What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024? 

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?2023 has been a lesson in embracing a shift in the approach to creative control–all in service of unleashing creativity and future-facing platforms and ideas at scale. For years, the advertising industry has schooled Creatives and Producers on obsessing over the craft of every single frame or layout. As the media landscape diversifies, however, we’re increasingly learning that in order to evolve with the changes, we as a creative industry need to stop being such control freaks. Whether that be white-labeling our productions to specialists from the world of long-form TV or allowing influencers to interpret ideas in their own unique style, it’s time for us to break down the walls of what we’ve been taught and let others in on the act.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?

It goes without saying that sustainability has become a hot topic for brands and agencies over the past few years. While up until now, the focus in the advertising world has been on how to mitigate the environmental impact of our campaigns through changes to our production approach, I wonder if 2024 will start to see changes to the actual creative we sell in. As a B-Corp certified organization, it’s something we’re constantly thinking about across the W+K network. We can continue to make adjustments to how we go about structuring a production, but at what point will we stop presenting certain ideas unless we can make them in an entirely carbon-neutral way?

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

AI can be a rather daunting premise for creative agencies. The more the technology advances and the smarter AI becomes, the more we question the future of our industry. Will clients continue to invest in productions that soon they’ll be able to produce without having to hire directors, actors, or perhaps even creatives? The change is coming whether we like it or not, so the key is how to embrace it and evolve our offerings in line with the technology - rather than simply run away from it. For example, we’re beginning to experiment with how AI can help us achieve a high volume of deliverables based on one original piece of creative. Or how AI can help us localize global campaigns.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts?

Diversity and inclusion across our productions is an area in which we’ve brought about significant change over the past year. Involving diverse perspectives and skill sets in the creative process is critical for remaining relevant and credible to the audiences we speak to. As Dan Wieden said, “There are many, many undiscovered voices out there — voices that against all odds can rise up and enrich this culture and perhaps one day change the very nature of the marketplace for the better.” This year at W+K London, we implemented a new bidding policy for film and stills production—Bid Different—which promotes assembling a balanced list of talent: one female director/photographer, one individual from an underrepresented community, and one other candidate. The key challenge lies in executing pitches using this framework while ensuring that our choices remain inclusive without turning tokenistic or creating an uneven field based on experience levels. There’s no “silver bullet” or universal guide that fits all scenarios perfectly, but we’re dedicated to improving, contributing to industry progress, and getting to fresh and exciting work.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

2023 has confirmed that there are still big opportunities for evolution and growth. We’re evolving in the technical space with the impact AI is having on the business, good or bad. AI is forcing us to rethink how we make content and it’s challenging the tools required to make impactful content. 2024 will be the year we start approaching advertising with the “anything is really possible” attitude.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024? 

2024 will be a year of dynamic impact! At VML we’ll use our robust collective of capabilities to corner the market in all ways, using AI to foster an accelerated pace of thinking, making, producing, and delivering for our clients in a way that they have never seen before.

Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent in 2024 and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently and brought on new talent and expertise, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.

Since we’re in the midst of a merger this is still TBD.

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

I’ve used AI for a few voice cloning projects. AI for sure saves us time and money. But, I respect the community at large who doesn’t want their name, likeness, or voices to be taken for granted. I don’t think AI should be used without the proper permissions and usage plans for talent payments in place when necessary.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts?

I agree that we still have a long way to go... But, part of my responsibility in this role is to make sure we’re always on! On in the way that we represent a diverse collection of people and voices in all that we do in the work place, when we search for production partners and talent, and in building the Teams and Crews who help us make the work.

What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

It’s a good problem to have but I would say it was a huge challenge producing work for one Brand with two Clients; North America & Global. Our Shell Clients had two very different strategy and executional plans and the campaigns were sizable, to say the least. But, we did it and both Client were ultimately happy.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024? 

Embracing change, embracing different, is the way to go. Considering different points of view, inviting people that are different into your teams, trying new technologies, grabbing AI by the horns! because embracing change will always lead to something fresh. The pursuit of what is different becomes an invaluable asset, fueling creativity and success.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024? 

We’ve not only mastered the complexities of remote productions, ideation, and mentoring, but we’ve also cultivated a mindset and a unique flexibility for content creation no matter the limitations. Technology has been our ally, and this alliance is set to endure. As we step into a new and rapidly evolving chapter of technology, particularly with AI, I think the key is to make sure we keep things human—keeping our focus on the authentic core. We can’t take the eye off that.
It’s election’s year so we’ll again have division amongst people. If a brand wants to really connect with people, it’ll have to be stay truthful and honest, use a very distinctive storytelling, and not only rely on AI because it won’t be enough. The magic lies in combining strong insights, a creative strategy, and the human touch. Chances are that budgets won’t increase so we’ll need to continue being creative in that sense as well.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

Make a strong recommendation. If you can’t, you haven’t cracked it yet. I’ll use the development of strong recommendation muscles in 2024 to bullet proof our work both internally and with clients, and to inspire us to create unexpected solutions that are force multipliers of the strategic objective and the media spend.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024? 

