The Creative Agency Podcast

By Chris Bolton: Digital Strategist, Marketer, and Agency Advocate

Education Business Careers

What's The Creative Agency Podcast about?

Grow Your Agency

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The Creative Agency Podcast episodes:

10.15.2019
045 Pitching and Pricing Smart – Agency Advisor Blair Enns
Blair Enns is CEO of Win Without Pitching and the author of The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour. Blair joins the Creative Agency Podcast to talk […]
04.24.2019
044 The Cannabis Niche – Jared Mirsky of Wick & Mortar
Jared Mirsky is CEO of Wick & Mortar, a branding and marketing agency specializing in the cannabis industry. Jared started out as a freelancer working with local nightclubs on branding and marketing. He used a combination […]
11.06.2018
043 A New Employee Every Month – Andrea Engstrom of Bajillion Agency
Can you imagine hiring a new employee every month? Bajillion Agency is doing it. Andrea Engstrom president and founder of Bajillion Agency is setting goals and achieving them at a rapid pace. Established in 2015, Bajillion […]
05.25.2018
042 The Entrepreneurial Operating System For Agencies – Mike Paton of EOS Worldwide
In this episode, we explore the benefits of using The Entrepreneurial Operating System to grow your agency. And who better to interview on this subject than Mike Paton (pronounced Payton) the Visionary at EOS Worldwide. Paton has spent […]
04.06.2018
041 Agency Finances With Ryan Watson of Upsourced Accounting
Ryan Watson is the founder of a unique accounting agency, Upsourced Accounting, that focuses on creative agencies. Ryan discusses pricing strategies, profitability, taxes, and much more. He also explains how his business integrates with agencies and […]
03.12.2018
040 Our Story Part 4 – Murmur Creative Year in Review 2017
Once again we turn the mic on ourselves and talk about our own agency journey. Headquartered in Portland, OR (in an office located in a renovated high school), Murmur Creative is a branding and web agency […]
12.04.2017
039 Collaboration – Ellen De Vries of Clearleft
One of the most important things about running successful digital projects is cultivating effective collaborations. Ellen De Vries, Content Strategist at Clearleft and author of Collaborate: Bring people together around digital projects joins us to talk about […]
09.19.2017
038 The Account Director Role – Ann Kaufman of Fuzzco
Ann Kaufman is a partner at Fuzzco. She runs their Portland, OR office. Ann cut her teeth in the agency world as an account director and recently put on an event in Portland called Not Not Creative. […]
07.10.2017
037 Getting Down to Business – Brad Flowers of Bullhorn
Brad Flowers is founder of an agency called Bullhorn. Brad and his partners have taken a proactive approach to growing their business by focusing on integrating new systems and using inspiration from a very useful book called […]
06.19.2017
036 Cultivating a Creative Culture With Justin Dauer
Justin Dauer is a designer and author who just published a book called Cultivating a Creative Culture. The book comes from Justin’s experience working at a variety of creative agencies and focuses on the importance of […]
05.30.2017
035 Risk and Reward – Growing Orange Bus With Julian Leighton
Julian Leighton started his career as a consultant driving around in an orange bus. The name “Orange Bus” stuck. Julian partnered with Mike Parker to begin building an agency that they would eventually sell. Parker and […]
05.01.2017
034 The Importance of Content Strategy – Rob Mills of GatherContent
You can’t build a website without some form of content strategy. Rob Mills of GatherContent joins us to talk about “all things content strategy.” Rob worked as head of content at an agency for many years […]
04.17.2017
033 Remote Work Mastery – Rachel Zimmer of 5Crowd
Rachel Zimmer co-founded 5Crowd, a unique agency that uses a vetted network of freelancers to accomplish creative work for fortune 500 companies. Rachel and her co-founder Bram Warshafsky both worked at Johnson & Johnson out of college […]
04.03.2017
032 New Agency Models – Will Burns of Ideasicle
Forbes contributor and agency veteran Will Burns joins us to talk about how agencies are changing and whether the “Agency of Record” model still exists. Will discusses his experience working at big agencies like Weiden & Kennedy, […]
03.19.2017
031 Winning Business With Targeted Content – Isaac Arthur of CODO
CODO brilliantly targeted their ideal clients by creating an online resource called The Craft Beer Branding Guide. Not only does this website bring thousands of web visits and new business opportunities weekly, it’s allowed them to […]
