What actually keeps an agency team together for over a decade? Mark Scrivner sits down with Kindra Svendsen, VP of Agency Services at Speak, to unpack the leadership philosophy and culture-building strategy behind one of Nashville's most established creative agencies. Kindra shares her journey from brand marketer to agency leader, why "shiny ball syndrome" derails good strategy, and how storytelling drives every piece of client work at Speak.

The conversation covers what it means to lead with trust, why niching down accelerates agency growth, and how AI is reshaping (and complicating) the marketing industry. Listeners will walk away with practical insight on leadership, client relationships, agency positioning, storytelling strategy, distributed team culture, and navigating AI adoption with clients who don't want it.

Episode Highlights
00:00 – Welcome to The Spark with guest Kindra Svendsen, VP of Agency Services at Speak
01:33 – Kindra's journey from brand marketer to agency leader
05:08 – The power of storytelling and finding your "why"
05:59 – Inside Speak's full-service model and specialized client verticals
13:57 – Stop the shiny ball syndrome: why CEOs derail their own marketing teams
18:54 – Empowering leadership: trust your people to grow
20:36 – What 12 years in Nashville has taught her about agency growth
26:36 – The future of Speak: AI, websites, and the next creative shift

Learn More & Connect

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Kindra Svendsen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kindrasvendsen/ | https://www.madebyspeak.com/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health
Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health
Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #AgencyLeadership #MarketingStrategy #NashvilleCreative #BrandStorytelling

What happens when you build an agency around trust instead of surveillance? Mark Scrivner sits down with Josh Miller, President of 5by5, a Nashville marketing agency that recently transitioned to 100% employee ownership. Josh traces his path from a near-dropout physics major to web developer at Paramore to co-founder and now president of 5by5, sharing the leadership lessons he picked up along the way — including an unforgettable story about integrity from his former boss, Hannah. He digs into why trust, not more analytics, has been 5by5's real competitive edge, how the agency prepared its team to become owners, and how AI is already showing up in their margins. This conversation covers agency leadership, employee ownership (ESOP) transitions, team trust-building, AI adoption in marketing, acquisition integration, and redefining what growth metrics actually matter.

Episode Highlights
00:00 – Welcome to The Spark, intro to guest Josh Miller, president of 5by5
02:20 – Josh's winding path into advertising and the agency world
07:34 – The Hannah story: a lesson in integrity from a mentor
12:07 – How stepping back from meetings pushed Josh into leadership
19:24 – Trust as 5by5's "cheat code" for running the business
23:12 – Inside 5by5's transition to employee ownership (ESOP)
33:00 – How AI is showing up in agency efficiency and margins
42:06 – Josh's vision for fixing what's broken in agency life

Learn More & Connect

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Josh Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshmiller7/ | https://5by5agency.com/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health
Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

Snapshot Health | Behavioral Health Marketing Built for Growth and Impact

Snapshot Health is a strategic growth and marketing partner for behavioral health organizations nationwide. We help treatment centers, mental health providers, and recovery programs grow responsibly by aligning brand, digital strategy, and patient acquisition with clinical integrity and long-term outcomes. Our team specializes in performance-driven marketing for behavioral health, including SEO, paid media, branding, marketing strategy, website development, and admissions enablement. We focus on attracting the right patients, improving conversion, and building scalable systems that support sustainable growth. Snapshot Health brings deep expertise in compliance, ethics, and trust-based marketing. We partner closely with executive teams to drive predictable admissions growth while protecting reputation, mission, and quality of care.

Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #AgencyLeadership #EmployeeOwnership #NashvilleAgency #TrustBasedLeadership

What does a 450-mile canoe trip have to do with becoming one of Nashville's most respected brand storytellers?

In this episode of the Spark, Nelson Eddy, former Managing Partner at FINN Partners and official historian for the Jack Daniel Distillery, joins Mark Scrivner to trace a 40-year career that took him from an English classroom to the boardrooms of two agency mergers, the launch of the Nashville Predators, and decades spent safeguarding one of the most storied brands in the world.

This conversation covers brand authenticity, mentorship, the discipline of "asking what else," navigating the Nearest Green story with care, and why respecting people is the real secret sauce behind long client relationships.