I think you are going to start to see creative people who have both the classic art direction and/or writing skills and are also prolific content creators.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts? 

We have a steadfast commitment and annual goals to build and maintain an agency that reflects the world around us.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

We started Foul Mouth Creative eight months ago. Early on, in some existential panic of wtf-are-we-doing, someone told us “You can’t back out until you fail spectacularly.” We’ve failed at many things so far, but none have been particularly notable or spectacular. Risks are worth it, in business and in creative. There’s something comforting in letting yourself fail. It’s not that scary. And as it turns out, the wins really do overshadow the suck.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?

Man I hope the trend of well-crafted, dopamine-infused work continues. I need it. You need it. We all need it. It’s easy to be jaded and sarcastic and “content harvest” for quantity. I think pushing for shit that actually brings people joy, in messaging and execution, is going to be increasingly sought after. Bring the magic back to creation. Please. My Lexapro prescription is running low.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts? 

Foul Mouth Creative is one of the 1% of women-owned agencies. We prioritize working with diverse voices and talent. Actually, that’s false. It’s not some bullshit “prioritize, yada yada buzzy diversity”. We exclusively work with diverse talent. Entirely. So many shops spout off DEI goals, but behind the scenes, deadlines and demands often lead to defaulting to traditional talent who have the proven work and resume because it’s the easier path. We purposefully build in time monthly to make connections with a diverse creative village. Networking, baby.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?

There is a lot of buzz and excitement about the power of AI and how we can push the bounds of creativity and use it for good. Technologies are advancing at a fast rate, and regulators are trying to get a handle on how to implement safeguards. We’re in constant conversation about what that will mean for multicultural audiences and how to use these tools responsibly. Content creators should continue to seek to understand how bias shows up, how it impacts representation and the way that people see themselves, and how to keep human connection at the center of our creative products. We’re looking for natural openings and opportunities to use new technologies in ways that make sense for our clients and audiences instead of trying to force them. This is an exciting time to lean into new opportunities and innovate while also not losing sight of our audiences and the connection they seek to make with brands.

Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent in 2024 and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently and brought on new talent and expertise, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.

We have invested in bringing in talent to help strengthen our team and take our agency to the next level. As a result, we have closed some gaps and brought better, more innovative ideas to our clients. Internally, our staff doesn’t need to feel like they need to have all of the answers; rather, they can tap our internal team of experts to get strategic guidance and input on our work products. Furthermore, the additional people-power has increased our output, promoted better collaboration, and allowed people to step into new leadership roles. Investing in our staff is a critical component of our success, and we’re constantly thinking about new opportunities to invest in people so that they bring their best to the table.

What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

We are thrilled to have worked with American Family Insurance on their ‘Life’s Better’ brand refresh campaign, where we unveiled the next visual iteration of their iconic red roof in 3D. The red roof has been American Family Insurance’s symbol of protection, safety, and inspiration for over 60 years, and this campaign allowed it to set itself apart and creatively redefine itself as a challenger brand in a highly competitive industry. We learned that risks can pay off. The campaign has seen great results after its initial release, and the team is hard at work thinking about how to bring the red roof to life in new ways.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

The power of making ‘til we make it. At Grey we’ve been really focusing on the iterative nature of the creative process. We believe that only by making a ton of work, and actively trying to learn and improve with each one, we’ll be able to create meaningful and sustainable change on the quality of our work in 2024.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024? 

I’m curious to see how the conversation will evolve in terms of the legalities and other more practical and logistical questions around the use of AI-generated content. I think everyone agrees that it’s an incredible tool for the creative process, but we still need to understand how to navigate its usage in the real world.

Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent in 2024 and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently and brought on new talent and expertise, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.

We’re completely revamping the creative side of our Social capabilities at Grey. We’re in the process of recruiting for a new Head of Social, as well as exploring more modern ways to approach social content production for 2024.

What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

One of the projects that I was lucky to be a part of and launch earlier this year was Coca-Cola Move, at Grey’s sister agency AKQA. We partnered with Spanish superstar Rosalía to co-create everything, from the concept to craft, from the flavor to a new hit single. It was an incredible project that launched a new limited edition version of Coke in 52 countries. The kind of thing that is only possible when there’s a true partnership between agency, client and everyone else involved. I’ll just leave you with the video we created to launch the original single that Rosalía wrote for the campaign, titled LLYLM. Video was directed by Daniel Sanwald and produced by Division.

