Killed In Concept

Joshua Hays
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  • Entrepreneurship

A true crime podcast for creatives... where the victims are brilliant ideas, the weapons are “just one more revision,” and the crime scenes are littered with mood boards, wireframes, and unpaid emotional labor. Killed in Concept shares real stories of great ideas that were approved, funded, loved… and then mysteriously abandoned. Come for the laughs, stay for the trauma. *** Each episode dissects a real creative project that should have lived: the website that never launched, the campaign that got vetoed by a spouse who “just had a feeling,” the video that crushed internally… and died in client review. Designers, developers, strategists, and filmmakers sit down to tell the stories of their most promising work—right up until the moment it was quietly shelved, endlessly revised, or brutally murdered by indecision. Hosted with equal parts humor, honesty, and therapy-session energy, Killed in Concept explores the weird psychology of clients, the heartbreak of creative compromise, and the universal truth that sometimes the best ideas never make it out alive.

Episodes

  1. Killed in Concept Ep. 4: The Client’s Wife Destroyed the Campaign (A Creative True Crime Story)

    May 18

    Killed in Concept Ep. 4: The Client’s Wife Destroyed the Campaign (A Creative True Crime Story)

    What happens when a 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 gets un-alived before it ever launches? In this debut episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate a chilling true-crime story from the marketing world — where a bold, scroll-stopping video campaign was 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱… 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 by internal politics, ego, and “we know our audience” syndrome. From rebrands and websites to a cringe-brilliant commercial that should have crushed on Facebook ads, this episode unpacks how creatives lose control of projects 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 — and why some clients are far more dangerous than bad ideas. If you’re a 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, this story will feel uncomfortably familiar. Listener discretion advised: 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗧𝗦𝗗 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹. ⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀 00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (A True Crime Podcast for Creatives) 01:28 – What “Killed in Concept” Actually Means 02:17 – The Client Who Wanted to Target Millennials 03:35 – 2018 Facebook Ads Were Printing Money 05:19 – The Rebrand, Website, and Big Creative Swing 06:43 – The Cringe Pool Commercial Idea Is Born 09:00 – American Flag Speedo, Slow Motion, and Scroll-Stopping Chaos 12:54 – Client Reaction: “This Is Incredible” 14:36 – The Call That Changed Everything (“My Wife Handles Marketing Now”) 16:10 – “We’re Not Posting That Video” 18:00 – Death by Revisions, Ego, and Backtracking 21:02 – The Campaign Never Launched… and the Company Died (sort of…not really…but kind of…)

    23 min
  2. K*lled in Concept Ep. 3: Death by Indecision: The Brand That Couldn’t Hit Publish

    Apr 20

    K*lled in Concept Ep. 3: Death by Indecision: The Brand That Couldn’t Hit Publish

    This wasn’t a violent creative murder. It was 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁. In this episode of 𝗞*𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we examine a case every creative dreads: a fully paid, thoughtfully designed website that never launches — not because it’s bad, but because 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. A long-standing client. A husband-and-wife ownership team. A beautiful brand refresh. A finished website. A cleared invoice. And yet… the site sits in limbo. From logo identity crises and black-and-white nurseries to clients who love the work but can’t pull the trigger, this episode exposes the silent killer of creative projects: 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆.” If you’re a 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, this one will hit painfully close to home. Listener warning: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀. ⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀 00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (True Crime for Creatives) 00:57 – The Garden Center with a 20-Year Legacy 02:39 – Husband and Wife = Double the Decisions 03:29 – “Can We Change the Logo?” (After Buying the Sign) 04:15 – The Branding Rule You Can’t Break 05:54 – They Copied a Website… Then Hated the Colors 06:42 – Black, White, and Gray for a Flower Shop 08:04 – Designing Under Creative Surrender 09:16 – The Website That Never Launched 10:32 – Self-Sabotage Disguised as Being Busy 14:21 – When Marketing Works… but Still Doesn’t Move 23:11 – Why Creatives Sometimes Have to Decide for Clients

    25 min
  3. Killed in Concept Ep. 2: They Kept the Logo… and Nixed Everything Else

