A podcast dedicated to the people who work in internal agencies, presented by Robert Berkeley of Express KCS and supported by the In-House Agency Forum (IHAF). The podcast introduces leaders from top brands around the globe, sharing their experiences building and running internal agencies. The series covers everything from organizational strategies to creative production, with insights into the people who evolve and enhance these in-house teams.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, VP Global Creative Director at Intel, Teresa Herd takes us along her creative climb including stints at Sawtooth, Marco Polo Explorers, Staples and ultimately Intel. Starting out as a medical illustrator with no plans of being named one of AdAge’s top 50 most creative people, Teresa’s tale is as entertaining as it is educational. Tune in as she shares what it takes to become a skilled leader, foster a value-driven culture and inspire creatives to perform at peak.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, Todd Miller, Chief Creative Director with the internal agency at Experian, talks about his migration from janitor to juggernaut—including stints at DDB, J. Walter Thompson, M&C Saatchi and others. Tune in as he shares his passion for ideas, his pursuit of work/life balance, the importance of keeping his team happy, what awards mean to the industry, and why working for “an agency that just happens to be inside Experian” is different from working for an in-house agency.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, Clifford Stevens, Director of Creative Operations at Liberty Mutual Insurance, talks about his shift from external agency life (JWT, McCann Worldgroup, Hills Holliday, McGarryBowen) to the in-house team at the fourth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. Cliff talks about catering to changing business needs and the importance of prioritizing thinking and planning over execution. He also touches on collaboration with vendor partners and reveals a question/thinking exercise that keeps his team energized and engaged.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, Meg Graham, Director of Corporate Content Development at Mary Kay Inc., talks about her ever-changing 17-year career with the network marketing powerhouse—from copywriting to project management to IT management. She also shares her thoughts on millennials and how their “brilliance” can transform the energy level and effectiveness of the workforce.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, Jarrett King, Director of Coca-Cola Studios at The Coca-Cola Company talks about her journey in house. She shares her views about design thinking and agile methodology in designing, more specifically on adapting and rolling out design thinking principles. With over 20 years’ experience in the marketing and advertising industry, Jarrett has been supporting, developing and mentoring creative teams to do their best work. She has worked for brands like Sapient, Georgia State University, Philips Design, Synchrony Financial and Coca-Cola.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, Amy Strickland, Senior Director of Marketing Operations & Creative at Sam’s Club talks about her journey in house. With over 20 years’ experience as a creative operations leader for brands like Apple, Avid, Autodesk, Dolby and Sam’s, Amy is a four-time architect of functional excellence from the ground up. She also presented recently on metrics and analytics at a Henry Stewart event; Click here to download her session.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, Wade Franks, Sr. Vice President at TTI shares his journey from outdoor billboard painter to advertising creative director. Today, Wade leads Torque Creative, the full-service internal agency for TTI Group—supporting such iconic brands as RYOBI, RIDGID, Echo, AEG and Hoover.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, Kelly Chmielewski, Founder and CEO of The Possibility Shop, and former VP of PBS Creative Lab talks about her journey. Kelly was always focussed to work in Marketing. She led, inspired and cultivated the talent of a 30-person team to grow audience, engage customers and shine a light on the distinct value of the most trusted public institution in America and a beloved legacy brand.
In this episode of Inside Jobs, we have Mark Gibson, AVP - Creative Services of State Farm. He talks about the evolution of State Farm’s in-house department which started as an audio-visual department approx. 46 years ago and then evolved as a department helping the company better connect with agents and customers. He explained about their in-house agency setup, their workflows and the strategies they’ve followed over the years to be on top of the competition.
In this episode, PwC's Jack Teuber, polyglot and creative leader, talks about his youth working with communities in the rainforests of war-time Nicaragua and his charitable work with PwC. Being the first creative leader of the biggest of the Big 4, he explains his part in their huge rebranding project, and how he has set up an in-house agency that can sustainably innovate into an uncertain future.
What better start to the series than my interview with Marta Stiglin? Marta is one of the founding members and former chair of the In-House Agency Forum (IHAF). In this episode I hear about her start as a designer who moved to an account management role. In her external agency role, her client Polaroid was undergoing massive upheaval at the time - a household name trying to develop a future without their precious patent. We also hear her views on working on the inside versus the outside, how she’d advise industry newcomers to start and how she feels about the relationship between traditional and in-house agencies.
My ten year-old son is always asking questions. Recently we were on a walk and he asked me what existed before the big bang. I told him I wasn’t sure, so instead he asked me how Boris Johnson ever became Home Secretary. I pondered for a moment and said I really had no idea. I thought I might have an answer to his next question about why pizza arrives in a square box (when they are actually round), but he interrupted my thoughts with this “I do hope you don’t mind me asking these questions, daddy”. “Of course not son” I replied indulgently “however else will you learn anything?”
Like him, I love asking questions. I’d like to think it means I learn more that way, but the reality is that I simply find people’s lives, the decisions they make and the outcomes they enjoy (or endure) fascinating. I’m the best person to keep a secret though, as I rarely remember the details, but I always remember the feeling. I started the Inside Jobs podcast as I couldn’t think of a better way to peek inside the experiences and motivations of people with whom I work or are acquainted with. I hope you enjoy what you learn about them, and this industry in which we have all found ourselves (rarely by design) as much as I do.
The In-House Agency Forum (IHAF) is the foremost authority on internal agencies—delivering content and cultivating community to enhance the influence and impact of corporate advertising and creative organizations. It is the only membership organization dedicated to providing tools and insight in support of every function within the in-house agency model. From creative to media to executive management, IHAF offers exclusive, year-round benefits to our members via Benchmarking Data and Best Practices, Conferences and Events, and Networking opportunities.
Since its inception in 2005, IHAF has emerged as a peer community for in-house agencies and an agent for increasing their effectiveness and influence within their respective organizations. Today, IHAF's nationwide membership ranges in size from 300-person operations to three-person teams across a host of industries. It is the willingness of our members to share everything from best practices to war stories coupled with IHAF's expertise in topics and trends specific to in-house agencies that makes our association unlike any other.
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