David Kolbusz is Chief Creative Officer at Orchard, with a career across Droga5 London, Wieden Kennedy New York, BBH London, Goodby Silverstein, Mother, and TBWA Toronto.

In this episode, we talk about what actually makes advertising work stick. Mental hooks that live in your head. The difference between chasing culture and understanding it. And why David thinks the industry needs to be more honest about the myth we repeat, that “the work comes first.”

We also break down recent examples David loves, including a meme-driven taco ad and KitKat’s Break Squad, as a way to talk about creative restraint, timing, and leadership in modern advertising.

Kevin Frank has lived the full arc. Apple Creative Director for nearly a decade, then Executive Creative Director at LinkedIn, where he helped turn the team into Ad Age In House Agency of the Year and a two time Best Places to Work honoree.

After LinkedIn, he hit pause on the corporate grind and moved to Paris. He taught at The American University of Paris, mentored creative leaders, wrote a book on leading creative teams, and even joined an Elvis cover band, because why not.

We talk about what it means to lead creatives when nobody teaches you how, how craft survives inside massive systems, how to build a team that runs like a machine without losing its soul, and what a real reset looks like when you have the courage to take one.

Creativity isn’t a “nice to have” - it’s infrastructure for growth.

Simon Cook, CEO of Cannes Lions, shares what the world’s top leaders are learning about turning creativity into a repeatable system that drives brand building, innovation, and business growth - even when budgets tighten and AI reshapes the rules.

In this episode, we cover:

• From polishing trophies to leading Cannes Lions: Simon’s path (and what he learned along the way)

• Why Cannes is shifting from celebrating outputs to rewarding the inputs behind great work (the new Creative Brand Lion)

• What 50 global CEOs said about unlocking the next chapter of growth through creativity

• How to build “conditions for success”: culture, rituals, accountability, KPIs, and creative infrastructure

• Creators at Cannes: what the creator economy means for brands, platforms, and agencies

• AI integrity standards: protecting trust, authenticity, and authorship in creative work

If you’re a CMO, founder, agency leader, or anyone trying to make the business case for creativity, this one’s for you.

Follow Second Wind for more conversations at the intersection of creativity, marketing, and growth.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:43 From agency to Cannes

04:55 Creativity as infrastructure

06:15 The Global CEO Forum

11:25 Reframing creativity as innovation

16:35 Creators, brands, platforms

22:15 Access, ERA, talent pipeline

28:40 AI integrity standards

34:55 Legacy: creativity as a system

Kelly Knapp has helped shape some of the most ambitious experiential work in the world; from the $2 billion Sphere in Las Vegas to Netflix’s first permanent venues and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

In this episode of Second Wind, Kelly shares how a background in ballet, music, landscape architecture, and extreme outdoor exploration informs her belief that creative work is choreography; the careful layering of elements to create meaning at scale.

We talk about immersive audio, designing for empathy, why she’s skeptical of AI in the creative process, and what it takes to build experiences that feel human even when the technology is anything but.

Diane McArter is the founder of Furlined, one of the most respected production companies in the industry.

In this episode, Diane reflects on leadership, power, and what it really means to build a culture where people can do their best work.

She shares her journey from early leadership at Ridley Scott Associates to founding Furlined, navigating fear, responsibility, and reinvention along the way. We talk about women in leadership, servant leadership, the role of trust, and why a company’s culture is shaped by everyone who enters it.

Diane also discusses Manifest Works, her nonprofit creating career pathways for people impacted by foster care, homelessness, and incarceration, and why leadership at its best is an act of service.

This is a conversation about growth, empathy, creative courage, and building something that lasts.

Carmen Rodriguez didn’t get her first job in advertising by talking about advertising.

She got it by talking about soccer.

In this episode of Second Wind, Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch sit down with Carmen Rodriguez, Global Chief Growth Officer at GUT, to unpack a career built on passion, trust, and a deep belief in the power of creativity.

Born in São Paulo and now based in Amsterdam, Carmen shares how growing up in Brazil shaped her view of advertising as part of popular culture, why bravery isn’t a personality trait but a practice, and how GUT has grown from a bold idea into one of the most talked-about agencies in the world.

They cover:

• The interview that launched her career at Leo Burnett at age 17

• Why GUT “interviews” clients before pitching

• The “bravery gap” between people and brands

• How long-term client relationships outperform short-term wins

• Why “the best advertising for an agency is still the work”

• What hybrid work, diversity, and trust actually look like inside a modern creative company

• And why Carmen’s definition of success is simple: work that works, and work your aunt would share on WhatsApp

A conversation about growth without cynicism, creativity without ego, and why conviction still compounds.

This episode of Second Wind breaks from our usual interviews to reflect on 2025 and the people who actually built reputation in the advertising industry.

We introduce a set of intentionally made-up awards to recognize the agencies and marketers who stood out this year. The slow burns. The breakout hits. The teams that thrived in chaos. The ones who made invisible work visible.

Along the way, we talk about what reputation really compounds today.

Point of view. Taste. Talent. Timing.

And why memorability is no longer accidental.

If you care about where advertising is headed, and what actually lasts, this episode is for you.

Xanthe Wells is VP of Global Creative at Pinterest, where she leads the House of Creative, recently named In-House Agency of the Year at the Gerety Awards.

Before Pinterest, she led global creative for Google’s Pixel and Nest brands, earning a Cannes Grand Prix, a D&AD Black Pencil, and multiple Agency of the Year honors.

Earlier in her career, she worked on Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Monsters, Inc., and spent formative years at TBWA\Chiat\Day with Lee Clow.

In this episode of Second Wind, Xanthe shares a philosophy of creative leadership that runs counter to most playbooks. Pressure feels productive, but it narrows thinking. Relaxation isn’t a luxury. It’s a creative requirement.

We talk about building psychologically safe teams, why lowering the stakes leads to better work, and how to protect creativity inside high-pressure organizations. Xanthe also shares lessons from Pixar, Google, and Pinterest, her perspective on AI as a creative tool, and why human taste, humor, and empathy still matter more than ever.

This is a conversation about leading creatives with generosity, clarity, and trust, even when millions of dollars are on the line.