Coca-ColaWork Source: YouTube

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

It’s that the clutter of content out there is more confusing than ever before. That addiction to content, and types of content, is greater than ever in history. Binging on content is not something few of us, it’s become second nature and we do it unconsciously. Which means whatever we produce needs to not only stand out, but be binge-worthy as well.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?

It’s going to be a messy. Management consulting companies, tech companies and the like will want to drive AI as much as they can and will probably make it easier for clients to get volume content. The downside? Storytelling will suffer. Memorability will suffer. Quantity over quality will be the norm. Meanwhile, creative agencies will be left with the challenge of delivering quality content at scale. Coming up with great stories and crafting them in the right way is hard enough. Add speed and volume to that and it just makes everything that much more challenging.

Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent in 2024 and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently and brought on new talent and expertise, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.

Expanding our footprint into the digital world is top of list, beyond what we do now. That means being able to see strategy seep from brand all the way into data-driven digital campaigns designed to deliver results. We’re ramping it up and making sure we not only understand the challenges AI might throw our way, but instead how we can leverage AI to our advantage. While it’s a given that AI will be part of the mix of things, what’s left to be figured out is how agencies will customize it to suit their needs.

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include. 

As for AI, beyond using it for creating and adjusting images, and print production automation, we’re still in the experimental phase.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts? 

We consciously make sure our HR team provides us and helps us maintain a fair with a ratio balance of various genders in leadership positions. Same goes for ensuring all genders have equal training and progress opportunities. This year, we’re expanding our diversity outlook and looking at an even more formal DEP program to ensure we’re considering and are exposed to more than what we’ve done so far.

What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

Three words: time to market. No idea is truly original because there’s likely a version of it in progress somewhere in the world. When clients take too long, keep ideas on the shelf longer than necessary or projects can’t launch because of layers of unexpected client approval, someone beats you to the punch. Not much agencies can do about it other than advising clients about the dangers of moving too slowly, but we try. Had an issue recently where close to launch of an integrated campaign we’d worked on for a year we discovered another brand with just one ad that seemed to have a similar approach. Was enough to make sure we adjusted our approach without killing the entire creative idea

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

In an extremely fragmented world where people are consuming content and experiences through nonlinear journeys, and where loyalty is fleeting, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult for brands to strike a chord with consumers. Digital connectivity has enabled people to become more dimensionalized, because they have more freedom to explore and express themselves in new channels and through new formats.
To resonate, you need to drill down deeper and activate your brand in an authentic way against a multitude of micro-communities. Speaking to your core audience – who loves you – will have an outsized impact on your brand. 
AI will continue to be invaluable in pinpointing and understanding the real-time landscape. But, hold tight, humans – you’re not off the hook. When it comes to crafting narratives that ignite meaningful conversations, AI takes a back seat, and human creativity will still reign supreme. It’s a dance between the technological precision of AI and the creative finesse of human intervention that sets the stage for the future of brand engagement.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?

2024 will be the year where we see peak content creation and velocity will continue to be the key to unlocking connections for your brand on social media. To be successful, we will need to move faster than ever before and make more content than ever before. But content budgets, due to inflation, will continue to be flat. So, we will be forced to find new models and new ways of working and new narrative structures to connect with consumers. 
Expect to see a shift away from celebrities and influencers and toward micro-influencers to activate your most passionate fans. 

Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent in 2024 and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently and brought on new talent and expertise, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.

Much like any other company dedicated to experimenting and iterating, we’re testing AI uses across all disciplines. When used meaningfully, AI eliminates tasks that might normally take hours, which makes space for creativity and new thinking to thrive. Throughout that process, we’re being very mindful of brand IP and data security. It’s important that we demystify any uncertainty around AI and how, when and in what way, we can best use it. To support and inspire our crew on their journey to learn AI, we’ve already had rounds of prompt training, use case sharing, and knowledge sharing from AI industry experts. We’re fortunate that Big Spaceship operates as a community of experts that extends well beyond our client and clients.

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

Currently, over 80% of Big Spaceship AI use is in our workflow and efficiency, with the remaining 20% focused on AI-enhanced creative. However, no purely AI-produced copy, visuals, or creative of any kind has been leveraged in consumer-facing work unless a concept specifically and transparently has required it. While AI is a valuable tool employed by our teams, it remains critical that human expertise guides how we prompt these tools and thoughtfully refines the output that they can give us.
We have leveraged Adobe’s suite of AI tools in our consumer-facing AI creative. Our primary use case to date consists of experimenting with basic tools like Photoshop’s generative fill to refine and increase the usefulness of owned image collections and reduce costs associated with stock photography needs. Teams have also been leveraging ChatGPT and Google Bard, including it early in our research and concepting process to spark ideas, iterate on copy, or quickly introduce entirely new avenues of thought. These specific and thoughtful use cases serve as small shortcuts in our concepting and writing process that, over time, result in a measurable increase in efficiency, and more time for our teams to focus on less tedious tasks. 
Finally, Big Spaceship was responsible for the social launch of the Adobe Express AI update. Since that launch, we have not only used these proprietary AI tools in the creation of our content, but also educated Adobe users on how best to tap into these tools.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts?

