Killed In Concept

They were on the verge of shutting down.

A struggling nonprofit came to a young marketing agency with one request: 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲. The team created a fundraising campaign that raised over $𝟭𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬, transformed the organization's reputation, and helped fuel years of growth.

Then everything changed.

A new marketing director joined the organization. Slowly, communication broke down. Meetings changed. Doubt was planted behind closed doors. A passion project turned into a political battle, and the very campaign the agency created continued to live on... long after the agency was gone.

In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we unpack one of the hardest lessons agency owners ever learn: Sometimes your biggest threat isn't a competitor. It's the person hired to work beside you.

If you're an 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁, this episode is a masterclass in internal politics, stakeholder management, and protecting client relationships before someone else rewrites the story.

🕵️ 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:

- Saving a nonprofit through storytelling

- Raising six figures with a marketing campaign

- When a new marketing director becomes your biggest obstacle

- Losing a client despite proven results

- Watching your strategy succeed... without you

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: This episode contains gaslighting, office politics, and one of the most frustrating betrayals an agency can experience.

Every creative has 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺.

In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, the team revisits one of the most painful murders in agency history: a vibrant, fully realized education brand identity that everyone internally believed was the 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱… only for the client to reject it completely.

From preschool-inspired building blocks and animated logos to fully developed brand systems and emotional presentation pitches, this episode explores the brutal reality that sometimes the work you love most… simply isn’t what the client wants.

And somehow? That hurts even more.

If you’re a 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, this episode will feel deeply personal.

🕵️ Case themes include:

• The emotional attachment creatives develop to great work
• Why “too creative” can kill a brand pitch
• Clients choosing familiarity over boldness
• The legendary “R.I.P.” folder of rejected logos
• The difference between good design and right design

Listener warning: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮.

⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀

00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (True Crime for Creatives)

01:10 – The Legendary “R.I.P.” Folder of Dead Logos

02:35 – The Education Brand Everyone Was Excited About

04:05 – Designing a Logo Inspired by Preschool Building Blocks

07:24 – Patterns, Colors, and the Full Brand System

09:32 – Escaping the “Everything Looks Like Apple” Era

11:13 – The Brand Presentation That Changed Everything

13:20 – Animating the Logo by Hand

15:06 – “This Is the Best Work We’ve Ever Done”

18:10 – The Client Reaction That Killed the Room

20:10 – “It Feels Too Childish”

24:18 – Mourning the Brand That Could’ve Been Legendary

A 30-year-old company hires an agency to modernize its brand. The discovery process goes well. The strategy is thoughtful. The rebrand is respectful.

Then AI enters the chat.

In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate the slow collapse of a carefully crafted brand system after internal teams started feeding logos, assets, and prompts into AI tools — producing content that technically worked… but quietly dismantled years of strategic thinking.

This isn’t just a story about bad design. It’s about 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗽𝘂𝘁.

If you’re a 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, this episode will hit a nerve.

🕵️ Case themes include:

• Brand drift inside growing companies
• Why AI-generated content feels “off”
• The hidden cost of convenience marketing
• Internal teams bypassing strategy
• How trust erodes when clients want control over consistency

Listener warning: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀.

⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀

00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (True Crime for Creatives)

01:49 – Starting an Agency and Taking Any Client You Can Get

03:30 – The 30-Year-Old Company That Needed a Refresh

04:30 – Building a “Respectful Refresh” Brand Strategy

06:41 – Why Long-Standing Companies Fear Change

09:00 – The Real Purpose of a Brand Guide 12:05 – Why Clients Ignore Their Own Branding Rules

16:35 – The First Sign AI Had Entered the Company

17:17 – “The Font Looked… Wrong”

19:33 – The Gut Punch of Seeing AI Replace Your Work

21:03 – Why AI Gives Clients the Illusion of Control

27:32 – “Design Drift” and the Slow Death of Brand Consistency

What happens when you spend months building content, websites, and strategy… for someone you’ve never actually met?

