Second Wind by Also Known As

Gully Flowers, Kerrie Finch, Jake Neske
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Webby Award-winning conversations with creative directors, CMOs, and founders who’ve been around long enough to tell the truth.

  1. 31 MAR

    Micah Walker on Why Caring Too Hard Wins

    Micah Walker, co-founder of Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, joins Second Wind for a sharp conversation on what it really takes to make better work. He talks about building an agency that refuses to become a smaller version of the big networks, why caring too hard is a feature not a flaw, why the best ideas should never arrive with a safety option, and how great production turns good thinking into something people can actually feel. This one is about creative conviction, craft, culture, and the kind of standards that make the work unforgettable.

    52 min

  2. 17 MAR

    Matt Cooper on Why Awards Are Becoming Toxic, Why the Work Doesn’t Speak for Itself, and How LBB Became #1

    Matt Cooper, founder of Little Black Book, joins Second Wind to talk about how LBB became the most visited creative platform in the world, why awards are becoming toxic, why the work no longer speaks for itself, and what the industry still gets wrong about reputation, craft, and growth. We get into the rise of indie agencies like Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, why clients and agencies need more belief, how creative companies should use platforms like LBB properly, what young people misunderstand about the industry, and why Matt thinks AI is being talked about all wrong. If you care about creativity, reputation, production, agency growth, or where the business is heading next, this one’s worth your time.

    45 min

  3. 3 MAR

    Una Walsh: Google's Experience Design Director on Why Retail Lost Its Joy | Ep. 031

    Una Walsh has spent 25 years working at the seam between what a brand promises and what a customer actually feels — from Virgin Atlantic and Nike's House of Innovation to Apple, and now as Executive Experience Design Director at Google. In this conversation, Una and co-hosts Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch dig into why retail has gotten boring, what brands like Nike and LOEWE are doing differently, and why the obsession with frictionless efficiency is quietly killing brand joy. They also get into AI, craft, and why a sewing machine doesn't make you a fashion designer. Topics covered: – Why Virgin Atlantic was Una's first lesson in holistic brand experience – The Nike Soho flagship: what went wrong on opening day and how they fixed it – The retail ritual that makes the Nike shoe box moment magic – How Google is thinking about physical retail for its devices and hardware – "We moved from the age of information to the age of imagination" — Es Devlin – Why creatives still need to sell their ideas, no matter how senior they get – AI as a sparring partner, not a shortcut Second Wind is hosted by Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch. New episodes every other Tuesday.

    51 min

  4. 17 FEB

    Jason Sperling (Apple “Mac vs PC”) on Convincing Steve Jobs, Super Bowl Pressure & Leading Creativity in the AI Era

    Jason Sperling is the Chief Creative Officer at INNOCEAN ; and one of the creative leaders behind Apple’s legendary “Mac vs PC” campaign. In this episode of Second Wind, Jason shares what it was really like presenting to Steve Jobs every Wednesday, surviving brutal creative cycles at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and helping turn “I’m a Mac” into one of the most influential campaigns of the century. We also get into: • Convincing Steve Jobs to run digital banner ads • Writing body copy to land a job at Chiat • The six-month grind behind Mac vs PC • Making Honda’s Ferris Bueller Super Bowl spot • Directing Bruce Willis after he walked off set • Why taste matters more than tools in the AI era • How creative leaders survive the jump from maker to manager • The future of agencies in an AI-driven world If you care about advertising, leadership, creative resilience, or how iconic work actually gets made — this one is for you.

    52 min

  5. 10 FEB

    David Kolbusz (Orchard CCO) on Meme Ads, Mental Hooks, and Why “The Work Comes First” Is a Lie

    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.

    36 min

  6. 3 FEB

    Kevin Frank: Apple to LinkedIn to Paris, and the Truth About Leading Creative Teams

    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.

    43 min

  7. 27 JAN

    Simon Cook (Cannes Lions CEO): Creativity as a Growth System

    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

    38 min

  8. 21 JAN

    Kelly Knapp on Choreographing Creativity at the $2B Sphere, Netflix House, & VS Fashion Show

    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.

    25 min
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About

Webby Award-winning conversations with creative directors, CMOs, and founders who’ve been around long enough to tell the truth.

Information

  • Creator
    Gully Flowers, Kerrie Finch, Jake Neske
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gully Flowers, Kerrie Finch, Jake Neske
  • Show Website
    Second Wind by Also Known As

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