The CMD-Z Show

On this week's episode of The CMD-Z Show, we sat down with CJ Casciotta to discuss his new book, "The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary: A Human Manifesto in the Age of the Meteverse." We also dig deep…

Aaaaand welcome back to The CMD-Z Show! On this week's epsiode Shelby and I sit down with Founder and Chief Creative Officer Kevin Rapp to talk about some of his "undo's" in his creative career. With…

Another week, another new episode of The CMD-Z Show. And we're thrilled to share our first guest of this new season. Let's welcome Mack Garrison to the studio!
Mack is the co-founder and director of c…

Pitching can be hard and timeconsuming for both sides when starting a project. With a lot of unspoken and unwritten rules, we dive deeper into the world of pitching and how we can make the industry b…

“Art for art’s sake…” or so the old French slogan goes. A topic that’s been debated for centuries, Shelby and I ask the question, “Does art require meaning?” Philosphical and relatable, we dive deepe…

Finding just the right story to encapsulate a client's brand and mission can be a challenge. From understanding your central themes to knowing the story's purpose to discovering how your voice works …

Some seasons are slower that others… And sometimes seasons are impacted by recession and plague. Whatever is happening to make business slow down, you have to be prepared. And beyond just being prepa…

When you’re just starting out and you finally hire your first employee, it can be daunting. But what does that look like for the person you’re actually hiring? This week, we invited Made By Things’ f…

In the current age (at the time of this episode's posting) of the writers strike and understanding how we can define the value of the creative services we provide, Shelby and Matt sat down to discuss…

Getting creatives together in one space where they can learn and grow together has always been a challenge, especially once you’re working outside the realm of academia. But at Made By Things, we’ve …

The term “self-promotion” can really make a creative cringe. It’s uncomfortable to just put yourself out there, whether that be on social media, through phone calls and emails, or simply creating dem…

Finding and developing a personal art style is a process every artist goes through. While that process may look a little different for everyone, artists all face the same anxieties, pressure, and cyc…

Which came first? The money or the artist? We’ve worked on projects with a wide range of budgets, but it can still be challenging to know when it’s time to get scrappy and when we should really start…

You've been on the same track for a long time and it's time for a change. But how? How can you alter the path you’ve been on this whole time? That’s what we asked Nils Root on this week’s episode of …

Matt and Shelby chat with Dylan Menges about his first year back working full-time (as opposed to freelancing).

Imposter syndrome looks different for everyone, especially those working within the creative field. From being a perfectionist to doing everything yourself to becoming an “expert” for self-validation…

Finding time to have a side project can be challenging, let alone really finishing one. From budget constraints to time commitments to losing steam midway, there can be a lot of challenges in complet…