Out of Scope: Conversations From Beyond The Brief

I’m sharing the recording of a talk I gave at Colorado Ad Day 2025, where the theme was The Marathon Mindset, and this talk leans all the way in. Because in this industry, success isn’t about one pitch, one promotion, or one campaign. It’s about consistency, discomfort, and showing up—even when it’s messy, even when you don’t feel ready. Whether you work in creative, strategy, production, media, or account management, this one’s for anyone who’s ever felt like a fraud, questioned whether they’re “doing it right,” or wondered if they’re falling behind. I share lessons...

In this week’s episode of Out of Scope, I sit down with Myles Rigg, founder and partner at Standard Practice, for a candid conversation about tenacity, leadership, and what it really takes to keep ideas alive. We talk through Myles’s unconventional path into advertising — from political science to account service to creative — including the risks he took to pivot when something wasn’t working, and how initiative played a huge role in shaping his career. Myles shares what it was like learning on the job, betting on himself during uncertain moments, and navigating leadership without a straight-line path or perfect...

In this week’s episode of Out of Scope, I sit down with Emy Franke Reed for a thoughtful, generous conversation about building a creative career that doesn’t follow a straight line. We talk about Emy’s path into advertising, including her decision to take a role as a recruiting apprentice simply to get her foot in the door — and how humility, curiosity, and doing the job well ultimately led her into creative. Emy shares what it was like learning by sitting in rooms she wasn’t technically invited into, the mentors who made space for her along the way, and w...

In this week’s episode of Out of Scope, I sit down with Jacque Marks for one of the funniest (and most honest) conversations of the season, tracing her path from punk bands and art school to a long career in commercial real estate marketing. Jacque shares how early creative experiences shaped her work ethic, how some of her first jobs taught her more than any class ever could, and why navigating difficult personalities is an unavoidable part of building a career. Along the way, she recounts workplace stories that sound completely made up… except they’re very real. The conver...

This week, I’m joined by career coach Elisa Dibble, who brings a clear, grounded perspective to what’s actually happening in today’s job market.
We talk about layoffs, the chaos of disappearing job postings, why hiring timelines feel impossibly slow, how to position yourself clearly, and why using AI to write your résumé can quietly undermine your credibility. Elisa works with creatives, marketers, and advertising pros at every stage — people trying to level up in their current roles, people navigating layoffs, and people trying to make bold career pivots. Her experience in agency life, recruiting, and coaching gives her a...

In this episode of Out of Scope, I sit down with my friend Everett Guess, one of the busiest and most consistently successful freelancers I’ve ever worked with. We met years ago at The Marketing Arm, where Everett was a permalancer while I was on staff, and even back then he was always booked, always in motion, and always building something. This conversation goes deeper than anything we’ve talked about before. Everett shares the mindset that has carried him through the ups and downs of freelancing, what it takes to build long-term career stability, and why relationships matter more...

In this episode of Out of Scope, I sit down with freelance copywriter Haley Turner to talk about her winding path into the industry, the lessons she learned along the way, and the creative mindset that has carried her through every pivot. Haley shares her perspective on what makes good copy, why emotion matters more than cleverness, and how tone can completely change the meaning of a message. We also talk about creative confidence, what it feels like to evolve your career over time, and how to stay fearless even when the work gets hard. If you are a copywriter...

Finding your voice early in your career is harder than people admit, and today, Meghan Butterfield gets real about what it actually takes. Meghan is officially my graphic designer at Fjällräven, but in reality, she operates more like an art director: thoughtful, sharp, and unafraid to trust her instincts. In this conversation, she shares how she stumbled into advertising, the bold school project that accidentally landed her a job, what new business taught her about speed and pressure, and why authenticity matters more than polish on TikTok and in your career. We also talk about developing confidence when yo...

Welcome to Out of Scope! This is the episode that sets the tone for the whole show. In this solo kickoff, I talk about why I created this podcast and what I’ve learned since moving from agency life to an in-house role. The shift taught me a lot about how different the work feels when you don’t have a big creative department around you, and how important it is to stay connected to people who understand this industry on a deeper level. I also share why I started reaching out to creatives outside my immediate circle, what those conv...

Meet Out of Scope: a podcast about advertising and the people behind the job titles. Hosted by Ryan Reynolds (but not that one), Out of Scope dives into the messy, inspiring, and sometimes absurd reality of working in the ad industry. Hear from creatives, producers, account leads, recruiters, and other ad-world insiders who’ve been there, through burnout, breakthroughs, and everything in between. New episodes begin November 19.