The CMD-Z Show

In this episode, Matt and Shelby discuss the challenges of staying focused as a creative and knowing what ideas to pursue. They explore the concept of being easily distracted and the importance of harnessing distractions in a productive way. They also discuss the need to commit to projects for a significant amount of time and the struggle of letting go of ideas that aren't working.

In this conversation, Matt and Shelby discuss what to do when feeling creatively stagnant. They explore the importance of taking breaks, both relaxing and adventurous, to recharge and spark new ideas. They emphasize the need to get away from the usual way of thinking and consuming new experiences. They also discuss the balance between consuming and creating, and how external factors can impact cre...

In this conversation, Matt and Shelby discuss the concept of seizing opportunities and taking risks. They reflect on their own experiences and how they have created opportunities for themselves. They emphasize the importance of being flexible, not being afraid to try new things, and learning from each experience. They also discuss the idea that opportunities are not limited to just one big moment,...

The main theme of the conversation is the challenges affecting studios, particularly in relation to AI and the economy. Amanda highlights the lack of control over budgets and timelines, the uncertainty caused by AI, and the fear of job loss. Matt emphasizes the importance of building a strong creative community and adapting to change. They also discuss the role of ego and the need to embrace learn...

In this episode, Matt, Shelby, and guest Shawna Poliziani discuss the importance of finding your niche audience and positioning your brand. They explore the role of emotion in the creative process and the value of human touch in art and design. They also touch on the limitations of AI in creating meaningful and emotionally evocative work. The conversation highlights the importance of collaboration...

In this episode, Matt and Shelby discuss the best business model for creatives. They explore different models such as standard employment, freelance, and the agency model. They also dive into the details of running an agency, using a retainer model, implementing a subscription model, and exploring e-commerce. They highlight the pros and cons of each model and emphasize the importance of building r...

In this episode, the Matt and Shelby discuss building a successful marketing strategy and the importance of storytelling and empathy with their guest, Jess Fogal. Jess is the head of marketing and culture at Provide. They also explore the collaboration between marketing and sales teams and the significance of creating a supportive team environment. The conversation highlights the value of empoweri...

"What do producers even do?" Well, in addition to having Shelby (co-host and producer) on the show, we also brought on Kate Weger, our other producer at Made By Things, to chat about their roles as producers. From a producer's importance and organization within a project to their role as a fellow creative, we chat through everything that makes a producer great.

"You ever just feel lost?" That was the how a question from one of our listeners started. And with a question so big and so relatable to so many creatives, you know we had to talk about it. This week on The CMD-Z Show, we discuss how we handle feeling lost and how we can still stay sane and happy doing what we love. From financial security to mental health, we cover everything in this episode. 

"You should be grateful that you get to do what you love everyday." "It's not about the money." Sure, as creatives, we are grateful and we probably didn't get into this field for the money... But does that make it okay to exploit our time and talents? We discuss this and how we can change it on this week's episode of The CMD-Z Show with Kevin Rapp, the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Ultr...

By this point, I'm sure we've all seen the latest updates to AI and the realistic video it can produce. So what does that mean for the creative industry? What will it look like 5-10 years from now? We sat down with Mack Garrison of Dash Studios to talk about it on this week's episode of The CMD-Z Show. This is a passionate episode with passionate creatives. Don't miss it!

Why is running a creative business to damn hard? The creative industry is constantly evolving and it can be challenging to know when your business should evolve with it... Or to predict where the evolution is going to occur. Will it be within the market? With tech advances? Or maybe the services you offer? In this episode of The CMD-Z Show, we outline how we handle these changes and our process of...

How do you know when it's time to switch things up in a creative business? The industry is ever-changing and we are all currently in a period of transition. So what does that look like for your business? How do you know when to evolve? How can you overcome the fear of trying something new? And how do you choose to face it all? These are all big questions and probably too big for one podcast episod...

How do you create a stand out portfolio? Is there one trick that will make you rise above the other applicants? How do you make sure you're the one called back for an interview? And how do you get the job? We chat about all of this and more on the latest episode of The CMD-Z Show. And if you have a portfolio you think could use some help, visit makecreateacademy.com where you can ask industry prof...

When it comes to working with freelancers, it can be tough to clearly define how quickly they should respond and how often they should send updates. Is an appropriate response time 10 minutes? An hour? A day? What are the expectations? And how does that impact your relationship with them? We discuss this with Jeremy Thibodeau, creative producer at Rubicon Story, in the latest episode of The CMD-Z...

How do you tell a client that they're wrong? No one ever wants to, but the sign of a healthy client relationship is being able to talk through any issues that might arise... Like whether something should be blue or red. But if you approach it right and collaborate, maybe you can come up with a solution that's purple.

It's that time of year where we reflect on the past 12 months, the goals we made in January, how we did on those goals, and what the next year will look like. On this episode of The CMD-Z Show, we go through the goals we set at the beginning of the year for ourselves and Made By Things. We also chat about our 2024 goals... You might even hear about some of the exciting things we have planned for t...

How do you make time for personal creative projects and how do you decide which one to pursue? On this week's episode of The CMD-Z Show, we discuss our processes when working on side/personal projects and how we view them. We also walk through how we decide what we should share and what is better kept to ourselves. These projects are just what the name suggests... personal. So everyone will have t...

We have a very special episode of The CMD-Z Show this week with a topic that doesn't recieve enough discussion. We sat down to chat with Jeffery Lawson about having a creative career while being disabled and how the military reinforced his love of art.

A subject no one likes to bring up to their clients... pricing and budgets. How do you start the conversation and how do you negotiate once it's been brought up? How do you set appropriate pricing and how do set a plan in place for growth? And how do you get past the awkwardness of bringing up budgets? It's all in this week's episode of The CMD-Z Show. 

This week we're answering what has been our most-asked question as of late... Do studio owners ever work on creative projects? From time management to finding new creative routes, we walk through how studio owners decide when to step into projects, if they prefer to stick to personal work, and how they balance it all. 

On this week's episode of The CMD-Z Show, we are going back to our roots and answering the question, "Why is it so difficult to find jobs in the creative industry right now?" From resumes to applications to seeking out new opportunities, this is an episode as timely as ever. And while we know every experience is different right now, we hope this can shed some light on the current state of the indu...

On this week's episode of The CMD-Z Show, we sat down with CJ Casciotta to discuss his new book, "The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary: A Human Manifesto in the Age of the Meteverse." We also dig deeper into AI and what it means to slow down during the creative process.