And we're back with Season 4. Like all good beginnings, we are starting with the end. Or starting with the end in mind at least. In this episode, our Founder Chelsea Matthews chats with Managing Director Micah Heykoop about what meaningful goals actually look like, where our head has been at in the year since our last podcast, and what our aspirations are for a new season. Enjoy!

S4 EP1 - The End in Mind - Chelsea and Micah talk about meaningful goals

What does true originality look like? When are you making inspired creative decisions vs. being derivative, or even worse, plagiarizing? In this episode, Founder Chelsea Matthew and Sr. Project Manager Jonathan Godinho examine how to keep an agency original, remixing creative, and how to be critical of your own process in order to become better.

SE4E2 - Remixing Without Redundancy

What do you do when you get blocked creatively? When that last line, perfect reference image, or original idea just won't come? These are the questions our Sr. Designer Melina Sweet and former Creative Director of Content Nolan Goff discuss in this episode. Starting with tricks to overcoming creative blocks, then moving on to discussions of autonomy vs. collaboration, the creative magic of naps and showers, and making progress through the process of definition.

S4E3 - Overcoming Creative Blocks

A wide ranging conversation between Founder and ECD Chelsea Matthews and Sr. Designer Melina Sweet. This episode is a bit meta - talking all about the foundations of setting design foundations. Figuring out where to start is the true task of an agency, and there are plenty of great pieces of advice in this episode to point you in the right direction. Listen along to hear about how Another approaches visual strategy, sources of inspiration, and why Chelsea is master of skimming.

SE4E4 - The Foundations of Design Foundations With Chelsea and Melina

For our premiere episode, we chat with MONICA GLASS, a leader in lifestyle and culture marketing. She's helped countless brands reach audiences in an authentic way through their passion points by conceiving and producing premium branded content, events, and campaigns. 

001 - Red Bull Marketing and Brand Identity with Monica Glass

Let's talk tech. We sat down with digital entrepreneur and creative @punodostres. From working in the gaming industry to developing a tool for Instagram marketing, Puno has found a way to make tech work for her. Tune in as we pick her brain about her career, insights, and advice.

002 - Good Tech Needs Good Design with Puno Dostres

When it comes to Snapchat, "the slow-cooker is on, and when the buzzer beeps, it’s full on war with Facebook.” Oh, snap. We sit down with Sean Goldfaden, CEO of CoEfficient Labs, to discuss the two apps that lead social. What moves will they be making to improve their platforms? How will this change the marketing, branding, and advertising landscapes? 

003 - Social Media Warfare with Sean Goldfaden

Jennifer Ritter is a boss lady in the beauty space. Along with being a strategic consultant for global beauty and lifestyle brands, Jennifer truly believes in utilizing "in person" experiences for inspiration in the work place. Tune in as we chat her history, philosophy, and tips for finding inspiration IRL.

004 - Lessons from Estee Lauder with Jennifer Ritter

Intimidation - daunting or motivational? @listentotrace says the latter. We chat with the singer-songwriter about making career changes, meeting your muses, and turning intimidation into inspiration. Plus, a listen to one of her recent tracks, "Honey."

Listen to Trace + watch her new music video: http://www.listentotrace.com/

006 - SoundCloud DJs and the Art of Intimidation with Trace

Jordan Wheeler currently leads strategic initiatives at Skurt - a Los Angeles-based mobility company that delivers cars on-demand. We picked his brain about company culture, and how brands should go about churning out collaborations that align with the brand ethos. Press play.

Learn more about Skurt - http://www.skurt.com/

008 - Hip Hop, Influence, and Automobiles with Jordan Wheeler

Let's get real. We sat down with Avi Adhoot, Founder of Trueey, a polling app that allows users to anonymously submit and vote on simple "Agree or Disagree" questions. Tune in for a history of Trueey, surprising stats, and a few words of wisdom for fellow app-entrepreneurs. 

Learn more about Trueey - http://trueey.com/

009 - Tell Us How You Really Feel with Avi Ahdoot

How does one build and maintain a focused brand? We chat Andy Salzer, Founder of Hiro Clark, about keeping up with the brand's vision. Tune in as we chat about building a brand with a singular, focused vision - from partnerships to how to tell those stories that make the brand unique.

