Pop Rock Disco

Ben James and Maggie Malek have been partners for four years, long before either one had the title to make it official. He's Crispin's new Chief Creative Officer. She's the CEO who hired him. In this closing episode of Volume One, they sit down together for the first time in the series to talk about the partnership behind Ben's first thirty days.

This is the final episode of Volume 1, recorded in real time just after Ben's 30-day mark as Crispin's new CCO, featuring Ben and CEO Maggie Malek together for the first time in this series.

In this episode, Ben and Maggie talk about the four years they spent working together before Ben's hire, why they've deliberately refused to split creative decisions from business ones, and what it actually looks like to run an agency as what Maggie calls "a small economy"; built on trust, not org charts.

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Volume 1 is brought to you by VPGC: Strategic Media Ecosystems That Convert.

Learn more about VPGC's strategic media consulting and partnerships: www.VPGCreative.com

Ben James started at Crispin in 2002, a twenty-something coming up in the agency. He left in 2006. Now he's back 20 years later as Chief Creative Officer, recording this feature episode on the literal last day of his first month in the role.

Vince and Ben explore what a thirty-day mark looks like when it's also a homecoming: the "come by and see us" strategy built to answer the industry's burning question for Crispin, why he's designed against the idea of a single creative genius, and what it means to lead reinvention at the place that raised you creatively.

This is the final episode of our 3-part check-in series with Ben James, recorded in real time in August 2026 during his first month as Crispin's new CCO.

In this check-in, Ben talks about what a month of Chop-Up-the-Algorithm actually taught the team, the intentional strategy behind inviting clients and collaborators to "come by and see," and what it means to become an extension of a client's team rather than just their agency.

Remember to join the PRD mailing list to get early access, exclusive insights and takeaways, and insider experiences you won't find anywhere else: www.PopRockDisco.com

Volume 1 is brought to you by VPGC: Strategic Media That Converts.

Learn more about VPGC's strategic media consulting and partnerships: www.VPGCreative.com

It's the last Friday in August, and Ben James is a month into the job. The office is quiet - Summer Fridays - and he's using the pause to reflect on everything that's clicked into place since week one: the new team ritual that's spread across offices, the clients calling Crispin an extension of their own team, and a phrase he'd used almost in passing three weeks ago that turns out to have been the strategic plan all along.

This is the final episode of our 3-part check-in series with Ben James, recorded in real time in August 2026 during his first month as Crispin's new CCO.

In this check-in, Ben talks about what a month of Chop-Up-the-Algorithm actually taught the team, the intentional strategy behind inviting clients and collaborators to "come by and see," and what it means to become an extension of a client's team rather than just their agency.

Remember to join the PRD mailing list to get early access, exclusive insights and takeaways, and insider experiences you won't find anywhere else: www.PopRockDisco.com

Volume 1 is brought to you by VPGC: Strategic Media That Converts.

Learn more about VPGC's strategic media consulting and partnerships: www.VPGCreative.com

It's week three, and Ben James is sitting with his growth team at Crispin, talking through what it means to invent something new in an industry built on borrowing.

From the origin of the Truth anti-smoking campaign in the late '90s to a reimagined tennis ball for the Australian Open, Ben walks through how the agency turns inspiration into original, business-driving work.

This is part 2 of our 3-part check-in series with Ben James, recorded in real time in August 2026 during his first month as Crispin's new CCO.

In this check-in, Ben talks about navigating AI and intellectual property in creative work, the story behind Crispin's invention of the Truth brand, and why he believes creativity is an approach, not an output.

Remember to join the PRD mailing list to get early access, exclusive insights and takeaways, and insider experiences you won't find anywhere else: www.PopRockDisco.com

Volume 1 is brought to you by VPGC: Strategic Media That Converts.

Learn more about VPGC's strategic media consulting and partnerships: www.VPGCreative.com

It's the end of the week. Ben James has just taken over as Chief Creative Officer at Crispin, splitting his time between the agency's New York and Houston offices and starting as he always does: by listening.

This is part 1 of our 3-part check-in series with Ben James, recorded in real time in August 2026 during his first month as Crispin's new CCO.

In this check-in, Ben talks about building trust with his new team through listening, reviving a ritual from his own creative roots, and staying present with his family while balancing work during his first 30 days.

Remember to join the PRD mailing list to get early access, exclusive insights and takeaways, and insider experiences you won't find anywhere else: www.PopRockDisco.com 

Volume 1 is brought to you by VPGC: Strategic Media That Converts.

Learn more about VPGC's strategic media consulting and partnerships: www.VPGCreative.com