In this episode of The Spark, Traylor Woodall—founder & CEO of Fivestone Studios shares how mentors, hard-won failures, and a "Culture of Honor" shaped his leadership and creative philosophy. We dig into scaling teams, evolving from animation to immersive experiences, measuring impact, and protecting people while pursuing excellence.

Timestamps

• 03:09 – Learning through failure and humility

• 07:48 – Building culture that nurtures creative excellence

• 15:15 – The "Culture of Honor" philosophy

• 23:25 – From animation to immersive experiences

• 26:39 – Times Square takeover with Kia

• 52:02 – Advice to his younger creative self

• 54:44 – Finding balance beyond the pixels

What You'll Learn

• How early failure can accelerate growth and humility in leadership

• The core of a "Culture of Honor": aggressive pursuit of greatness with deep care for people

• Practical ways to recruit, vet, and collaborate with creative partners at scale

• Why (and how) Fivestone pivoted from motion design to experiential/immersive work

• Tactics for protecting culture in a remote, global studio

• Measuring success for installations, EBCs, and large experiential projects

• Healthy rhythms to "refill your life account" and avoid burnout

Learn More & Connect: Creative Assembly: https://creativeassembly.agency/

Connect with Traylor Woodall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traylorwoodall/ | https://fivestonestudios.com/

Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner

Thanks to our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshotinteractive.com

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