Bagley Talks to an Important Person

What happens when you finally get the big creative title and discover how little of the job is actually making things?

In this episode, Jason sits down with Merkley+Partners CCO Matt MacDonald to talk about what it really takes to make great work and build a creative career without blindly chasing the next title. Jason Bagley and Matt talk about the reality of leading creative teams, why the next promotion isn’t always the right move, the limits of AI, and what great presenters know about selling bold ideas. They also get into impossible deadlines, protecting an idea from fatal feedback, and the work behind AT&T’s It Can Wait and Sandy Hook Promise.

To stay connected with Jason, follow him on his socials:
🌐 Website: https://schoolofastonishingpursuits.com/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-audacious-school-of-astonishing-pursuits/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschoolofastonishingpursuits/
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#advertisingagency #creativeprocess #bagleytalkstoanimportantperson

A rocket car. A whale in sunglasses. A rough cut that looked like a career-ending mistake. In this episode, Jason sits down with MIRIMAR Executive Creative Director and Partner Nick Morrissey to talk about making ridiculous ideas work—and knowing when you’re thinking them to death.

They revisit the making of Old Spice’s Rocket Car, unpack Nick’s “say the thing” approach to protecting great work, and explore how a few words can become a platform for an entire business. Plus: the QuickBooks pitch they loved and lost, what changes when you become a creative director, and why rapping for 2 Chainz went exactly as badly as you’d expect.

To stay connected with Jason, follow him on his socials:
🌐 Website: https://schoolofastonishingpursuits.com/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-audacious-school-of-astonishing-pursuits/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschoolofastonishingpursuits/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astonishingpursuits
💌 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://schoolofastonishingpursuits.com/#newsletter

Jessica Shriftman is currently a freelance creative director with 14 years of experience in an ad agency and startup advertising. Her background lies in art direction, strategy, and creative direction, spanning the gamut of concept to content. She’s known in the industry for delivering thought-provoking ideas that propel brands into pop culture, garnering press and transforming sales. 

She was selected three times for Business Insider’s list of The Most Creative People In Advertising and was named a Next Creative Leader and Female Frontier by Campaign US. Jessica’s work has received accolades from Emmy nominations to Cannes Lions and D&AD pencils.

Jason’s Free Masterclass Training:
The 7 Secrets to Becoming a Legendary Creative Director

Learn The Secrets And Techniques Of The World's Best Advertising Pros:
https://schoolofastonishingpursuits.com/

Follow Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bagley-96b33612/

Jessica’s Portfolio: https://jessicashriftman.com/ 

Jeff is a creative director and art director with over 13 years of experience in advertising, branding, and craft service table critiquing (aka production). 

After graduating from the VCU BrandCenter, he began his career at Wieden + Kennedy, working on brands like Southern Comfort, ESPN, and Nike Jordan. He’s also led campaigns for Heineken, Miller Lite, Upwork, Amazon, NBA2K, and Jose Cuervo. He most recently received the Grand Prix Film Lion for Apple’s “R.I.P Leon”. Despite the multiple Gold Lions he’s won over the years and now uses as paper weights and doorstops, he still has never set foot in France.
Jeff is a lifelong fan of country and soul music, documentary films, photography books, and the great outdoors. They all inspire his work and approach to creative problem-solving. 

Jason’s Free Masterclass Training:
The 7 Secrets to Becoming a Legendary Creative Director

Learn The Secrets And Techniques Of The World's Best Advertising Pros:
https://schoolofastonishingpursuits.com/

Follow Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bagley-96b33612/

Subscribe to Jason’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@theasap.school

Jeff’s Website: https://jeffreylawrencefishburnedryer.com/

Ashley Marshall has been an ECD at The Martin Agency for over two years, where she has lead teams to make some of the most talked about work for brands, including Axe, Old Navy, Chobani, Carmax and GEICO. 

Previously she held the position of creative director at Wieden + Kennedy, where she lead teams to create iconic work for Old Spice, Samsung, Facebook and Secret.  

Her career began as a copywriter at Chiat Day in 2002, where she helped create the still running Blank the Rainbow campaign for Skittles.  

Her work has been recognized by One Show, One Show Interactive, London International, Andy Awards, D&AD, Cannes Lions, Clios, Facebook Studio Awards, Webby’s, Art Directors Club, Local ADDY and National ADDY Awards and she was a 2022 recipient of Campaign Magazine’s Female Frontier Award.

She graduated from The University of North Texas in 2000 and Creative Circus in 2002 and believes strongly in the power of strategic insights + creativity to solve our biggest business challenges with ideas people love.

Jason’s Infinite Idea Generator: https://shorturl.at/i4kZ5 

Jason’s Free Masterclass Training: 
The 7 Secrets to Becoming a Legendary Creative Director

Learn The Secrets And Techniques Of The World's Best Advertising Pros:
https://shorturl.at/IyBVa

Follow Jason on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bagley-96b33612/

Ashley’s Website: https://www.ashleydavismarshall.me/ 

*This podcast episode was previously recorded.

