The Creative Stickup

Enjoy my highly relevant and enlightening conversation with Ryan Brown where we discuss in no particular order:

The Adjacent Possible and how you need to start rubbing shoulders with everyone a whole lot more.

Placing Small Bets and then rigorously testing and adjusting the results.

The Way of Being Relevant, Ryan's four part breakdown of the very word in every client brief.

The Manifest Platform, how this digital shop wants to be the place to connect everyone's ideas to clients.

And growing up on the wrong side of the Tracks in South Bend, Indiana.

Have a listen!

Some links:

http://manifest.com/

https://hbr.org/2011/08/finding-your-next-big-adjacent

Music by Flaming Death Trap

Meet the Designer.

You've heard of design thinking, Mike Spakowski is a true practitioner and connoisseur. As founder and creative director at Atomicdust and Chairman of Design Week, Mike tells Jeff about his journey from tinkering with computers to founding his shop and the design centric, collaborative way he approaches his work and the St. Louis design scene.

Check them out:

http://www.atomicdust.com/

music by Flaming Death Trap

One of the best parts of St. Louis and doing this Podcast is finally getting to meet someone you’ve heard about for years but never met.

The town is the exact size for these encounters to happen often. Just large enough where you can’t know everyone, but small enough to where you know someone who does

I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth Tucker of ALIVE, a person who fits this description to a T. She started Alive Magazine with Attilio D’Agostino in 2002 with a bang. They immediately found an underserved-and-lifestyle-aware scene in St. Louis and have helped evolve that very scene ever since. They created Fashion Week in 2007, and brought back a fashion scene to the city. With the recent redesign of the magazine and the launching of an agency, ALIVE is as interesting as ever.

Elizabeth tells Jeff about her beginnings, Attlio’s nutritional supplement speech to stay in St. Louis, how to live by the Golden Rule and how to divergent thinking keeps her fresh. And where she went to High School!

Links: Here’s the St. Louis Fashion Week video we talk about in the cast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdga4L4nwRQ

Music by Flaming Death Trap

Photo by Attilio D'Agostino.

If every arts scene needs it's patron to thrive, Susan Sherman is certainly on a very short list for the role. For 25 years she's worked to help make our performing and visual arts community a vital part of this city. Now she's tackling her biggest challenge - bringing back the fashion business. Susan tells Jeff all about the St. Louis Fashion Fund and it's signature project, The Fashion Incubator.

https://saintlouisfashionfund.org/

Allan Meyerson has brought his New York edge and helped build one of the biggest and most successful agencies in St. Louis.

He's surrounded by great talent, big clients and a shop thats found its groove. Allan talks to Jeff about his no nonsense approach to building a great creative culture and his journey from the New York shop with his name on the door to putting down roots here in the Lou.

Take me to Church.

Matt Miofsky has become a man of God. He leads a vibrant and growing Church in St. Louis. But before all that he was an theoretical math major at Wash U looking for someplace to channel his creativity. Matt talks to Jeff about his journey, his storytelling process and how a quirky spirit can lead you to fulfillment down the road less traveled.

Mixology and cocktail culture is everywhere, it's one of the most creative spaces being explored. The most creative of these spirits? It might just be Gin. No one in the world has a better handle on this effervescent spirit than Natasha Bahrami, The Gin Girl and namesake of the St. Louis Institution, Cafe Natasha.

http://www.natashasginroom.com/

http://cafenatasha.com/

Music by Flaming Death Trap

What does it take to lead an agency?

These are the folks who know the answer.

Annie Castellano - Senior Vice President/Executive Creative Director at ITC

Stacey Goldman - Principal/Chief Strategist/Cannonball

Gus Hatrich - President at Paradowski Creative

Allan Meyerson - Senior Vice President/Executive Creative Director at Group 360

New Honor Society's Holly Aguirre and Heidi Singleton (Hi Ho) are building great agency culture. From the disparate pieces of Zip and Rivet, they've found their soul and are bringing inspiring marketing to brands and the St. Louis agency scene.

We asked the town for the rising stars of 2016. This is who they sent us. Check out the young guns, where did they come from and where are they headed?

Bri Gilomen – Junior Creative Project Manager at FH

Jerry McNeive - Digital Production Developer/Designer at Rodgers Townsend

Rebekah Nelson - Video Editor/Production Artist at H & L Partners

Justin Striebel – Art Director at HLK

Kelcey Towell - Designer at TOKY