Creative Got me

She was a film director in training, working on indie sets and squeezing into cabs with other broke twenty–somethings on awards nights. Then she took a customer support internship at a little New York startup, fell in love with building internet brands, and eventually quit to sell swimsuits on the internet.That is Melanie Travis, founder and CEO of Andie Swim, and she might be the most “abnormally confident” person I have ever met.In this episode we talk about how a deeply awkward work offsite at a lake with all-male leadership turned into the spark for Andie, why being queer and an only child shaped her default setting as a leader, how a film-school brain translates into building businesses, and why she still heads to her oil-painting studio after work to stay sane. We also get into the messy middle: buying a second brand, guessing wrong on a big color launch, teaching yourself to love spreadsheets, and holding people’s livelihoods without letting it consume your entire identity.If you’ve ever wondered whether you are “too sensitive” or “too artsy” or “not finance-y enough” to be a founder, Melanie is your counterexample.In this episode:• The wildly awkward work retreat that made her realize swim needed a safer, smarter brand• How she went from customer support intern at Foursquare to founding Andie• Why she describes herself as “abnormally confident” and what that actually looks like day to day• Nature vs nurture: growing up an only child with two art-world parents and a gay dad• What film school taught her about directing a team and seeing the whole story arc• The honest story of acquiring Richer Poorer and immediately disagreeing with a big buy• Coconut Milk vs Rainforest: when your team goes deep on a color you personally hate• How she taught herself to love finance and why monthly close is now her favorite meeting• The difference between being a “hero” founder and being a world-class number two• Painting in oils, $56 screw-top wine, and why a studio saved her from burnout

She left Goldman Sachs and Revlon to sell kitchen tools. Eight years later, she voluntarily killed her best-selling cutting board because new research showed she could do better for customers.That's Eunice Byun, founder of Material, and this conversation is one of my favorites.While everyone's chasing growth hacks and viral moments, Eunice is building an "old soul" brand. Human customer service. Thoughtful design. Products you actually reach for every day. And a lifetime warranty that's just "reach out and we'll help.”We talk about why she only designs the must-haves (not the nice-to-haves), how she's built 8 years of loyalty through word-of-mouth instead of ads, what happened when she hid her pregnancy for 6 months at a startup, and why being a mom made her a BETTER founder.In this episode:• The moment Eunice knew she had to leave corporate and bet on herself• Why Material only makes products that pass the "reach for it daily" test• How she partnered with materials scientists to redesign a hero product from scratch• Why word-of-mouth creates stickiness that ads can't buy• What her daughters taught her about grace, empathy, and leadership• The "dance of the kitchen" philosophy behind every design decision• How to build customer loyalty that actually lasts (hint: it's not about transactions)This is for anyone building something different and wondering if "different" is good enough. Spoiler: it is.

What if your brand had a creative director in the cloud?In this episode, I sit down with my boss and Lica’s co-founder/CEO, Priyaa Kalyanaraman, to unpack what we’re actually building and why it’s very different from yet another “type a prompt, get a pretty picture” tool.Priyaa has been working in AI and design long before it was cool. From building presentation design agents at Microsoft to experimenting with social creatives at Snap, she’s been obsessed with one question:How do you give everyday people and brands a “personal storytelling agent” that actually understands taste?We get into:• Why so many AI image tools create visual slop (and what’s missing under the hood)• How Lica trains a model to think like a designer, not just mimic a camera• What “brand DNA” actually means in model form, and how we keep visuals on-brand over thousands of iterations• Why Priyaa refuses to sell “fire your team, just use AI” and instead leans on a crawl–walk–run rollout with clients• How AI is becoming a great neutralizer for small e-comm teams who want to play at the same level as legacy fashion houses• What this all means for photographers, models, and designers (hint: they’re not going anywhere, but the job changes)• Her favorite thought experiment for anxious creatives: What if we could distribute your brain to millions of people and you got paid for it?•The ethics question everyone asks: when do we have to say it’s AI? and how she thinks about honest use vs deceptionIf you’re a founder, marketer, or creative who’s curious about AI but allergic to hype, this conversation is for you. We talk frankly about the limits, the opportunities, and the very human problems we’re trying to solve for brands and their teams.Listen to this episode of Creative Got Me on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube and let us know:What’s the one part of your creative workflow you’d love a “personal storytelling agent” to handle for you?

