Pull Back the Curtain: Jen Perry on Creative Trust, Feedback, and Leadership

<p>Jen Perry has spent her career on both sides of the creative table. </p><p>She came up as a creative at big network agencies, then moved client-side, before going on to build and lead creative teams at smaller shops. </p><p>At the time we recorded, she was executive creative director at Vagrants, and has since taken on a creative role with BJ's Wholesale. </p><p>In this episode, we talk about what makes creative work good no matter the format, and why she banned finished designs until her team could show her the idea behind them. </p><p>We also get into how bringing clients closer to the creative process builds the trust you need for bigger, bolder work.</p><p>We also get into the less glamorous side of creative leadership. </p><p>Jen explains why creatives rarely admit they're overloaded, and how her partners changed once she moved into leadership. </p><p>She also shares how she handles the loneliness that comes with being the boss, including building a personal board of directors.</p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Jen's path from big-agency creative to client side to building creative teams</li><li>Why "that's not my job" doesn't exist on a small team</li><li>How to define good work when a 15-second spot and a feature film are so different</li><li>AI, the backlash against generic content, and the pull back toward analog</li><li>"Words on a page," or why the idea has to come before the layout</li><li>Getting clients comfortable with risk through incremental trust, and always bringing a range</li><li>Pulling back the curtain on the creative process to reduce anxiety and build ownership</li><li>Why creatives need to understand the pressures their clients face</li><li>Finding what a client actually needs, which is rarely the first thing they say</li><li>Teaching both sides how to give and receive feedback</li><li>A voiceover story about how the way you ask a question shapes the answer</li><li>Creatives don't raise their hand, so tracking workload becomes a way to prevent burnout</li><li>How your partners change when you step into creative leadership</li><li>Loneliness at the top and building a personal board of directors</li><li>What's next: branded content that lives in culture instead of feeling like an ad</li></ul>