The Creative Caucus

Garret Brubaker sits down with Sara Pearl Kenigsberg, Director and Producer at Hardpin, for a career-spanning conversation about what it actually takes to make political video that breaks through. A director, producer, and multimedia creative whose work runs from short films to TV and digital ads to podcasts and social campaigns, Sara has collaborated with top media and advocacy organizations, cor...

Garret Brubaker sits down with composer Todd Hahn, the man behind the music of political ads on both sides of every presidential election since 1996. A self-described struggling artist who failed government in high school, Todd stumbled into campaign work through a Washington post-production facility, where a chance partnership with media consultant Mark Putnam convinced him that original scoring...

Garret Brubaker sits down with Scott Starrett, founder and director of Tandem, the communication design and brand strategy firm behind the original campaign identity for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Scott traces his path from drawing kid and C-SPAN watcher in Kansas, to creative director at an Austin political comms firm, to bootstrapping a New York studio focused on climate justice, advocacy, and pu...

Garret Brubaker sits down with Charlie Goldensohn, political strategist, commentator, and co-founder of Badlands Agency, for a candid conversation about how a former Dianne Feinstein staffer became one of the loudest voices in the left's organic media revival. Charlie walks Garret through the trajectory: Senate office at 21, chief of staff energy at ATTN: in LA, Jill Biden's digital director in Wi...

Garret Brubaker sits down with Laura Porat, the motion designer and art director who helped shape the visual voice of three presidential campaigns. From Elizabeth Warren's toaster explainer to the high-energy hype reels that defined Kamala Harris's 100-day sprint, Laura breaks down what it actually takes to deliver broadcast-quality animation under campaign-grade deadlines. She gets candid about t...

On this episode of Creative Caucus, Garret Brubaker reunites five members of the Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign video team for a candid look at life inside a presidential primary. Gina Reis, Hussien Salama, Maggie Sullivan, Becca Davila, and Carina Teoh trade war stories about building a rocket ship mid-launch, running reality-TV-style coverage, surviving debate night war rooms, and car...

In this episode of the Creative Caucus podcast, Garret Brubaker sits down with Kate Conway, former creative director of the Harris-Walz presidential campaign, for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run creative on one of the most unconventional campaigns in modern history. From building a 75-person team in months to executing a full rebrand in under two weeks, Kate reveals the rapid deci...

This week, on the Creative Caucus podcast, Garret sits down with political creative director and filmmaker Devin Gosnell for a high-energy conversation on what really makes political messaging work. Devin brings the heat, breaking down why creativity alone won’t cut it in political advertising; you need a sharp strategy to back it up. From campaign goals to audience insight, he shares how the best...

In a crowded media landscape, effective political ads must do more than deliver information. They have to engage, surprise, and connect on a human level. In the season premiere of The Creative Caucus podcast, host Garret Brubaker dives into the high-stakes, fast-moving world of political advertising with Adwell Group co-founder Cayce McCabe. Cayce shares his philosophy on crafting messages that br...

The Creative Caucus serves as a platform to explore the intricacies of political ad creation, showcasing the brilliance of innovative minds that often go unnoticed amidst the plethora of mundane advertisements. I, Garret Brubaker, invite you to join me as we delve into the compelling narratives and artistic processes that define the making of impactful political ads. This podcast eschews typical p...