The Creative Stack

Megan Quick

The Creative Stack explores the intersection of creativity and information technology. Hosted by Megan Quick, each episode features conversations with creative and tech leaders on how technology supports innovation, collaboration, and growth.

  1. 4 days ago

    Back Office Support: What Lies Beyond the Billable Hour, with Damien Weinstein and Brian Klein

    About Brian Klein: Brian is an unconventional lawyer who leaves a memorable impression. Known for balancing personality with effective legal counsel, he founded Weinstein + Klein on the belief that practicing law doesn't have to be dull or impersonal. He sees his role as making sure clients are informed, engaged, and maybe even a little entertained along the way. Brian has earned the respect of clients and peers alike. A testament to his unique approach is the fact that several former adversaries have later become clients (don't worry, he won't share… unless you're sued). He has been recognized throughout his career by legal industry organizations and publications for his work in labor and employment law, including honors from New York Super Lawyers and the New Jersey Legal Awards. Beyond his practice, Brian has shared his expertise as an Adjunct Professor at Hofstra Law School and contributed commentary and analysis to publications including Eater and the International Business Times. An active member of several bar associations and professional committees, he regularly contributes his insight on labor and employment law issues within the legal community. About Damien Weinstein: Co-founder and managing partner of Weinstein and Klein, a law firm representing small and mid-sized businesses in corporate transactional and labor and employment matters. Founded in 2019, Weinstein and Klein has grown from two employees to approximately 25. During this time the firm has appeared twice on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. and most recently in 2026 was awarded the Inc. Best Workplaces award. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why the best law firms for small businesses aren't the biggest ones, and how Weinstein & Klein identified a gap between large overpriced firms and under-resourced solos to build something better. What "outside general counsel" actually means in practice, and the efficiencies of having a trusted legal partner across employment, corporate, and transactional work. A common operational mistake small business owners make, including bottlenecks, and why learning to delegate and hire good people into the right seat is the hardest and most important thing a founder can do. Why culture is a main driver of growth at Weinstein & Klein, and how regular touchpoints build a strong team. The difference between being kind and being nice, plus why honest feedback is a gift, why "Radical Candor" is worth reading, and why the goal of feedback is to help people succeed. How Damien and Brian are using AI to stress-test contracts and run multiple iterations before human review,  and why firms that resist this shift are making the same mistake as lawyers who refused to adopt email. Why AI-generated contracts are a coming litigation boom. Three things to do if you're starting a business today, like partnership agreements, vision and goals, and surrounding yourself with a good network.

  2. 26 Aug

    It's Never Just the Ticket: Trust, Tech, and the Advisor Relationship, with Mike Liben

    In just a few years, Mike and the Chai Travel team have built Chai into one of the fastest-growing travel companies in America and the premiere home for independent travel advisors.   He grew up in the travel industry and knows there's no business as exciting or as rewarding. He feels tremendously privileged to build Chai alongside his family and colleagues. Mike co-founded Chai Travel after a decade of public service representing victims of domestic violence at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.  Beyond Chai, Mike dedicates himself to various political and charitable causes—and to his beloved New York Giants. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife Lindsay and their three children. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why the travel industry's shift from "travel agent" to "travel advisor" isn't just a rebrand, but a move from selling airline seats to becoming a trusted partner for your clients. How Mike's father built the largest travel agency in New York starting with a two-person office selling tickets to Tel Aviv,  and what that story reveals about what never changes in a service business. Steps to take before working with a travel advisor including questions to ask, why you shouldn't try to extract a full itinerary on the first call, and why the best advisors are upfront about fees. How Chai Travel used longstanding relationships with in-country contacts to get a stranded traveler home safely during a crisis. Why AI won't replace the relationship side of service businesses, but will replace the three or four most annoying, repetitive tasks in your day, and the opportunity that comes follows. What volume and relationships mean in the travel industry, and why travel advisors can quickly solve a problem with an airline or hotel. Underrated destinations worth putting on your radar, including why Myanmar and South America should be up higher on your list.

