October 10, 2024 • 23 mins
"Creativity cannot be forced; it must be invited to the party."
Amanda Hill, CEO of Three Box, shares her insights on fostering a creative environment within a PR firm. She explains why leaders must prioritize creating the time and space necessary for creativity to flourish, as she discovered through her own experiences during the pandemic.
By taking intentional breaks and embracing new environments, Amanda found that inspiration often strikes when least expected. She also discusses how to involve team members in the creative process, ensuring that they feel ownership and enthusiasm for new ideas, ultimately transforming both internal dynamics and client interactions.
Key Takeaways
- Creativity is not something that can be forced but should be invited and nurtured through intentional practices and environment settings.
- Creating a space for creativity involves not only physical environments but also a cultural mindset that encourages exploration and innovation.
- Leadership plays a critical role in fostering creativity by modeling behavior, taking sabbaticals, and encouraging the team to engage in new experiences.
- The integration of creativity can lead to strategic breakthroughs not only for internal teams but also in delivering exceptional client experiences.
About the Guest
Amanda Hill, MBA, APR, is passionate about leveraging marketing communications to drive impact for brands. As CEO of Texas-based Three Box, she and her team serve as strategic advisors to regional and national brands across the U.S. Amanda has been recognized for her industry expertise and millennial leadership in regional, national and global forums. Aside from her husband and their two sons, she's most proud of building an award-winning team at Three Box, named one of Forbes' Top PR Firms in America.
About the Host
Abbie Fink is president of HMA Public Relations in Phoenix, Arizona and a founding member of PRGN. Her marketing communications background includes skills in media relations, digital communications, social media strategies, special event management, crisis communications, community relations, issues management, and marketing promotions for both the private and public sectors, including such industries as healthcare, financial services, professional services, government affairs and tribal affairs, as well as not-for-profit organizations.
PRGN Presents is brought to you by Public Relations Global Network, the world’s local public relations agency. Our co-host and executive producer is Adrian McIntyre with Speed of Story, a B2B communications firm in Phoenix.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
From the Public RelationsGlobal Network, this is PRGN Presents.
I'm Adrian McIntyre.
And I'm Abbie Fink, presidentof HMA Public Relations in Phoenix,
Arizona, and a founding member of
PRGN. With public relations leaders
embedded into the fabric of the communities
we serve, clients hire our agencies
forthe local knowledge, expertise and
connections in markets spanning six
continents across the world.
(00:28):
Our guests on this bi-weeklypodcast series are all members of
the Public Relations Global Network.
They will discuss such topics as
workplace culture, creative compensation
andsuccession planning, the importance
ofsustainability and environmental,
social andgovernance programs, crisis communications,
andoutside of the box thinking for growing
your business.
For more information aboutPRGN and our members, please visit
prgn.com. And now, let's meet our
guest for this episode.
(00:59):
Hi, I'm Amanda Hill. I'm CEOat Three Box. We're a strategic marketing
and communications agency based in
Dallas, Texas.
Amanda, you shared somethingwith me that I just think is so fantastic.
"Creativity can't be forced. You
have to invite it to the party."
That'sa party I want to go to.
(01:20):
Me too!
I just like, it was such aprofound statement, right? We're
constantly being asked to be creative,
and it's not like it's a button we
can push, and all of a sudden, the
creativity just starts to flow. So
let's talk about it. Like, how do
we, how do we get to this place of
creativity? How do we, you know,
ondemand, spit it all out and make
everything perfect?
(01:45):
Yeah, no, it's, it's. That'sexactly right. I think it's a lot
like when people ask you to be funny,
right? Tell a joke and be funny and
that kind of pressure, sometimes
themagic is there and you can come up
with it and sometimes you can't.
Andso in marketing and public relations
especially, I think there is this
intense pressure to be on and creative
all the time, constantly coming up
with new ideas, new concepts, new
approaches. And the reality is, as
humans, you have to be really intentional
about how to foster creativity, how
to build an environment and give
thetime and space for that creativity
so thatwhen you are put on the spot, you
can be creative, you can be innovating
andcoming up with things. Even when
youdon't look for new ideas, when you're
creating the time and space, I found
that creativity finds you. So I agree
it has to be invited to the party.