Big Spaceship invests in tools, processes, and behavioral awareness to increase the number of BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+, persons with disabilities, and members of other marginalized groups within our agency. This effort helps produce the best and most inclusive work for our clients by fueling an ecosystem that enables our crew to learn from one another and value diverse perspectives. We have maintained a remote-first workplace, increased our inclusive recruiting efforts, evolved our partnership with an external DE&I consultancy, offered additional tools and resources at no-cost to our crew, and implemented more transparent career frameworks and compensation structures. 
We partner with The Adversity Group (TAG) to hold teams accountable to DE&I best practices and set KPIs around diversity measurement. In addition to facilitating agency-wide training and discussion around current events and offering crew a safe space to have diversity-related conversations, we leveraged TAG to help implement a self-ID survey this year. More in depth than the typical EEOC compliance survey, we sought to understand various gender types, races, pronouns, and religious beliefs.
Our ERGs – Big Gayship (LGBTQIA+), Color of Space (BIPOC), and Women in Space (Women identifying) – help keep our work relevant and culturally sound. Following traditional focus group formats with three members of each ERG, anonymous feedback is collected by a moderator. Feedback then gets incorporated into our creative solutions and the final product is shared back to ERGs to ensure they feel heard.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024? 

The most relevant lessons I’ve learned, or should I say that have been reinforced, are change is constant and expect the unexpected – always. 2023 saw an exponential growth in technology and adaption into workflows and it’s only going to move faster and faster. 2024 looks to be an exciting ride I cannot wait to see all the new and interesting ways we and clients embrace the constant changes and create amazing work.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024? 

Content creation will continue to grow and change – especially as AI becomes more the norm in workflows. Clients will continue to demand more – quicker & cheaper, quicker & cheaper, quicker & cheaper. But with new tools at our disposal, let’s make sure we pay attention to the legalities, while we also ensure that craft and quality of output do not have to be the sacrificial lamb on the altar of expediency. 2024 is gonna be an exciting ride.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts? 

We have always been conscious of diversity & inclusion as well as gender pay disparity. As part of a leadership team that is headed by a woman and is comprised largely of women, we are keenly aware of and sensitive to these issues and are always pushing to ensure our policies are fair and equitable to all. To successfully reflect today’s world, we need to ensure there is meaningful representation on all sides of the table. We strive to ensure select partners with similar beliefs.

What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

LOLOLOL. By nature, every production poses challenges and half the fun and satisfaction is running toward those challenges and finding clever ways to solve them. As a producer, I learn something new on every project as no “opportunity” ever presents itself the same way twice. It’s what makes the job so exciting and fresh.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

Trust your gut. You’ve spent your whole life honing your taste, your point of view. Don’t assume it’s irrelevant. In the specific lies the universal. If it means something to you, it will mean something to others.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?

Pretty sure we’re going to see this new cool thing: real-life nft’s, formerly known as “things.”

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include. 

We’re past the point where the idea can just be “it’s AI!” it’s another tool in the belt. Think of a great idea, and if AI, AR or some great new tech can help bring it to life, great. But the best ideas are singular, simple, and easy to understand. Don’t let technology unnecessarily muddy the story of the idea.
A lot of wonderful ideas use AI, but the audience doesn’t even know it.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts? 

The industry has made strides in mostly one way: they sure know how to pack a panel with DE&I experts. On the whole, we say the right things. But the numbers don’t reflect meaningful change. Our agency, majority, is one of the few places where the numbers align with the intent. The policies are built into the business model, and a funny thing happens because of that: we spend a lot less time talking about DE&I policies and a lot more time creating work that reflects the culture we live in.
Point being: talk is cheap. Act, and your people and your clients will see the difference.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024? 

In 2023 I began to really connect with people on LinkedIn. Sure I have been on the platform practically since its inception, but my experiences were very transactional. Posting my perspective on the industry, consuming others’ content about whatever it was they were posting about. This year however, I really began to interact with people, I began to develop relationships and connect on a human level. It’s opened my eyes and it’s expanded my network. We’re all busy and we don’t often take the time to truly engage with people. And that’s where the inspiration really is.
For next year, I’m building on that connection by committing to engaging in more dialogue, deepening my connections, and being more helpful to more people. And I’m planning to do it offline as well as on. For me, 2024 will be the year of the breakfast meeting, the lunch date, the industry happy hour, and the client dinner. People. Faces. Handshakes. Hugs.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024? 