03.05.2017
030 Question the Defaults: Selling SEO with Mike Arnesen of UpBuild
Mike Arnesen founded UpBuild, a technical marketing agency that offers a winning cocktail of conversion rate optimization, analytics, and SEO. Mike leveraged his prior agency experience and reputation as a thought leader and speaker to build […]
02.05.2017
029 Our Story Part 3 – 2016 Year End Review with Murmur Creative
Did we hit our million dollar goal? What trials and tribulations did we face in 2016? What did we learn? What lies ahead? In this episode of the Creative Agency Podcast, we turn the mic our […]
01.26.2017
028 Stop Scope Creep with Karl Sakas of Sakas and Company
Karl Sakas is an Agency Consultant and president of a global consulting firm called Sakas & Company. Karl has advised agencies on 6 continents about operations, strategy, and leadership. He is the author of The In-Demand […]
01.15.2017
027 The Virtual Reality Agency – Matthew Martin of Immersive VR
While virtual reality technology has been around for while, the technology has only recently advanced to the point where both consumers and companies are rapidly exploring the many applications. Immersive VR is a studio that focuses exclusively […]
12.11.2016
026 UI/UX Design Services – Pek Pongpaet of Impekable
Pek Pongpaet, of Impekable, joins us to discuss agency growth and UI/UX. Impekable is a silicon valley based creative agency that specializes in UI/UX design and development. Impekable works with big brands like Google, HP, Motorola, Twilio, […]
11.03.2016
025 Managing an Interactive Project Start to Finish – Part 2
Managing interactive projects (websites and apps) ain’t easy. And it takes a special kind of personality to make sure all the necessary steps are followed and the feedback, deliverables, research, and “everything else” can happen in […]
11.03.2016
024 Managing an Interactive Project Start to Finish – Part 1
Managing interactive projects (websites and apps) ain’t easy. And it takes a special kind of personality to make sure all the necessary steps are followed and the feedback, deliverables, research, and “everything else” can happen in […]
10.23.2016
023 Discovery Workshops – Dan Carlton – The Paragraph Project
Dan Carlton is founder of The Paragraph Project, a 10 person agency in Durham, North Carolina that focuses on discovery, market research, and brand strategy. Dan talks about the importance of running discovery workshops and how to run them […]
10.17.2016
022 Agency Horror Stories – Client Possession, Vampirism, and More
Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready for the Creative Agency Podcast’s Open Office of Horrors in which we bring you spine-chilling tales from the dark regions of agency life. The show opens with Sharon McMullen of Ink […]
10.05.2016
021 Agency (The Book) – Rick Webb, Author and Agency Founder
In 2001, Rick Webb co-founded The Barbarian Group, an award-winning digital ad agency. He grew his agency to a 150-person-team that works with big brands like Apple, Google, GE, and more. Rick served as The Barbarian […]
09.06.2016
020 Project Based Teams – Sharon McMullen of Ink + Mortar
While many agencies hire full-time employees and then hire contractors as needed, it’s also possible to build a custom team for each project you win. This way you can always contract the best people for the job […]
08.22.2016
019 Is “Freelancer” a Dirty Word? Sarah Schulweis of Anchor & Orbit
Sarah Schulweis of Anchor and Orbit is a consultant that helps small businesses grow by looking at their finances, processes, marketing, and producing action plans and programs. She was recently featured on Freelance Wisdom a website that […]
08.16.2016
018 USMP: Unique Selling Marriage Proposal – Top Hat IMC
Top Hat IMC is a boutique creative agency located in Pittsburgh, PA. Ben and Pamela Butler are a power-couple that manage both their agency and their marriage with a great deal of enthusiasm. Ben and Pamela […]
08.01.2016
017 Our Story Part 2 – Developing a Vision with Murmur Creative
Defining the vision you have for your agency is one of the most important things you can do to foster ongoing success. Yes, we all have ideas about what we want, but putting those ideas on […]
06.28.2016
016 Running a Remote HubSpot Agency – Gray MacKenzie of GuavaBox
Gray MacKenzie joins us to talk about HubSpot, running a remote agency (GuavaBox), and his SaaS company (DoInbound). Gray talks about how GuavaBox was founded in his dorm room, how they came up with their name, […]
