Marketing Moves

Hosted by VividFront, LLC

Business Marketing

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121

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Aug 2026

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About the show

The world of digital marketing moves at a dizzying speed. How can we even begin to distinguish the signal from the noise? The good moves from the bad? Take it from the agency team that’s tripped as much as we’ve triumphed. We’re putting our best moves in the spotlight and proving step-by-step instructions to digitally scale your business.

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August 20, 202621 min

CGI + AI: The New Playbook for Brand Creative

AI has made it easier than ever to create content. But when everyone can create more, simply producing more isn't enough. In this Mini Moves episode, host Ashtyn Morris sits down with VividFront Lead Motion Designer Connor Wells to break down how CGI, motion design, and AI-assisted production are changing the way brands create content at scale without sacrificing quality or brand identity. From building accurate 3D product models to using AI to generate entirely new environments, Connor explains how brands can combine traditional creative expertise with emerging technology to produce more high-quality variations, move faster, and stand out in an increasingly crowded digital landscape. In this episode, you'll learn: → Why today's algorithms demand both creative diversity and quality → How CGI and AI work together to create scalable content without sacrificing product accuracy → The difference between CGI, 3D animation, and motion design → Why great animation starts with narrative, not movement → How brands can transform existing photography and creative into entirely new assets → How VividFront uses CGI and AI to test different environments and audiences without relying on expensive photoshoots → Why AI versus CGI is the wrong conversation and how the two can work together → How motion can become an extension of a brand's identity, just like its colors, typography, and voice → Why having a consistent creative vision matters even more as content production gets faster Whether you're a marketer trying to keep up with the demand for new creative, a brand leader looking for smarter ways to scale content, or simply curious about where AI fits into the creative process, this episode offers a look at how technology can expand what's possible without replacing the strategy and storytelling behind great creative.

August 11, 202647 min

From Zero Revenue to the Inc. 5000: Inside Chagrinovations' Growth

Building a successful consumer brand takes more than a great product. Behind every item that makes it onto a retail shelf is an operation balancing product development, manufacturing, inventory, marketing, retail relationships, e-commerce, cash flow, and countless decisions consumers never see. In this episode of Marketing Moves, VividFront's President Madison Riddell sits down with Derek Naim, Chief Operating Officer of Chagrinovations, to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to build and scale consumer brands. Derek joined Chagrinovations in February 2020, leaving an established career to join a company with virtually no revenue just before a global pandemic. What started as a small operation focused on bringing innovative products to market has grown into a portfolio of consumer brands spanning household goods, pet products, sporting goods, supplements, and more. In this episode, you'll learn: → How Chagrinovations identifies gaps in the market and turns them into new consumer brands → Why solving problems for retailers became the foundation of the company's growth strategy → How retail and e-commerce work together to validate products and accelerate growth → What it takes to manage resources, priorities, and P&Ls across seven different brands → How TRGT went from an idea to a fully launched consumer brand in a matter of months → Why speed matters when the window of opportunity for a new category is small → How Chagrinovations and VividFront structured a revenue-share partnership to launch TRGT → What a viral moment taught both teams about inventory, agility, and moving quickly → Why marketing and operations have to work in lockstep to successfully scale a brand → How Derek approaches leadership, hiring great people, and giving his team room to make mistakes and grow Plus, Derek and Madison reveal a major milestone: Chagrinovations has officially been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for the second consecutive year. Whether you're building a consumer brand, working to break into retail, scaling an e-commerce business, or leading a growing team, this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at the people, partnerships, and operational decisions that turn great ideas into scalable businesses.

July 31, 202639 min

Inside the Launch of an AI Startup Built for Founders

Starting a company is exciting. It's also lonely, stressful, and filled with financial decisions that most founders were never trained to make. In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris welcomes back Gerald Hetrick, Founder & CEO of CentSight, for his second appearance on the show. After leading multiple startups over the past three decades, Gerald shares why he stepped back into the founder seat, how he's building an AI-native company from the ground up, and why he believes financial clarity is one of the biggest competitive advantages any growing business can have. In this episode, you'll learn: → Why Gerald chose to leave an established startup and build CentSight from scratch → How AI can help founders make faster, more confident financial decisions → Why financial fluency is one of the biggest challenges facing growing businesses → How CentSight combines AI with trusted financial data to eliminate guesswork → What it's really like launching an AI startup in today's rapidly evolving market → Gerald's go-to-market strategy, from founder-led sales to AI-powered marketing → Why authenticity and vulnerability have become his biggest growth levers on LinkedIn → The lessons 30 years of startup wins and failures have taught him about building companies that last Whether you're launching your first startup, leading a growing business, or exploring how AI is changing the way companies operate, this conversation offers an honest look at what it takes to build in today's market and why better financial decisions lead to better businesses.