What happens when you put a 30-year tech pioneer in a room with someone building AI for the next 30?In this episode of Creative Got Me, I sit down with David Cost, VP of Digital & Ecommerce at Rainbow Shops and former co-founder of one of the internet’s first price comparison sites, PriceSCAN.com. David has quietly been at the front of every major tech wave so far: personal computing, the early web, mobile, and now AI. He’s seen the dot-com bubble burst, watched Google out-compete his startup, and then turned all of that scar tissue into a playbook for modern retail.We get into:• How a tiny 3-person dev team at Rainbow makes tech bets that let them compete with giants like Walmart• Why the iPhone, not the browser, was the real “great equalizer” for e-commerce• What he learned trying (and failing) to use AI to replace people, and why using it to assist people was a home run• The first time he saw “real” personalization work at scale, sending 100,000 unique SMS messages instead of one mass blast• How he thinks about risk, experiments, and knowing when to kill an idea without killing your appetite for trying againIf you’re a founder, marketer, or operator trying to make sense of AI without losing your mind (or your job), this conversation will calm you down and challenge you at the same time.Listen in to learn how to treat AI like the next Excel: not a threat, but the tool that quietly separates the people who stay relevant from the people who get left behind.

You see the polished brand. You don’t see the brother who wired $5,000 at midnight because he believed in a tiny baby-hat idea.In this solo episode of Creative Got Me, I tell the story behind Kinship, the kids hat company I started in 2016 while pregnant and living in San Francisco. I share how my brother became my first hype man, investor, and co-founder… and how everything changed when he passed away from COVID in 2020.There are some things you can “figure out” in business: how to build a tech pack, how to find a manufacturer, how to ship a product. And then there are things you can’t hack: like grief, or losing a parent to addiction, or trying to keep building while your inner world is breaking open.Along the way, I zoom out from my own story into the bigger picture:• what we never see behind the brands we use every day• the quiet grief and failure sitting underneath so many “success stories”• why these long-form conversations with founders (Heidi, Jess, Dave, Katerina and more) have changed how I work• how motherhood has made me better at storytelling, not less serious• why I chose to step into one of the spiciest spaces right now: AI-powered creative at LicaI also talk honestly about AI: the fears I hear (“I never want AI to be considered art”), why I still chose to take a seat at this particular table, and how I think we can use AI to support e-commerce brands instead of flattening them.Full episode is live on every platform.

We were taught how to succeed in college, our careers, and promotions along the way. We were never taught how to build and succeed in our intimate relationships.In this episode of Creative Got Me, Monique sits down with sexologist and Wonderlust founder Natassia Miller to talk about the conversations most of us avoid: sex, desire, intimacy, and how all of that quietly shapes our work, leadership, and creativity.Natassia shares how she went from a buttoned-up finance career to becoming a sexologist who speaks openly about women’s pleasure, long-term desire, and the realities of modern relationships. She explains why the most vulnerable conversation you’ll ever have is about sex, and how learning to be honest in the bedroom can transform the way you communicate in the boardroom.They dig into the mental load women carry, why so many “successful” people feel disconnected at home, and how Natassia designed her Wonderlust intimacy card deck after realizing that the biggest barrier to better sex isn’t technique—it’s being able to talk about it at all.You’ll also hear about:• What Natassia’s mom did right with early sex education• Why our sex ed was “salmonella prevention,” not pleasure education• How to think about intimacy like a founder: goals, structure, and tiny experiments• The “cringe mountain” every creator has to climb to find their real voice• A dead-simple date-night framework to bring curiosity back into long-term relationships• Why so many women don’t “want sex” as much as they want less pressure and more helpThis episode isn’t raunchy or clinical.It’s honest, grounded, and surprisingly practical.If you’re a founder, creator, or leader who wants deeper relationships and better communication at work, this one will stick with you.

Miki Agrawal has built three wildly successful companies (THINX, TUSHY, and now HIRO) by talking about the things no one else will: periods, poop, and plastic.In this episode, she opens up about how she turned taboo into trust, scaled without VC, and why she believes creativity (not capital) is the most undervalued force in business.She shares the exact 3-part framework behind every one of her brands, the story of how a Friday “thinking day” led to a diaper that breaks down in landfills (with mushrooms), and why the recycling model is fundamentally broken.If you’re trying to build something bold, this episode of ‘Creative Got Me’ is for you.