In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate the bizarre case of a law firm project where the real decision-maker stayed hidden the entire time — communicating only through a spouse, admin staff, and vague secondhand feedback.

From website copy and social media management to mysterious no-show meetings and a bridge replacing the homepage hero image, this episode unpacks the nightmare of 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

And just when things seem stable? The dreaded message arrives: “Can you send over the contract?”

If you’re a 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, this story will feel painfully familiar.

🕵️ Case themes include:

• Invisible stakeholders ruining projects
• Why “looks good” is NOT approval
• Scope creep from writer → designer → strategist
• The psychological damage of client ghosting
• Being trapped inside a client’s Facebook account forever

Listener warning: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀

00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (True Crime for Creatives)

01:23 – The Referral That Felt Like a Green Flag

03:24 – “I Hate Writing Social Media Posts”

05:25 – Scope Creep: Writer Turns Into Designer

06:42 – 30 Pages of Website Copy… and Total Silence

08:36 – “Looks Great” (Without Actually Reading It)

10:19 – The Homepage Hero Image Gets Replaced by a Bridge

12:36 – Six Months of Quietly Running the Marketing

15:03 – “We’re Posting Too Much on Social Media”

19:21 – The Email Every Creative Fears: “Can We See the Contract?”

23:11 – The Client No-Shows TWO Meetings in a Row

28:02 – Still Trapped Inside the Client’s Facebook Account

Every designer has 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 project. The one you know is brilliant. The one the client says they love. The one that dies anyway.

In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate the murder of a luxury real estate brand that spiraled from strategic clarity into total identity chaos — complete with target audience whiplash, endless revisions, ghosting, and a shocking final twist.

After crafting what he believed was the 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿, our guest watched the client abandon the project… only to later launch a suspiciously similar brand without him.

This is a story about what happens when clients don’t know who they are — and creatives are forced to become therapists, strategists, and mind readers just to survive the process.

If you’re a designer, 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, this episode will hit painfully close to home.

🕵️ Case themes include:

• Clients who want to target “everyone”
• Luxury branding vs mass appeal panic
• The emotional cost of endless revisions
• Why designers become accidental business consultants
• When clients reject your idea… then quietly use it later

Listener warning: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀

00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (True Crime for Creatives)

01:23 – The Referral That Seemed Too Perfect

04:13 – The First Red Flag: “I Want to Serve Everyone”

06:54 – Narrowing the Brand to Luxury Tech Real Estate

08:06 – Designing the “Apple of Real Estate”

11:25 – The Best Logo He’d Ever Made

12:18 – Art Deco, Luxury Branding, and Creative Confidence

14:26 – The Client’s Complete 180 (“Can We Add Hearts?”)

15:34 – Three Logo Concepts and a Designer Breaking Down

18:17 – The Month-Long Ghosting Begins

20:18 – The Client Quits… and Returns to Corporate Real Estate

21:00 – The Shocking Twist: She Used the Idea Anyway

What happens when a 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 gets un-alived before it ever launches?

In this debut episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate a chilling true-crime story from the marketing world — where a bold, scroll-stopping video campaign was 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱… 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 by internal politics, ego, and “we know our audience” syndrome.

From rebrands and websites to a cringe-brilliant commercial that should have crushed on Facebook ads, this episode unpacks how creatives lose control of projects 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 — and why some clients are far more dangerous than bad ideas.

If you’re a 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, this story will feel uncomfortably familiar.

Listener discretion advised: 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗧𝗦𝗗 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹.

⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀

00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (A True Crime Podcast for Creatives)

01:28 – What “Killed in Concept” Actually Means

02:17 – The Client Who Wanted to Target Millennials

03:35 – 2018 Facebook Ads Were Printing Money

05:19 – The Rebrand, Website, and Big Creative Swing

06:43 – The Cringe Pool Commercial Idea Is Born

09:00 – American Flag Speedo, Slow Motion, and Scroll-Stopping Chaos

12:54 – Client Reaction: “This Is Incredible”

14:36 – The Call That Changed Everything (“My Wife Handles Marketing Now”)

16:10 – “We’re Not Posting That Video”

18:00 – Death by Revisions, Ego, and Backtracking

21:02 – The Campaign Never Launched… and the Company Died (sort of…not really…but kind of…)

This wasn’t a violent creative murder. It was 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁.

