In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Rachel Westbury welcomes Nahum Hendricks, Creative Director and Production Manager at Seven West MINT. Nahum shares how his agency embraced creative operations to produce high-quality campaigns in less time. As Nahum says, “This concept of creative ops is a really exciting venture, for any industry. We're appreciating structure and its importance, but doing it in an intuitive way that doesn't stamp out creativity or make you seek to create uniformity per se — it seeks to create consistency and maximise creative potential.”Listen as Nahum and Rachel talk about strategy as a creative act, the importance of leading upwards, and how to use creative operations to manage teams — without micromanaging them. Guest-at-a-GlanceName: Nahum HendricksWhat he does: He's the Creative Director and Production Manager at Seven West MINT.Company: Seven West MINTNoteworthy: Nahum leads the team responsible for the creative production of branded content for Seven West Media WA's commercial partners. He handles everything — from pitch to publication, and ideas to invoices.Where to find Nahum: LinkedIn

In this episode of The Craft, our host Rachel Westbury welcomes Ricky Robinson, CEO of Shorthand.Ricky explores the democratisation of storytelling, and how digital tools are allowing for continuous innovation online. As Ricky says, “It might feel like we've already pushed the web to its limits, but there are whole new dimensions of magic to be discovered in what's possible within a web browser and how that translates into brilliant new ways to conjure emotion, transmit knowledge, and move minds and hearts. I know, because like we're hard at work on this stuff.”Listen as Rachel and Ricky discuss making hard decisions as an entrepreneur, embracing emerging technologies, and his vision for the future of storytelling and for Shorthand. Guest-at-a-GlanceName: Ricky RobinsonWhat they do: Ricky is the CEO of ShorthandCompany: ShorthandNoteworthy: Ricky co-founded a couple of machine learning startups and spent eight-and-a-half years at Australia's premier technology R&D institute as a researcher and business developer. Where to find Ricky: LinkedIn

In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Rachel Westbury chats with Michael Jones, Publications Editor at The University of Queensland (UQ). Michael shares how UQ’s alumni and community magazine Contact  leveraged expert analysis to boost audience engagement.As Michael says, “Our audiences are looking for trusted sources — so why shouldn't the community come to a university to get those expert analyses on the big topics facing society? Universities are the epitome of a trusted organisation with so many experts on hand.”Listen as Michael and Rachel discuss the content strategy that saw Contact Magazine’s reader engagement soar, the shift from print to digital journalism, and the importance of following your career passions.Guest-at-a-GlanceName: Michael JonesWhat they do: He’s the Publications Editor at The University of QueenslandCompany: Contact Magazine at The University of QueenslandNoteworthy: He has over 17 years of experience as a journalist and an editor in daily newspapers and in the higher education industry. While working for newspapers, Michael specialised in newspaper page layouts and later focused on editorial design in magazines.Where to find Michael: LinkedIn | Design portfolio

In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Dawn Murden chats with Meredith Metsker, Content Marketing Manager at uConnect. Meredith shares advice and practical tips on how to build a personal brand online. As Meredith says, “[...] Work on building your personal brand. Whether that's on LinkedIn or somewhere else — whatever your platform of choice — because in my mind, what better way to show how to market something and brand something than building your own personal brand?”Listen as Meredith and Dawn discuss the importance of getting to know your community, crafting high-value content that inspires your customers, and managing work-life balance.Guest-at-a-GlanceName: Meredith MetskerWhat they do: Meredith is the Content Marketing Manager at uConnectCompany: uConnectNoteworthy: Before working in content marketing, Meredith was a newspaper journalist covering a variety of beats. Today, they use their journalism skills to create branded content that is inspired by real customers and their stories. Where to find Meredith: LinkedIn

In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Dawn Murden chats with Eva Domínguez, Director at Immersive Creatures. Eva shares how to use technologies like augmented reality (AR) and 3D tools to create immersive stories. As Eva says, “You can go big depending on the resources you have, but you can start small [...] so you learn the language, what works, and what doesn't work.”Listen as Eva and Dawn discuss the importance of trying new technologies to differentiate your brand, give value to your community, and tell stories in new ways.Guest-at-a-GlanceName: Eva DomínguezWhat she does: Eva is the Director at Immersive CreaturesCompany: Immersive CreaturesNoteworthy: Eva is a digital and immersive content expert, AR producer, and scriptwriter who has worked in the digital field for more than 20 years. She also holds a PhD in Immersive Journalism.Where to find Eva: LinkedIn | Personal website

With the rise of misinformation online, the role of science communication in the research sector has never been more important. But misinformation travels fast, leaving reputable sources to work twice as hard to fight its spread. In this episode of The Craft podcast, join Shorthand’s Dawn Murden and Andrew Youngson, the News and Campaigns Content Manager at Imperial College London. They discuss how communication leadership has changed over the last decade, the importance of measuring user enjoyment on social media, and how to stop the propagation of false information online. Guest-at-a-GlanceName: Andrew YoungsonWhat he does: He's the News and Campaigns Content Manager at Imperial College London.Company: Imperial College LondonNoteworthy: Andrew is a published author. He wrote a Sci-Fi mystery novel called The Memory Project.Where to find Andrew: LinkedInSome inspiring content from Andrew:COVID-19: six months on the frontlineMission to the sun9 things you can do about climate changeMore links:Dawn Murden on LinkedInShorthand on LinkedIn

In this episode of The Craft, Shorthand’s Dawn Murden chats with Stuart Feil, VP, Branded Content at Adweek.Stuart talks about how to be creative in the world of advertising, where clients, deadlines, and algorithms are often front of mind. As Stuart says, “We have to balance the needs of the audience and the needs of the client and make sure that both are met, which is not always the easiest thing in the world.”Listen as Stuart and Dawn discuss changes in media and advertising over the last few decades, the ongoing importance of storytelling, and the challenges content creators face today. Guest-at-a-glanceGuest Name: Stuart FeilWhat he does: Stuart is VP, Branded Content at Adweek.Company: AdweekNoteworthy: Stuart was a journalist at the start of the computer age, working for Electronic News as the Chief Computer News Reporter in the mid 1980s. Where to find Stuart: LinkedInSome inspiring content from StuartA marketer's guide to TwitchWhen marketing goes haywireMore linksDawn Murden on LinkedInShorthand on LinkedIn