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Coworking

Kelsey Sutton

marketingbrew.com

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself 

Victoria Bachan is SVP, creators, at Wasserman, a sports marketing and talent agency. She was previously president of Sixteenth, the Whalar Group-owned creator talent management company, and she has also worked for the producers of the Vans Warped Tour, Coachella, and Governors Ball.

 One of my favorites has been launching Nonipup, the wellness brand from internet sensation and client Doug the Pug. Expanding the world’s most famous pup into a pet lifestyle and wellness brand was such a meaningful challenge. We spent over two years in R&D, and Doug tried every single product we put out, so it was a launch journey full of love and personal experience, and we hope every single customer feels that when they are buying the product for their four-legged family member.

I’ve had the privilege of building alongside other incredible creators, too, like helping Ashley Alexander bring her DTC matcha brand Nami Matcha to market, which now has over $2m in sales and is available in 139 countries. It has been the honor of a lifetime to be an AAPI executive working alongside an AAPI client to launch an AAPI-founded brand.

” just goes to show that, even within communities, there is such vast diversity, and it is so important to welcome that. Maybelline did a beautiful job bringing such a diverse group of AAPI trailblazers together. As a young girl, I would’ve loved to have this, and I am grateful the next generation does—and that brands, when taking an intentional opportunity to connect, can truly nail it.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile:

 Since starting my career on the Vans Warped Tour to now, I have been to all 50 states and six continents. Travel awakens our ability to appreciate culture in ways you can never think of, and I genuinely feel it has made me a better leader and talent representative to take myself out of what I “know” and to be open to learning every day. While you can probably tell from my LinkedIn that I’ve worked on some of the biggest festivals and brands in entertainment, what it doesn’t show is how much those experiences taught me about resilience and problem-solving in unconventional settings, like troubleshooting backstage at a festival with tens of thousands of people counting on you.

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least?

 I’m most optimistic about the fact that the creator economy has fully stepped into entertainment. Creators are now talent, producers, and often platforms themselves, with communities that rival traditional media. I see this firsthand working with clients who have built direct-to-fan businesses that feel as powerful as traditional entertainment and consumer brands.

I’m least optimistic about the obsession with short-term metrics. Constantly chasing clicks or trends can dilute storytelling. Longevity comes from consistency and deeper brand building, not just the latest viral moment. We always tell our clients to strategize remaining on trend without being trendy. Stick to your voice and your foundational pillars and ride the waves, and ultimately the vision will win out over the ever-changing trends.

What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend?

When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead

 by Simon Sinek. For newsletters, I recommend 

Coworking with Victoria Bachan

She’s SVP, creators at Wasserman.

Michael Lamp is chief digital and social officer at the agency Hunter, where he has been for nearly two decades.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing?

 I help brands figure out how to make their (often) old business models feel native to a digital audience, blending traditional methods with emerging technologies to meet people where they are online, engage them (first), and sell to them (second).

 The first project that pivoted my career from traditional PR to digital was back in 2009. I’d been with Hunter for one year and was an account executive on the food/bev team working on the Grey Poupon biz at Kraft. Fox News was making news out of President Obama’s burger order (adding Dijon mustard), calling him an elitist and not “of the people.” So we wrote an open letter, riffing on our brand heritage, urging Obama to “pardon” those who believe in free choice when choosing condiments. This was during the primitive days of social and digital, so we developed a microsite and pitched it to the media. The results were great and ranged from 

,” from the 3G rollout of Apple’s iPhone. I love anything that successfully blends utility with entertainment. This built off that tension perfectly, positioning these then-new devices as more than just phones but keys to solving daily problems and on-demand entertainment. The concept of time-shifted anything was still a very premium novelty (like TiVo!), so all of this in one’s pocket was game-changing. And apps propelled this further, showing how they’d easily sustain innovation over time.

 My first “internship” in college was actually the College Program at Walt Disney World. I was very good friends with Pluto and Eeyore (IYKYK), and that’s where I learned the art of IRL animation and honed my early presentation chops.

