The Creative Floor Awards

Hosted by Shaheed Peera

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100

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Driving inspiration, conversation and diversity in advertising ]]>

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September 5, 2026Episode 11553 min

Episode 115: BONUS EPISODE: CREATIVE CURRENCY

📚 New Masterclass: The Introvert's Guide to Selling Ideas https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 💡 Mentorship Turbo-boost your career, contacts and mindset with The Creative Floor Awards Mentorship Programme: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 🎙️ BONUS EPISODE: CREATIVE CURRENCY Not all awards are created equal. And neither is art. The Creative Floor Awards are almost here. This Thursday, we’re taking over London for the 13th Creative Floor Awards, and we’ve got a very special exclusive for everyone coming along. Meet Metin Salih. Celebrity artist. Royal portrait artist. Artist to the stars. And now, our latest Creative Floor collaborator. We’re teaming up with Metin on something brand new: THE CREATIVE CURRENCY COLLECTION. The only currency that really matters. And if you’re coming to the awards, you’ll be among the first people in the world to get a sneak peak. Metin’s work has featured on Channel 4 and his commissions include paintngs for the Ruler of Dubai, football legends and rap megastar Stormzy, to name but a few. In this episode, Metin talks about his incredible career, his approach to art and another collaboration he’s currently working on with Dragons’ Den investors Gary Neville, Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman. We also get into why art can be more than something you hang on a wall. It can be emotion, identity, legacy and potentially a very smart investment too. So buckle up. This one gets creative. Good luck to all this year’s finalists. 🎨 MEET METIN SALIH https://www.instagram.com/metinsalihart/ https://www.metinsalihart.com/ ⚠️ Warning: Metin doesn’t do boring. Expect straight-talking opinions, celebrity stories, and some seriously inspiring ideas about art, creativity and success.

August 8, 2026Episode 11445 min

Episode 114: Bonus Episode: How AI Will Destroy Trust in Pharma. And How to Avoid It.

📚 Get ready for pitch season with our Brand New Masterclass: The Introvert's Guide to Selling Ideas https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 💡 Mentorship Turbo-boost your career, contacts and mindset with The Creative Floor Awards Mentorship Programme: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 🎙️ Bonus Episode: How AI Will Destroy Trust in Pharma. And How to Avoid It. Could AI trigger the biggest trust crisis pharma communications has ever seen? Paul Simms, Founder and CEO of Impatient Health, certainly thinks so. He's just published a provocative new white paper called How AI Will Destroy Trust in Pharma. And How to Avoid It. So naturally, he’s come onto the podcast. In this bonus episode, we ask the slightly awkward questions nobody else seems to be asking. Are agencies overhyping AI? Are clients rushing in too quickly? Could the industry's obsession with AI actually destroy the very thing it's trying to build... trust? Whether you're AI sceptical, AI obsessed, or somewhere in between, this conversation will challenge the way you think. More importantly, it'll give you practical tools, better questions, and the language to have more intelligent conversations with your teams and clients. Even if you'd happily inject AI straight into your eyeballs every morning, we think you'll still get something from this one. You'll find a link to Paul's white paper below, and if you'd like to continue the conversation, you can also get in touch with Paul directly or come onto another bonus episode. ⚠️ Warning: Contains straight-talking-and-very-random opinions, strong language, sheep sound effects, and ideas that might make your next client meeting a little more interesting. Links White Paper: https://www.impatient.health/whitepapers/trust/ Impatient Health: https://impatient.health/