Learn more about Hiro Clark: https://www.hiroclark.com/

011 - The Power of Building a Focused Brand with Andy Salzer

A design is only the first step, but where can creatives go to get their designs out in to the world? Tune in as we chat with Stephan Ango, Co-Founder of Lumi, about the design industry, the path to finding his company, and the importance of making sure creativity stays within a whole project - from ideation to distribution.

Learn more about Lumi -https://www.lumi.com/

Putting Out

012 - Where Design and Distribution Meet with Stephan Ango

Video is on the rise. With it becoming a more prevalent form of content for brands, how does one choose how to implement it into content strategy? We chat with Drew Shannon from StyleHaul about just that. Tune in as we chat video strategy, establishing ad spend, and the methods behind using influencers on YouTube.

Learn more about StyleHaul: http://www.stylehaul.com/

013 - The Why and the How to Make Video a Part of Your Brand Strategy with Drew Shannon

Introducing The Riff, a podcast where Matte Black sits down between SESSIONS to chat about industry happenings and creative musings. 

On this episode, we chat about a MailChimp campaign that has caught our eye...

The Riff 001 - Did You Mean...?

Introducing The Riff, a podcast where Matte Black sits down between Sessions to chat about industry happenings and creative musings. 

On this episode, we chat about ads from the Big Game - the recurring themes, favorites, and ones that just didn't score.

The Riff 002 - Commercial Break

It's always better to be nice. Michaela d'Artois puts the childhood lesson to use in her everyday life, especially when it comes to building her brand. Tune in as we chat with the Founder of Verité Published about building a brand, growing a community, and letting niceness lead the way.

Learn more: http://veritepublished.com/

014 - A Little Niceness Goes A Long Way with Michaela d'Artois

Introducing The Riff, a podcast where Matte Black sits down between Sessions to chat about industry happenings and creative musings.

On this episode, we chat about a few recent campaigns by Spotify and how they're making data cool again.

The Riff 003 - On Making Data Cool Again

In order for a brand to reach great heights, there's got to be a cozy cohesion between brand messaging and content. We chat with Rebecca Prusinowski, Director of Content at Parachute Home, about content strategy. Tune in as we break down building + establishing content, maintaining a disruptive brand, and creating content that has a longtail effect.

015 - Getting in Bed with Your Content Strategy with Rebecca Prusinowski from Parachute Home

Introducing The Riff, a podcast where Matte Black sits down between Sessions to chat about industry happenings and creative musings.

On this episode, our Director of Operations chats about a brand who's doing customer service the right way.

The Riff 004 - Take Care of Your Customers

What does it take to open a hospitality business in a bustling city? Our friend Cyndi Ramirez is here to share her insights. On this episode, we chat with Cyndi about her recent business Chillhouse, a salon and coffeeshop hybrid in NYC. Tune in as we chat her career history, opening Chillhouse, and her 5 tactics for building a fruitful business.

Learn more about Chillhouse - http://chillhouse.com/
About Cyndi Ramirez - https://www.instagram.com/cyndiramirez/

021 - A Guide to Hospitality by Cyndi Ramirez

Your next outdoor adventure just got easier thanks Happier Camper, the ultra-light travel and utility trailer. On this episode, we chat with Derek Michael - Founder of Happier Camper - about how he came to discover the company and the five ways he marries great design with great experiences.

Learn more about Happier Camper: http://happiercamper.com/

028 - Great Design Goes Outdoors with Happier Camper

Do it for the culture. On this episode of SESSIONS, we explore how brands fuse their products with the cultures and communities around them. Enter Stumptown - the quality coffee roasters who are known for making a mark within the cities they are located. Tune in as we chat with Mallory Pilcher, their marketing events director, about the evolution of the brand and how the team has come to establish brand filters that help them resonate with their communities.