 Funny enough, both are tied to AI. I’m most optimistic about LLMs and their impact on communications, specifically our ability to drive better discovery of non-paid content (notably earned coverage and earned-on-owned social content). I’m least optimistic about where we are with the generative creative side of AI. The rapid innovation has not been dually met with rapid regulation, and I think creative is the longer-term threat to disinformation than the written word.

Coworking with Michael Lamp 

He’s chief digital and social officer at Hunter.

Nikki Maizel is president of Leo New York. She’s also served in lead roles at Publicis New York, McCann New York, and Grey Group.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? 

I help brands solve business problems with the power of creativity and technology. And sometimes, I help them solve problems they didn’t even know they had! Think of it as a mix between a firefighter, orchestra director, and artist, all in service of driving a client’s business forward. And did I mention, I get to do it with some of the best humans on the planet that I’d happily be stuck on a stranded island with? Seriously, you should see our group texts.

Recently, our Subway win has been incredibly fulfilling. We beat some of the biggest names in the industry by demonstrating how the combination of human insight and ideas combined with our bench of data and technology capabilities can unlock exponential creativity for the brand. Watch this space!

” film by Fallon London remains a masterclass in unexpected emotional connection. Gets me every time. I’m equally excited by work that proves effectiveness and creativity can amplify each other—like the 

 work for Walmart, which seamlessly blended entertainment with commerce in a culturally and contextually relevant, shoppable content series.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: 

I love cars and would have been a race-car driver in another life. There’s something about the precision, strategy, and split-second decision-making that parallels what we do in new business—everything has to work perfectly together to win, and we move at lightning speed.

I’m most optimistic about the staying power of human ingenuity when amplified by the right technology. We’re proving that AI enhances rather than replaces human creativity. I’m pessimistic about agencies that talk about AI integration without actually demonstrating it in their work and results (hence, using it as a catchphrase only).

What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? 

 is my daily morning commute listen. It keeps me connected to broader business transformation discussions among the movers and shakers of industry. Marketing sits at the center of so many corporate challenges today—hearing these real-time interviews and discussions before I walk in the office always gives me something provocative to think about before I’ve even had my first sip of coffee (and those who know me well know it’s a trenta Starbucks iced, daily!).

Cutout of a woman, Nikki Maizel, president of Leo New York, centered on a templated blue background

Coworking with Nikki Maizel

She’s president, Leo New York. 

Brit Starr is CMO of the creator marketing platform CreatorIQ. She previously worked at the influencer marketing analytics platform Tribe Dynamics, which was acquired by CreatorIQ in 2021. She has also had stints as head of marketing at Verve Coffee Roasters and at the Austin-based creative shop McGarrah Jessee.

I’m the hype girl behind the powerful creator community that drives brand and business growth, and an enabler for the teams that make it happen. My job is part creative direction, part strategic foresight, and a lot of real-time storytelling. I help brands tap into the influence and authenticity of creators to build trust, relevance, and results.

 In the early days at CreatorIQ, we ran scrappy, high-impact quarterly events in key markets, unveiling new research, creating a space for real connection, and capping it off with a happy hour. With a team of ~20 and a shoestring budget, we all pitched in: planning, executing, and engaging directly with customers for a valuable on-the-ground experience. The hands-on experiences gave us deep insight into our audience and laid the groundwork for our events strategy and overall marketing playbook. Today, we’re bigger and more polished—our LA tentpole event draws 1,500+ attendees—but the DNA is the same. Our team still shows up on the frontlines, owning every customer-facing moment.

” by e.l.f. Cosmetics is hands-down my favorite campaign. It was bold, disruptive, data-driven, and brutally honest. It called out that more men named “Dick” sit on US public company boards than entire underrepresented groups. It was the perfect collision of creativity and activism—it sparked conversation, challenged power structures, and proved that creativity can drive real cultural change.

I’ve got two boys who are three and five, and like most working parents, I wrestle daily with the balance of showing up fully for both my job and my family. It’s something I try to give myself grace for every day. I was also raised with a “no-thank-you bite” rule: try everything once. That mindset has shaped my life—from quitting my job at 28 to travel the world for a year, to landing in San Francisco with just a carry-on and no plan, to taking a chance on a tiny influencer marketing startup that turned into a defining career move.