I think we will see brands that had previously had tunnel vision for transaction-based advertising embrace brand-building. They’re starting to realize that in a world where everything can be copied and commodified, building deep and meaningful relationships with consumers is the only way toward long-term brand loyalty and growth. And I hope that extends to brands building authentic connections with a certain affluent, outspoken, and powerful (over 25% of the country) group: Women over 40.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts?

Fancy is 100% women-owned, operated, and driven. And we’ve been that way since day one in 2011. As important to us as the work we create on behalf of our clients is creating an environment that works for the way women want to work. We’ve had a distributed workforce for over ten years, we create bespoke solutions for family leave, and we assemble teams on a case-by-case basis to maximize opportunities for passions and skillsets to align with client objectives. We know that when women can fit the job into their life (as opposed to their life into whatever’s left after their job), the work is more inspiring, and the experience is more fulfilling for everyone. We’re not doing this because we have to, because the industry is shifting, because the world is watching. We work this way because it’s the only way we can. It’s who we are.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

This year I put a lot of thought into how I can be a better manager – inspiring teams, ensuring that they feel the engagement and ownership that’s so key to the making of great work. I was lucky enough to recently attend TBWA’s Master Gunners training program in Madrid, with creative directors from around the world. I was struck by an idea we discussed that, as a CD, your job is mostly about relationships. How do people feel around you? Do they want to come toward you or away from you? I love the simplicity of that.

We have a new program at Chiat called Boat Building, where creative leaders choose a topic and lead a discussion on it with the creative department. I decided to lead a session on brand manifesto writing, having just come out of a weekend of work on a new business pitch. As I built the presentation, I realized I had more and more to say on the subject--more actionable tips, more watchouts. Even stuff I was unsure of, or felt was subjective, I left in, so we could talk about it. It was a great session – lively, fun. I could feel, in the room, this desire for practical, applicable knowledge.

If you’ve been in the trenches long enough as a creative, you have a lot of wisdom to share. I think we all need to be sharing it more. I’ll be looking for opportunities to do more of that in the new year.

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

At ChiatDay, we’ve been building a lot of internal capabilities to work with AI, AR and other technologies. More and more, we’ve been building prototypes early on for our clients so that they can actually interact with the technology themselves, just as a consumer would. This helps us get out of decks and show the power of our ideas in real life. We’re currently prototyping in multiple ways for our clients, from designing AR filters to creating worlds in Unreal Engine to building AI integrations. All in-house.

What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

IRL activations are so important to any campaign in terms of gaining traction with consumers and the media. Traditional work needs to be amazing, and that alone requires a ton of energy, but activations let you take your idea to the next level and surprise and delight. We worked with Snoop Dogg for Jack in the Box to promote Snoop’s Munchie Meal and made great content for TV and social, but it was a restaurant takeover in Inglewood – “Dogg in tha Box” – that became the centerpiece aspect of the campaign.

We soon realized that the activation could take many forms, each of them offering up different complicating factors. Would it last a week or a few days? Would there be a launch event? Would Snoop show up? We dug into it all. In the end, our north star became customer experience. What would result in the greatest number of people saying you gotta check this out, it’s amazing. That led to a host of smaller scale, exciting experiential ideas, like “Snoopifying” the whole menu, from Tiny Tacos (“Tiny Tiznacos”) to hot tea (“Nothing but a Tea Thang”), gilded, throne-like booths and partnering with a local low-rider group to have badass cars for fans to sit in and pose with. There was a DJ Drama-curated playlist, an exclusive “Snoopadelic” shake, free 90’s concert-style swag, a new local muralist each day, and more. It was a 3-day party, and when Inglewood showed up, so did the world (or so it felt).

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

It’s not a new lesson, but 2023 doubled-down on a simple observation for us: our best work works best. It sounds trivial, but the work we love the most as an agency is always the work that work’s best out in the world, too. Sometimes we try to outsmart our intuition (and it’s certainly worthwhile to validate that intuition in any number of ways) but leaning hard into emotion and real connection always works best for us and our clients. Letting the fun we’re having and the passion we feel show up in the work we’re making keeps proving to move the needle for our clients more than anything else. That’s where we’ve found our biggest wins, and how we’re setting up for even more of them next year.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024? 

The crystal ball says the same thing as the writing on the wall: things will get a little weird in 2024. Good weird. Marketers, the smart ones at least, will wake up to the fact that their consumers (which is another word for people) are way weirder and more interesting than they’ve historically acknowledged. When “Everything Everywhere All At Once” wins the Oscar, Barbenheimer is a genuine double-feature, and Liquid Death continues its ascent, the only real way forward is creating work that’s just as individual and layered and nuanced as the people we’re all trying to connect with. It’d be weird not to.

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include. 