Dan Cox didn’t start Wellthy by staring at Shopify dashboards or growth charts.He started it behind the counter of his nutrition stores in Las Vegas and Southern California… listening to people talk about their bodies, their insecurities, their energy levels, and their fear of trying “one more thing” that might not work.That daily, face‑to‑face exposure shaped everything about how he builds products today.In this episode, we talk about what gets lost when brands go digital too fast and how Dan used his brick‑and‑mortar experience to build a DTC wellness brand that feels unusually human, trustworthy, and grounded.We get into why most supplement packaging quietly repels customers, how marketing shortcuts destroy long‑term trust, why trial beats persuasion every time, and how fatherhood changed the way Dan runs his company. This conversation is about building brands that people don’t hide in their cabinets and businesses that founders can actually stand behind.Timestamps00:00 Living behind the supplement counter 03:01 Why customers don’t actually want “protein”04:40 The moment Dan realized trust mattered more than sales06:10 Why doctors told customers to stop taking supplements07:56 The problem with translating in‑store experience to a website10:22 Packaging that makes customers feel embarrassed16:04 The Expo West failure that reshaped the brand18:31 Weight loss, vulnerability, and real customer moments21:45 How fatherhood sharpened Dan’s focus23:00 Why Dan refuses fake marketing claims26:53 Bootstrapping vs raising capital30:23 Why trial is the best form of marketing38:26 Why Dan still answers customer emails himself41:23 What founders lose when everything goes digital45:11 The future of Wellthy and retail expansion

How do you take a stand as a brand without losing your customers or your credibility?In this episode of Creative Got Me, Michael Stars co-founder and CEO Suzanne Lerner joins Monique for a raw and unfiltered conversation on what it really means to build a values-driven brand that lasts.Suzanne has done what few founders ever do: she’s run a successful fashion brand for 40 years, never taken a dollar of VC, kept 75% of production in LA, and built her company around real social impact—from reproductive rights to racial justice.But this episode goes deeper than business.Suzanne opens up about:• The 3AM moment she decided to support abortion rights (even if it meant losing customers)• How she and her late husband built Michael Stars from nothing• Her decision to stay independent and say no to outside funding• How grief reshaped her leadership• Why real brand activism isn’t a marketing campaign• What she’s learned from 40 years of doing the right thing, even when it’s hardYou’ll walk away with lessons on integrity, longevity, and building a company you’re proud of without ever selling out.If you’re a founder, marketer, or someone who gives a damn about doing business differently and building with purpose, this one’s for you.⏱ Timestamps0:00 – Suzanne’s 3AM decision to take a stand on abortion rights3:00 – Co-founding Michael Stars with her late husband5:00 – Why they refused to take venture capital8:00 – How she keeps her husband’s legacy alive in the brand11:00 – Building community through kindness and connection14:00 – Her advice to new founders (and what most get wrong)17:00 – Why 75% of Michael Stars products are still made in LA20:00 – The financial reality of doing business ethically22:00 – How resale (via ThredUp) fits into their sustainability mission24:00 – What most brands get wrong about influencers26:00 – Why customers can feel authenticity30:00 – How Michael Stars balances trends with timelessness35:00 – Choosing which social issues to speak on (and which to avoid)38:00 – The truth about the VC funding gap for women40:00 – How anyone can start funding women entrepreneurs44:00 – Suzanne’s wild career path, from typist to global fashion CEO48:00 – Her advice for finding purpose (and staying grounded in it)

In this special solo Q&A episode, ‘Creative Got Me’ host Monique Ritter answers the questions you’ve been sending into her DMs: the ones about AI, creativity, brand voice, and what should (and should never) be automated.I’s the clearest snapshot yet of how Monique thinks about the intersection of soulful creativity and the fast‑moving world of AI.If you’ve ever wondered:• Is AI actually destroying the arts… or sparking a new wave of imagination?• Should brands disclose when something was made with AI?• How do you scale content without losing emotional depth?• What creative work should be automated first and what is too human to outsource?• Will AI replace creative directors… or make them even more essential?Then this episode is for you.It’s a thoughtful roadmap for founders, creatives, marketers, and anyone trying to keep their voice intact in a world moving at AI‑speed.🎧 Listen to the solo Q&A with Monique Ritter, now live wherever you get your podcasts!