Youhave to set the right parameters
to be successful.
(02:48):
So as a leader of anorganization, you have to give yourself
the grace to find the time to be
creative, not only in how you're
running the firm and the types of
things that you want, but then to
mirror that opportunity so that your
team sees the importance of it. So
let's start with that from a, you
know, a leadership perspective. What
are you doing or what kind of advice
are you, you know, offering about
howto create that opportunity for those
of us in the leadership role?
(03:21):
Yeah, you know, I'll tell youa quick story. So, four years ago,
in Covid times, as many can probably
relate to, I was really drained as
a leader. It was a really trying
timeto be an agency leader in particular,
andit took a lot of energy out of me,
and I found that my creative spark
was just dwindling, nearly gone,
really. And obviously, in our line
of work, it's really important for
us to have that free flow of creative
ideas. And so really out of desperation,
Irealized I have to be able to be
creative to inspire my team. And
inorder to be that, like we talked
aboutpreviously, you have to create that
time and space. So I'm incredibly
fortunate to have the ability to
get away for a couple of weeks each
summer. And so for three years, I
have taken a bit of a sabbatical.
I stillwork while I am away, but I have
spent a couple of weeks in Colorado,
specifically here in the states,
whichis very different from Texas, it
is cooler in the summer, there are
mountains, and there is actual greenery
and nature, whereas here in Texas,
it's pretty sparse and dry right
now,but just a change of scenery and
creating that time and space so that
I could be inspired. The most creative
ideas that I get come when I am out
in nature, when I'm outside of my
office, although we can hopefully
talkabout the creativity that I've tried
to create here in my office. But
most of that is inspired by getting
out, meeting new people, trying new
things, doing new activities, pushing
myself in ways that I haven't before
or that I might even be afraid to
be challenged in. I have to do that
first. And what I've found is that
when I come back from this sabbatical,
Icome with renewed energy. I come
with some really creative approaches
forour agency. New programs, new structure,
new client ideas, new tools and resources
that I've created because there aren't
existing tools that work for us.
Um, it's been amazing, the result
thatcomes out. So I think as leaders,
it'sprioritizing getting away when you
can, even if it's small ways of getting
out into the world and trying new
things, pushing yourself, and then
that not only inspires your team,
butit also kind of gives you license
topush them a little bit to get them
out of their comfort zone because
they've seen you do it and they trust
you that it's going to be fruitful.
(06:18):
Well, and that was going to bemy next question, because change
isalways difficult for people. We want
to be open to the idea that we can
be accepting of something different,
butit's working. So why are we trying
tochange? It may not be working as
well as we think and maybe why the
change needs to happen, but as you
are kind of recentering and bringing
that creative focus back to, you
know, what you want to bring into
the team, then what does that timeframe
look like about bringing those ideas
and then offering up the conversation
withthe team back in the office that
says, I've just had three weeks of
communing with nature, and now here's
the 47 things we're going to do,
which is not what your intention
was, buthow do you kind of get them to be
as enthusiastic and embrace the ideas
and really see how they can then
turn that into creative space for
themselves?
(07:18):
Yeah, I will tell you, it hastaken some time to get the right
mix,and we're probably not there. We
haven't arrived, I'm sure, but we've
evolved that over the past couple
ofyears. And so the way you described
itof, you know, Amanda gets time away
and comes back with all these things
that really, as my team probably
feltlike, gosh, who's going to do all
of these things? Where's the vision?
You know, I need to catch up, right?
Cause I'm so excited, and I've got
all these things that I'm ready to
start right away. I'm sure that was
probably overwhelming for my team,
but really, over the past several
years, each year, we kind of have
iterated that. And this year, before
Ileft, I had a couple of team members
separately say, I can't wait for
you to go to Colorado because I know
you're gonna get time to work on
x, or, this is a big opportunity
for us,and I can't wait to see what you
come up with. I think where it has
become successful is including the
team and equipping the team to do
that themselves, involving them.
