Pixel Retentive Podcast

Introduction

Zoe Hawkins, Director of Content Marketing and Thought Leadership at Sumo Logic, is what I like to call the Queen of Content, and for good reason. With over a decade of experience that spans gaming journalism, B2B tech marketing, and a deep love for sci-fi and video games, Zoe brings a refreshingly crea...

Hey friends, Carl here. This week on the Pixel Retentive Podcast, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Danielle LeCourt. She's the founder of De LeCourt, a voice-first content studio that helps experts turn conversations into strategy. Danielle's journey started as a professional volleyball player, then shifted to writing and ultimately found its home in audio. She's worked with institutions like Harvard, NASA, and Roche, a...

This week on the Pixel Retentive Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Crystalee Beck, the powerhouse founder of Comma Copywriters and mother of four. She's someone who has built a thriving content agency from the ground up while intentionally designing her business to fit her family life. That alone is impressive, but pair it with the fact that she traveled to all 50 states and a dozen...

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This week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Kevin Rapp, the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Ultra Friends. His agency is known for turning bold ideas into scalable content systems for tech-forward brands. With nearly 20 years in the creative trenches, Kevin has worked his way up from small studios to tech startups, eventually c...

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For our 100th episode, we welcomed Sherene Strausberg, an Emmy-nominated creative and the founder of 87th Street Creative. Sherene leads a woman-owned animation studio focused on storytelling for healthcare and nonprofits. Her career path is one of the most inspiring I have heard. She combines film composition, sound engineering, graphic desig...

Tim Holladay is not just a founder turned investor - he's a community builder, an idea nurturer, and a man with a DeLorean mindset. As the Managing Partner at Space Station Investments, Tim brings heart and foresight into the world of early-stage investing, especially where creators, innovators, and athletes are shaping the cultural and consumer landscape. With over 120 companies in their portfolio - from Magic Spoon to Oura Ring a...

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This week on Pixel Retentive, I had the honor of sitting down with the unstoppable force that is Lo Harris, illustrator, strategist, speaker, and all-around creative powerhouse. With roots in journalism at the New York Times and NBC...

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Violaine Briat, affectionately known as V, is a French storyboard artist, comic creator, and creative thought leader whose career spans over a decade in both European and American animation. A graduate of the prestigious Gobelins animation school in Paris, V has worked on celebrated titles like The Loud House...

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In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Bryan Heemskerk, the incredibly talented Art Director at Massive Damage Games. With over a decade of experience in the gaming industry, Bryan has contributed to standout titles like Halcyon 6 and Star Renegades, where...

Introduction

Lennie Gray is a creative powerhouse whose career defies traditional boundaries. With over two decades of experience as a designer, Lennie has channeled her multidisciplinary talents into community-centered, environmentally sustainable design work that drives real-world impact. From early roots in arboriculture and urban farming to authoring AI...

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Cernosia, a powerhouse in the world of 3D animation and the founder of Profanity Creative, a studio built around storytelling for the outdoor and lifestyle industries. Mark's career is as grounded as it is inspiring. Born and raised in Vermont, he carved out a niche doing...

It was a real treat sitting down with Mike Manor, a powerhouse of creative energy in the indie animation world. Mike's known for his pixel-art-driven animations, unique storytelling, and voice acting chops. His short Beantown: Trial by Fire made waves in 2025, landing official selections at both Pictoplasma and Ottawa International Animation Festivals. On top of that, he's in active development with Paramount and keeps the scene th...

This week on the Pixel Retentive Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Alain S. Levi, founder and CEO of Motivare, one of the most recognized experiential marketing agencies in Latin America. Alain has over three decades of industry experience and has led over 10,000 projects for major brands like Microsoft, Unilever, PepsiCo, and Mondelez. Starting his career in the early '90s with Unilever, he transitioned from a marke...

Danielle Letayf is the powerhouse founder and CEO behind Badassery HQ, a podcast guest booking agency that champions bold visionaries. With a background in community building, marketing, and events spanning over a decade, Danielle's journey from AOL corporate life to full-time founder showcases her deep commitment to personal branding and authentic connection. Since 2018, she's taken fearless strides through multiple pivots - speak...

This week, I had the pleasure of talking with the endlessly creative Jon Kane, founder of Optic Nerve and an early trailblazer in the MTV visual revolution. Jon has spent over four decades at the bleeding edge of motion graphics, editing, and multimedia experimentation. From shaping the visual identity of MTV and Nickelodeon to helping legendary directors bring their visions to life, Jon's career reads like a love letter to the int...

This week on Pixel Retentive, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the incredible Nico Fara - an accomplished product leader, strategist, marketer, and engineer whose career has spanned over a decade of groundbreaking work in AI, XR, gaming, and digital fashion. Nico's entrepreneurial vision is rooted in empowerment, and she's built and led innovative ventures that bridge tech and community in powerful ways. With a network of ov...

Aron Nels Steinke is a celebrated Eisner Award-winning cartoonist best known for his best-selling children's graphic novel series Mr. Wolf's Class and his latest work, Speechless. Formerly an elementary school teacher, Aron channels his experiences into stories that resonate with young readers and inspire literacy through visual storytelling. His creative journey spans over two decades, marked by persistence, growth, and a steady p...

Today on Pixel Retentive, I had the privilege of chatting with the talented Alex Krokus - an established cartoonist in comics and animation whose work has appeared in Vice, BuzzFeed, and The New York Times. His recent collection Loud and Smart in Color and In Color debuted in February via Silver Sprocket, and his deeply personal, watercolor-illustrated graphic novel Talking to My Father's Ghosts is set for release from Chronicle Bo...

Nam Nguyen is the founder of Supervillain, a creative agency known for its sharp aesthetic, distinct narrative edge, and refusal to play by anyone else's rules. After a defining chapter at Intel - where he built and led a global creative team - Nam chose principle over prestige, walking away when his team was let go. That decision became the foundation of Supervillain, a studio formed by camaraderie, creative guts, and a passion fo...