In this episode, they pull back the curtain on the rituals, truths, and team dynamics that unlock trust, talent, and transformative work.
From unspoken disabilities & superpowers to under-measured impact, this is the playbook for making your team irreplaceable.

What if creativity wasn’t just something a few people do—but the way your entire company thinks, decides, and works?

In this episode, Ivan Pols argues that the most effective organizations don’t isolate creativity—they operationalize it. As Chief Creative Officer at what3words, Ivan has helped build a culture where story becomes strategy, feedback is infrastructure, and creativity isn’t confined to a team—it’s expressed across the company.

We explore why “creative” is a word that often hurts more than it helps, how to build creative systems rooted in story and shared language, and what it means to protect friction and curiosity in the age of convenience and commoditization.

Chris Varela didn’t find creative ops. It found him—twice.

The first time, he realized the work he was already doing had a name: solving friction between marketing and creative, protecting his teammates’ time, and building systems that made the entire process more efficient, more effective—and frankly, more fun for everyone involved.

The second time, his company realized it too. After years of Chris operating without a title—quietly translating between functions and elevating how work flowed—Workday came to the conclusion that this wasn’t just helpful. It was a role. A needed one.

In this episode, Chris and Nish explore how creative ops functions often start unofficially—through the instincts, empathy, and persistence of people like Chris. They also dig into how titles unlock collaboration, how AI is helping scale creative ops work, and how others can navigate that same journey of recognition.

This episode is a guide for anyone who suspects they’re doing something important—but unrecognized. And for anyone who wants to help their org see the work more clearly.

In a galaxy flooded with content, storytelling is no longer a skill—it’s the rebellion.

In this milestone 50th episode, Nish and David Granger frame the conversation through the lens of the original Star Wars trilogy—exploring how brands moved from story-rich origins (A New Hope), through algorithmic obedience and commoditization (The Empire Strikes Back), to a moment of reckoning (Return of the Jedi).

They dive into why storytelling is the last true differentiator in an AI-driven landscape, how CMOs became “chief algorithm officers,” and why creative ops leaders must become the Rebel Alliance—fighting not just for brand expression, but for brand soul.

This episode isn’t just about marketing—it’s about what you choose to stand for.

What if the most important system in your organization… is made of people?

In this episode, Matt traces his path from creative ops leader to go-to-market operator—and reveals what never changed: his job has always been creating the conditions for others to succeed.

We explore what it’s like to build trust while scaling, why confusion and surprise are deadly for team performance, and how creative ops skills translate far beyond the creative department.

Whether you're navigating hypergrowth or eyeing a new career path, this episode offers a powerful reminder: the most valuable systems aren’t the ones that run the work—they’re the ones that help people run well together.

What if the future of creativity doesn’t depend on better tools—but on better culture?

As AI automates process and scale becomes a commodity, Nicky Russell—Managing Partner at WDC and former COO at Anomaly—argues that creative operations must evolve. The job is no longer just delivery. The job is culture.

In this episode, Nicky shares how creative ops can move from service to strategy—becoming the clutch control between creative ambition and commercial objectives. We explore emotional intelligence, new KPIs, and why building the right environment matters more than ever in an age of automation.

What if brand wasn’t a guideline or a campaign—but an operating system?

Eric Alberts is helping reinvent a 190-year-old company by treating brand like a product—complete with documentation, demos, and internal adoption strategies. As Design Director at Wolters Kluwer, he’s drawing on a decade of UX and product design experience to build scalable systems that make brand feel more like infrastructure than identity theater.

In this episode, Eric shares how he's operationalizing brand across a decentralized, 22,000-person org—creating internal education programs, vetting agency partnerships, and empowering teams with self-service tools.

We talk brand architecture, creative ops as connective tissue, and how to evolve brand from aesthetics to an engine for business alignment.

Creative teams have the potential to shape culture, drive innovation, and steer brand— but most companies still treat them like a service desk.

Emma Sexton has spent over a decade building the one thing most creative leaders don’t have: a roadmap to power.

As founder of the Inside Out® Community and architect of the Inside Out® Pathway, she’s helping in-house leaders move from overlooked execution to boardroom influence.

In this episode, Emma joins us to reframe creative leadership as a business-critical multiplier— and reveal the zones of progression that help leaders claim their seat at the table.

We talk brand ownership, creative ops evolution, the burnout of CMOs, and why organizations that ignore creative leadership might be leaving their most scalable advantage on the table.

Creative work doesn’t start with a brief—it starts with trust. And when operations and creative build that trust, the results go far beyond delivery.

In this episode, Kyle Wright and Brianne Gallagher—Creative Director and Head of Creative Operations at Wayfair—share how they’ve restructured the relationship between their teams. Instead of chasing speed at the expense of meaning, they’re building systems that protect space for strategy, storytelling, and original thinking.

We talk about what it takes to move from reactive execution to proactive collaboration: the tooling, the prioritization, the upstream conversations—and the mindset shifts underneath it all. What happens when ops stops managing projects and starts enabling vision?

