out our conversation on everything from the influence of his mentor, to techniques to quiet your brain before an ideation session to the strange new world of AI art. 

You wouldn't know it based on her down to earth vibe, but ECD Jaclyn Rink Crowley has a resume and career path any creative director, myself included, would kill (or at least slap someone with a tortilla) for. From Bozell, to Saatchi & Saatchi, to BBDO, to Silver and Partners to Weiden + Kennedy to most recently Anomaly in NYC. I mean...c'mon. Listen to this unvarnished, honest conversation that culminates with one of the best and most vulnerable confessions we've had on the show IMO. 

On the latest episode, Jaime talks to Creative Director and Founder of Ataboy Studios Vikkal Parikh, on everything from his love of assembling Ikea furniture to the importance of the Creative Brief and being technique agnostic. 

Check out a great conversation with CD Zach Connolly as we talk about everything from how to craft great concepts to ideas on how to amp up pitch presentations! You don't want to miss this one! 

Aaron Duffy is the ECD of SpecialGuest, a different kind of creative agency run by a different type of Creative Director. A talented "maker" at heart, Aaron brings that unique perspective to everything he does, and it's evident in his work for Google and the band OK Go just to name a few. Check out our awesome conversation as he shares his love of crocheting and illusions and what he dislikes most about being a CD. 

Check out my conversation with CD Brad Meyers as he shares his analogy of Creative Director as "Dad" and confesses to some harmless "set-lifting". Plus, the story of how he got to pitch ideas to Simpsons creator Matt Groening! 

It's never too late to become a creative. Just ask my guest Leigh Browne, CD at GSD&M in Austin, Texas. After spending a few years as a newspaper journalist in the boondocks of California, she decided to make a change. And as they say, the rest is history. She's gone on to win some big awards, create a Super Bowl Spot and help fan the flames of the great Chicken Sandwich Wars. Not too shabby for late creative bloomer.