June 6, 2026Episode 1131 hr 1 min

Episode 113: The Steve Jobs Interview

🌟 Talent & Diversity Fund A huge thank you to everyone who supports the show. Here's how we're helping the next generation of creative talent: https://thecreativefloor.com/talentfund 💡 Mentorship for Individuals and Agencies Looking to turbo-charge your career or department? World-Class training and support is here: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book The highs, lows and downright ridiculous stories from agency life: https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 📚 Masterclass The Common Sense Guide to Great Advertising: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 🎙️ Episode: "The Steve Jobs Interview" 🤯 What happens when Steve Jobs interviews you? For advertising veteran Stephen Sonnenfeld, it became one of the most important moments of his career, despite not getting the job. In this week's episode, Stephen revisits an extraordinary encounter with the Apple founder that turned into a masterclass in creative standards, fearless decision-making and why so much modern marketing falls painfully short. Drawing from his acclaimed article, A Job Interview with Steve Jobs: Sometimes the Job You Don't Get Has the Biggest Impact on Your Career , Stephen reveals what it was really like to sit across from one of the most demanding business leaders in history. 🍏 If you've ever heard a client say, "Can we make it more like Apple?", this episode is for you. 💀 If you've ever watched a brilliant idea slowly strangled by research, stakeholder opinions and endless rounds of feedback, this episode is for you. 😴 If you've ever wondered why so much advertising today feels safe, bland and completely forgettable, then you definitely need to listen. Stephen doesn't hold back. From the death of creative bravery to the rise of committee-led thinking, he delivers a sharp and often uncomfortable diagnosis of what's gone wrong in our industry and what agencies, marketers and clients need to do if they want to create work that people actually remember. 🔥 Inside the episode: • How committees quietly kill big ideas • Why so much advertising looks and sounds the same • What today's agencies can learn from Jobs' approach • How creative leaders can fight for better work 🎧 Part career story, part industry reality check and part creative wake-up call, this is one of those conversations that will have you nodding along, laughing, cringing and questioning just how many great ideas have died in meeting rooms. ⚠️ Warning: straight-talking, strong language, and may help you Think Different. ✍️ Stephen Sonnenfeld Substack: https://stephensonnenfeld.substack.com/ 🏆 Not all awards are created equal.

May 30, 2026Episode 11249 min

Episode 112: Behind the Entry: Autism Rocks

Behind The Entry Podcasts Want to be part of the new mini-series? Share the untold story behind your favourite work and celebrate the teams and clients who made it happen with a global audience listening in 101 countries. Get in touch today. 📩 awards@thecreativefloor.com 📢 Hiring or promoting something useful? This is the World’s No.1 Marketing Podcast. Chances are your next hire is listening. 📩 awards@thecreativefloor.com 💡 Mentorship Turbo-boost your career with The Creative Floor Awards Mentorship Programme: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 📚 Seminar The Common Sense Guide to Great Advertising: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 🎙️ Podcasting in MedComms: From Idea to Launch 📅 Thursday, June 11, 2026 🕛 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (BST) 💻 Free online event : https://www.linkedin.com/events/podcastinginmedcomms-fromideato7462457074413789185/ 🎙️ Behind the Entry: Autism Rocks 🎵 What if music could help children speak? Area 23 shares the story behind Autism Rocks, a project that transforms popular songs into speech exercises for minimally verbal autistic children. 🧠 Combining science, creativity and music, the team reveals how the idea came to life, the challenges they faced, and what it takes to turn ambitious healthcare innovation into reality. 🎧 Listen now for insights on creativity, healthcare and creating work that makes a real difference. ⚠️ Warning: straight-talking, strong language, and you may actually learn something. Link to work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzkWkaFK6rE Not all awards are created equal. 🎨 Credits AREA 23: Tim Hawkey, Viton Araújo, Renan Bulgari, Diego Tórgo, Victor Afonso. Omnicom Health: Philip Schneider, Anna Franklin. FCB Brasil: Eduardo Tavares, Paulo Fogaça, Ana Becker, Heloísa Ribeiro, Kleber Fonseca, Letícia Rodrigues, Lucas Buled. Bodega Studios: Adam Reid, Clint Goldman. Northern Lights: Sarah Sullivan, Jody Peters. Canja Audio Culture: Filipe Rese, Nessa Mafra, Bruno Vieira Brixel, Eduardo Karas. Storefront Music: Adam Elk, John “Scrapper” Sneider. Additional Credits: Depraxe, Colin Loughlin, Sun Komen, Ralph Kuijpers, Adrianne McCurrach, Ryan Fitch.