July 17, 202639 min

How the Ohio Angel Collective Is Fueling Ohio's Startup Ecosystem

For years, ambitious founders believed they had to leave the Midwest to build a venture-backed company. That's changing. In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris sits down with Mike Supek, Managing Director of the Ohio Angel Collective, to discuss how Ohio is rapidly becoming one of the country's most exciting startup ecosystems. From his journey as a software engineer and founder to helping launch one of the Midwest's fastest-growing angel investment networks, Mike shares what founders, investors, and business leaders need to know about building companies outside of Silicon Valley and why the Midwest's moment is just getting started. In this episode, you'll learn: → Why Ohio is attracting more startup founders and venture capital than ever before → How the Ohio Angel Collective is making angel investing more accessible for first-time investors → What investors actually look for before writing a check → Why great marketing and storytelling can make or break a fundraising effort → The biggest go-to-market mistakes early-stage founders make → How founders can validate their ideas before spending significant capital → Why authentic networking continues to outperform transactional relationship-building → Mike's vision for making the Midwest one of the country's premier startup ecosystems over the next decade Whether you're a founder raising your first round, an entrepreneur considering angel investing, or a business leader passionate about innovation, this conversation offers an inside look at the people, partnerships, and ideas fueling the next generation of Midwest startups.

July 9, 202627 min

How AgileBlue Is Redefining Cybersecurity with AI

AI is transforming cybersecurity faster than most businesses can keep up. But according to Tony Pietrocola, the companies that succeed won't be the ones creating the most fear. They'll be the ones building trust, embracing AI responsibly, and never losing the human element. In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris sits down with Tony Pietrocola, Co-Founder and President of AgileBlue, to discuss the future of AI-powered cybersecurity, building one of Ohio's fastest-growing technology companies, and why leadership, company culture, and authentic marketing matter just as much as the technology itself. From autonomous AI agents and Shadow AI to startup growth, podcasting, and community building, Tony shares practical lessons for leaders navigating one of today's fastest-moving industries. In this episode, you'll learn: → Why fear-based marketing is losing its effectiveness in cybersecurity → How AI is changing both cyberattacks and cyber defense → What Shadow AI is and why it has become one of the biggest emerging business risks → Why specialized AI agents will outperform one-size-fits-all automation → How AgileBlue combines AI with human expertise to protect customers 24/7 → The leadership principles behind building an Inc. Best Workplace → Why community, relationships, and in-person networking still outperform many digital channels → Tony's advice for entrepreneurs on betting big when conviction strikes Whether you're a technology leader, marketer, founder, or simply trying to understand how AI is reshaping business, this conversation offers an honest look at balancing innovation with trust and why the future belongs to organizations that combine intelligent technology with great people. Learn more about AgileBlue: agileblue.com Connect with Tony Pietrocola on LinkedIn. Connect with VividFront: Website: vividfront.com Podcast Hub: vividfront.com/marketingmoves YouTube: youtube.com/@vividfront

June 18, 202639 min

How AI is Transforming Healthcare Without Replacing People

AI is moving fast. But according to healthcare technology veteran John Paganini, the organizations that win won't be the ones chasing every new tool. They'll be the ones using AI to solve real business problems while keeping humans at the center of every decision. In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris sits down with John Paganini, President of Paguar Informatics and Co-Chair of the Northern Ohio HIMSS AI Center of Excellence. With more than 40 years of experience spanning healthcare informatics, startups, systems integration, and artificial intelligence, John shares a practical perspective on where AI is headed, what business leaders are getting wrong, and why governance, trust, and human oversight matter more than ever. In this episode, you'll learn: → Why AI should solve business problems, not become the business strategy → How healthcare organizations are using AI to improve physician and patient experiences → What "human in the loop" really means and why it matters → Why AI won't replace professionals, but may replace professionals who don't use AI → How smaller companies can use AI to compete with much larger organizations → The biggest misconceptions people have about AI adoption → Why healthcare leaders are focused on governance, literacy, and trust alongside innovation → How Cleveland is positioning itself as a leader in healthcare AI innovation Whether you're a healthcare executive, business leader, marketer, or simply trying to understand how AI will impact your industry, this conversation offers a grounded look at how technology and humanity can work together to create better outcomes.

