Let's Bring It In: Discussions with In-House Creative Leaders

Matt Orser has built creative teams inside Dollar Shave Club, Frida and Nutrabolt. But there’s one phrase he would like the industry to stop using: “In-house agency.” Matt believes creative teams inside brands should stop importing the old client-agency dynamic and instead earn their place as a trusted department inside the business. In this episode of Let’s Bring It In , Matt talks about his jour...

What does it actually take to build a great creative career? Ron Huey has spent more than 30 years in advertising, from Team One and The Martin Agency to founding the highly awarded Atlanta shop Huey Paprocki. Along the way, he’s worked on brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, AT&T, Coca-Cola and more. Now he’s distilled those lessons into his new book, Advertisers Anonymous: Twelve Steps to...

Vida Cornelious, Senior Vice President of Creative and Strategy at The New York Times, joins Greg Christensen to talk about leading T Brand Studio, building a multidisciplinary creative team, and creating work that connects brands to culture. Vida shares lessons from a career spanning DDB, Global Hue, Disney, and The New York Times, including her work on Jeep, Chrysler, HBO’s The Penguin , and Goo...

Luis Marques has worked at some of the most creatively ambitious places in advertising, from Hyper Island to Crispin Porter + Bogusky, BBDO, and Starbucks. But one of the biggest creative lessons of his career came from a simple banner ad. At realtor.com, Luis helped rewrite a basic app download CTA around a real human truth: people are curious about what their neighbors’ homes are worth. The resu...

What does the future of a creative career actually look like? In this special panel episode of Let’s Bring It In , Greg Christensen sits down with two former guests: Jim Bosiljevac, former Executive Creative Director at Yahoo and now professor at Texas Creative at UT Austin, and Will Chau, Executive Creative Director at Whole Foods Market. Together, they talk about how the creative industry has ch...

Cameron Day is a writer, creative director, author, mentor, and self-described AI Anarchist. He grew up around Chiat/Day, built a career across major brands and small agencies, and has never stopped caring about the work. In this episode, we talk about his book CHAIOS , his AI alter ego Chet G. Petite, and what he learned from using AI on real creative assignments. This is not a conversation about...

Aaron Wiggan, Vice President of Brand Creative for the Seattle Kraken, joins Let’s Bring It In to talk about building an NHL brand from scratch, moving from agency life to in-house leadership, and creating work that fans genuinely connect with. Before helping shape the Seattle Kraken, Aaron worked at REI and top agencies including Droga5, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, and Barton F. Graf 9000....

Erin Eby is the Executive Creative Director at PlatinumBlack, where she leads work for complex brands across energy, manufacturing, and technology. In this episode, Erin shares what it really looks like to lead creative teams right now, where AI is changing workflows, client needs are shifting in real time, and the lines between in-house and agency teams are starting to blur. We talk about Platinu...

In this episode of Let’s Bring It In , Greg Christensen talks with Erin Lewis (VP of Marketing & Brand Engagement) and Brandon Ankney (Director of Brand Identity & Creative) of the Oklahoma City Thunder. They break down how the Thunder operate like an in-house agency, build a brand that goes beyond wins and losses, and create content at the speed of live sports. A sharp conversation on spo...

Kevin Frank spent nearly six years as Executive Creative Director at LinkedIn, where his team was named Ad Age’s In-House Agency of the Year. He’s also the author of Raising Creative Teams , a practical guide to leading creatives and building better creative cultures. In this episode of Let’s Bring It In , Kevin shares what it really takes to build and lead a great in-house creative team, how his...

Matt Davis joins Let’s Bring It In to share how Solo Stove became one of the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, and what it takes to build a modern brand through content, community, and creative leadership. In this conversation, we break down how Solo Stove approached brand building, what actually drove growth, and the lessons marketers, founders, and in-house creative teams can appl...

Adam Koppel has worked at Wieden+Kennedy, Anomaly, Google, and OpenAI. In this episode of Let’s Bring It In, we talk about what happens when agency craft meets product-driven tech companies and AI. Adam shares his journey from traditional advertising into in-house creative leadership at Google and OpenAI, and how brand building changes inside organizations where product, speed, and experimentation...

