Season 1: The Age of Independents

The Age of Independents: Hiring Creative Partners

October 10, 2018
Michael Ellsworth of the design firm Civilization and Leslie Hale of Knot Strategy, bring clarity and a sense of calm to the process of hiring creative partners. https://indie.biz/blog/hiring-creative-partners/

If you've ever worked to hire a creative agency or independent practitioner to help with your marketing, you know that it can be tricky to know how to structure the engagement and what you can expect to get for your investment.

On today's show, I'm talking with Michael Ellsworth of the design firm Civilization and Leslie Hale of the strategic consultancy, Knot Strategy.

Leslie and Michael recognized that many of their clients were struggling to effectively frame what kind of help they needed before going into an engagement. And the traditional tool--the Request for Proposal or RFP--was too cumbersome and unwieldy, particularly for small firms to deal with.

The two decided to do something about it, creating a new workshop and framework to try and bring some clarity to the situation and relieve some of the anxiety felt on both sides of the equation.

If you're in the process of getting some creative help, or just want to know a bit more about the process, Leslie and Michael's experience and sage advice will make the process go more smoothly.

Show Resources
Download a copy of the framework they developed here:

Bonnie Siegler's book Dear Client.

Awards for inspiration: Webby, AWWWARDS, D&AD