Creative Haven

Reagan Fry is the Director of Product at Kajabi, and also had stints as a product lead at Tiktok, Amazon, and Google. In this episode, we'll look at how Reagan, who wanted to be a director at first, eventually realized his strengths in the creative rather than the directing aspects of production. Discover his career path from major companies like Amazon, TikTok, and Google, to his current position...

Ian Nagy is the Co-Founder of VidTao, an incredible software for tracking the most effective YouTube ads. He is also the Co-Founder of Inceptly, a YouTube Advertising Agency. In this episode, we talk about Ian's journey from being an ambulance driver and nurse to his eventual career as a marketing writer and business owner. We also discuss the benefits of knowing how to write marketing copy, why m...

Robert Lund is a professional creative advertiser and co-founder of Studio TBD, a creative collective focusing on cannabis-infused drinks and edibles and web3 initiatives.  In this episode, we talk about how Robert transformed and found his purpose in life after he decided to enroll in a school for creativity in Sweden.   We discuss how he entered the world of advertising and product development b...

Julia Jacobson is an oil-based paint artist and marketing consultant.  In this episode, we will talk about how Julia pursued her passion for art during the pandemic and found her passion in marketing and painting. We also find out why and how Julia transformed her life from working at a traditional corporate job to pursuing art after working at an artist co-work studio space. We discuss how she ma...

Shanice Miller is a former business productivity consultant and the founder of Taskly Group, where she helps clients ranging from small startups to multi-million dollar businesses save hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars In this episode, we talk about Shanice's career evolution from selling her educational consultancy business to project management and developing systems for businesses. We...

Ruslan Khamidullin is the Chief Technology Officer of Filmustage, a technology company that automates the script breakdown process, a painstaking task necessary in film production.  In this episode, we nerd out about horror films and Ruslan talks about how watching The Thing by John Carpenter shaped the entire course of his life, and led him into the world of filmmaking.  We also talk about his ba...

David Carpenter is a theater veteran, the managing partner of The Twenty-Sided Tavern, and the CEO of Gamiotics, bringing audience engagement technology to the live entertainment market and powering the next generation of experiential entertainment.  In this episode, we talk about how David, an experienced Off-Broadway and Broadway producer who worked in media and entertainment for 22 years, sudde...

Michelle Kulp is a Book Launch Expert, Publishing Specialist, and 20x #1 Bestselling Author. She's helped over 250 authors become #1 bestselling authors with her Best- Selling Author Program. In this episode, we discuss her story of being a single mom who got tired of working in a high-stress nine-to-five corporate job to become a successful entrepreneur. Getting fired may have put her out of her...

Thomas Watkins is a thought leader, speaker, and industry practitioner who focuses on combining technology with design psychology in order to drive business success.  In this episode, we discuss the concept of design psychology and the thought process people have when interacting with technology, products, and design. How design psychology helps companies make their products more likely to succeed...

Steve Maher is a musician, and singer-songwriter out of Denver, Colorado whose current project is 'Night Routine' - a funk-pop-soul group that has performed all over Colorado and the midwest. In this episode, we discuss his process of writing music and his belief that artists should focus on the music business to grow as a performer.  We talk about the importance of being a master marketer of your...

Chris Kneeland is the co-founder of a marketing engagement agency called Cult, which specializes in turning everyday customers into brand advocates. In this episode, we discuss how Chris learned how to launch and build a business from listening to podcasts, why having business partners is the best way to grow a company, and why entrepreneurs and businesses shouldn't get stuck on perfecting product...

Christopher Willis is the CMO at Acrolinx and a specialist in Content Governance, AI, and pipeline management with over 20 years of experience growing companies in the technology sector.  In this episode, we talk about how his background in acting and directing theater productions influenced his management style because he leads a team of talent towards success for the company as well as the indiv...

Mikhael Porter is a third-generation entrepreneur who is the co-founder of Needle Music: the world's first social platform built to facilitate meaningful connections through music. In this episode, we discuss the power of music and how it's a universal language that brings people together, how Needle is helping Dj's and casual consumers share music and build communities through their favorite song...