And,hey, here's something I'm thinking
aboutthroughout the year, right? Here's
something that I want to really give
some time and space to. I'm thinking
this might be a good Colorado project,
right? And they'll say, oh, yeah,
yeah. What if you did this, this
andthis, and they kind of have some
buyin and ownership from the get go.
They're kind of focusing that creativity,
because when I say, you know, that
it's. That sabbatical is meant to
spur creativity. It's not just, you
know, art and hikes and things like
that. Although I do that in my free
time, I am still working a regular
day.Thank goodness for hybrid work now,
right? I'm still working a regular
day.And so they know that these projects
orthese creative endeavors are focused
onthe business during my work day.
Soit's been really neat to kind of
get there collaboration and participation
inthat along the way, and then also
creating programs and spaces here
inTexas for our team to do the same
and get that creative focus time.
(09:23):
You mentioned spaces, Amanda,and I think this is so important.
I'd loveto talk more about it. There's some
really interesting neuroscience research
on the way in which our physical
environment affects our actions,
affectsour behavior. Fascinating study.
Iwon't go into the details about it,
but about soldiers in the Vietnam
warwho had gotten addicted to heroin
overseas and why the detox programs
thathappened in the Philippines worked
better than the ones that happened
whenthey were back home. They relapsed
faster in their natural home environment
than in the. It's fascinating. And
then also a study about how students
taking an exam have bigger ideas
whenthe ceilings in the room are taller.
Like, it's just this crazy stuff
thatwe don't ever think about. So an
environment of creativity, whatever
thatmeans, and it doesn't necessarily
have tomean stuff on the walls and, you
know, blowing out the room to make
skylights everywhere. But how do
you think about creating the space
for the team to do the kind of work
you're hoping they do?
(10:25):
Yeah. So this, I could. I'mso, so passionate about this. I could
talk forever about it. But to answer
you succinctly, this is a passion
pointfor us here at Three Box. A couple
ofyears ago, our lease was up on our
traditional office space that had
individual rooms where each person
hada space. And then our support team
had kind of a bullpen. Right. Pretty
traditional pre-Covid office. And
so as we started evaluating, what
kind of space do we need? We actually
worked as a team to collaborate on
that, to talk through. Well, what
matters to you? What do we use space
for? How do we use that space? And
so we actually found our new office
and started with a blank slate, took
a space and completely gutted it.
And my team worked alongside me to
create, okay, we need an area where,
you know, we have obviously, like,
big whiteboards that we can sketch
ontogether. We like to have the open
workspaces in some cases, right,
wherewe can just look over a monitor and
share ideas. But we also need some
quiet spaces. So we really developed
thespace plan based on how we work together,
knowing it would be a hybrid environment.
Right. So there are times where my
team is working from home, and that's
where they get a lot of their focus
done. But in our space, we have textures,
we have sounds and music that's going.
That inspires people. Depending on
the day and the mood and what we're
doing, there's always a puzzle out.
And it is fine that people take puzzle
breaks because they're working with
their hands. People will talk and
do a puzzle together or on their
own.We have every art supply imaginable,
and sowhen we start concepting designs
forclients, you can choose from colored
pencils and markers and watercolors
andstickers and pipe cleaners. Random
stuff, right? Legos. We have all
sorts of stuff that when people walk
into our office, they'll say, oh,
is this for your kids? And I'm like,
no, this is for us. Right. It's about
having those tools. It's very simple.
It hasn't, you know, taken a whole
lot to do, but it's just giving a.
Some resource and having things available
and saying, more than anything, it's
just saying, hey, you have permission,
goget whatever you need, and let's
seewhat we can make out of this. And
it's been really, really fun to see
how the team kind of moves through
thatand uses it to create new things
for clients.
(13:06):
So let's move that to theclient side of things. So that traditional
office space with doors and desks
andthings still is a, you know, resonates
with a lot. I think our clients certainly
expect us to be creative, but, you
know, they may not be as comfortable
in thecreative space. That's why they bring
us on. That's where we fall in. But
it would seem to me that, that, you
know, inviting them in to this creative
opportunity as well and get their,
youknow, start coloring and playing
withpipe cleaners and Legos is also going
to be, you know, inspiring for them
as well. So that transition then,
from the work that you're doing internally
with your team, how is that playing
outwith, you know, with clients and
getting, you know, them to kind of
understand this is now the process
bywhich their team is going through.
