To partner or not to partner?

83% of our listeners say they want a business partner. But the reality? It’s complicated. You spend more time with your co-founder than you do your family.

How do you choose the right person to go into business with? Handle conflict when creativity clashes with cash? And what is it like for the teams caught in the middle of founder tension?

In this episode, we unpack the partnership recipe: why most billion-dollar startups are built by teams, why solo founders are more likely to survive, and why partnerships fail more often than we like to admit. Joined by two brilliant creative duos – veteran partners Matt Baxter & Dom Bailey (Baxter & Bailey) and a new relationship, Gemma Ballinger & Johanna Drewe (Output)

From two-person dream teams to three-way creative standoffs, married co-founders to messy breakups – this is a frank, unfiltered conversation about building (and breaking) business relationships.

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Partnership stats: https://startersreview.com/solo-or-sidekick-weighing-the-pros-and-cons-of-business-partnerships/

https://www.equidam.com/the-case-for-solo-founders/

Creative Counsel with Brittany Ratelle Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-start-and-fix-your-business-partnerships-with/id1314211690?i=1000585724842

Co-founders Lab: https://cofounderslab.com/

Partnership Agreement: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/partnership-agreement-guidance

Stories: James Kape

Huge thank you for all the anonymous stories in this episode.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the episode you’ve been asking for — and the one we were nervous to record.

When we asked our listeners if they’d experienced burnout, 97% said yes. Nearly a quarter have been signed off work. That’s not a coincidence. It’s a sign of an industry that’s ignoring the primary reason for losing their workforce.

In this episode, we talk honestly about what burnout really looks like: physical symptoms, loneliness, losing creativity, and forgetting your purpose. Joined by two guests with lived experience, James Horwitz (Founder of Two Times Elliott) & Rebecca Price (Previous Senior Brand Manager at Monotype) and a whole host of anonymous listener submissions. We’re unpacking how burnout happens, how it affects business, whose responsibility it is, and why so many people feel unable to speak up.

If you’ve ever been on the burnout scale, this episode is for you.

Content note: this episode includes discussion of panic attacks and mental health struggles.

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Jackie Ivy TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nunvox1QqVs

Mental health burnout report: https://euc7zxtct58.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/16142505/Mental-Health-UK_The-Burnout-Report-2025.pdf

Emmi Salonen ‘The Creative Wellbeing handbook’: https://www.creativeecosystem.org/book

NHS burnout resources: https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/services/newcastle-occupational-health-service/information-for-staff/covid-support-materials/managing-occupational-burnout/

Stories: Megan Fry, Chris Wilson

Huge thank you for all the anonymous stories in this episode.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many disabled creatives have you worked with?

27% of the EU population has a disability. By the time we all reach 65, half of us will be disabled. But the creative industry? Surprise, surprise, that number drops to just 12%.

We went on a mission to find out why — and ask some of the questions we’re all afraid to. Like, how do I approach someone to find out about their disability? What words can’t I use? Will it get me cancelled? Is my studio accessible? What does that actually look like?

And most importantly, what more can we be doing?

To answer all our questions, we’re joined by Paul Hewitt (Executive Creative Director at That Lot) and Julie Seal (Founder & CCO Republic of Imagination) in a candid conversation about their experiences being disabled creatives.

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Stats: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/disability-eu-facts-figures/

https://advertisingallin.co.uk/ (The stat included in the episode was based on the 2021 census, there has since been new data released which has seen a rise from 9% to 12%)

https://creativeaccess.org.uk/app/uploads/2024/01/disability-report-28th-nov.pdf

Ryan Hudson-Peralta: https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2022/01/19/ryan-hudson-peralta-designing-with-a-disability

Georgia Lupi: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/14/opinion/my-life-with-long-covid.html

Creative Equals: https://www.creativeequals.org/disabledcreatives

SCOPE: https://www.scope.org.uk/

Stories: Opal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our freelance listeners are furious – and maybe they have a right to be.

Cancelled bookings. Late payments. Chaotic onboarding. Loneliness. But with nearly half of the creative industry being self-employed and studios relying on freelancers to bolster their teams, what’s going wrong?

This week, we talk to two experts in all things freelance. Sadia Noor, Creative Partner at Small World shares what it’s like to run an entirely freelance model. Matthew Knight, Chief Freelance Officer at The Independency Co. discusses the issues his community encounters time and time again.

They discuss the benefits of hiring freelance talent, the biggest frustrations, and what we need to do to help change the way the industry looks after its largest talent pool.

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Stats: https://www.leapers.co/research/2024/#chapter-headlines

https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2025/03/report-finds-creative-freelancers-hit-by-loss-of-work-late-pay-and-rise-of-ai/#

https://www.thedoers.co.uk/blog/are-freelancers-more-productive-than-employees

Leapers: https://www.leapers.co/

Freelancing support: https://www.freelancing.support/resources/guide-to/dealing-with-late-payments/at-a-glance/

WithJack: https://withjack.co.uk/

South West Freelancers: Kerry Wheeler

Stories: Sam Edwards / Tarn / Ellen / Chris Greenwood / Miltos Bottis / Jack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the rise in conversations around ‘working mums’, we wondered, why don’t we call fathers ‘working dads’?