Bryan Haupt is the Creative Director at Volt, the in-house agency for Molson Coors, and in this episode of Let’s Bring It In, he joins host Greg Christensen to break down what modern in-house creativity really looks like from the inside. Bryan shares how Volt operates as a full-service creative partner across iconic brands like Miller Lite and Blue Moon, why close collaboration and speed matter mo...

Case Lawrence, entrepreneur and founder of Sky Zone, talks about his new book, Off the Ground . He talks about creating novelty, being proactive in a crisis , and the difference between "scary" and "dangerous."

Emma Baines , Global Head of Creative at Tony’s Chocolonely , joins Let’s Bring It In to talk creative leadership, purpose-driven branding, and building impact from the inside.

In this conversation, Richie Gleason, the Executive Creative Director at Bluemercury, shares insights into the luxury beauty marketplace, his journey through the creative industry, and the challenges of remote work. He discusses the importance of building a strong creative culture, the decision-making process behind in-house versus agency work, and the complexities of rebranding a marketplace that...

From film school to flushable fame, Andy Andersen’s career path is anything but ordinary. Now VP of Creative at DUDE Wipes, Andy joins Let’s Bring It In to talk about how humor, speed, and scrappy creative instincts have helped turn a start-up into a household name. We dive into the brand’s bold voice, the role of social and influencer marketing, and what it takes to build an in-house creative tea...

Jim Bosiljevac, former ECD of Yahoo! and now Associate Professor at the University of Texas, has just launched a new course on Domestika called Developing Advertising Campaigns from Pitch to Brief. He shares the process of taking ideas from the spark of inspiration all the way to a fully formed campaign. Check out the course here: www.domestika.org/courses/5274/bosiljevac

In this episode Jamie Reilly, Group Creative Director at Atlassian and former VP of Global Creative at Vans, talks about what it takes to build and sustain brand love, how to lead creative teams through major shifts, and why the lessons from sports and lifestyle brands translate surprisingly well into the world of software. It’s a conversation about culture, leadership, and finding creativity in u...

Bill Girouard leads Copper Giants, the in-house agency behind Liberty Mutual’s wildly recognizable campaigns — from “Liberty Biberty” to the wax-statue super saver. In this episode, we talk about how his team built that kind of cultural impact, why Copper Giants is rewriting the playbook for in-house agencies, and what it takes to earn trust, drive great work, and stay creatively sharp inside a Fo...

What do Super Bowl logos, pop culture deep dives, and the National Women’s Soccer League have in common? Madison Raisch. In this episode, Madison talks about her creative journey, from crafting iconic event identities at the NFL to becoming the first-ever Creative Director at the NWSL. We get into what it means to bring bold, expressive design into a fast-growing sports league, how she thinks abou...

Kyle McCarthy, CCO at Lowe’s and former ECD at Patagonia, joins Let’s Bring It In to talk about building bold brands from the inside. From unifying Patagonia’s “tribes” to launching the “Lowe’s Knows” platform, Kyle shares lessons on storytelling, in-house creativity, and why even mulch can spark a breakthrough idea.

“Don’t pet the fluffy cows.” That viral warning about bison safety is just one example of how Matt Turner, a longtime park ranger turned social media manager, has helped the National Park Service find a strong voice online. In this episode, Matt shares how he went from handing out brochures to running a national account, why humor and humanity matter, and what every brand can learn from blending s...

Jason Johnson shares his path from Disney host to leading creative at Qualtrics. He dives into the evolution of Qualtrics’ in-house creative team, the challenges of maintaining brand consistency worldwide, and why in-house roles can offer unmatched creative variety. Plus his best advice for creatives eyeing the in-house world.

The new Utah Mammoth logo is more than just a design—it's a story of community, symbolism, and bold creative choices. In this episode, Chris Ryan George and Ben Barnes discuss how they crafted a brand that resonates with fans and honors Utah's identity. Check out nhl.com/utah for more info.