(14:04):
Yeah, no, it's a greatquestion, and, you know, something
I hadnot thought about but is coming to
mind. Some of our most strategic
breakthroughs with clients have been
sessions that we've hosted here at
the office doing exactly that. We've
had full brand execution strategy
sessions with the client here. We've
mapped out 18 months of a full rebrand
using the space, inspiring fresh
approaches to things. Some of it
is the actual creative, tactile experience,
but it's also the culture that we've
created of, hey, come to our. Come
to our home, if you will, right?
Cometo our space as a business, we want
to invite you in and come imagine
withus, come dream with us, what could
be. And in this space, anything is
possible, right? And then we start
narrowing it down to what is practical.
But it starts when you walk in the
door and our clients realize, oh,
we can use anything in here. We can
go anywhere. We can use any space.
Wecan combine things in fresh ways.
Itreally has been a game changer for
the work that we do with our clients.
Itbonds us together, and I think it
demonstrates what we do on a regular
basis as a team, we like to be integrated
with our clients, and so that's been
a great way to help them experience
thatculture of creativity and then together
get an end product for them that
reflects that. That has kind of the
ethos of new possibilities, new approaches,
you know, and looking at how can
wetake your end goal and maybe get
there in a way that you've never
gone before?
(16:03):
Do clients come to a PR andcommunications firm looking for creativity?
I genuinely don't know the answer
tothis, but I want to kind of throw
itout there. Obviously, in the creative
services, there's a whole wide range
of things, and certainly, if you're
looking for a branding or a design
firm, you are expecting to get a
creative product. I get the sense
sometimes that people think of PR,
and, again, run a PR firm specifically,
butI'm curious about this. They think
ofPR in a more mechanistic way. Like,
look, we're hiring you to flip a
switch and get us into the news or
keep us out of it. And they don't
necessarily think of that as a creative
process. What's your sense? Am I
completely wrong here, or is that.
Isthere some degree of truth? How do
you get clients to see the value
ofcreative communications if they don't
already?
(16:53):
Right? Yeah. And Abbie, you,I'm sure, have an interesting perspective
on this, too, so chime in with your
thoughts. But I think you're right.
Iagree that there are leaders and
companies that think of pr and communications
as very transactional. But those
aren't the ideal client for us. For
us, we're looking to partner with
clients and brands who are open to
using all the tools in the toolbox
toget to the end goal. So sometimes
earnedmedia, media relations is the right
path to accomplish something that
they need. But we like clients that
are open to, hey, here are a couple
oflevers. We can work with influencers,
we cando some paid placements, we can look
at our digital strategy and leverage
online outlets. There are a lot of
ways to accomplish what they're ultimately
looking to do. And for us, we get
to showcase our creativity and oftentimes
get them much better results because
they were open to something that
isn't the traditional pr that people
think of, the tactical and checks,
youknow, checks the box pr. So in my
experience, while there are companies
andleaders who think that way, those
arenot our ideal clients. The ones that
we're working with are really open
to looking at all the options and
picking the best one to achieve their
goals.
(18:24):
Well, that really plays intothe goal that we all hope we have
with our client relationships is
that we are a team that we are all
working toward a goal. We have a
path that we take to help you get
to your goal. You client have a path.
You need to get to let us both come
together with our strengths and find
ourselves there. And we feel the
same way. I mean, we can check the
boxes, we can do those task oriented
things, but ultimately that's probably
not going to get you what you need
in the long run. And we'll be successful
because we can check those boxes.
Butdid we really accomplish what we
set out to do? And when you can get
to that kind of conversation, you
do know that's the right fit. And
if we paid more attention to our
intuition, we know exactly at the
moment when we know it's not going
towork. But we still hope we can get
that a little bit further down. But
I'm fascinated with this idea of
the idea of creativity being idea
generation and things like that,
butreally about the, it's all around
usand how we choose to bring that together.