We’re experimenting with everything, and everything’s an experiment right now. That’s true of our “real-world” work, too. The act of experimenting with new technologies has also brought a renewed sense of experimenting with existing technologies, too. It feels like nothing has to be accepted as-is right now and people are always bringing forward a new what-if at any point in the process. Certain things will start to stick over the next year, but regardless of what those are, the opportunity to reinvent and reimagine what we collectively do is a little more available to everyone who has an idea or a wild idea they want to try.

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024?

Small budgets don’t have to mean bad creative. We did so much this year with challenging budgets—made really great pieces that weren’t just highly creative, but incredibly impactful. We won a few creative effectiveness awards which arguably mean the most to our clients and did it without breaking the bank. More of that in 2024, please.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024? 

I’m a firm believer that in 2024 we will see even more influencer content and brand integration explode. Brands are finding new/clever ways to have influencers plug their products and people are quite literally buying it. 

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

All the time. Experimenting with ChatGPT for writing assignments has been an interesting approach for me personally. I love to just plug things in and see what I can get out of it. Maybe I use some of it, maybe I don’t. It’s nice to play around with the technology. Also Midjourney. Our teams use this quite often for comping and design. We’re just wrapping a pitch where one of the visual directions was a direct Midjourney output. I am utterly amazed by it. 

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024? 

The lesson I want to take into 2024 is this: while data can inform briefs and prove the work’s efficacy, it can’t replace the magic of that pen to paper moment when something new is created. People still respond on a purely visceral level to great, unexpected creative. That has nothing to do with analytics, and I hope it never does.

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?

Content has been squeezed in an ever-tightening cobra grip for years, as the tools needed to make it—from concept to creation to final delivery—have gotten more accessible and affordable. The expectations are more for less, and I don’t see that trend stopping. But on the bright side, comedy is on the upswing. I’m sure the empirical evidence that funny work is more memorable and effective is helping, but I also like to think we’ve collectively realized there’s plenty to be distressed about in the real world, and advertising doesn’t always have to reflect that. So my prediction is even though ’24 will almost certainly be hard, it’ll also be hilarious.

Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent in 2024 and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently and brought on new talent and expertise, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.

We’re building out TMA’s Resonance Connect Platform. It’s a predictive tool that helps identify our audience’s passions, and then we leverage our culture platforms like Gaming, Sports, Music, and Entertainment to find ways to connect with that audience on a deeper level, and deliver Cultural Resonance for our brands. The net of this tech and creative mash-up is that we bring bespoke solutions to our partners tailored to their specific needs, versus a traditional one-size-fits-all approach.
We’re also working on Generative AI Platform integration across the agency by weaving GPT technology into our workflows, to increase efficiency and also the availability of data. And we’re enabling image and video generation tools for our creative and production teams. That’s all geared to help us produce high quality content at a faster rate. I want to repeat the “high quality” part again, because while everyone is using AI now, most of the outputs are pretty banal.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts? 

Internally, this has been a priority for years at TMA, and in 2023, Enbaling Our People is one our three main strategic priorities. We all need representative, diverse thinkers who reflect the audience working on brands. And we’ve made progress—for instance, our multicultural offering has grown exponentially. But we still have a ways to go, and we are committed to getting there.

Externally, TMA’s DE&I Creative Audit is an objective, automated testing platform that provides extensive creative pre-testing to ensure the audience feels represented in our client work, and that the creative is relatable to their situations and environments.

What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

Our work for this year’s State Farm NFL campaign had all the usual challenges of a large-scale production with celebrity athletes—managing tight schedules in multiple cities with talent, and navigating unique approval processes that involve the talent. This year, we set out to create meme-worthy language, even though we were fully aware aiming for “cool” usually backfires. We’ve been thrilled to see “Nuggies”, “MAAUTO”, “MVB” and “Not if you bundle ‘em” fast become part of the vernacular, and get fully embraced by the fans. There’s a lot of fun ones, but our favorite by far is fans calling for a “MAHOME to MAAUTO” play during games.

State Farm NFL Work source: YouTube 

State Farm NFL Work source: YouTube

What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2023 and how will you apply it to 2024? 

In 2023 we realized that we can apply our unique Humanaut production ethos and process to projects outside of our own creative agency sphere, generating revenue by partnering directly with outside brands and other entities as a production company and post house. We’ve spent nearly eight years growing what was a small in-house production team into a full-scale, full-service production department complete with back office staff, a 6,000 square foot stage and full post-production team. Growing in parallel with the creative agency, we’ve developed a collaborative process that keeps the creative idea at the forefront of every project and emphasizes putting as much money in front of the camera as possible. Our in-house creative/production relationship helps shape the creative from its earliest phases by putting contours around what’s possible with the time and money allotted for production early on, fostering an empathetic relationship between high-level ideas and how to actually bring them to life. We’ve developed a sort of ‘Creative Empathy’ that serves the project first and removes a lot of the tension and ego found in many traditional agency/production company relationships. In 2024 we look forward to opening up our ethos and this offering to the rest of the advertising world, partnering directly with brands as well as select creative agencies that share our unique perspective to produce high-level campaigns from start to finish. We love the potential for collaboration!

