Brian Collins, co-founder of COLLINS, joins the show to break down how design actually drives business transformation. COLLINS has won the Ad Age Design and Brand Agency of the Year or Business Transformation Agency of the Year seven times, and has helped shape brands like Spotify, Airbnb, Robinhood, and The Coca-Cola Company.

In this conversation, Brian explains why advertising makes things famous while design makes them useful, and how the best brands win by doing both. He shares his philosophy of “making the future irresistible so it becomes inevitable,” and what that looks like inside COLLINS, a consultancy-studio hybrid that helps companies imagine and build their next chapter.

We get into the Up&Up transformation at Target, how great packaging should live in your home, and why most brands are designed to sell instead of to last. Brian also breaks down what actually builds long-term client relationships, the role of trust in creative work, and the difference between having a job and building a career.

If you care about branding, design, and where the industry is going next, this episode is a masterclass from one of the most respected thinkers in the space.

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Rick Brim has won over 100 Cannes Lions and helped shape one of the most iconic creative agencies in the world. He played a key role in building Adam&EveDDB and bringing campaigns like John Lewis’ holiday ads to global attention, turning them into cultural moments that drove real business impact.

In this conversation, he breaks down what actually makes great advertising and why so much of the industry gets it wrong. He talks about the danger of chasing awards, how momentum can transform an agency overnight, and why creativity should be treated as a serious business tool rather than surface-level output.

Rick shares what it was like working on high-pressure campaigns that the public reacts to in real time, how to lead creative teams without pretending to have all the answers, and why vulnerability and curiosity matter more than hierarchy. He also explains why most ads don’t last, what makes certain ideas endure for years, and how the best work often comes from doing what you personally find interesting rather than trying to impress others.

The conversation also covers his decision to launch Ace of Hearts, what he believes the future of agencies looks like, and what advice he would give to anyone trying to break into advertising today.

More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

Geno sits down with Ted Markovic, Global Head of Advertising & Creative Ops at Canva, to break down how one of the world’s fastest-growing brands actually runs creative. From building a 150-person in-house team to working seamlessly with agencies, Ted shares the systems, expectations, and communication required to get great work. If you want to understand how modern brands scale creativity and become better clients, this is the playbook.