And I also want to ask you, because
wetalked a little bit about the bringing
the clients into that space, if I
can take it back a sec, to the new
team members that might be coming
in,and they may have heard out there
onthe streets that three box has pipe
cleaners and Legos in their lobby,
butthis is not a comfortable place for
a lot of, even those of us that are
in this creative environment. Those
types of things are not always an
easy way to operate. And bringing
themon board and into that philosophy
is asmuch of a responsibility of the leader
and, you know, as it is in implementing
itfor, you know, the clients is making
sure our teams fully grasp what it
is we're trying to do. And that it
wasn't that Amanda just took three
weeks off to romp through the mountains.
(20:54):
Right? Right. Yeah. It'sdefinitely a. It's a unique. In some
ways, it's a unique mindset or approach.
And initially, it can be a little
uncomfortable, particularly for older
millennials or Gen X, certainly.
BlakeLewis, our founder, as we were kind
of transitioning to this space now,
he's, I think, really progressive
andflexible as a boomer. But, you know,
it is a little weird to be like,
oh,that person is doodling in a meeting.
Are they paying attention? So I get
it. I get that the initial kind of
instinct for some is to be skeptical.
Butwhat I've also found is that inherently,
all of us have a yearning for this.
All of us have this desire to be
creative, to exercise, at least those
in marketing pr. Right. Have this
desire to exercise some freedom of
creativity. And so once they have
permission, and they can do it, too.
It's fascinating how when you combine
that with sharing the vision, this
is why we do it. This is, we want
togive people that time and space to
come up with new ideas or to, you
know, think of things differently.
They getit pretty quick. So we have not encountered
a real friction on that long term.
But I certainly acknowledge that
itcan be hard for some people to adjust
to initially. But, you know, give
them some tools, give them their
preferred medium and the permission
toplay a little bit and. And then focus
that on what is a client challenge
oropportunity that you can apply it
to. And we've seen some really, really
cool things come out of that.
(22:54):
Thanks for listening to thisepisode of PRGN Presents, brought
toyou by the Public Relations Global
Network.
We publish new episodes everyother week, so subscribe now in your
favorite podcast app. Episodes are
also available on our website, along
with more information about PRGN
andour members, at prgn.com.
From the Public RelationsGlobal Network, this is PRGN Presents.
I'm Adrian McIntyre.
And I'm Abbie Fink, presidentof HMA Public Relations in Phoenix,
Arizona, and a founding member of
PRGN. With public relations leaders
embedded into the fabric of the communities
we serve, clients hire our agencies
forthe local knowledge, expertise and
connections in markets spanning six
continents across the world.
(00:28):
Our guests on this bi-weeklypodcast series are all members of
the Public Relations Global Network.
They will discuss such topics as
workplace culture, creative compensation
andsuccession planning, the importance
ofsustainability and environmental,
social andgovernance programs, crisis communications,
andoutside of the box thinking for growing
your business.
For more information aboutPRGN and our members, please visit
prgn.com. And now, let's meet our
guest for this episode.
(00:59):
Hi, I'm Amanda Hill. I'm CEOat Three Box. We're a strategic marketing
and communications agency based in
Dallas, Texas.
Amanda, you shared somethingwith me that I just think is so fantastic.
"Creativity can't be forced. You
have to invite it to the party."
That'sa party I want to go to.
(01:20):
Me too!
I just like, it was such aprofound statement, right? We're
constantly being asked to be creative,
and it's not like it's a button we
can push, and all of a sudden, the
creativity just starts to flow. So
let's talk about it. Like, how do
we, how do we get to this place of
creativity? How do we, you know,
ondemand, spit it all out and make
everything perfect?
(01:45):
Yeah, no, it's, it's. That'sexactly right. I think it's a lot
like when people ask you to be funny,
right? Tell a joke and be funny and
that kind of pressure, sometimes
themagic is there and you can come up
with it and sometimes you can't.