Episode Highlights

01:03 – Mark introduces Nelson Eddy and his background at FINN Partners and Jack Daniel's
02:09 – The 450-mile canoe trip that landed Nelson his first agency job
09:34 – What stayed consistent — and what changed — through two agency mergers
17:06 – Building the Nashville Predators brand from a hockey stick T-shirt to a saber-tooth tiger
26:04 – Becoming Jack Daniel's official historian after 20 years of research
33:16 – Telling the story of Nearest Green, and why patience mattered
47:16 – Nashville's hidden lore, from Sulphur Dell to stone box graves
53:49 – Nelson's closing lesson: respect is the foundation of everything

Learn More & Connect

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

Connect With Nelson Eddy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelson-eddy-55860515/

Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health

Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

Snapshot Health | Behavioral Health Marketing Built for Growth and Impact

Snapshot Health is a strategic growth and marketing partner for behavioral health organizations nationwide. We help treatment centers, mental health providers, and recovery programs grow responsibly by aligning brand, digital strategy, and patient acquisition with clinical integrity and long-term outcomes. Our team specializes in performance-driven marketing for behavioral health, including SEO, paid media, branding, marketing strategy, website development, and admissions enablement. We focus on attracting the right patients, improving conversion, and building scalable systems that support sustainable growth. Snapshot Health brings deep expertise in compliance, ethics, and trust-based marketing. We partner closely with executive teams to drive predictable admissions growth while protecting reputation, mission, and quality of care.

Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #BrandStorytelling #NashvilleCreative #AgencyLife #AdvertisingHistory

What if the "finish line" you've been running toward as a founder doesn't feel as good as you thought it would? Shannon Litton, CEO of 3LS Professional Services and founder of the Nashville change agency 5by5, joins Mark Scrivner to unpack her path from accidental agency hire to building a Best-Place-to-Work culture and ultimately taking her team from 30% to 100% employee ownership. This conversation is packed with real talk for founders, marketers, and agency leaders on culture-building, communication, and the mechanics of employee ownership. Listeners will walk away understanding how respect-driven leadership, disciplined sales systems, and a clear long-term vision can build both a thriving agency and life-changing outcomes for a team. Topics covered include: agency culture, employee ownership (ESOP), leadership communication, sales systems, mission-driven business, and legacy planning.

Episode Highlights
01:33 – Introduction: Shannon Litton, CEO of 3LS Professional Services and founder of 5x5
04:30 – The accidental path into agency life and becoming an EVP at 23
07:01 – Starting over with 5 kids: building 5x5 smarter the second time
17:01 – The secret to Best Place to Work: respect, trust, and the Five Dysfunctions of a Team
21:16 – The lunch conversation that introduced Shannon to employee ownership
26:27 – Surprising the team with 30% ownership on a Disney World trip
29:27 – Going from 30% to 100% employee-owned through 3LS
39:05 – Shannon's mission: helping more business owners consider ESOPs

Learn More & Connect

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Shannon Litton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slitton/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health

Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #EmployeeOwnership #ESOP #AgencyLeadership #NashvilleBusiness

What actually makes a brand memorable — the process behind it, or the personality inside it? Michael Hutzel, co-founder and creative director of FoxFuel Creative, joins Mark Scrivner to make the case for personality-first branding over checklist-driven process, and to talk through how AI tools like Midjourney have reshaped his creative workflow. Michael also opens up about the mentor who gave him the confidence to start his own shop, and what running a three-founder agency for over a decade has taught him about staying friends while building a business. This episode covers brand voice, AI in the creative process, agency co-founder dynamics, mentorship, presentation skills, and client relationships.

Episode Highlights

• 02:10 – Michael's path from Western Kentucky University's graphic design program into Nashville agency life, and the GS&F mentor who changed his trajectory
• 12:09 – His core advice for young creatives: know what you love, what you're good at, and what you suck at
• 17:16 – Why treating branding like a flowchart kills personality and produces sameness
• 21:33 – Brand personality case studies: Dollar Shave Club, GoDaddy, and Nike
• 30:25 – Why AI is triggering the same fear response designers once had about social media
• 36:14 – How Midjourney took a project from a beach-chair voice memo to a finished pre-vis in one hour
• 41:29 – The "finders, minders, grinders" framework keeping FoxFuel's three co-founders in their lanes
• 46:10 – Michael's legacy goal for FoxFuel: "do great work with people you love"

Learn More & Connect

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Michael Hutzel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhutzel/ | https://www.foxfuelcreative.com/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health
Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health
Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #BrandStrategy #CreativeDirection #NashvilleAgency #AIinCreative

How does one person stay creatively engaged at the same agency for over 25 years? Mark Scrivner talks with Scott Brooks, Post-Production Supervisor at GS&F and President of AAF Nashville, about the evolution of interactive media, the mentors who shaped his career, and why he's chosen to stay close to the craft instead of climbing the executive ladder. This episode is for agency leaders, creatives, and marketers who want a real look at career longevity, mentorship, and community-building in the advertising world. You'll walk away with a fresh perspective on what keeps creative careers — and creative communities — thriving over the long haul.