06.01.2016
015 Content First – Isaac Szymanczyk of Conveyor
Conveyor is an agency that specializes in content creation and strategy. They develop content for websites, social media campaigns, blogs, print materials, and more. In this episode, Conveyor’s Isaac Szymanczyk talks about a ‘content first’ approach to design. […]
05.25.2016
014 Onboarding with Robby Russell of Planet Argon
No, Planet Argon is not actually a far away planet where redheads are considered evil (As depicted in the novel “Still Life with Woodpecker“). It is a Portland based design and development agency that specializes on […]
05.14.2016
013 The Art of Discovery – David Yarde of Sevenality
Sevenality is a florida-based husband and wife creative agency run by Angelica and David Yarde. Sevenality specializes in branding and website design. David talks about the importance of the discovery process, how they approach discovery, and how […]
05.02.2016
012 Learning From Our Mistakes – Ross Beyeler of Growth Spark
Agency owner, Ross Beyeler recorded every mistake his agency made for over a year. He published his findings in an article on Hubspot’s Agency Post blog, titled “We Documented Our Agency’s Mistakes Every Week for a […]
04.10.2016
011 The Creative Agency Lawyer – Josh Barrett of Create Legal
Are your contracts protecting your business and informing your client? Do you have a partnership agreement that protects and prepares your business for inevitable change? Josh Barrett, a creative agency lawyer and owner of CreateLegal, talks […]
03.24.2016
010 Building a Product In-House – Kyle Racki of Proposify
Kyle Racki of Proposify shares his story of growing an in-house software product while running a digital agency. Kyle explains how he and his business partner built Proposify while simultaneously running their former agency, Headspace. And […]
03.06.2016
009 Award Winning Culture – Keith Scandone of O3 World
When Keith Scandone decided he wasn’t cut out to be an actor in Hollywood, he moved back to Philadelphia and started his own agency: O3 World. 10 years later that agency has 27 employees and an […]
02.23.2016
008 Work That Matters – Jeremy Pelley of OMFGCO
Jeremy Pelley is co-owner of the Official Manufacturing Company (OMFGCO) a branding and design agency located in Portland, OR. Jeremy and his partner, Fritz Mesenbrink, founded OMFGCO in 2009. Jeremy and Fritz had little business experience […]
02.08.2016
007 What You Need to Know to Grow – James Loomstein of Rogue Marketing
James Loomstein is co-founder of Rogue Marketing in Dallas, Texas, a college professor, and regular speaker at digital marketing conferences such as Pubcon. James talks indepth about marketing, project management, specialization, and pricing. The story that […]
01.25.2016
006 Our Story Part 1 – Chris & Andrew of Murmur Creative
In this episode of The Creative Agency Podcast we turn the mic on ourselves and explore how our own creative agency has achieved success. Chris interviews his younger brother, Andrew Bolton, owner of Murmur Creative, a […]
01.19.2016
005 Proposals and the Truth – Zach Davis of Cast Iron Coding
How do you go from earning a PHD in 17th century poetry to running a coding agency? Well, Zach Davis is the man to ask. Zach Davis started Cast Iron Coding along with a friend 12 […]
01.11.2016
004 Managing Rapid Growth – Doug Fish of Fish Marketing
Doug Fish started Fish Advertising in the 90s, sold it, and then created a new agency, Fish Marketing, which focused on the rapidly growing digital marketing field. Fish Marketing recently won The Portland Business Journal’s Lighthouse Award […]
12.28.2015
003 Crafting Reality Through Photography – Chris and Leah of NashCO
Leah Nash and Christopher Onstott are Portland, Oregon’s dynamic duo of lifestyle photography. Together they form NashCO a 3-year-old photography agency that has already made a name for itself through amazing work and high-profile clients. They’ve worked with […]
12.14.2015
002 From Creative to CEO – Patrick Ezell of Copious
In the second episode of The Creative Agency Podcast, Chris interviews Patrick Ezell co-founder of the award winning design and interactive agency, Copious. Patrick talks to us about making the transition from a coder who actively works […]
11.30.2015
001 Specialization – Kandace Brigleb of Needmore
Welcome to the Creative Agency Podcast, where you get an inside look at how creative agencies, operate, succeed, make mistakes, and everything in-between. Our first episode features an interview with Kandace Brigleb, co-founder of Needmore. Needmore has […]