While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?

It could be a big year for brands’ in-house marketing teams. Content creation is as hot as ever with all of the AI tools that became available in 2023 and it takes less experience than ever to make a lot of assets quickly. An election year coupled with an uncertain economic outlook also make it more likely for these brands to withhold spending marketing dollars on traditional agency creative. Instead, we’ll likely see more re-purposed existing content, cheaply made assets in-house and priority on media spending. I predict more direct relationships with brands and production companies as creative development moves more in-house. At the end of the day, though, good creative is still good creative. Cutting through the noise with meaningful content will continue to matter most - it might just take a minute for the marketing powers that be to ebb and flow back to that inevitable realization. It could also be an impactful year for challenger brands collaborating with seasoned creative agencies and production companies looking to cut a deal.

Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent in 2024 and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently and brought on new talent and expertise, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.

Developing a strong diversity pipeline takes intention, especially in smaller markets like ours. Humanaut knows that successfully growing our business relies on incorporating this diverse pool of voices and experiences into the fabric of what we create and how we create it. We make every effort to develop a diverse talent pool rather than strictly waiting for the perfect candidate to submit an application. We invest in artists and working professionals from outside of the industry and give people who express interest in making things with us a chance to spark a career making things for themselves and others. We work hard to lift our community and in turn the unique individuals who make up that community lift us in unison. We’re proud of a very diverse in-house production team and strong female leadership throughout the organization. In addition to strong non-white and female leadership on staff, in 2023 alone 42% of our projects were shot by a non-white and/or female director of photography, 58% of our projects were directed by a non-white and/or female director, and 92% of our projects were produced by a non-white and/or female producer. We’re proud of the representation we could bring on this year and look to increase those percentages, namely in leadership roles, in 2024.

Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work and what you’ve taken away from the experience. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

Our team has leaned in heavily on exploring AI as it’s evolved in 2023. Our Post-Production Supervisor even led a presentation on emerging new technologies for the community centered around ‘Embracing AI’ this past summer. Rather than run from these new technologies, we’re collaborating heavily with the Humanaut creative team to incorporate these tools to aid in pitch decks where some elements even trickle into final creative concepts. Humanaut always wants to position brands at the forefront of culture and what’s relevant to the humans on the other end of the ad, and AI is super relevant right now. This also means taking into account some clients being reticent in participating in the AI conversation due to fears around bad press and job losses. We’ll continue to explore time and money-saving capabilities that could bail us out where footage might need to be re-shot, traditionally. Lip sync technology has been an interesting new development, for example, giving us the opportunity to ADR dialogue that potentially wasn’t even captured on set but appears to sync with talents’ lips. This has also sparked healthy conversations with talent agents around how to treat footage and compensate talent fairly as the landscape evolves. Humanaut is excited about the whole movement and we hope to be at the forefront of adopters rather than late to the game.

Gender pay disparity, sexual misconduct and the need for diversity & inclusion are issues that have started to be dealt with meaningfully. While the industry has made strides to address these issues, there’s still a long way to go. What policies do you have in place or plan to implement or step up in order to make progress on any or all of these fronts? 

Developing a strong diversity pipeline takes intention, especially in smaller markets like ours. Humanaut knows that successfully growing our business relies on incorporating this diverse pool of voices and experiences into the fabric of what we create and how we create it. We make every effort to develop a diverse talent pool rather than strictly waiting for the perfect candidate to submit an application. We invest in artists and working professionals from outside of the industry and give people who express interest in making things with us a chance to spark a career making things for themselves and others. We work hard to lift our community and in turn the unique individuals who make up that community lift us in unison. We’re proud of a very diverse in-house production team and strong female leadership throughout the organization. In addition to strong non-white and female leadership on staff, in 2023 alone 42% of our projects were shot by a non-white and/or female director of photography, 58% of our projects were directed by a non-white and/or female director, and 92% of our projects were produced by a non-white and/or female producer. We’re proud of the representation we could bring on this year and look to increase those percentages, namely in leadership roles, in 2024. 

What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.

2023 was full of fun challenges. Every production is always different, difficult and fun in unique ways - especially for the type of work and the types of brands Humanaut lends itself to. One of the biggest hurdles on the production side was more operational this year, though. Figuring out how to work with other creative entities than our own as a production company comes with a learning curve. When we shoot our own creative, all teams are very integrated from months of working together in the creative phase. There’s a forged connection to the work long before production begins. The non-Humanaut creative teams we worked with directly on production this year came with their creative mostly baked and not a lot of room for the alts and ‘fun to have’ sort of takes we’re used to creating collaboratively and on the fly. We learned a lot about ourselves and the exposure we’re used to with the Humanaut creative team. Inevitably we brought new ideas and ways of thinking to our partners and they did the same for us. We’ll continue to hone these new processes around our production-only offerings but I think we’ve solved a lot to date.