  3. 12 Aug

    The Truth About IT Assessments

    About Georg Dauterman: Georg believes in the fusion of technology and creativity. With a background in both fields, he started his career in IT departments of publishing and advertising agencies, realizing the critical need for tech aligned with business goals. Joining Valiant in 2004, Georg's expertise and passion for efficiency brought industry recognition. He holds a history degree from Queens College and serves on Datto's Global Partner Advisory Board. Beyond his leadership role, Georg enjoys exploring culinary skills, fitness, and outdoor adventures with his family. About Megan Quick: Megan is a member of the Valiant Marketing & Sales team, assisting in demonstrating the value of our services and ensuring positive experiences for prospective clients. When not working with technology, she is a theater production manager and performer, producing her own comedy shows, and is an avid writer. Megan has a B.A. in Theater from Sewanee: The University of The South. What you'll learn about in this episode: What an IT assessment is, including a snapshot of your infrastructure, security, and applications that tells you exactly where you stand today and what needs to be changed. Why the IT assessment is the foundation of every successful MSP relationship, and why skipping it could lead to a rocky start. The key difference between an IT assessment and an IT onboarding, and why they may look similar on the surface but serve different purposes and outcomes. What the NIST Cybersecurity Framework is, why it's the gold standard for small and mid-market companies, and how to access it for free as a taxpayer-funded public resource. How IT assessments vary across remote, hybrid, and in-office environments, and why physical infrastructure introduces complexity that governance based reviews often miss. Why Wi-Fi is far more complex than it appears and why a proper Wi-Fi survey is one of the most critical and overlooked parts of an in office assessment. The key questions you should ask any IT provider before agreeing to an assessment, including requesting sample deliverables, understand their methodology, and learning how many assessments they perform each year. Why your relationship with an IT provider is one of the most important vendor partnerships in your business and why the assessment is an important first step in getting it right.

  4. 29 Jul

    Office Moves, Part 3: The IT Playbook

    About Georg Dauterman: Georg believes in the fusion of technology and creativity. With a background in both fields, he started his career in IT departments of publishing and advertising agencies, realizing the critical need for tech aligned with business goals. Joining Valiant in 2004, Georg's expertise and passion for efficiency brought industry recognition. He holds a history degree from Queens College and serves on Datto's Global Partner Advisory Board. Beyond his leadership role, Georg enjoys exploring culinary skills, fitness, and outdoor adventures with his family. About Megan Quick: Megan is a member of the Valiant Marketing & Sales team, assisting in demonstrating the value of our services and ensuring positive experiences for prospective clients. When not working with technology, she is a theater production manager and performer, producing her own comedy shows, and is an avid writer. Megan has a B.A. in Theater from Sewanee: The University of The South. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why office moves are one of the most underestimated operational projects a company can take on, and how complexity escalates fast once you start uncovering dependencies. A real world example of a client who needed a security guard for a week and a half because an electronic lock wasn't compatible with the building's fire safety system, showing how often unexpected issues arise. Why a dedicated move project manager, not your office manager or an early-career employee, is the highest leverage investment you can make, and what a well run move looks like in practice. The cost of nebulous responsibility, where every task needs a clear owner with authority to decide, spend, and escalate without leadership bottlenecks. Why poor timing around holidays or busy periods is a common and expensive mistake, and why six months lead time should be the baseline. Why you shouldn't wait until a move to fix IT issues, since weak Wi-Fi or infrastructure problems will carry over and get worse during the transition. How to define a successful move before starting, where employees can walk in on day one, and work without friction. The five steps to prepare for a move, including engaging trusted partners early, assigning a move lead, mapping vendors, walking the full project as a team, and integrating the move into regular leadership cadence.

  5. 15 Jul

    Exploring AI, with Justin Penchina

    Justin has been with Valiant Technology since 2008 and is a member of our Leadership team. His extensive hands-on experience with technology, particularly Microsoft solutions, can be seen in every solution we implement for clients. An early interest in technology, spanning back as far as high school, has allowed Justin to accumulate a wealth of knowledge on many topics. His first technology-related role was at his Mother's web design company in the 1990's and he's worked with businesses of all sizes since, including web hosting companies and a military contractor. Justin studied Cinema Studies and Political Science in college, but technology has always been a part of his life. His professional certifications include ones from Microsoft, SonicWall, and Meraki. Justin is also a certified Microsoft Customer Immersion Experience instructor and a certified Google Power Searcher. When Justin isn't in front of an array of computer screens, he's typically behind his camera capturing photos of birds around the New York Tri-State area, enjoying German beers, and watching cartoons. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why AI should be used as a tool, not a replacement, and where the line falls between work that should remain in the hands of humans, and where AI could be implemented. How the AI adoption curve mirrors the cloud revolution and why disruption isn't the technology itself, but the speed it's reaching users. The definition of agentic AI, including examples of building an AI agent that reviews your inbox every day so nothing slips through the cracks. How Valiant is currently using AI to reduce QBR prep time from 2 hours to 20 minutes, and why this type of automation is where real ROI lives. Why businesses should start with Copilot or Gemini before adopting third-party AI platforms. The MCP security risk most companies aren't talking about, and how AI tools through open-source Model Context Protocol servers can unintentionally create vulnerable, unprotected data layers. Why AI generated output should always be treated as a draft, and how stronger prompting comes from providing context, audience, format, and constraints upfront. Why the "AI will replace all jobs" narrative misses the bigger picture, and how AI frees people to focus on creative, strategic, and judgement-heavy work.