As we strive for equal parenting, Dads are picking up more of the mental, emotional and physical load of raising children. Juggling being hands-on both at home and in the studio. All with less parental leave, less support and less opportunity to share how they’re coping.

Our two guests are fathers of children, teenagers and creative teams, Ali Ozden (Universal Favourite) & Jamie Ellul (Supple Studio)

We asked them how becoming Designer Dads has impacted their careers, creativity and mental health (and if they want their children to follow in their footsteps)

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Stats: https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/70-of-dads-who-didnt-take-their-full-paternity-leave-entitlement-had-to-cut-it-short-due-to-cost/

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/familiesandthelabourmarketengland/2019

https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/why-we-are-campaigning-for-6-weeks-paid-paternity-leave/

Dadwell & Co: https://dadwell.co/

Fathercraft: https://fathercraft.com/fathers-ed/

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/

Calm: https://www.thecalmzone.net/

Andys Man Club: https://andysmanclub.co.uk/groups/

Tommys: https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/dads-and-partners/looking-after-your-mental-health-after-baby-born

Stories: Samuel / Lee Davies / Jack Trotman / Sam / Adam Ding

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The NDA Podcast is created by Lucky Dip. Hosted by Katie Cadwell & produced by Hatty Wytton.

Edited by James from Be Heard. Original music 'The Theme from NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is a fact that multicultural teams outperform homogeneous ones.

But roughly 9% of the design industry is made up of people in minority groups, whereas the wider workforce is 17%. And that’s not factoring in how many of those are in junior positions.

So why are we taking so long to catch up?

Our guests in this episode think there’s too much talk, and not enough action. So join us, Andy Khatouli & Priyjah Paramasivam as we ask them –

How they’re perceived in studios and whether they feel the need to mask their authentic selves?

What it’s like being the only voice in the room calling things out, or being pushed into the role of ’spokesperson’ for diversity?

And ultimately, what is our industry missing out on by not welcoming different cultures with open arms.

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There are some brilliant orgs really doing the work to rebalance our industry. Make sure you check them out.

Stats: https://www.cipd.org/uk/about/news/managing-multicultural-teams/

Andy’s article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/other-0-andrew-khatouli-7sqkc/

Ahmed Abokor’s article: https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/ahmed-abokor-on-being-a-black-creative-in-a-homogenous-industry-opinion-240620

Samar Maakaroun intervew: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/typography-expression-language-identity-dad-jury-president-samar-grnde/

POCC: https://www.instagram.com/wearepocc/?hl=en

Otherbox: https://otherbox.co/

Stories: Kay / Agata Gray / Sibin

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The NDA Podcast is created by Lucky Dip. Hosted by Katie Cadwell & produced by Hatty Wytton.

Edited by James from Be Heard. Original music 'The Theme from NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

80% of our listeners are only just managing financially. The creative industry has taken a pummelling over the past few years. From an unstable economy, unpredictable politics, a rise in the cost of living and staffing costs… It’s harder than ever to make money as a creative business.

But how are the ‘big’ studios really doing? From their LinkedIn feeds, all seems well – but we wanted to ask them about the reality of their accounts.

In this episode, Cashflow & Creativity, we speak to studio founders Caterina Bianchini (Studio NARI) & Max Ottignon (Ragged Edge) about how they’re managing in such an unstable climate. Are the budgets shrinking? How do they pay their staff a fair wage? And, perhaps most importantly, are they making a profit?

Don’t miss this unprecedented peek into their P&Ls.

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Stats: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1454650/number-advertising-agencies-worldwide/

https://www.creativementornetwork.org/news/cost-of-living-survey

https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/ones-to-watch-new-views-a-gen-z-outlook-on-the-creative-industry-050625

Scott Galloway podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moIfa0IqlO0

Nils Leonard talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzER-_odM30

Stories: Lucie Kim / Michu

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The NDA Podcast is created by Lucky Dip. Hosted by Katie Cadwell & produced by Hatty Wytton.

Edited by James from Be Heard. Original music 'The Theme from NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with Season Three.

Debating and debunking all the biggest secrets in the creative industry. Joined by leaders from all the best design and advertising agencies, we'll be talking about the issues usually kept under NDA – and hearing from our listeners with anonymous stories, to really hear what's going on in our studios.

Tune in every Wednesday.

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The NDA Podcast is created by Lucky Dip. Hosted by Katie Cadwell & produced by Hatty Wytton.

Edited by James from Be Heard. Original music 'The Theme from NDA' by Jamie Ellul & Toby McLaren.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.