Craig Allen is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of CALLEN. He spent nearly 10 years at Wieden + Kennedy’s Portland office where he worked on a large variety of brands. Perhaps most notably, he led the Old Spice team responsible for the “Smell Like A Man, Man” campaign which transformed the brand into the category’s definitive leader and was regarded as one of the top campaigns of the 21st century. Before W+K, Allen worked at TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York. 

Craig has won the industry’s most prestigious awards including an Emmy, two Cannes Lion Grand Prix, Best In Show at The One Show and ANDY Awards. As well as two Black D&AD Pencils and the Grand Effie. He was selected as one of the 50 most creative people in the world by Creativity Magazine.

Jason’s Free Masterclass Training: 
The 7 Secrets to Becoming a Legendary Creative Director

Learn The Secrets And Techniques Of The World's Best Advertising Pros:
https://shorturl.at/IyBVa

Follow Jason on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bagley-96b33612/

CALLEN Website: https://thisiscallen.com/ 

Greg Hahn is the Co-Founder and CCO of Mischief @ No Fixed Address. In less than four years, Greg has taken the agency from a pandemic start-up to one of the most in-demand agencies in the US and beyond. Mischief has earned Ad Age A-List #1 Agency of the Year in 2022 and 2024, AdAge Creative Agency of the Year 2024, Adweek US Agency of the Year Award 2023, Campaign US Agency of the Year 2022 and 2023, as well as Effie’s Most Effective Indy Agency 2023.  

Prior to founding Mischief @ No Fixed Address, Greg was the Creative Vice Chairman of BBDO Worldwide and the Chief Creative Officer of BBDO New York. During his time leading BBDO he helped the agency earn the title of the most awarded in the world according to The Gunn Report multiple times. Greg has also been named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company Magazine and top 10 Creative Directors by Adweek. As a writer and Creative Director, Greg has won practically every advertising award there is, including multiple Grand Prix at Cannes and Best of The Decade at The One Show and two Emmys.

Jason’s Free Masterclass Training: 
The 7 Secrets to Becoming a Legendary Creative Director

Learn The Secrets And Techniques Of The World's Best Advertising Pros:
https://shorturl.at/IyBVa

Follow Jason on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bagley-96b33612/

Greg’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greghahn777/ 

Mischief’s Website: https://mischiefusa.com/ 

In this episode of Bagley Talks to an Important Person, Jason Bagley engages in a captivating conversation with Rob Reilly, the Global Chief Creative Officer of WPP, exploring the realm of creativity and innovation. Rob, celebrated for his leadership in the advertising industry, shares insights from his journey, including his pivotal role in WPP's journey to becoming the Creative Company of the Year at Cannes Festival 2022.
Listeners are treated to a behind-the-scenes look at Rob's creative process and the groundbreaking campaigns he's spearheaded. Enjoy!

Jason’s Free Masterclass Training:
The 7 Secrets to Becoming a Legendary Creative Director

Learn The Secrets And Techniques Of The World's Best Advertising Pros:
https://schoolofastonishingpursuits.com/

Follow Jason on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bagley-96b33612/

Rob’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-reilly-796717/  

Lawrence Melilli is a Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy in Portland where he has spent the last decade. In his time there he’s overseen and worked across brands like KFC, Jordan Brand, Nike, EA Sports, EAFC (formerly FIFA), Old Spice, HBO, Trolli, Expedia, P&G, Ford and Fox Sports. These opportunities have led him to some interesting situations including: being patched into a conference call with Michael Jordan, standing in a buffet line with Ice Cube, reanimating the corpse of Colonel Sanders, being one half of an awkward hug with the reigning NBA MVP, cowering in the corner of a hotel suite while the creators of Game of Thrones recounted having their hands broken by Aquaman, performing an epic troll job on 300 million gamers, and being sent to the last known whereabouts of El Chapo to shoot a deodorant commercial.

2x Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner, One Show Jury Member, 10 year Wieden+Kennedy Veteran, and my work has been featured on Saturday Night Live, Kim Kardashian's Instagram, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Atlantic, and the NY Times to name a few.

Jason’s Free Masterclass Training:
The 7 Secrets to Becoming a Legendary Creative Director

Learn The Secrets And Techniques Of The World's Best Advertising Pros:
https://schoolofastonishingpursuits.com/

Follow Jason on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bagley-96b33612/

Lawrence’s Website: https://www.lawrencemelilli.com

Jaclyn Crowley has been working in advertising for 20 plus years. She has worked with some of the smartest minds and kindest humans advertising has to offer. While at W+K, she developed award-winning work for brands like HBO, Delta, Duracell and AT&T. In 2019, Jaclyn led and helped win W+K NY's largest client win in its history, McDonald's global. Before that, she got her start as an art director at Bozell, where she focused on the infamous "Got Milk?" campaign. Recently, she stepped away from advertising, though keeping a toe in for the thrill of it. Currently, she’s cooking up a fledgling little platform called GrannieHQ, a place committed to making women feel less horrible about getting older.

Jason’s Free Masterclass Training:
The 7 Secrets to Becoming a Legendary Creative Director

Learn The Secrets And Techniques Of The World's Best Advertising Pros:
https://schoolofastonishingpursuits.com/

Follow Jason on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bagley-96b33612/