On second thought, let's not go to Iowa. It is a silly place.
The Creative Caucus
@thecreativecaucus.bsky.social
Political ads are weird. We talk to the people who make them. https://the-creative-caucus.captivate.fm/listen
No One Was Doing Debate Night Content Like Pete For America In this clip, former members of the Pete for America video team talk about what it was actually like behind the scenes. No one else was doing it this way.
If you’ve worked on a campaign you know THIS is true. ❤️ like this if you’ve had imposter syndrome!
The Campaign “Lights Off” Conspiracy We Knew Was Fake One of the funniest parts of working behind the scenes is watching people online come up with wild theories about moments you were actually there for.
A campaign is like building a startup… and we were the last ones out the door Campaigns grow faster than almost any organization on earth. Former members of Pete for America talk about building a national operation in real time, scaling overnight, and then closing the door on the way out.
Wait?! There are Pete Buttigieg Haters?? The internet turns on you faster than you think. First they love you. Then they hate you. In this clip, former Pete for America staffers talk about how quickly online perception can flip, and what that felt like in real time.
Pete Buttigieg Sings All Star by Smash Mouth well... the first line at least.
What REALLY Happened with the Keegan-Michael Key Pete Buttigieg Endorsement I probably shouldn’t be saying this… but it’s been long enough. This is the inside story of a Keegan-Michael Key Pete Buttigieg moment that almost turned into something much bigger, and then didn’t.
Why Pete Buttigieg Let Cameras Roll All the Time Airports. Escalators. Random moments most campaigns would ignore. In this clip, Hussien Salama shares how the team behind Pete For America captured everything, and why that approach made their content feel different.
🎙️🚨A new episode of the Creative Caucus is live! On this episode of Creative Caucus, Garret Brubaker reunites five members of the Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign video team for a candid look at life inside a presidential primary.
PEOPLE VOTE ON VIBES That’s it… that’s the post
The Trump Disaster Response Story They Turned Into an Ad Campaigns don’t just plan, they react. In this clip, Kate Conway explains how the campaign captured firsthand accounts about Donald Trump, and how they used them in real time after a hurricane.
How City Pride Turned Into a Viral Ad The goal wasn’t just views, it was cultural buy-in. In this clip, Kate Conway explains how the campaign tapped into Detroit’s identity to create an ad that people wanted to share.
How Ben Stiller Ended Up Directing a Campaign Ad In this clip, Kate Conway shares how the campaign brought in Ben Stiller for a GOTV video, and how he ended up helping write the jokes and directing it himself. Sometimes the best collaborations happen when you let people do what they’re great at.
Rebranding the @electdemocrats.bsky.social In this clip, Kate Conway breaks down how the DCCC went from an outdated logo and no cohesive system to a modern, scalable brand. Because good branding isn’t just how things look… it’s how everything works.
How the Harris Campaign Got in Trump’s Head Before the Debate It wasn’t an accident. In this clip, Kate Conway explains how the campaign used targeted messaging to exploit a known weakness—and how it played out live on stage.
They Rewrote the Harris Launch Video Overnight Kate Conway breaks down how the Harris campaign launch video went from “fine” to something much bigger Sometimes the best creative decision is starting from scratch.
13 Days to Rebrand a Presidential Campaign Most brands take months to build. They had less than two weeks. Kate Conway explains how the team rebuilt Kamala Harris’s campaign identity—and prepared for a VP announcement they couldn’t see coming.
They Built Kamala’s Campaign in 26 Hours They found out on Twitter. They had no plan. And within a day… the campaign was live. Kate Conway breaks down the wild timeline of switching from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris—and what it actually took behind the scenes.
“I Was Anti-Camo Hat…” (Then It Made $1M) Kate Conway shares the behind-the-scenes story of the viral camo hat—why she was against it at first, how the team pulled it together in a single day, and how it turned into a $1M fundraising moment.
A new episode of the Creative Caucus is live. This week Garret goes behind the scenes with Kate Conway, former Creative Director of the Harris-Walz presidential campaign, where she led a 75-person team overseeing brand, social, and advertising across hundreds of millions in media spend.
Why Most Political Ads Don’t Work Campaigns think they’re talking to a locked-in audience. They’re not. In this clip, Devin Gosnell explains why most political ad strategies fail—and what it actually takes to break through. If your ads all look the same… people stop seeing them.
The Secret to Great Creative Work? Trust. The best partners don’t always fully understand the idea… but they believe in you enough to push it through. And that’s where the magic happens.
There should be no shortcuts in political ads. Devin talk about how he makes every political ad important and each should be done to the highest quality. Listen to the rest of episode 2 of the Creative Caucus now!
Political ads are a parody unto themselves. Want a political ad to go viral? Sometimes you have to break the mold. Listen to the rest of episode 2 of the Creative Caucus now!
Garret’s favorite launch video of the season so far is Nancy Lacore’s. Devin answers the burning question of how long did she actually have to run?! Listen to the rest of episode 2 of the Creative Caucus now!
Devin takes us behind the scenes of how the viral Zohran “Bachelor” ad came to be Listen to the rest of episode 2 of the Creative Caucus now!
You can’t make political ads alone. Teamwork makes the dream work. 🚨Follow for more!
Every ad needs something worth protecting. Devin talks about how each ad should have some sort of style anchor that makes it stand out, mentioning one specific James Talarico spot. Listen to the rest of episode 2 of the Creative Caucus now!