Andso in marketing and public relations
especially, I think there is this
intense pressure to be on and creative
all the time, constantly coming up
with new ideas, new concepts, new
approaches. And the reality is, as
humans, you have to be really intentional
about how to foster creativity, how
to build an environment and give
thetime and space for that creativity
so thatwhen you are put on the spot, you
can be creative, you can be innovating
andcoming up with things. Even when
youdon't look for new ideas, when you're
creating the time and space, I found
that creativity finds you. So I agree
it has to be invited to the party.
Youhave to set the right parameters
to be successful.
(02:48):
So as a leader of anorganization, you have to give yourself
the grace to find the time to be
creative, not only in how you're
running the firm and the types of
things that you want, but then to
mirror that opportunity so that your
team sees the importance of it. So
let's start with that from a, you
know, a leadership perspective. What
are you doing or what kind of advice
are you, you know, offering about
howto create that opportunity for those
of us in the leadership role?
(03:21):
Yeah, you know, I'll tell youa quick story. So, four years ago,
in Covid times, as many can probably
relate to, I was really drained as
a leader. It was a really trying
timeto be an agency leader in particular,
andit took a lot of energy out of me,
and I found that my creative spark
was just dwindling, nearly gone,
really. And obviously, in our line
of work, it's really important for
us to have that free flow of creative
ideas. And so really out of desperation,
Irealized I have to be able to be
creative to inspire my team. And
inorder to be that, like we talked
aboutpreviously, you have to create that
time and space. So I'm incredibly
fortunate to have the ability to
get away for a couple of weeks each
summer. And so for three years, I
have taken a bit of a sabbatical.
I stillwork while I am away, but I have
spent a couple of weeks in Colorado,
specifically here in the states,
whichis very different from Texas, it
is cooler in the summer, there are
mountains, and there is actual greenery
and nature, whereas here in Texas,
it's pretty sparse and dry right
now,but just a change of scenery and
creating that time and space so that
I could be inspired. The most creative
ideas that I get come when I am out
in nature, when I'm outside of my
office, although we can hopefully
talkabout the creativity that I've tried
to create here in my office. But
most of that is inspired by getting
out, meeting new people, trying new
things, doing new activities, pushing
myself in ways that I haven't before
or that I might even be afraid to
be challenged in. I have to do that
first. And what I've found is that
when I come back from this sabbatical,
Icome with renewed energy. I come
with some really creative approaches
forour agency. New programs, new structure,
new client ideas, new tools and resources
that I've created because there aren't
existing tools that work for us.
Um, it's been amazing, the result
thatcomes out. So I think as leaders,
it'sprioritizing getting away when you
can, even if it's small ways of getting
out into the world and trying new
things, pushing yourself, and then
that not only inspires your team,
butit also kind of gives you license
topush them a little bit to get them
out of their comfort zone because
they've seen you do it and they trust
you that it's going to be fruitful.
(06:18):
Well, and that was going to bemy next question, because change
isalways difficult for people. We want
to be open to the idea that we can
be accepting of something different,
butit's working. So why are we trying
tochange? It may not be working as
well as we think and maybe why the
change needs to happen, but as you
are kind of recentering and bringing
that creative focus back to, you
know, what you want to bring into
the team, then what does that timeframe
look like about bringing those ideas
and then offering up the conversation
withthe team back in the office that
says, I've just had three weeks of
communing with nature, and now here's
the 47 things we're going to do,
which is not what your intention
was, buthow do you kind of get them to be
as enthusiastic and embrace the ideas
and really see how they can then
turn that into creative space for
themselves?
(07:18):
Yeah, I will tell you, it hastaken some time to get the right
mix,and we're probably not there. We
haven't arrived, I'm sure, but we've
evolved that over the past couple
ofyears. And so the way you described
itof, you know, Amanda gets time away
and comes back with all these things
that really, as my team probably
feltlike, gosh, who's going to do all
of these things? Where's the vision?
You know, I need to catch up, right?
Cause I'm so excited, and I've got
all these things that I'm ready to
start right away. I'm sure that was
probably overwhelming for my team,
but really, over the past several
years, each year, we kind of have
iterated that. And this year, before
Ileft, I had a couple of team members
separately say, I can't wait for
you to go to Colorado because I know
you're gonna get time to work on
x, or, this is a big opportunity
for us,and I can't wait to see what you
come up with. I think where it has
become successful is including the
team and equipping the team to do
that themselves, involving them.