    Mar 16

    Killed in Concept Ep. 2: They Kept the Logo… and Nixed Everything Else

    Some creative murders are loud. Others are 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁, 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate the case of a beautifully designed website — modern, animated, intentional — that was 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 with a soulless stock-photo graveyard… while the logo lived on. This is the story of 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, legal scares, insecure decision-making, and the moment every designer dreads: discovering your work still exists… but stripped of its soul. If you’re a 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, this episode hits close to home — because sometimes the worst creative crime isn’t rejection…It’s replacement. Listener warning: 𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗶𝗮, 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱. ⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀 00:00 – A Project That Started Before COVID 02:55 – Joining the Project Mid-Branding 04:13 – “This Logo Looks Like a Defense Contractor” 05:37 – The Legal Scare That Changed Everything 08:10 – “We Want to Be Them” (The Real Brief) 11:09 – The Triangle Era: Animations, Motion, and Taste 15:03 – “At Least They Kept the Website…” 16:14 – The Moment Everything Felt Wrong 17:16 – The Soulless Redesign Revealed 18:11 – They Kept the Logo. That’s It. 23:21 – Pouring One Out for a Dead Website 26:22 – The Grief of Projects That No Longer Exist

    27 min
  4. Killed in Concept Ep. 1: Our Biggest Client Ghosted Us After 5 Years (A Creative True Crime Story)

    Feb 16

    Killed in Concept Ep. 1: Our Biggest Client Ghosted Us After 5 Years (A Creative True Crime Story)

    This wasn’t a sudden death. This was a 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻, 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗮𝗱𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. In this episode of 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁, we investigate one of the most unsettling cases yet: a long-term retainer client, a trusted marketing director, and a relationship that evaporated overnight — followed by a five-minute phone call that ended everything. From flying out for in-person strategy sessions to being embedded in Slack, this story explores what happens when agencies 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀… 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. Marketing directors cry. Slack channels disappear. Contracts die quietly. And sometimes, no one ever tells you why. If you’re an 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱, this episode is a cautionary tale about 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱.” Listener warning: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵. ⏱️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀 00:00 – Welcome to Killed in Concept (True Crime for Creatives) 01:16 – The First Retainer That Changed Everything 02:24 – New Marketing Director = New Threat 03:05 – From Web Dev to Full Strategic Partner 05:58 – Three Years of Projects That Never Launched 08:55 – “It Doesn’t Look As Good As It Should” 10:10 – “We Want More of Chris” 12:15 – The Crying Call 16:57 – Silence, Ghosting, and Red Flags 17:39 – The Marketing Director Vanishes 20:24 – The 5-Minute Call That Killed the Retainer 23:21 – Losing 20% of Revenue Overnight

    26 min

  5. Trailer

    Welcome to the First Episode of Killed In Concept

    Welcome to the true crime podcast for creatives... where nothing actually died, but it definitely hurt. Killed in Concept shares real stories of great ideas that were approved, funded, loved… and then mysteriously abandoned. Come for the laughs, stay for the trauma.

    1 min

Trailer

About

A true crime podcast for creatives... where the victims are brilliant ideas, the weapons are “just one more revision,” and the crime scenes are littered with mood boards, wireframes, and unpaid emotional labor. Killed in Concept shares real stories of great ideas that were approved, funded, loved… and then mysteriously abandoned. Come for the laughs, stay for the trauma. *** Each episode dissects a real creative project that should have lived: the website that never launched, the campaign that got vetoed by a spouse who “just had a feeling,” the video that crushed internally… and died in client review. Designers, developers, strategists, and filmmakers sit down to tell the stories of their most promising work—right up until the moment it was quietly shelved, endlessly revised, or brutally murdered by indecision. Hosted with equal parts humor, honesty, and therapy-session energy, Killed in Concept explores the weird psychology of clients, the heartbreak of creative compromise, and the universal truth that sometimes the best ideas never make it out alive.

Information

  • Creator
    Joshua Hays
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © New York Ave
  • Show Website
    Killed In Concept