In this episode of 𝗞*𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we examine a case every creative dreads: a fully paid, thoughtfully designed website that never launches — not because it’s bad, but because 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

A long-standing client. A husband-and-wife ownership team. A beautiful brand refresh. A finished website. A cleared invoice.

And yet… the site sits in limbo.

From logo identity crises and black-and-white nurseries to clients who love the work but can’t pull the trigger, this episode exposes the silent killer of creative projects: 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆.”

If you’re a 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, this one will hit painfully close to home.

Listener warning: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀.

⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀

00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (True Crime for Creatives)

00:57 – The Garden Center with a 20-Year Legacy

02:39 – Husband and Wife = Double the Decisions

03:29 – “Can We Change the Logo?” (After Buying the Sign)

04:15 – The Branding Rule You Can’t Break

05:54 – They Copied a Website… Then Hated the Colors

06:42 – Black, White, and Gray for a Flower Shop

08:04 – Designing Under Creative Surrender

09:16 – The Website That Never Launched

10:32 – Self-Sabotage Disguised as Being Busy

14:21 – When Marketing Works… but Still Doesn’t Move

23:11 – Why Creatives Sometimes Have to Decide for Clients

Some creative murders are loud. Others are 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁, 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate the case of a beautifully designed website — modern, animated, intentional — that was 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 with a soulless stock-photo graveyard… while the logo lived on.

This is the story of 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, legal scares, insecure decision-making, and the moment every designer dreads: discovering your work still exists… but stripped of its soul.

If you’re a 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, this episode hits close to home — because sometimes the worst creative crime isn’t rejection…It’s replacement.

Listener warning: 𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗶𝗮, 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱.

⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀

00:00 – A Project That Started Before COVID

02:55 – Joining the Project Mid-Branding

04:13 – “This Logo Looks Like a Defense Contractor”

05:37 – The Legal Scare That Changed Everything

08:10 – “We Want to Be Them” (The Real Brief)

11:09 – The Triangle Era: Animations, Motion, and Taste

15:03 – “At Least They Kept the Website…”

16:14 – The Moment Everything Felt Wrong

17:16 – The Soulless Redesign Revealed

18:11 – They Kept the Logo. That’s It.

23:21 – Pouring One Out for a Dead Website

26:22 – The Grief of Projects That No Longer Exist

This wasn’t a sudden death. This was a 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻, 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗮𝗱𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate one of the most unsettling cases yet: a long-term retainer client, a trusted marketing director, and a relationship that evaporated overnight — followed by a five-minute phone call that ended everything.

From flying out for in-person strategy sessions to being embedded in Slack, this story explores what happens when agencies 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀… 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Marketing directors cry. Slack channels disappear. Contracts die quietly. And sometimes, no one ever tells you why.

If you’re an 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱, this episode is a cautionary tale about 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱.”

Listener warning: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵.

⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀

00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (True Crime for Creatives)

01:16 – The First Retainer That Changed Everything

02:24 – New Marketing Director = New Threat

03:05 – From Web Dev to Full Strategic Partner

05:58 – Three Years of Projects That Never Launched

08:55 – “It Doesn’t Look As Good As It Should”

10:10 – “We Want More of Chris”

12:15 – The Crying Call

16:57 – Silence, Ghosting, and Red Flags

17:39 – The Marketing Director Vanishes

20:24 – The 5-Minute Call That Killed the Retainer

23:21 – Losing 20% of Revenue Overnight

Welcome to the true crime podcast for creatives... where nothing actually died, but it definitely hurt. Killed in Concept shares real stories of great ideas that were approved, funded, loved… and then mysteriously abandoned. Come for the laughs, stay for the trauma.