May 23, 2026Episode 11150 min

Episode 111: Behind the Entry: The 95 MPH Eye Exam

🎙️ Behind The Entry Podcasts Want to be part of the new mini-series? Share the untold story behind your favourite work and celebrate the teams and clients who made it happen with a global audience listening in across 101+ countries. 📩 awards@thecreativefloor.com 📢 Hiring or promoting something useful? This is the World’s No.1 Marketing Podcast. Chances are your next hire is already listening. 📩 awards@thecreativefloor.com 💡 Mentorship Help is just one click away: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 📚 Seminar The Common Sense Guide to Great Advertising: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 🎙️ Behind the Entry: The 95 MPH Eye Exam Baseball star couldn’t hit the ball... until he got an eye test.. This week we head to New York to go behind one of this year’s Creative Floor entries: The 95 MPH Eye Exam by Edelman for the American Optometric Association. When World Series champion Kiké Hernández suddenly hit a career slump, fans blamed form. Critics blamed confidence. The real problem? He literally couldn’t see properly. After being diagnosed with astigmatism, Hernández’s recovery became the centre of a campaign designed to make Americans rethink eye health, not as an optional check-up, but as something directly linked to performance and everyday life. The campaign generated 4.2 billion impressions globally, drove a 344% increase in visits to the AOA doctor locator, and reportedly inspired other professional athletes to book eye exams. In this episode, Edelman reveals how they turned a real sports story into a cultural healthcare moment, sharing lessons on celebrity authenticity, PR-led storytelling, and how healthcare brands can break into culture despite endless timelines, approvals, and regulations. The team also breaks down what nearly stopped the idea from happening, and why the simplest product demonstrations often hit the hardest. ⚠️ Warning: straight-talking, strong language that might not be suitable for younger listeners 📺 Link to work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68c4TDMFjLo&feature=youtu.be Not all awards are created equal. 🎨 Credits Edelman: Judy John, Eduardo Tavares, Michael Levy, Erin Ayalp, Javiera Wuth, Matthew Fetter, Erin Collett, Kira Rosario, Sydney Bernardo, Alana Thomas, Cindy Chapman, Sean Grossman, Nimra Butt, Shadin Al-Dossari, Ashley Antonini, Sara Rezaee, Amaris Modesto, Stephanie Pudlik, Leilani Weaver, Lydia Milligan and Julian Cuevas. DJE Studio: Charles Marks, Trevor Potts, Brian Walsh, Will Bystrov, Augustine Arredondo, Juan Delgado, Tomas Castro Mesa, Evan Biancardi, John Munoz, Ángel Martínez, Sait Arias, David Bonilla, Ana Collazos and Andres Ruiz. UEG: Dylan Froom and Tyler Cohen. Canja: Nessa Mafra, Eduardo Karas, Filipe Resende Brixel, Flavia Medeiros, Levi Mynssen de Mello and Timothy Cap. Cora: Lucas Bergamini, Pedro Labonia, Bruna Abubakir and Felipe Rodrigues da Silva. Clients: Deirdre Middleton and Yakesha Cooper, American Optometric Association. Partners: Aaron Smith Photography, Cora and Canja.

May 16, 2026Episode 11041 min

Episode 110: Behind the Entry: Cancer Prevention Discounts

Behind The Entry Podcasts Want to be part of the new mini-series? Share the untold story behind your favourite work and celebrate the teams and clients who made it happen with a global audience listening in 101 countries. Get in touch today. 📩 awards@thecreativefloor.com 📢 Hiring or promoting something useful? This is the World’s No.1 Marketing Podcast. Chances are your next hire is listening. 📩 awards@thecreativefloor.com 💡 Mentorship Supercharge your career with The Creative Floor Awards Mentorship Programme: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book ' The funniest book that's ever been written about the advertising industry': https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 📚 Seminar The Common Sense Guide to Great Advertising: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 🎙️ Behind the Entry: Cancer Prevention Discounts What if eating better actually cost less? In this episode of Behind the Entry , we go inside one of this year’s most talked-about ideas, Cancer Prevention Discounts , with Marty Martinez and Sebastian Benitez from Tank Worldwide. The insight is uncomfortable but obvious. The food that helps you live longer is often more expensive than the food that slowly damages your health. With cancer the leading cause of death in Canada, and up to 40% of cases considered preventable, the challenge is not awareness. It is behaviour. And behaviour is driven by price. So the team flipped the system. Working with Broadfork and the Quebec Cancer Foundation, they turned cancer-risk reduction into real grocery discounts. If a food reduces cancer risk by 20%, it is 20% cheaper. Launched across independent grocers in Ontario and Quebec, the idea made prevention visible, immediate, and hard to ignore. In this conversation, we break down how the idea came together, what almost didn’t make it, and why the simplest ideas are often the most powerful. Essential listening for anyone interested in creativity with purpose, and the realities behind work that truly matters. ⚠️ Warning: straight-talking, strong language, and may make you feel hungry Link to case film: https://vimeo.com/1189033593?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci Not all awards are created equal. 🎨 Credits Agencies & Partners: TANK Worldwide, MOOCO Studio, Latina, AdiosAdios, Estudios Machina, WPP Media, Jungle Media, Ogilvy Health PR, Fuze Reps, Raina + Wilson Clients: Broadfork Produce, Québec Cancer Foundation Creative Leadership: Marty Martinez, Sebastián Benítez González, Camilo Monzón Navas, Scott W. Gray, Chris Paleczny Global Team: Gabriel Schmitt, Diego Medvedocky, Costanza Rossi, Emma Tonetti, Emiliano Alvarenga, Florencia Kessler, Catrina Ramos, Carolina Suarez Niccolo