Katerina Schneider was four months pregnant when she flipped over her prenatal vitamin bottle and realized… she couldn’t trust a single word on the label.Instead of settling, she built something better: Ritual, a radically transparent, science-backed wellness brand that now does over $250 million in retail sales and serves millions of customers.In this episode of Creative Got Me, Kat breaks down what it really takes to earn consumer trust in one of the most skeptical, hype-driven industries out there.We talk about:• Why 100,000+ supplements exist but only a handful are truly trustworthy• The real meaning of “clinically studied” (and why most brands fake it)• What inspired Ritual’s most emotional campaign and why women cried watching it• Why Kat built her team in-house, from scientists to creatives• How AI can actually help tell human stories• The wild VC comment that made her more determined to prove them wrong• What it looks like to raise a family and a company (without guilt)This episode is a masterclass in brand-building, honesty, and showing the receipts.🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube.📣 Don’t forget to subscribe and drop a comment below.Timestamps:00:00 – Ritual’s origin story: founded while pregnant03:30 – The Wild West of supplements (and how Ritual stands out)06:10 – Why “clinically studied” is mostly BS (unless you do it right)08:20 – Ritual’s $5M investment in actual science11:00 – Traceable ingredients: how it works and why others don’t do it14:00 – How branding helped drive trust17:00 – Building science, creative, and commerce under one roof20:00 – How Kat and Ritual think about using AI (in brand and ops)24:00 – “For the Real Bodybuilders” campaign and emotional resonance28:00 – Why 70% of women face fertility struggles but 40% don’t feel seen30:00 – The power of insight in shaping culture34:00 – Raising 3 girls + pushing for policy change in women’s health38:00 – Balancing being a CEO, founder, author, and mom (without guilt)42:00 – The VC who told Kat she couldn’t build a business and a family44:00 – Why female founders should lead women’s health companies46:00 – Final reflections: conviction, intuition, and changing the system

Dave Blakely has seen every trend in tech: the dot-com boom, the rise of mobile, the AI explosion. But he never chases shiny objects. He watches for what lasts.Dave spent 25+ years at IDEO helping companies like Cisco and Johns Hopkins turn ideas into real businesses. For 10 years, he served as Executive VP at Mach49, where he helped Fortune 1000 companies build and launch startups from within. Now, he’s using his decades of experience to help the next generation of founders.In this conversation, Dave lays out the exact framework he uses to evaluate new ideas (whether it’s a startup pitch or a corporate venture) and shares why the best innovators study people (not tech).If you’re tired of playing trend roulette, this one’s for you.What we cover:00:00 – The risk Dave regrets not taking04:00 – Why most career mistakes are “errors of conservatism”06:40 – What Dave learned being in Palo Alto during the dot-com boom07:30 – The real pattern behind every major tech wave09:00 – The danger of cynicism in innovation10:30 – Why we’re in another hype cycle and what to do about it12:00 – The #1 question Dave asks about any trend13:10 – The role of human nature in evaluating new ideas14:45 – Shakespeare, product-market fit, and timeless psychology17:00 – Why business and life values should never be separate18:00 – How to teach emotional intelligence inside big companies20:00 – How to find direction using synthesis23:00 – Navigating marketing in a post-cancel culture world24:30 – Dave’s take on pluralism and intellectual diversity27:00 – How to take a stand in your work (and why it matters)28:45 – The unexpected impact of fatherhood on leadership30:00 – Why parenting made Dave a better manager33:30 – Why presence is a business skill34:45 – How Monique thinks about gratitude and career alignment38:00 – Dave’s 4-part framework for evaluating new ventures41:00 – The fifth bonus filter: Mothership Fit43:30 – What makes a pitch deck actually compelling45:00 – Why revenue is the wrong place to start47:00 – The trap of skipping customer desirability48:30 – Why “move fast and break things” is incomplete advice50:00 – The tension every good leader should hold51:15 – How to build smarter, not faster53:00 – Dave’s book and podcast recs (they’re surprising)🎙 Listen or watch this full episode of Creative Got Me wherever you get your podcasts!