This isn’t just about better workflows. It’s about building the conditions for better ideas.

You got the title. Now what?

You’re no longer the one making the work. You’re leading the people who do. And suddenly… Everything that made you successful stops being useful.

No one teaches you how to lead a creative team. There’s no playbook for designing trust. For giving feedback that doesn’t kill morale. For building culture that doesn’t burn people out.

Unless you’ve read Raising Creative Teams— Kevin Frank’s new book, and the episode you’re about to hear.

Kevin led global creative at Apple. He was Executive Creative Director at LinkedIn, where his team won AdAge’s In-House Agency of the Year. But his real education in creative leadership came when he realized: The most creative thing a leader makes… Is the environment.

This conversation is for anyone who’s ever wondered: Am I leading the work—or the conditions that make the work possible?

The creative operations field is evolving fast—and the professionals who invest in learning won’t just keep up, they’ll lead.

In this episode, Amy Strickland and Alicia Nicely break down how education in creative operations isn’t just valuable—it’s career-changing.

Alicia’s journey is proof. She was already doing creative ops without the title, but after completing the Rutgers Advanced Creative Operations Program, she gained the strategic skills, leadership mindset, and KPI-driven approach to transform her role and scale her team.

Amy, an educator and creative ops strategist, shares why structured learning is essential for professionals looking to advance, and how the right training helps move from execution to strategy.

If you’ve ever wondered whether formal education in creative ops is worth it, this episode will answer that question—and show you exactly how it can accelerate your career.

With Air.inc securing $35M in funding, the creative operations world is facing a major inflection point. In this solo episode, Nish Patel explores what this investment means for creative ops leaders, why the concept of a "system of record for creative work" is critical, and how creative professionals can seize this moment to elevate their roles from tactical execution to strategic systems design. This isn’t just about one company—it’s about an industry-wide shift that demands creative ops leaders rethink their approach to scale, speed, and storytelling.

The future of creative leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about navigating uncertainty with trust, adaptability, and a new mindset. In this episode, we sit down with Jason Holzman, SVP of Creative, Production, and Brand Strategy at Macy’s, to explore how leaders can shift from control to enablement, balance execution with creativity in the age of AI, and build trust through transparency, empathy, and positivity. Whether you’re a creative ops leader, project manager, or CMO, this conversation is packed with insights on leading through disruption and thriving when the old playbooks no longer work.  

This episode started with a thought experiment—a LinkedIn post I wrote about how I would design an in-house creative team from scratch today. No legacy structures, no incremental tweaks—just a blank canvas and a chance to reimagine what’s possible. That post sparked a conversation that resonated across the industry. Emma Sexton invited me onto her Inside Out podcast to take that idea further, and what followed was a deep, exploratory discussion about the creative team of the future. How should we design teams not just to survive, but to thrive in an AI-powered, fast-moving world? How do we break free from old models and build something truly new? This conversation is an invitation to step beyond the known, to break from outdated models, and to explore what’s possible when we treat creativity as a living system, not a fixed structure. No rules. No assumptions. Just a blank canvas and the courage to ask: What if?

How does AI impact creativity—does it empower new forms of artistic expression or dilute human ingenuity? In this episode, we sit down with Alexia Adana, Director of Creative Technology and Innovation at Edelman, to explore the evolving intersection of AI and creativity. From democratizing creative tools to redefining artistic workflows, Alexia shares insights into AI as both a collaborator and a challenge to human storytelling.

Julia Arenson, Head of Creative Operations at Specsavers, shares how their in-house agency evolved from a production-focused team to a strategic force behind one of the UK’s most iconic brands. We explore her journey from agency life to leading creative ops at Specsavers, the critical role of creative operations in brand success, and how AI is reshaping the creative landscape.

In this episode of Creative Ops, Patrick Burgoyne unpacks the transformative power of in-house agencies. From his “four buckets” framework to AI-driven innovation, Patrick offers actionable insights into how in-house teams can evolve from production studios to lead agencies. Join us as we explore strategies to leverage creative operations for maximum impact and business alignment.

In this episode, Jarrod Gingras shares his expertise on navigating the seismic shifts AI brings to creative operations and tech stacks. He breaks down how AI demands clean data, aligned content, and strategic decisions, and explains why refactoring your tech stack might be essential for staying competitive. This conversation is packed with actionable insights for leaders and teams navigating this critical inflection point in creative operations.

This episode explores the potential role of AI in disrupting offshore production and accelerating in-house innovation. Penri Jones shares his bold perspectives on the evolution of workflows, modular storytelling, and why creativity remains the ultimate differentiator in an AI-driven world.

In this solo episode, Nish explores how AI is transforming creative operations by shifting from traditional role scarcity to role abundance. He highlights how creative leaders can spin up AI-driven “roles” like Creative Brief Coach or Chief Storytelling Officer out of thin air, without budget constraints. Nish shares practical frameworks and examples to help listeners reorient their thinking around AI’s infinite capabilities in speed, scale, and knowledge—setting the stage for a transformational 2025.