May 9, 2026Episode 1091 hr 1 min

Episode 109: Behind The Entry: The Missing Word

Behind The Entry Podcasts Want to be part of the new mini-series? Share the untold story behind your favourite work and celebrate the teams and clients who made it happen with a global audience listening in over 90 countries. Get in touch today. 📩 awards@thecreativefloor.com 📢 Hiring or promoting something useful? This is the World’s No.1 Marketing Podcast. Chances are your next hire is listening. 📩 awards@thecreativefloor.com 💡 Mentorship Turbo-boost your career with The Creative Floor Awards Mentorship Programme: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 📚 Seminar The Common Sense Guide to Great Advertising: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 🎙️ Episode: Behind The Entry: The Missing Word The Creative Floor Awards Podcast launches a brand-new mini-series going behind this year’s entries, beginning with one of the most emotional and ambitious projects of the year, The Missing Word. Featuring Erico Braga (OLIXIR NY) and John Santangelo (Studio RX), this episode explores the making of a project tackling gun violence and grief through a simple but profound idea: creating a word to define the experience of losing a child. In this deeply honest conversation, the team shares the full story behind the work, from the moment the idea entered the agency to the three-year journey of bringing it to life. The discussion explores the challenges, creative tensions, outreach to organisations, collaboration with linguists, and the emotional responsibility of working with families directly affected by loss. This is not a traditional campaign. It is a cultural intervention designed to create visibility around a pain that often goes unspoken. Raw, human, and completely unscripted, this is essential listening for anyone interested in creativity with purpose. ⚠️ Warning: This episode contains themes relating to children lost to gun violence and may be distressing for some listeners. Links to work: Website + Documentary: https://themissingword.org/ Campaign Case Study: https://vimeo.com/1175492167 Book Case Study: https://vimeo.com/1175490567 Not all awards are created equal. CREDITS: 🎨 CREATIVE OLIXIR NY: Linda Bennett, Kathleen Nanda, Erico Braga, Fabio Rodrigues, Daniel Mailliard, Lisa Lim, Roberto Vilhena, Haley Dix, Prajakta More, Eugenio Lima, Pedro Ricci, Bruno Abner, Zinnia Farrell, Skyler Mauro, Greg Flores, Zoie Babakitis, Kira Snook, Devon Nespica, Mike Benedetto, Raphael Pacheco, Becca Binder, John Durazzo, Sophia Galanos, Annie Foster, Laila Mahran, Chloe Johnson, Jenny Grabowski 🎬 PRODUCTION PARTNERS Omnicom Production, Studio Rx, SOLVE(D), Bumblebeat Audio Production, Jaded Melody, Graphline Media Production, Fuze Image, Mol Mol 🌍 CLIENT & PARTNER ORGANISATIONS OLIXIR NY, Visioning Beyond Violence, Youth Alive!, Lighthouse Community Charter Schools 🤝 COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTORS Cathy DeForest, Diana Garcia, Gabriel Garcia, Lanisha Jones, Natasha Johnson, Rich Harrison, Marilyn Washington-Harris, Renita Joseph, Carmen Morales

May 2, 2026Episode 10849 min

Episode 108: The Common Sense Guide to Great Advertising

📢 Hiring or promoting something useful? This podcast is the World’s No.1 Marketing Podcast. Chances your next hire is listening. 📩 Contact: awards@thecreativefloor.com 💡 Mentorship The Creative Floor Awards Mentorship program offers discreet, expert support for creatives at every level. Turbo-Boost your career today: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book Available here: https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 📚 Brand New Masterclass: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 🎙️ Episode: The Common Sense Guide to Great Advertising Steve Hudson is back. A familiar voice and long-time friend of the show, founder of The Power of Advertising , and one of the UK’s leading Creative and Commercial Directors returns for another unfiltered conversation. As always, there’s no script, no pre-set questions, and no safety net. Just a candid, wide-ranging discussion that gets straight to what actually makes advertising work. In this episode, Steve shares his latest thinking, including a new project with former creative partner Victoria Fallon, a tool designed to help crack even the toughest briefs. Powerful, but as Steve warns, not something to use lightly. We also dive into his experience taking the Where Did Your Advertising Go Wrong? masterclass around the world, and get a preview of his latest seminar, The Common Sense Guide to Advertising . Packed with practical advice, real-world experience, and straight-talking insights, this is essential listening for anyone working in advertising, marketing, or communications. Links to episode: Steve's New Masterclass: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass ⚠️ Warning: expect strong language, and a few truths that don’t pull any punches Not all awards are created equal.