What if the very thing people assume will hold you back actually makes you better at your job?Heidi Isern joins Monique Ritter to talk about the leadership lessons that come from motherhood, and how she learned to embrace the chaos, drop the script, and bring her full self to both career and family.This episode dives into the emotional and professional terrain of working motherhood, what it means to lead with empathy (not ego), and how to raise kids who aren’t afraid to mess up.Timestamps00:00 – Intro05:45 – Monique’s career crush & Heidi’s “writer, thinker, whiskey drinker” bio07:30 – Did motherhood make you better at your job?08:30 – Creative resilience and building storytelling on the fly12:00 – Breaking the script: how motherhood fuels risk-taking16:00 – Teaching kids to fail (and why leaders need that too)26:00 – The moment Monique was asked if she could “give her time” to a job31:00 – When female leaders don’t support other women33:30 – How motherhood builds emotional intelligence40:00 – Why you can’t outsource deep empathy43:45 – The problem with multitasking and the case for ruthless prioritization47:00 – Marketing = storytelling + curiosity50:45 – What Heidi would tell herself before becoming a mom52:30 – Where to find Heidi’s writing

Jessica Lee co-founded Modern Citizen in the middle of San Francisco’s VC frenzy and made a very different decision than most founders:She didn’t raise money.She didn’t chase growth at all costs.She built a brand slowly, intentionally, and on her own terms.In this episode, she shares the real story behind building a modern fashion brand without losing yourself in the process. We talk about bootstrapping, resilience, motherhood, leadership, and what it really means to build something that lasts.Timestamps:0:00 – Intro2:10 – Why Jessica turned down venture capital6:50 – Fashion isn’t software: why growth looks different9:30 – Valuation pressure vs. brand longevity12:30 – You can’t force customers to love you overnight16:00 – The fundraising bias founders don’t talk about18:00 – What resilience actually looks like in business21:00 – Building agility into your company from day one23:00 – Why Jessica shares her playbook with other founders25:15 – Scarcity mindset vs abundance mindset in DTC28:00 – Fast fashion, decision fatigue, and building a thoughtful customer experience32:00 – The role of AI in creative work (and where it doesn’t belong)36:00 – Motherhood, entrepreneurship, and ruthless prioritization41:00 – How to stay resourced while leading a company and raising kids47:00 – Building a culture of excellence on your own terms52:00 – Jessica’s definition of success (and why it matters)54:45 – Where to shop Modern Citizen

Most creative businesses burn out for one reason: They say yes to the wrong work.In this episode, Monique Ritter sits down with Wilian Iralzabal, founder of Zaval Media, to talk about the power of conviction, choosing clients with care, and how to stay human in a fast-moving AI world.If you’re a designer, founder, or builder trying to scale without selling out, this one’s for you.—📍 Timestamps:0:00 – Intro & setting the tone2:11 – How Monique and Wilian met5:30 – What “authentic design” actually means12:00 – Wilian’s immigrant story and early drive17:35 – From speech & debate to web design: building communication skills21:00 – Staying playful with AI tools (and avoiding burnout)24:15 – The “People > Project > Payment” framework30:40 – Why Wilian turns down clients (and how he does it)35:12 – Protecting your team at all costs38:45 – AI vs intuition: how to keep your edge43:00 – Have you ever fired a client?47:30 – The risk of compromising on fit50:20 – What to look for in a good client56:45 – Tools, practices, and advice for creative leaders1:00:10 – Mentorship, automation, and playing the long game1:02:00 – Final thoughts & how to work with Wilian

In this episode, Priyaa Kalyanaraman sits down with Pash Pashkow, Former Head of Brand & Design at Apple TV+.They explore what it really takes to build a resonant brand, whether you're refreshing a legacy name or launching something from scratch.They also cover:✅ The balance between intuition vs. iteration in creative work✅ Why brand strategy starts with purpose, not just a logo✅ How to evolve while staying "on brand" in today’s attention economy✅ What Pash actually did to help shape Apple TV+ from Day 1✅ When startups should invest in branding and who to hire✅ Why rebrands fail (and when a "refresh" is smarter)✅ How AI is changing creativity (and why design thinking still wins)✅ The secret to brands that feel like people, and why that mattersThis is a must-listen for startup founders, brand leaders, and creatives navigating a noisy digital world and anyone trying to build something that truly stands out.🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these#branding #startups #designthinking #apple #creativity