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? 

I’m bullish on creator marketing and creator-led media. There’s never been a more exciting shift toward real, relatable content that resonates with actual communities. Today, people own brands, not the other way around, and as a marketer, that’s thrilling. I’m more skeptical of marketing that chases novelty over substance—campaigns that go viral but lack long-term resonance. In a world of noise, depth wins.

. It’s a selfish plug (I host it!), but the guests on the other side of the couch (or screen) are some of the smartest, most generous leaders out there, and I walk away from every 30-minute convo with new insight. Beyond that, there are two LinkedIn accounts that I am always energized by: 

 at e.l.f.—her commitment and unapologetic enthusiasm for the work and purpose behind it are inspiring (and slightly intimidating)—and 

 at OK Cool–he gives great takes on some of the boldest breakthrough creative from brands today.

Cutout of a woman, Brit Starr, on a templated background with large 'Q' and 'A' letters.

Coworking with Brit Starr

She’s CMO, CreatorIQ. 

Ben Geheb is global chief experience officer at VML, where he has been for nearly 10 years. He was previously at the business consultancy Innosight, and he started his career as an electrical engineer.

For years I have worked closely with Ford, from helping design their 2030 corporate strategy to reimagining their entire digital and experience ecosystem. Part of that was being at the forefront of their electrification strategy. As such, I had the amazing opportunity to help reimagine the electrified experience ahead of the Mustang Mach-E launch. We were so early in the process, the vehicle was still being debated, yet we knew the experience had to push the norms of vehicle ownership and reinvent how Ford engages their owners. This project not only led to an expansion in charging, new services, launching BlueCruise, and many others, but it also changed how Ford works in a more human-centered way. It’s amazing to feel that at some small level I had an opportunity to put my fingerprint on the future strategy for such an iconic organization as Ford.

For me and my role in customer experience, I often think of this through that lens, and as a frequent traveler, it’s my experience with Delta. Currently the full integration of their loyalty program into their app that now seamlessly integrates to the seatback screens, all while managing my trip, is one of the best examples of a truly connected experience that simplifies and removes the stress of travel.

I am a tinkerer. Call it my old engineering background, but I’m always trying new things and new tech, or trying to fix old tech.

 AI and AI. It’s both epic and amazingly terrifying. I am optimistic at the transformative power it has in the work we do and how we do it. It should make experiences way more dynamic and reactive. It should bring seamlessness and personalization to a new scale. Yet the impact on jobs, the centralization of intelligence, and the path to get there is foggy, concerning, and at times terrifying, as the use cases in the wrong hands can bring that magic to places that challenge privacy, security, and discriminating bias.

What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you'd recommend? 

. I think it provides a rich daily perspective on market shifts and trends that impact our work every day. Beyond that, 

 provides a unique view into the lives of founders and organizations in ways I couldn’t imagine.

Cutout of a man, Ben Geheb, global chief experience officer at VML, displayed on a templated background.

Coworking with Ben Geheb

He’s global chief experience officer, VML.

Ashley Shaffer is CMO of Redscout, a Stagwell-owned brand strategy and design consultancy. She’s worked in strategy and leadership roles at brands like Netflix, Ideo, Preacher, and Outerknown.

 I finally finessed my answer to this when I went to work in-house in marketing at Netflix. My mom finally tapped into what I did because I worked for a brand she’d heard of! “You know how Netflix makes all these famous shows and movies, like 

? There are lots of smart people that make those shows and that market those shows so you’ll watch them. I work on making people want to subscribe to and fall in love with Netflix.” That super simple explanation of building brand love and resilience hasn’t failed me.

Earlier this year we partnered on a really unique project with the Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign FC ownership group. The brief was to act as the organization’s fractional CMO, help them find efficiencies, and set a marketing strategy that would help both teams “play offense.” For the Reign, that meant breathing fresh life into their visual brand and setting the strategy for this iconic club to take on the next decade of growth. As a lifelong soccer fan, I couldn’t have designed a dream project better myself.

