When Greg Christensen launched Barnes Creative Bank, a consultancy to help companies build their own in-house creative services, he hadn’t expected to launch a podcast as well. But it became a natural extension to the business.
“As I was exploring the idea of consulting on in-house creative, I was speaking with several CMOs and marketing directors to pick their brains,” says Christensen. “These conversations seemed like podcast episodes that no one was hearing. And I thought, ‘That’s an easy thing to change.’”
On “Let’s Bring It In,” Christensen dives into the operations and unique dynamics of in-house creative teams, contrasting their approach with traditional agencies. The podcast is premiering with three episodes featuring interviews with Jim Bosiljevac from Yahoo!, Michael Dhalliwal from Topgolf, and Mollie Wilkie from the NFL and Hasbro.
Christensen says the conversations he’s having have increased his capabilities as a consultant. “Some brands make their in-house creative departments profit centers. Others make them non-profit. I’ve learned there are great reasons to do either under the right circumstances. Some creative services are set up as their own independent agencies, others are embedded departments within the brand. Again, there are good reasons for doing both. I have notebooks full of scenarios like these now.”
Theme music for the podcast was composed by Dallas-based sound designer and composer Nick Patronella, who Christensen’s worked with over the years. “Nick’s great. He sent me an album of options. When I heard the clarinets and marimba, I was sold.”
The podcast is available on all top services including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
