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WEBINAR: Getting Creative: How to Create a Winning Process
Join NextNW for a candid conversation on how today’s creatives and strategists develop work that actually lands. Great creative work rarely starts fully formed. It usually begins as a messy spark, a half-formed idea, a weird reference, a strategic hunch, or a concept that needs to be pushed, questioned, reshaped, and sold before it becomes something that actually works.
Join NextNW for Getting Creative: How to Create a Winning Process, a candid virtual panel on what really happens between the first idea and the final work. This conversation brings together creatives, strategists, and brand leaders to talk about how strong ideas are developed, challenged, refined, pitched, protected, and sometimes killed.
From Mike Chase’s roots in radio and broadcast storytelling, to Maria Morgan’s human-centered approach to branding, digital, UX/UI, and integrated marketing, to Ginger Donel’s culturally relevant brand work across social, digital, and local activations, to John Jendritza’s hybrid lens as designer and CMO, this panel will explore the real process behind creative work that lands.
We’ll talk about the spark, the strategy, the feedback, the client or stakeholder buy-in, the role of AI, and the uncomfortable truth that not every good idea makes it through. Expect honest stories, sharp opinions, practical takeaways, and a behind-the-scenes look at how winning creative work gets made today.
What You'll Learn
- How experienced creatives move from a rough idea to a stronger concept
- What makes an idea easier to pitch, sell, and defend
- How to navigate feedback without watering down the work
- Where AI can support the creative process, and where it can get in the way
- How brand, strategy, storytelling, design, and execution work together
- When to keep pushing an idea and when to let it go
- What creative leaders look for when deciding whether an idea has legs
Moderator
Kent Lewis
A digital OG and passionate entrepreneur who regularly speaks, is frequently quoted by industry media, and writes for publications including Inc., The Business Journals, and SmartBrief.
Panelists
Mikel Chase
Mikel Chase is a Portland, Oregon–based broadcaster, actor, filmmaker, and creative director with a career spanning decades in media and storytelling. He is the co-founder of MilePost Media, an award-winning production company recognized for its distinctive creative approach and broad experience across industries including automotive, HVAC, wine, and healthcare.
Known for blending offbeat humor with unconventional ideas, Mikel specializes in helping brands stand out by doing what their competitors are not. In addition to his production work, he is a CMA award-winning broadcaster, earning recognition as Major Market Personality of the Year among other accolades, reflecting a long-standing reputation for creative excellence, audience connection, and impactful communication.
John Jendritza
John Jendritza is a creative director, brand strategist, and founder of Glow Creative, a Pacific Northwest-based creative studio focused on brand, digital, and marketing direction.
His work has lived across sport, lifestyle, hospitality, food and beverage, and digital agency spaces, helping brands get clearer about who they are, what they need to say, and how that shows up in the real world. Over the years, John has worked with brands of all sizes, shapes, and industries, from regional businesses and growing teams to national organizations and household names. That work has included partnerships with Nike, the Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, Portland Timbers & Thorns, Anheuser-Busch, Elysian Brewing, Backwoods Brewing, The Old Spaghetti Factory and more.
John brings a mix of creative direction, brand strategy, design thinking, and practical marketing experience to the NextNW Board. He loves helping shape ideas, sharpen the story, and keep the creative spark alive so the work feels fresh, useful, and connected to the people it’s meant to reach.
Ginger Donel
Ginger Donel is a Creative Director with 22 years of experience creating culturally relevant work for brands like Chick-fil-A, AT&T, IHG, Coca-Cola, and LEGO.
Currently a Senior Creative Lead at Chick-fil-A, she drives Brand Extensions work that builds affinity through social, digital, and local activations. With experience across both agency and in-house teams, her perspective blends big-picture strategy with hands-on execution. She’s most passionate about the space where sharp thinking meets visual storytelling - and runs on a steady mix of iced lattes, curiosity, and just enough delusion to think every idea might be the one
Maria Morgan
Maria Morgan is the Associate Creative Director at GreenRubino, where she leads creative work across branding, digital, and integrated marketing projects. With a background in visual design and UX/UI design, she brings a human-centered approach to the creative process, blending strategic thinking with user experience to solve complex problems. Her experience spans brand identity, digital experiences, advertising, and emerging AI-driven marketing, with a focus on building collaborative creative systems that help teams do their best work and create meaningful connections between brands and people.
Ready to attend?
Buy a ticket yourself or bring some friends! We look forward to seeing you!