Tom Geary is the Founder and Creative Director at the School of Thought, a fresh and innovative creative agency based in the San Francisco Bay area. Tom has positioned his agency as a leader in sustainability and social responsibility, creating high-impact campaigns for companies like Cisco WebEx, eBay, Bing, and Red Bull. In this episode, we discuss how his experience working at agencies and in-h...

Mark Drager is a pro-conversationalist, MC, moderator, brand strategist, and founder of the branding and creative agency Phanta Media In this episode, we discuss the ups and downs of his journey as a video production company owner and the lessons he learned from building a 7-figure business, why video business owners should go where the money is and templatize their products to have bigger margins...

Christine Pietryla Wetzler is the Founder and President of Pietryla PR & Marketing, an award-winning Chicago-based growth MARCOM agency that specializes in communications strategy and media relations for packaging, CPG, and professional services clients. She also supports small and mid-cap companies on their way to going public. In this episode, we discuss the definition, evolution, and best pract...

Matt Widdoes is the CEO of Mavan, and has 15+ years of experience working in growth marketing, user acquisition, and business development in the technology and entertainment industries, leading teams in companies such as Red Bull, Zynga, and King.  In this episode, we talk about the importance of data in marketing and the ethics of data collection for consumers, how data can direct creative ideas...

ML Post is a writer, director, producer, and filmmaker who is the founder of Underrated, an upstart streaming service for the independent film community. In this episode, we talk about the struggles filmmakers have with distribution and how hard it is to get a movie distributed on a major platform. How marketing is the most important part of the success of a film.  Why paying creators will help th...

Jason Azevedo is the chief strategy officer at MRCA. He started his first manufacturing company with just $600 when he was only 15 years old and was able to grow it into a million-dollar business while working with companies such as Starbucks, Nike, Disney, Marvel, Volkswagen, Audi, and more. In this episode, we talk about building communities, making an impact, and how you shouldn't look at your...

Richard Greene is a thought-provoking speaker who has coached celebrities ranging from Princess Diana, Deborah Messing, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett-Smith, to help them utilize their celebrity towards effective non-partisan civic engagement. He's also been a talk show host and has provided commentary for ABC Radio Networks, FOX News, and others. In this episode, we discuss the origins of life, the...

Scott Gatz is the founder of Q.Digital, the media company behind GayCities, Queerty, and LGBTQ Nation, and has worked with brands like HBO Max, Mastercard, Lexus, and Target to connect with the LGBTQ community through various touchpoints. In this episode, we discuss the democratization of content creation and publishing which allowed him to build Q.Digital to tell stories about the LGBTQ community...

Kieve Huffman is the founder and CEO of Engager Brands, where he is building global cannabis brands focused on music audiences. For 25+ years Kieve has built lifestyle businesses and is a veteran in the entertainment industry, and is passionate about transforming branding in the cannabis world. In this episode, we talk about how stoicism allowed him to get through some tough times during Covid and...

Shaahin Cheyene is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Herbal Ecstacy and has generated over a BILLION dollars in revenue by the time he was 18.  In this episode, we talk about leveraging press, whether good or bad, to bring more attention to your company and products, the power of influence, social proof, and storytelling when building a business and why podcasting is the ultimate way to tell yo...

Bill Small is a performer, musician, and songwriter with more than 3 decades of experience in the music industry and is also a successful personal and business coach that owns the company, Artist Mind, which makes coaching available to small business owners. In this episode, we talk about his background and journey in the music industry and the evolution of music production; how working different...

Kelsey Lawrence is a self-taught photographer and the CEO of Nine Supply, a female-founded and owned team of creative strategists in Austin, Texas. In this episode, we talk about the evolution of consumer packaged goods and the best practices for marketing when growing brands online, how marketing is similar in all industries since it's about building and cultivating a community that really cares...