CreativeOps Podcast

Episode Summary You built a content machine. Now leadership wants magic. In-house creative teams were designed to move fast and save money—but today’s business leaders want more. They expect: bold brand-building cultural relevance strategic insight …from teams still treated like internal vendors. So what separates in-house teams that thrive from the ones that get quietly downsized? According to Pe...

Episode Summary What if creativity wasn’t just something a few people do—but the way your entire company thinks, decides, and works? In this episode, Ivan Pols argues that the most effective organizations don’t isolate creativity—they operationalize it. As Chief Creative Officer at what3words, Ivan has helped build a culture where story becomes strategy, feedback is infrastructure, and creativity...

Episode Summary Chris Varela didn’t find creative ops. It found him—twice. The first time, he realized the work he was already doing had a name : solving friction between marketing and creative, protecting his teammates’ time, and building systems that made the entire process more efficient, more effective—and frankly, more fun for everyone involved. The second time, his company realized it too ....

Episode Summary In a galaxy flooded with content, storytelling is no longer a skill—it’s the rebellion. In this milestone 50th episode, Nish and David Granger frame the conversation through the lens of the original Star Wars trilogy —exploring how brands moved from story-rich origins ( A New Hope ), through algorithmic obedience and commoditization ( The Empire Strikes Back ), to a moment of recko...

Episode Summary What if the most important system in your organization… is made of people? In this episode, Matt traces his path from creative ops leader to go-to-market operator—and reveals what never changed: his job has always been creating the conditions for others to succeed . We explore what it’s like to build trust while scaling, why confusion and surprise are deadly for team performance, a...

Episode Summary What if the future of creativity doesn’t depend on better tools—but on better culture? As AI automates process and scale becomes a commodity, Nicky Russell—Managing Partner at WDC and former COO at Anomaly—argues that creative operations must evolve. The job is no longer just delivery. The job is culture. In this episode, Nicky shares how creative ops can move from service to strat...

Episode Summary  What if brand wasn’t a guideline or a campaign—but an operating system? Eric Alberts is helping reinvent a 190-year-old company by treating brand like a product—complete with documentation, demos, and internal adoption strategies. As Design Director at Wolters Kluwer, he’s drawing on a decade of UX and product design experience to build scalable systems that make brand feel more l...

Episode Summary Creative teams have the potential to shape culture, drive innovation, and steer brand— but most companies still treat them like a service desk. Emma Sexton has spent over a decade building the one thing most creative leaders don’t have: a roadmap to power. As founder of the Inside Out® Community and architect of the Inside Out® Pathway, she’s helping in-house leaders move from over...

Show Summary Creative work doesn’t start with a brief—it starts with trust. And when operations and creative build that trust, the results go far beyond delivery. In this episode, Kyle Wright and Brianne Gallagher—Creative Director and Head of Creative Operations at Wayfair—share how they’ve restructured the relationship between their teams. Instead of chasing speed at the expense of meaning, they...

Show Summary You got the title. Now what? You’re no longer the one making the work. You’re leading the people who do. And suddenly… Everything that made you successful stops being useful. No one teaches you how to lead a creative team. There’s no playbook for designing trust. For giving feedback that doesn’t kill morale. For building culture that doesn’t burn people out. Unless you’ve read Raising...

Guest Information Name : Amy Strickland Title : Instructor, Advanced Creative Operations Program Organization : Rutgers Expertise : Expert in Creative Ops Leadership, Systems Thinking, and Team Optimization Name : Alicia Nicely Title : Senior Manager, Creative Operations Organization : Kidde Global Solutions Expertise : Specialist in Scaling Teams, Data-Driven Decision Making, and Process Developm...

Episode Summary With Air.inc securing $35M in funding, the creative operations world is facing a major inflection point. In this solo episode, Nish Patel explores what this investment means for creative ops leaders, why the concept of a "system of record for creative work" is critical, and how creative professionals can seize this moment to elevate their roles from tactical execution to strategic...

Guest Information Name : Jason Holzman  Title : SVP, Creative, Production, and Brand Strategy   Organization : Macy’s  Expertise : Creative leadership in retail, media, and advertising Scaling creative teams in high-growth and high-change environments  AI’s role in creative operations   Episode Summary The future of creative leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about navigating uncer...