April 25, 2026Episode 1071 hr 37 min

Episode 107: Being Rich

🏆 The Creative Floor Awards – FINAL CALL DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY 01 MAY 📅 No more extensions: https://thecreativefloor.com/ Best of luck to everyone finalising their entries, and thank you for supporting work that changes careers and lives through our Talent & Diversity Fund. 📢 Hiring or promoting something useful? This podcast is the World’s No.1 Marketing Podcast. Chances your next hire is listening. 📩 Contact: awards@thecreativefloor.com 💡 Mentorship The Creative Floor Awards Mentorship program offers discreet, expert support for creatives at every level. Turbo-Boost your career today: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book Available here: https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 📚 BRAND NEW MASTERCLASS: The Common Sense Guide to Advertising, with Steve Hudson. Get on the waiting list: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 🎙️ Episode: Being Rich From small-town New Jersey to the very top of global advertising, Rich Levy, Chief Creative Officer at Klick Health, shares his story and holds nothing back. This episode lifts the lid on a career defined by big wins, tough lessons, and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Rich didn’t follow the typical Madison Avenue path. He began as a reporter in Philadelphia, chasing the truth and dreaming of becoming the next Carl Bernstein, before making the leap into advertising and never looking back. What follows is a journey through the golden age of the industry, working on iconic brands like Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Kodak, and Verizon. From writing relentless retail ads week in, week out, to stepping into the role once held by legend Cliff Freeman at Saatchi & Saatchi, Rich built a reputation not just for creativity, but for work that sells. And in this episode, he shares it all. The wins. The pressure. The burnout. Even getting fired. “I got fired,” he says. “And it made me better.” This is not a polished career story. It’s vulnerable, unfiltered, and full of hard-earned lessons on winning pitches, leading teams, and why bad work costs just as much as good work. Now at Klick Health, one of the most awarded agencies in the world, Rich talks about building a culture people genuinely want to be part of, why humanity still matters in creativity, and what it takes to stay relevant at the top. If you work in advertising, communications, or care about life changing ideas, this episode is unmissable. ⚠️ Warning: straight-talking, strong language, and a few truths that don’t pull any punches Not all awards are created equal.

April 18, 2026Episode 10654 min

Episode 106: I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Part 4

🏆 The Creative Floor Awards – WE HAVE ISSUED A FINAL CALL DEADLINE: FRIDAY 01 MAY 📅 No more extensions (or excuses): https://thecreativefloor.com/ Best of luck to everyone finalising their entries, and thank you for supporting work that changes careers and lives through our Talent & Diversity Fund. 📢 Hiring or promoting something useful? This podcast reaches 80,000+ listeners across 90 countries and is the World’s No.1 Marketing Podcast. Chances your next hire is listening. 📩 Contact: awards@thecreativefloor.com 💡 Mentorship The Creative Floor Awards Mentorship program offers discreet, expert support for creatives at every level. Turbo-Boost your career today: https://thecreativefloor.com/mentorship 📘 Agency Tales: The Book Available here: https://thecreativefloor.com/agency-tales 📚 Brand New Masterclass: https://thecreativefloor.com/masterclass 🎙️ Episode 100: “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Part 4” Nick Bell returns for the explosive final chapter of his story on The Creative Floor Awards Podcast, and he holds nothing back. In Part 4, Bell takes us inside the high-stakes world behind some of the biggest brands and agencies in advertising. From his role as Global Creative Director for Unilever at DDB, to his time at Fallon, and the leap to launching his own agency, this is the inside story few ever hear. From Lipton Tea, Skoda, Expedia, Lynx, Cadbury and The Alzheimer’s Society to the moments that nearly brought it all crashing down, Bell shares the wins, the risks and the realities behind the work. Along the way, industry heavyweights including Jeremy Craigen, Richard Flintham, Andy McLeod, Ben Priest, Robert Senior, Magnus Djaba and Gareth Collins feature throughout. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered opinions and more than a few jaw-dropping moments. In this episode: Turning around global brands under pressure Navigating high-stakes agency life The realities of going it alone This is a no-holds-barred look at life at the top of adland and what it really costs to go it alone. ⚠️ Warning: straight-talking, strong language, and a few truths that don’t pull any punches Not all awards are created equal.