Private View(s)
Private View(s) is a podcast that explores the ideas and opinions at work inside some of the world's most exciting creative agencies and brands. Produced by ASK US FOR IDEAS (AUFI), it draws on nearly a decade of connecting ambitious brands with visionary creative teams. Each episode features conversations with creative leaders, focusing not just on the work itself but on the reasoning, methods, and people behind it. The show offers listeners a glimpse into the inspiring daily discussions that AUFI gets to hear.
Episodes
30 – Ragged Edge: brand is an emotional thing
It’s easy to be cynical about the state of branding, but Ragged Edge founder Max Ottignon definitely isn’t. After 20 years running an agency he’s more optimistic than ever about what great branding can achieve, and the need for the kind of emotional connection it sparks.
29 – Ueno: making technology more human
After selling to Twitter in 2021, Halli Thorleifsson thought his agency days were over. But he’s back, he’s running his studio Ueno again, and he’s powered by a fresh surge of enthusiasm for the digital space. We spoke about why he tells brands not to hire him, what companies actually need from digital agencies, and how being at Twitter changed his perspective.
28 – U.N.N.A.M.E.D.: strategy is a map, not a shortcut
Branding is about feeling out the terrain, not planting a flag, according to Nikita Walia, who joins us to talk about getting brand strategy out of the PDF and into the real world.
27 – CōLab: creativity, sideways
The startup world moves fast, thinks different, and breaks things. But when it comes to creativity, the old agency playbook doesn't always apply, says our latest podcast guest Brian Wakabayashi, Head of Brand at WestCap’s internal creative studio CōLab.
26 – Culture Defined: grow slow, grow better
Hard truths about building brand community: it’s difficult, it’s time-consuming, and it requires enormous commitment. But the brands that get it right will flourish. For the latest episode of our podcast, we chatted with Culture Defined founder Viktoria Wyckman about what community actually means, and embracing a slower approach to creative work.
25 - Albert Hill: rethinking 'bad' design
Albert Hill, consultant and co-founder of much-admired estate agency The Modern House, discusses why a more instinctive, experimental kind of branding could be key to beating the algorithm.
24 - Mercury/13: a good brand changes the course
Victoire Cogevina Reynal, co-CEO at club ownership group Mercury/13, sets out her mission for the business (no less than the emancipation of women’s football teams around the world), and discusses why branding and creativity are at the absolute core of Mercury/13’s big ambitions.
23 - Otherway: bite-size branding
Jono Holt, founder of creative agency Otherway, discusses whether anyone still loves the 60-second ad format, and how short-form can be a shortcut for brands that want to get to the heart of culture.
22 - 1440: your customer is your creative
Tim Huelskamp, co-founder and CEO of knowledge company 1440, on using a very old format to build a very modern media brand – and how customer stories helped grow the business from 78 subscribers to millions.
21 - Fonzie: the dark art of naming
Arin Delaney, co-founder of copywriting studio Fonzie, discusses the magical potential of a great name, including its far-reaching power as a marketing tool and the studio’s ‘spiritual’ and ‘ethereal’ approach to naming brands and products.
20 - Fondation Chanel x Accept & Proceed
Karen Meddour, Global Head of Fondation Chanel, joins design studio Accept & Proceed to discuss what it takes to build a change-making brand, as well as an agency partnership that goes beyond creative collaboration.
19 - Center
Alex Center, founder of Brooklyn-based brand studio Center, shares what he learned from leading the design team of a blue chip business, and his thoughts on building culture and community inside the studio.
18 - Nihilo
Margaret Kerr-Jarrett and Emunah Winer from branding agency Nihilo chat frankly about using creativity as a refuge from everyday life, and the close-knit partnership that underpins everything they do.
17 - Seed / Ara Katz (Brand / Client episode)
“The problem with science is how it’s communicated.” SEED co-founder, Ara Katz, on making next gen probiotics more digestible with carefully considered, approachable design.
16 - Merchery (Brand/Client Episode)
Introducing: Merchery co-founder, Simon Polet – on how selling less equals success when it comes to making the corporate customisation market more sustainable.
15 – Wedge
In this episode, we meet the co-founders of Montreal-based creative studio Wedge: Justin Lortie and Sarah Di Domenico.