Guest Information Name : Emma Sexton  Title : Founder & CEO   Organization : Inside Out Community   Expertise : Creative leadership & in-house team strategy  Business impact of creativity   Brand storytelling & operations Episode Summary This episode started with a thought experiment—a LinkedIn post I wrote about how I would design an in-house creative team from scratch today. No legac...

Guest Information Name : Alexia Adana   Title : Director of Creative Technology and Innovation   Organization : Edelman   Expertise : Creative technology AI-driven storytelling   Democratizing creative tools for underrepresented communities Episode Summary How does AI impact creativity—does it empower new forms of artistic expression or dilute human ingenuity? In this episode, we sit down with Ale...

Guest Information Name : Julia Arenson Title : Head of Creative Operations Organization : Specsavers Expertise : Transforming in-house agencies from production hubs to strategic creative powerhouses Integrating creative operations into brand strategy and business impact Navigating the cultural shift from agency to in-house leadership Episode Summary Julia Arenson, Head of Creative Operations at Sp...

Guest Information Name : Patrick Burgoyne Title : Co-founder Organization : In-House Agency Leaders Club Expertise : Leadership in creative and advertising industries Founder of platforms fostering collaboration among creative leaders Extensive experience shaping creative ecosystems Episode Summary In this episode of Creative Ops , Patrick Burgoyne unpacks the transformative power of in-house agen...

Guest Information Name : Jarrod Gingras Title : Managing Director & Analyst Organization : Real Story Group Expertise : Marketing and workplace technology evaluation Aligning technology with strategic goals Digital content and customer data platforms Episode Summary In this episode, Jarrod Gingras shares his expertise on navigating the seismic shifts AI brings to creative operations and tech s...

This episode explores the potential role of AI in disrupting offshore production and accelerating in-house innovation. Penri Jones shares his bold perspectives on the evolution of workflows, modular storytelling, and why creativity remains the ultimate differentiator in an AI-driven world. Key Takeaways The Economic Disruption : AI is fundamentally reshaping the business model of creative producti...

Episode Summary In this solo episode, Nish explores how AI is transforming creative operations by shifting from traditional role scarcity to role abundance. He highlights how creative leaders can spin up AI-driven “roles” like Creative Brief Coach or Chief Storytelling Officer out of thin air, without budget constraints. Nish shares practical frameworks and examples to help listeners reorient thei...

Guest Information:  • Name : Anil Noorani  • Title : Founder and Managing Partner of TKM Consultants and Non-Exec Director of We Are Amnet  • Expertise :  • Optimizing global creative production strategies  • Offshore production models  • Bridging in-house and offshore creative ecosystems Episode Summary: In this episode, we explore the transformative role of offshore production in creative operat...

Episode Summary In this reflective and forward-looking episode, Nish explores four critical questions every Creative Ops and in-house agency leader must ask as they prepare for 2025. Drawing inspiration from Patrick Burgoyne’s four-bucket framework and Jason Holtzman’s thought-provoking philosophy, Nish emphasizes aligning creative operations with business priorities, embracing AI as a game-change...

In this special episode of the Creative Ops podcast, we’re bringing you a live recording of my presentation at the Henry Stewart Creative Operations Conference in Los Angeles. The feedback from attendees was incredible—people left inspired and motivated to reimagine the role of AI in Creative Operations. During this talk, I dive into the real opportunity AI presents—not just as an automation tool,...

In this critical episode for creative operations and creative leaders, we dive deep into the AI revolution with Wesley ter Haar , co-founder of Monks . Wesley shares invaluable insights on how AI is reshaping creative workflows, team structures, and business models. This conversation is essential listening for any  leader looking to future-proof their operations and creative processes to leverage...

Brianne Gallagher, Head of Creative Operations at Wayfair, shares innovative strategies for reimagining creative operations. Drawing parallels with Hollywood production methods, she introduces concepts like the "producer mindset" and strategic "casting" of talent, while exploring how to balance human creativity with AI capabilities to drive breakthrough innovations. 5 of 10 Key Takeaways: The "Pro...