Episode Highlights

01:58 – Mark introduces Scott Brooks, President of AAF Nashville and Post-Production Supervisor at GS&F

02:38 – Scott recounts joining GS&F in 1999 and co-founding its interactive division

07:36 – Scott traces the evolution of "interactive" through Flash, Web 2.0, and into video and animation

11:32 – Why Scott has stayed at GS&F for over 25 years — and his retirement plan to move to Greece

19:26 – Leading by action: Scott's philosophy on mentorship over management

23:02 – Rebuilding AAF Nashville's community post-COVID and bringing agency leaders together

47:50 – The Dada Almanac and "friendly anarchy" as a creative philosophy

51:57 – Syd Mead, the futurist behind Blade Runner's iconic designs

Learn More & Connect

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

Connect With Scott Brooks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-brooks-5376894/ | https://gsandf.com/ | sbrooks@gsandf.com

Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health

Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

The Dada Almanac – https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-dada-almanac-atlas-arkhive-1_richard-huelsenbeck/740432/item/38377506

The Official Batman Batbook – https://www.awesomebooks.com/book/9780907610977/the-official-batman-batbook/used

Raygun: The Story So Far (David Carson) – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1785651188

McElligot's Pool (Dr. Seuss) – https://www.abebooks.com/9780394800837/McElligots-Pool-Classic-Seuss-Dr-0394800834/plp

Syd Mead book – https://a.co/d/09r3jdzU

Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

Snapshot Health | Behavioral Health Marketing Built for Growth and Impact

Snapshot Health is a strategic growth and marketing partner for behavioral health organizations nationwide. We help treatment centers, mental health providers, and recovery programs grow responsibly by aligning brand, digital strategy, and patient acquisition with clinical integrity and long-term outcomes. Our team specializes in performance-driven marketing for behavioral health, including SEO, paid media, branding, marketing strategy, website development, and admissions enablement. We focus on attracting the right patients, improving conversion, and building scalable systems that support sustainable growth. Snapshot Health brings deep expertise in compliance, ethics, and trust-based marketing. We partner closely with executive teams to drive predictable admissions growth while protecting reputation, mission, and quality of care.

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #AgencyLife #NashvilleCreative #Mentorship #AAFNashville

What does it actually take to rise from an entry-level hire to president of the agency you helped build?

On this episode of The Spark, host Mark Scrivner sits down with Josh Moquin — newly named President of Snapshot — for a conversation a decade in the making.

Josh walks through his unlikely path into the agency world (including how a beer after work and a notepad led him to Snapshot's door), the seats he's held on the way to the top, and the leadership lessons that shaped him along the way. The two dig into what it means to earn a title rather than simply receive one, how Snapshot landed career-defining projects like the Amazon HQ2 pitch and a Major League Soccer client, and what Josh is committed to protecting — and changing — as he steps into his new role.

Listeners will walk away with a clear-eyed look at what it takes to build real trust inside an organization, why titles mean nothing without the work behind them, and how to think about growth, culture, and impact whether you're leading a team of five or fifty.

Episode Highlights
01:43 – Mark introduces Josh Moquin, newly named President of Snapshot
05:56 – Josh's origin story: how a notepad and a beer after work led him to Snapshot's door
09:24 – The account director role that changed how Josh saw the agency business
15:11 – Why the "no task beneath us" attitude defines Snapshot's culture
21:53 – The three-solutions leadership framework Josh still uses today
28:28 – What Josh is committed to protecting — and changing — as President
34:24 – Behind the scenes of Snapshot's push to bring Amazon HQ2 to Nashville
38:31 – Josh's vision for Snapshot's next chapter of growth

Learn More & Connect

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Josh Moquin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-moquin/ | https://snapshot.agency/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health

Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #AgencyLeadership #NashvilleMarketing #CareerGrowth #AgencyCulture

What if the setback you didn't ask for turned into the best decision of your career? Kriste Goad, founder and Chief Firestarter of fuoco, shares the unfiltered story of building a healthcare B2B marketing agency — starting with getting let go and betting on herself instead of going back in-house. Kriste breaks down what 25 years in healthcare marketing taught her about relationships, business development, and brand clarity, plus the hard lessons behind scaling to Inc. 5000 recognition. This episode is for marketers, founders, and agency leaders who want a real look at growth, resilience, and how to use AI without losing the human judgment that makes the work valuable.

Episode Highlights
01:36 – Kriste traces her path into healthcare marketing back to her early days at Healthways
08:06 – The real story behind founding fuoco: "the only reason I started my own agency is I was fired"
10:44 – Where the name fuoco — Italian for "fire" — actually came from
12:04 – What years in business development taught her about swings, rejection, and relationships
22:39 – The most common mistake healthcare B2B brands make when telling their story
30:20 – Lessons from Inc. 5000 growth, including the over-hiring trap many agencies fall into
39:54 – Building the "fuoco operating system" and an AI org chart inside the agency
44:49 – Staying the "human in the loop" when clients bring AI-generated work back to the table

Learn More & Connect
Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Kriste Goad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristegoad/ | https://growwithfuoco.com/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health

Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #HealthcareMarketing #AgencyGrowth #BrandStrategy #WomenInBusiness