 I love Ikea’s style—making the utility category fun and famous. If I have to pick one, it would be when they re-created the 

. The first ad campaign I remember paying attention to was the 

 from my childhood, during the 1980s–90s. I’m sure I wasn’t the intended audience, and I had never tasted vodka, but boy, did my Rolling Stone subscription teach me a thing or two about an advertising concept.

I’m a mom of a three-year-old boy and a three-legged dog. Our dog Baloo despised kids before our son was born. Now they’re brothers and best friends.

I feel quite optimistic about powerful brands rapidly taking notice of and valuing the female sports fan. The New York Liberty, Angel City FC and the PWHL helped marketers see what they were missing in a female-first fanbase. Sephora landed a landmark partnership with the new WNBA franchise, the Valkyries, while simultaneously becoming a main plot line in the Netflix show, 

. Now, the NBA, NFL, and MLS all have started to deploy partnership strategies that show they understand the female fan.

I have to plug my friend and fashion strategy guru Grace Gordon’s substack, 

. Also, as an eager student of sports marketing, I’ve been a fan of 

 since Day One. They’ve built a really attentive community. It’s required listening for anyone with a brand looking to tap into women’s soccer’s meteoric rise.

A portait of the CMO of Redscout, Ashley Shaffer

Coworking with Ashley Shaffer

She’s CMO, Redscout.

Can van der Werff is the executive creative director of Canva, leading the brand’s in-house creative agency. She first joined the company in 2018 as its first-ever brand designer. Prior to joining Canva, she held senior design positions at companies including M+C Saatchi’s design and experience firm Re and Frost Collective.

 It’s so hard to pick just one, but a recent favorite is our “

” campaign. It was by far our boldest and funniest yet. We pushed ourselves creatively, made some big swings, and had a lot of fun doing it, thanks to our amazing partners including director Damien Shatford and the brilliant Lorraine Bracco, who plays this no-nonsense “work therapist” staging an intervention for outdated presentations. The campaign follows a Canva champion on a mission to set her teammate free from using tired, cluttered slides. With Lorraine’s help, he confronts his slide attachment issues and learns that work can actually look and feel a whole lot better. It’s packed with humor and heart, but ultimately it’s about showing that with the right tools, anyone can step out of their comfort zones, and create work that’s visual and they’re truly proud of.

It’s not a traditional campaign per se, but Air New Zealand’s safety videos transformed a boring mandatory airline message into entertaining moments of joy blending Kiwi humor and storytelling. Many other airlines have followed suit since. Most people will remember one they did for 

, but the first was from 2009. It was called “

”—because their prices were so low, so the flight crew were all naked with their flight uniforms body-painted on!

My homeland is a little place called Whakatane in New Zealand, though I’ve called Sydney home for the past 15 years. New Zealand might be on the other side of the world, but I think it really punches well above its weight when it comes to bold creativity, and I try to get back as often as I can to stay connected with the local creatives.

I’m most optimistic about the power of AI in further democratizing design. What we’re seeing is a major shift where AI takes on the repetitive, lower-stakes work, which then frees up designers and marketers to collaborate on the more higher-impact, strategic parts of a project. It’s also broadening who gets to participate in the creative process. With AI, someone in HR, sales, or education can bring an idea to life visually, without needing to be a trained designer, and that unlocks more perspectives, creativity, collaboration, and ultimately, more impact.

My least? The overreliance on performance-driven content at the expense of what makes a brand unique. Metrics matter, but when every piece of creative is optimized into oblivion, we can lose the magic—the emotional connection, the creative storytelling, the boldness that actually makes a brand memorable. Creativity needs room to breathe. Without it, you end up with work that’s technically effective but completely forgettable.

. It’s one of the few podcasts that truly goes behind the veil of a piece of creative and dissects it with openness like what landed, what didn’t and why. The conversations are refreshingly honest, and I always walk away with something tangible to bring into my own work.

A smiling portrait of Cat Van Der Werff, the CFO of Canva.