What happens when AI changes everything, except human behavior?In this episode, Priyaa Kalyanaraman sits down with Erik Huberman, founder and CEO of Hawke Media, to unpack the state of modern marketing, where brands still live and die by trust, creativity, and execution, even as AI changes how everything gets built.We cover:✅ Why AI won’t replace creativity, but will change how fast teams move✅ The 3 pillars of marketing strategy every brand should know✅ How to scale paid marketing without falling for fake ROI traps✅ Why most companies fail at “authentic” content (and how to fix it)✅ What makes founder-led brands outperform (and when that breaks)✅ Why Meta and Google are still king and how TikTok and Reddit are closing in✅ The false promise of agent-led e-commerce and the future of DTC content machinesErik pulls from a decade-plus of building one of the most influential growth agencies, working with everyone from startup DTC brands to Fortune 100s.This one’s packed with real talk and tactical playbooks on building scalable creative and media strategy in a post-AI world.🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these#MarketingStrategy #AIinMarketing #DTCgrowth #CreativeStrategy #PaidMediaTips

What does it really take to build a direct-to-consumer brand that not only launches big but sticks around?In this episode, Priyaa Kalyanaraman sits down with Adam Greenfeld, Co-Founder at Frij, to unpack the real playbook behind building brands that convert, retain, and scale.From his early days in sports and real estate tech, to launching Thesis in the early nootropics wave, to now running his own creative agency, Adam has seen it all, and he shares it all here.We cover:✅ The three non-negotiables for starting any company (and why Adam uses the “parent test”)✅ Why identifying your “villain” is the fastest way to unlock growth✅ How UGC creators shaped Thesis’ early marketing and still drive results today✅ AI’s role in performance creative: testing faster, scaling output, and embracing “ugly” ads that work✅ The eternal clash between brand teams and performance teams (and how to bridge it)✅ Why views don’t equal sales, and the metrics Adam actually cares about✅ Scaling creative: the 70/30 rule, problem evangelism, and making hooks that stop the scrollFrom celebrity-led brands to ugly Facebook statics, from street interviews to AI avatars, Adam shares a no-BS perspective on what actually moves the needle in DTC marketing today.🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these.#DTCMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #EcommerceGrowth #BrandStorytelling #AIForMarketing

Performance marketing isn’t just about running ads, it’s about building a high-leverage engine that scales your brand.In this episode, we’re joined by Rei-Ling Hudson, a seasoned marketing consultant and advisor, to unpack a masterclass in paid strategy, creative testing, and team building for consumer startups.We cover:✅ When a founder is actually ready to invest in paid acquisition✅ Why organic product-market fit is non-negotiable✅ How to build a creative engine that doesn’t compromise brand✅ The tradeoffs between agencies vs. in-house talent✅ What AI can and can’t replace in your growth stack✅ How to think about influencer partnerships, UGC, and scaling content✅ Channel strategies from Meta to TikTok, Amazon, and YouTube✅ Metrics that matter and the ones you should ditchWhether you’re launching your first DTC brand or scaling a multi-product portfolio, this episode is packed with tactical advice and hard-won lessons from the front lines of consumer growth.🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these.#DTCMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #ConsumerStartups #MarketingStrategy #AIinMarketing

In this episode of Creative Got Me, Priyaa Kalyanaraman sits down with Ben Sharf, co-founder of Platter, to unpack the strategy behind founder-led content and how showing up online transformed his business.We cover:✅ When Ben realized he had to become the face of his brand✅ The systems and people that support his content engine✅ How vulnerability builds trust (and why most founders avoid it)✅ Balancing authenticity with consistency and why cringey content doesn’t matter✅ Why his biggest customers, hires, and investors came from LinkedIn✅ How founder content plays into trust-building for high-ticket B2B SaaS✅ The underrated power of in-person events and relationship building✅ Why your product isn’t the moat, distribution and brand areWhether you’re a SaaS founder, DTC operator, or content-curious builder, this episode is a playbook on how to build an audience and a business at the same time.🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these.#FounderBranding#B2BMarketing#ContentStrategy#CreativeGotMe