June 11, 202641 min

From Jobsite Signs to $3.5 Billion: The Marketing Strategy Behind Marous Brothers

Marous Brothers doesn't market like most companies. No complicated funnels. No massive ad budgets. No endless performance marketing experiments. Instead, they've spent 46 years building one of the Midwest's most respected construction brands through reputation, relationships, storytelling, and yes, construction site signage. In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris sits down with Joel Maas, Director of Marketing at Marous Brothers Construction, to discuss what it takes to market a company whose work shapes skylines, restores landmarks, and delivers billions of dollars in projects across the country. From iconic projects like Hotel Cleveland and Porsche Beachwood to the future of AI in construction, Joel shares how his team approaches marketing in an industry where trust is everything. In this episode, you'll learn: → Why showcasing great work is often more powerful than creating marketing from scratch → How Marous Brothers grew from two brothers doing carpentry work to more than $3.5 billion in completed projects → Why signage remains one of the most effective marketing channels in construction → How AI is helping construction companies scale without sacrificing quality → The role storytelling plays in winning projects, attracting talent, and building credibility → How Marous Brothers approaches marketing across 16 different industries and audiences → Why recruitment has become one of the most important responsibilities of modern B2B marketers → How landmark projects become long-term marketing assets for a brand Whether you're in construction, professional services, manufacturing, or any relationship-driven industry, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on building a brand through trust, expertise, and long-term thinking instead of chasing the latest marketing trend.

May 28, 20261 hr 4 min

Fractional CMO Secrets: How Chief Outsiders Transforms Mid-Market Growth

Most companies don't need a full-time CMO. They need the right one, part of the time. In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris (VividFront) sits down with Aurora Toth, Area Managing Partner & Fractional CMO at Chief Outsiders, one of the nation's leading on-demand executive growth firms to unpack what it actually takes to walk into a stuck company and walk out with a growth story. In this episode, you'll learn: → Why the CMO seat has the shortest tenure in the C-suite, and what marketers can do about it → What "results, not consulting" actually looks like when you're inside a client's business → How the Growth Gears framework turns vague marketing budgets into measurable revenue → Why mid-market CEOs don't trust marketing, and how to change that conversation → What fractional executives do differently than traditional consultants or full-time hires → How to diagnose an underperforming brand before you ever touch the strategy → The biggest marketing mishap Aurora sees over and over (and it's embarrassingly fixable) If you're a mid-market CEO, a marketer trying to earn a seat at the table, or someone curious about the fractional model, this episode is required listening.

May 21, 20261 hr 1 min

These Founders Are Betting Cleveland Beats Silicon Valley

Rob Reznick (Beacon) and Anees Pretorius (Bean AI) walked away from San Francisco to build referral infrastructure and AI-powered accounting software right here in the Midwest, and they're not looking back. What happens when two founders, one building referral infrastructure, the other reimagining accounting with AI, both bet on Cleveland? In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris (VividFront) sits down with Rob Reznick, Founder of Beacon, and Anees Pretorius, Co-Founder & CEO of Bean AI, two builders who walked away from the coasts to build something real in the Midwest. In this episode, you'll learn: → How Beacon is turning your personal network into a revenue-generating machine → Why human referrals matter more, not less in the age of AI → How Bean AI is automating the workflows that bog down finance and accounting teams → What it actually takes to sell an AI product to risk-averse Midwest buyers → Why both founders made a deliberate bet on Cleveland, and what they think the city still needs → How to approach marketing when trust is your core currency If you're a founder, marketer, or operator building in the Midwest, or anywhere people keep calling a flyover city this episode is required listening.

May 14, 202644 min

Marketing Trust in Healthcare: Apex Skin’s Growth Strategy

There's a med spa on every corner. So how does one brand rise above the noise, earn 1 million+ patients, and maintain a a near 5-star satisfaction rating across 15 locations, all while keeping clinical credibility intact? In this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris (VividFront) sits down with Ruth Barnum, VP of Marketing & Aesthetics, and Johanna Maas, Director of Marketing at Apex Skin, leaders of an all-women marketing team redefining what healthcare marketing looks like in 2026. In this episode, you'll learn: → How to market a healthcare brand without sacrificing clinical trust → Why the line between a healthcare decision and a lifestyle decision is completely blurred in 2026 → What happens when marketing outpaces clinic execution (and how to fix it) → How dual leadership between marketing and operations drives real growth → What it takes to scale a dermatology brand in one of the most competitive markets in the country → Why an all-women marketing team is changing the playbook for healthcare brands If you're in healthcare marketing, aesthetics, or scaling a service brand in a saturated market, this episode is required listening.