On Strategy Showcase Live from Arnold in Boston: Brains, Grit and Brand Building
Feb 10, 2026
Travis Robertson, creative co-founder of Colossus; Ross Sidlowski, strategy lead at The LEGO Group; Gail Felcher, global partnerships lead at Shark Ninja; Brie Rossetti, Chief Strategy Officer at Arnold; Sean McBride, Chief Creative Officer at Arnold. They chat Boston’s creative DNA, balancing in-house teams with agencies, agency identity versus national ambition, product-led storytelling, and how strategy and creative collaborate.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Keep Your Soul While Scaling
- Losing a distinct local identity can hollow an agency and make it indistinguishable from competitors.
- Sean argues you must own your unique traits (like 'Boston-ness') while still competing nationally.
Boston's Clever Creative Voice
- Boston's creative voice skews clever, smart, and witty, shaped by local education and industry lineage.
- That intellectual tone differentiates Boston work from other US markets' styles.
Hire For Immediate Contribution
- Hire people who can contribute value from day one and be ready to make work immediately.
- Expect juniors to be useful fast and adapt recruiting and training accordingly.