  6. 1 Jul

    Being the Family IT Guy

    About Georg Dauterman: Georg believes in the fusion of technology and creativity. With a background in both fields, he started his career in IT departments of publishing and advertising agencies, realizing the critical need for tech aligned with business goals. Joining Valiant in 2004, Georg's expertise and passion for efficiency brought industry recognition. He holds a history degree from Queens College and serves on Datto's Global Partner Advisory Board. Beyond his leadership role, Georg enjoys exploring culinary skills, fitness, and outdoor adventures with his family.  About Megan Quick: Megan is a member of the Valiant Marketing & Sales team, assisting in demonstrating the value of our services and ensuring positive experiences for prospective clients. When not working with technology, she is a theater production manager and performer, producing her own comedy shows, and is an avid writer. Megan has a B.A. in Theater from Sewanee: The University of The South. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why being the "family IT person" is more common and more consequential than most people realize, and what that responsibility looks like. Why both older generations and digital natives were thrown into technology without ever really learning the fundamentals, and how that creates security blind spots at home. Cybersecurity habits that you should start today: enable multi-factor authentication, set up a password manager, and audit your bank statements for unauthorized charges. How AI-powered deepfakes and voice cloning are making phishing scams far more convincing, and why your family needs a secret code word before transferring money or sharing information. The hidden risk in most homes today like smart devices, cameras, garage openers, speakers, and connected appliances that pose a potential security risk and should have its own unique password and regular updates. Why  scammers rely on urgency, panic or fear, and the easiest mindset shift that can stop most social engineering attacks before they happen. How to do a practical home tech audit including changing default passwords and securing your router. Practical ways to help less tech-savvy family members become more self-sufficient.

  7. 17 Jun

    Office Moves Part 2, with Jason Cole

    About Jason Cole As the principal of Cole Audio Video, Jason Cole blends expert audio system design with a mastery of lighting and shade to shape the aesthetic and energy of high-end residences. By focusing on the art of light and sound rather than just the hardware, he provides clients with an intuitive level of control that works every time, ensuring the technology serves the home's beauty without the friction of over-complication. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why AV and IT are often confused for the same thing, and why the distinction matters when planning an office move. How the technology in your conference room directly impacts meeting quality, and what separates a robust video conferencing setup from one that just technically works. What tenant improvement (TI) money is, why most tenants don't know they can take it themselves, and how doing so leads to a better space for the same cost. The role of an owner's rep (construction manager) and the importance of having one in your corner. When to bring in an AV, IT, and design partner, and why you should have them on your team before you've even signed a lease. What FF&E, MEP, and building standards actually mean, and how understanding these terms helps you advocate for the space you want. How room size, ceiling height, surfaces, and sound absorption all factor into AV design, and why use cases should drive every decision.

  8. 3 Jun

    No MSRP for MSPs: How IT Pricing Really Works

    About Georg Dauterman: Georg believes in the fusion of technology and creativity. With a background in both fields, he started his career in IT departments of publishing and advertising agencies, realizing the critical need for tech aligned with business goals. Joining Valiant in 2004, Georg's expertise and passion for efficiency brought industry recognition. He holds a history degree from Queens College and serves on Datto's Global Partner Advisory Board. Beyond his leadership role, Georg enjoys exploring culinary skills, fitness, and outdoor adventures with his family.  About Megan Quick: Megan is a member of the Valiant Marketing & Sales team, assisting in demonstrating the value of our services and ensuring positive experiences for prospective clients. When not working with technology, she is a theater production manager and performer, producing her own comedy shows, and is an avid writer. Megan has a B.A. in Theater from Sewanee: The University of The South. What you'll learn about in this episode: The history, transition, and philosophy behind managed service pricing — from the "break fix" model of the early 2000s to today's flat-rate MSP structure, and why the shift happened. What an MSP stack is and why standardization across tools, vendors, and configurations is essential for consistent, scalable service. How MSP pricing is built, including factoring in people, tools, insurance, training, travel, and environment complexity. Why $150–$250 per end-user per month is the current market benchmark, and what it means if someone quotes lower. Why you shouldn't have to think about your IT systems when it's done right, and how truly "invisible" IT is backed by clear, measurable outcomes.  The single most important question to ask any MSP before signing: not what's covered, but what's not covered. Red flags to watch for when evaluating an MSP, including unwillingness to provide references and vague definitions of scope. Why chemistry and cultural fit matter just as much as technical capability when choosing a long-term technology partner.

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About

The Creative Stack explores the intersection of creativity and information technology. Hosted by Megan Quick, each episode features conversations with creative and tech leaders on how technology supports innovation, collaboration, and growth.

Information

  • Creator
    Megan Quick
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Creative Stack