Though they already boasted a robust list of international clients, the pandemic has had a silver lining. Being in Montreal, many potential clients previously gave preference to agencies with a presence in major hubs like New York or San Francisco. But, no longer – remote working
14 – Pattern (Brand/Client Episode)
In this episode, we meet Emmett Shine, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of Pattern, a family of simple, stylish homeware brands that hopes to help us find greater joy in our domestic spaces. Pattern span out of era-defining creative agency Gin Lane, which helped to shepherd in a generation of digital-ready, Millennial-geared brands such as Harry’s, Hims and Sweetgreen.
13 – Butchershop
In this episode, we meet Trevor Hubbard, the founder and Global CEO of Butchershop Creative. Headquartered in San Francisco, their reach is far beyond the Bay Area: their expansion as a business has turned to the acquisition of complementary agencies to broaden their capabilities – recently acquiring Maniak, a digital-first design and technology firm in Guadalajara, and next looking to acquire ano
12 – Faculty (Brand/Client Episode)
In this episode, we meet Umar ElBably, co-founder and co-CEO of Faculty, a brand centred on the premise that masculine grooming needed its walls torn down. Launching with a line of nail polishes, it was quick to attract attention, raising $3million in seed funding in 2021, led by Estee Lauder. Also remarkable is Umar himself: Faculty is his first venture since graduating from the Ivey Business Sch
11 – Hyphenated
Back for a rolling series of Private View(s). In this episode, we meet Will Esparza and Kelli Robertson, co-founders of creative agency Hyphenated. Founded just before the pandemic, they're already bagging major clients, such as Nike, Therabody, and 2k Games, producing energised and exciting work that speaks to Hyphenated’s mission of “shared progress”.
10 – Mythology
Episode 10 of private views dives into the creative practice and studio of NY's Mythology, featuring founding partner Fernando Music.
9 - Character
Manuel Dilone, Creative Director of studio Character, one of the largest and heavy-hitting branding agencies on the west coast of America, discusses with Private View(s) how branding often lacks identity, and so they lean towards projects where they can add flexible meanings to a concept.
8 - AllofUs
London based AllofUs, who have worked with Sky, Ikea and Microsoft, houses a team of digital innovation and service design pioneers who create iconic and successful new businesses, services and products. In this meeting with Private View(s), former AllofUs Design Partner Ricardo Amorim explains how an understanding of human behaviour is a prerequisite in using technology to push the boundaries of
7 - Gretel
Gretel is a full service, platform agnostic, design, branding and strategy studio based in New York City. Partnering with brands big and small to create striking, memorable, distinctive design-driven solutions, they have worked on projects with The New York Times and Netflix. Greg Hahn, Owner and Founder of Gretel, sits down with Private View(s) to discuss how disconnecting from your own ego empow
6 - DesignStudio
International brand and design agency DesignStudio have worked with Airbnb, the Premier League and Deliveroo, building brands with purpose which impact millions. In this episode, Paul Stafford, Co-Founder and CEO, tells Private View(s) how they begin the creative process by fully immersing themselves in a client’s culture, gaining understanding through first-hand experiences and participation.
5 – RoAndCo
Since 2006, RoAndCo’s all-female leadership team has delivered iconic creative work for global beauty leaders including MAC Cosmetics and Clinique. Private View(s) checked in with the agency’s Roanne Adams, Rebecca Angus Smith, and Nikki Huffman to talk making it big as a woman in a creative space still dominated by men.
4 – COLLINS
Heavyweight creative agency Collins has worked with influential global players including Spotify, Dropbox, and MailChimp. Private View(s) hit New York to sit down with Collins’ Tom Wilder and Brian Collins to discuss how the agency lives and breathes uniqueness in a world tainted by uniformity.
3 – Koto
London agency Koto helps bring brands to life for cutting edge innovators like Airbnb Plus and Nurx. Private View(s) sat down with James Greenfield, Caroline Matthews and the Koto team, exploring the power of culture, creativity and clarity.
2 – Base
Base is an international network of studios located in cities including Brussels and Geneva. For years the outfit has enjoyed a powerful form of creative chemistry with the likes of the New York Times and Milk. We joined Base partners Geoff Cook and Min Lew to explore what makes the agency so special.
1 – Made Thought
London creative office Made Thought has recently appointed a sustainability advisor to help them guide their work and their clients to become more environmentally responsible. Private View(s) went tête-à-tête with Creative Director Ben Parker to talk brands, the long-term horizon and a new way of thinking about sustainability.