030 - Coffee for the Culture with Mallory Pilcher from Stumptown

So you've hired your first creative team to tackle the brand positioning for a fresh project - now what? On this episode of The Riff, Chelsea chats through a few tactics + guidelines to successfully making things come to life with a creative team.

The Riff 014 - On Working with a Creative Team

Let's get down to business, with Facebook Business Manager. Tune in as Micah chats through the platform's marketing tool, breaks down it's key functions, and demystifies some of the confusion behind using the resource.

The Riff 015 - Taking Care of (Facebook) Business

You've claimed the Instagram handle, but when is the right time to go live with the first post? Listen in to our conversation with Elena Hansen, Founder of social media marketing agency SWIM Social, for her five factors that show if your brand is ready (or not) for social media marketing.

Learn more about SWIM Social - http://www.swimsocial.com/

033 - Are You Ready for Social? with Elena Hansen of SWIM Social

At Matte Black, "team culture" spans beyond the weekly happy hour. Tune in as Chelsea and Micah chat through the idea of company culture, and some touch points that business leaders should consider when establishing the culture for their team.

The Riff 016 - On Team Culture

Refresh your sense of discovery. In this episode, we chat with Chelsea Neman Nassib, Founder of Tappan Collective, about their beginnings, how they're working to stay true to their mission statement, and for Chelsea's five ways that people can continue to discover new art + artists.

Tappan Collective is reinventing the art buying experience and bringing art back into the common conversation. Learn more  - https://www.tappancollective.com/

034 - The Art of Discovery with Tappan Collective

High times are ahead on this episode of SESSIONS. Tune in as we chat with Charlotte Palermino of Nice Paper — the media platform focused on cannabis education and content — about the ever-growing cannabis industry, how Nice Paper is spreading the good word about weed, and the five things fresh cannabis brands need to consider when entering the space.

Learn more about Nice Paper — https://benicepaper.com/

038 - A Nice Checklist for Cannabis Brands with Charlotte Palermino of Nice Paper

Agency friends — we've got some pro-tips on this one! On this episode, we chat with Megan Amberson, Brand Strategy Director and campaign guru. Listen in as Megan imparts her wisdom on the campaign brief process, and talks through her five key steps to getting to the core of a campaign brief; how a team should approach getting past internal assumptions to address the actual challenge at hand.

Read Megan's latest in the Shape Shift Report —
https://www.shapeshiftreport.co/robert-mueller

039 - Finding the Core of the Brief with Megan Amberson, Brand Strategy Director

Let's tackle the taboos within the women's health industry. On this episode, we chat with Molly Hayward of Cora — the brand bringing healthy and organic period care to women around the world. Listen up as we talk about Cora’s origin story, and the five ways in which the brand are working to dismantle the taboos within the women’s health space.

Learn more about Cora - https://cora.life

040 - Out with the Taboo with Molly Hayward from Cora

Thinking on how a brand maintains relevance in the market? Same for us, always. For this episode, we went to our friends over at Parks Project to speak on the topic. Listen in as Sevag Kazanci, Co-Founder of the brand, speaks to their approach to being a giveback brand, and 5 key things they do to maintain relevance in the market.

Learn more about Parks Project -https://www.parksproject.us/

041 - Maintaining the Brand Momentum with Parks Project

So you've been posting your art on Instagram...now what? We sat down with Steph DeAngelis, LA-based designer + illustrator who has worked with brand like Outdoor Voices, The Standard, and Man Repeller, to speak on the topic. Tune in to hear about Steph's creative journey, and her 5 tips on how to get your art out the wild, and the brands in your inbox.

See Steph's Work: https://www.instagram.com/steph_angelis/

042 - Getting Your Art Out There with Steph DeAngelis

Sessions is brought to you by Another - a creative studio based in Los Angeles. In our first three seasons, we explored the things that make brands go from good to great. For our fourth season we are looking inward. If we wanted to generalize - this is a season about purpose and the soul of what it means to do what we do. More specifically it is a series of conversations between different members on our team you never get to hear from. And though they've been in the background on our podcast, they've been defining creative for some of the biggest brands of today.

At Another we launch, refine, and redefine global brands through strategic creative. Come see your story another way.

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