What's The Creative Agency Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Creative Agency Podcast episodes:

045 Pitching and Pricing Smart – Agency Advisor Blair Enns

044 The Cannabis Niche – Jared Mirsky of Wick & Mortar

043 A New Employee Every Month – Andrea Engstrom of Bajillion Agency

042 The Entrepreneurial Operating System For Agencies – Mike Paton of EOS Worldwide

041 Agency Finances With Ryan Watson of Upsourced Accounting

040 Our Story Part 4 – Murmur Creative Year in Review 2017

039 Collaboration – Ellen De Vries of Clearleft

038 The Account Director Role – Ann Kaufman of Fuzzco

037 Getting Down to Business – Brad Flowers of Bullhorn

036 Cultivating a Creative Culture With Justin Dauer

035 Risk and Reward – Growing Orange Bus With Julian Leighton

034 The Importance of Content Strategy – Rob Mills of GatherContent

033 Remote Work Mastery – Rachel Zimmer of 5Crowd

032 New Agency Models – Will Burns of Ideasicle

031 Winning Business With Targeted Content – Isaac Arthur of CODO

030 Question the Defaults: Selling SEO with Mike Arnesen of UpBuild

029 Our Story Part 3 – 2016 Year End Review with Murmur Creative

028 Stop Scope Creep with Karl Sakas of Sakas and Company

027 The Virtual Reality Agency – Matthew Martin of Immersive VR

026 UI/UX Design Services – Pek Pongpaet of Impekable

025 Managing an Interactive Project Start to Finish – Part 2

024 Managing an Interactive Project Start to Finish – Part 1

023 Discovery Workshops – Dan Carlton – The Paragraph Project

022 Agency Horror Stories – Client Possession, Vampirism, and More

021 Agency (The Book) – Rick Webb, Author and Agency Founder

020 Project Based Teams – Sharon McMullen of Ink + Mortar

019 Is “Freelancer” a Dirty Word? Sarah Schulweis of Anchor & Orbit

018 USMP: Unique Selling Marriage Proposal – Top Hat IMC

017 Our Story Part 2 – Developing a Vision with Murmur Creative

016 Running a Remote HubSpot Agency – Gray MacKenzie of GuavaBox

015 Content First – Isaac Szymanczyk of Conveyor

014 Onboarding with Robby Russell of Planet Argon

013 The Art of Discovery – David Yarde of Sevenality

012 Learning From Our Mistakes – Ross Beyeler of Growth Spark

011 The Creative Agency Lawyer – Josh Barrett of Create Legal

010 Building a Product In-House – Kyle Racki of Proposify

009 Award Winning Culture – Keith Scandone of O3 World

008 Work That Matters – Jeremy Pelley of OMFGCO

007 What You Need to Know to Grow – James Loomstein of Rogue Marketing

006 Our Story Part 1 – Chris & Andrew of Murmur Creative

005 Proposals and the Truth – Zach Davis of Cast Iron Coding

004 Managing Rapid Growth – Doug Fish of Fish Marketing

003 Crafting Reality Through Photography – Chris and Leah of NashCO

002 From Creative to CEO – Patrick Ezell of Copious

001 Specialization – Kandace Brigleb of Needmore