What does it take to build a long-lasting consumer brand in a noisy, trend-driven world, especially one selling $2,000+ customizable sleep systems?In this episode, Priyaa sits down with Lisa Tan, CMO of Reverie, to unpack her decade-long playbook for building a DTC and retail hybrid brand that prioritizes long-term value over short-term hype.If you’re building or scaling a DTC or consumer brand and wrestling with how to balance storytelling, performance, and brand integrity, this one’s for you.—⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Intro: Sleep is having a moment01:14 – What it’s like to be CMO of Reverie02:22 – The evolution of DTC marketing since 201003:59 – How Reverie’s buyer journey differs across channels06:34 – What really hooks customers in a $2,000+ category07:47 – Why storytelling must be personalized08:48 – The limitations of influencer marketing for Reverie10:27 – Competing in an era of social commerce12:10 – How to keep teams learning while staying on brand13:16 – Bridging aspirational mission and practical content16:01 – Can Reverie expand beyond the 55+ market?17:28 – Why quizzes are the content hook that works18:49 – Content priorities: retail partners vs storytelling20:32 – Challenges with retailer brand control21:28 – What excites and scares Lisa about the competition22:46 – How to keep teams motivated in a fast-changing world24:27 – The metric Lisa Tan ignores25:11 – Why organic content still matters26:04 – Will avatars replace humans in content?27:29 – CMO job surprises: it’s not all glamor30:10 – Performance vs beauty: the marketing tradeoff31:29 – How Lisa’s team tracks full-funnel success33:06 – Personalized agentic commerce and AI journeys34:39 – Visual vs conversational content: why Reverie needs both36:01 – Is streaming a viable ad channel?37:06 – How Lisa spies on competitors38:33 – Meta, TikTok, YouTube: what works and what’s next39:56 – In-house vs agency: how Lisa’s approach evolved42:11 – Biggest early career lesson44:07 – Lisa’s vision for consumer marketing in 203045:19 – What tween cosmetics can teach DTC marketers46:56 – What Lisa’s reading (and longevity routines)49:54 – Final thoughts🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these#DTCmarketing #retailstrategy #ecommerce #consumerbrands #sleeptech #marketingleadership #brandbuilding #aiinmarketing #reverie

Lucas DiPietrantonio, co-founder and CEO of Darkroom, has spent nearly a decade building the growth engine behind some of today’s most talked-about consumer brands. In the first episode of Creative Got Me, he unpacks how agencies must evolve, or die, in an AI-driven, short-form-first marketing world.We dig into:– How to know if your brand is ready to hire an agency– Why “on-brand” sometimes needs to take a backseat– The underrated importance of media mix modeling– Why RoAS might be the most overrated metric in the game- And much more…Whether you’re building a consumer brand, running a studio, or just trying to keep up with the chaos of modern marketing, this is a masterclass on where things are going and how to stay ahead.—⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Intro00:38 – The evolution of Darkroom and Lucas’s AI obsession01:51 – Why now is the best time to build a service business02:33 – The AI marketing funnel + social commerce trends03:34 – What kind of brands should actually hire an agency05:10 – The rise of short-form video and the fall of brand guidelines06:49 – Do we still need humans to sell products?08:52 – The three key pillars of social commerce success11:08 – Why TikTok drives brand awareness, but Amazon closes13:06 – Instagram vs TikTok in the commerce stack14:08 – What your content portfolio should look like in 202516:13 – Why organic impressions matter more than RoAS18:22 – How generative AI is transforming advertising channels19:38 – What happens when consumers go straight to ChatGPT to shop?21:24 – The missing metadata gap in LLMs22:26 – How Lucas is building an AI-first creative agency23:53 – What makes a defensible agency in the AI era26:24 – Educating the next generation of AI-native marketers28:03 – Why vibes ≠ product-market fit30:19 – Should brands chase every meme trend?31:12 – How to set SLAs and scale creative output34:13 – Why traditional designers struggle with ad performance36:08 – Rethinking marketing KPIs: is RoAS outdated?38:29 – Contribution profit and how to track real incrementality40:28 – David vs. Goliath: The rise of Hot Girl Pickles41:57 – Why live shopping is just getting started in the U.S.43:04 – Which legacy brands are catching up (and which aren’t)44:25 – The pitfalls of celebrity brands45:06 – What marketing might look like in 203546:03 – Why agencies need to evolve beyond Meta ad margins🎧 Subscribe for more conversations like these