On April 1, more than 200 music notables (including Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, 3 Balvin and Jon Bon Jovi) of the Artists Rights Alliance issued an open letter warning against the “predatory use of AI” in the music industry. The letter cites AI’s capability to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights and “destroy the music ecosystem.” The letter further calls on tech companies, AI developers and digital music services to pledge that they won’t develop or use AI-powered technology the undermines songwriters and artists or prevents them from earning compensation for their art. What are your views and/or concerns relative to artificial intelligence and its impact on music and sound?

The “music industry” sometimes attacks new technology, especially if it disrupts the status quo — whether it’s transitioning from tape to computer-based recording, drum machines, CDs, MP3s, Auto-Tune, streaming, etc. — and AI is certainly no different. Like any new thing there are good uses and bad uses. To the good, AI is helping clean up bad recordings & mixes, create stems from full mixes, and help jumpstart ideation when writing. It can also literally change one voice into another, and that seems to be where this one feels different. What voices are being used to train that AI and why? If the intent by the AI and its user is to plagiarize and otherwise steal intellectual property and performances from existing writers and artists, then we’ll need rules/laws in place to protect against that “predatory use.” I do tend to be a futurist when it comes to adopting new technologies so my bet is we’ll find a way collectively to get the best from AI without destroying the industry (or the world?). Humans still love to hear music made by other humans and I’m guessing that will never change.

How do new technologies, markets and platforms figure in your creative/business plans. For example, with NFTs gaining momentum, do you foresee related music and sound work resulting? Same for VR/AR? Will increased content spurred on by the emergence of additional streaming platforms open up music and sound opportunities for you? Any growth prospects in the advertising and/or entertainment industry?

While the old guard may get twitchy over new technologies, its usually very exciting to us as artists & musicians — mostly because we’re all nerds and love to geek out on new stuff, especially if it’s a new way to share and monetize our art. But we have to be careful. Retooling our studios and workflows to accommodate a new technology can be extremely costly in both time and money. Whenever a buzzy new thing comes around, we have to decide whether it’s a flash-in-the-pan thing (3D TVs), will we lose our asses if it goes sideways (NFTs), or is it more durable and long-term (Dolby Atmos). Next, do we really have the bandwidth and ability to sell into the market for that new tech or are there competitors ahead of us? Before we jump in there’s always some mix of classic cost-benefit analysis along with an educated guess whether our clients really need it. And then, are we the best ones to give it to them? If not, we’ll always try to find a partner with better expertise so we can at least have a solution for clients when it comes up.

How has your role--or that of your business or company--evolved in recent years? What do you like most about that evolution? What do you like least?

The biggest evolution, no doubt, has been the shift to decentralized production and working-from-home. In so many ways, the pandemic just fast-forwarded a transition that could likely have happened a decade before. It’s been really great for many of our team members’ quality of life, being able to work where they want, etc. But of course you lose some of the team culture that naturally develops by being in the studio together for so many hours a day.

What was the biggest creative challenge posed to you by a recent project? Tell us about that project, why the challenge was particularly noteworthy or gratifying to overcome, or what valuable lesson you learned from it.

We produced a project for Audible called ORIGINS. With less than 24hrs notice, the BANG team in NYC had to get a recording package to Billie Eilish while on her US tour in Salt Lake City for a 10pm interview, fly an engineer from London to the South of Portugal to record our host (a 4am record for him!). Many favors were asked for and received. Valuable lesson learned: Never underestimate the kindness and ingenuity of the German husband of a French concierge at a Salt Lake City Hotel. And Billie was great!

What recent work are you most proud of and why? Or what recent work (advertising or entertainment)--your own or that of others--has struck a responsive chord with you?

Our composer, Timo Elliston, recently completed the score for the second season of the Hulu series, Life & Beth. It’s an amazing mix of great jazz a la season one, but also added opera and some other genres that really stretch the form beyond the typical scripted comedy score. We recorded the jazz live at Electric Lady Studios and the opera pieces with an all-female orchestra at Sear Sound so its steeped in the classic NY City sound.

A growing number of superstar artists and songwriters have been selling their music rights/catalogs in megabuck deals. What will be the ripple effect of this on music creatively and from a business standpoint relative to the advertising, film, TV and streaming platform markets?

It simply means we’ll see more licenses for these catalogs as the folks who have paid said “megabucks” will seek to earn back their investments. If what’s past is prologue, we’ll see some beautiful, clever, creative uses of amazing songs… and also plenty of silly ones that make very little sense for the product or scene.