And,hey, here's something I'm thinking
aboutthroughout the year, right? Here's
something that I want to really give
some time and space to. I'm thinking
this might be a good Colorado project,
right? And they'll say, oh, yeah,
yeah. What if you did this, this
andthis, and they kind of have some
buyin and ownership from the get go.
They're kind of focusing that creativity,
because when I say, you know, that
it's. That sabbatical is meant to
spur creativity. It's not just, you
know, art and hikes and things like
that. Although I do that in my free
time, I am still working a regular
day.Thank goodness for hybrid work now,
right? I'm still working a regular
day.And so they know that these projects
orthese creative endeavors are focused
onthe business during my work day.
Soit's been really neat to kind of
get there collaboration and participation
inthat along the way, and then also
creating programs and spaces here
inTexas for our team to do the same
and get that creative focus time.
(09:23):
You mentioned spaces, Amanda,and I think this is so important.
I'd loveto talk more about it. There's some
really interesting neuroscience research
on the way in which our physical
environment affects our actions,
affectsour behavior. Fascinating study.
Iwon't go into the details about it,
but about soldiers in the Vietnam
warwho had gotten addicted to heroin
overseas and why the detox programs
thathappened in the Philippines worked
better than the ones that happened
whenthey were back home. They relapsed
faster in their natural home environment
than in the. It's fascinating. And
then also a study about how students
taking an exam have bigger ideas
whenthe ceilings in the room are taller.
Like, it's just this crazy stuff
thatwe don't ever think about. So an
environment of creativity, whatever
thatmeans, and it doesn't necessarily
have tomean stuff on the walls and, you
know, blowing out the room to make
skylights everywhere. But how do
you think about creating the space
for the team to do the kind of work
you're hoping they do?
(10:25):
Yeah. So this, I could. I'mso, so passionate about this. I could
talk forever about it. But to answer
you succinctly, this is a passion
pointfor us here at Three Box. A couple
ofyears ago, our lease was up on our
traditional office space that had
individual rooms where each person
hada space. And then our support team
had kind of a bullpen. Right. Pretty
traditional pre-Covid office. And
so as we started evaluating, what
kind of space do we need? We actually
worked as a team to collaborate on
that, to talk through. Well, what
matters to you? What do we use space
for? How do we use that space? And
so we actually found our new office
and started with a blank slate, took
a space and completely gutted it.
And my team worked alongside me to
create, okay, we need an area where,
you know, we have obviously, like,
big whiteboards that we can sketch
ontogether. We like to have the open
workspaces in some cases, right,
wherewe can just look over a monitor and
share ideas. But we also need some
quiet spaces. So we really developed
thespace plan based on how we work together,
knowing it would be a hybrid environment.
Right. So there are times where my
team is working from home, and that's
where they get a lot of their focus
done. But in our space, we have textures,
we have sounds and music that's going.
That inspires people. Depending on
the day and the mood and what we're
doing, there's always a puzzle out.
And it is fine that people take puzzle
breaks because they're working with
their hands. People will talk and
do a puzzle together or on their
own.We have every art supply imaginable,
and sowhen we start concepting designs
forclients, you can choose from colored
pencils and markers and watercolors
andstickers and pipe cleaners. Random
stuff, right? Legos. We have all
sorts of stuff that when people walk
into our office, they'll say, oh,
is this for your kids? And I'm like,
no, this is for us. Right. It's about
having those tools. It's very simple.
It hasn't, you know, taken a whole
lot to do, but it's just giving a.
Some resource and having things available
and saying, more than anything, it's
just saying, hey, you have permission,
goget whatever you need, and let's
seewhat we can make out of this. And
it's been really, really fun to see
how the team kind of moves through
thatand uses it to create new things
for clients.
(13:06):
So let's move that to theclient side of things. So that traditional
office space with doors and desks
andthings still is a, you know, resonates
with a lot. I think our clients certainly
expect us to be creative, but, you
know, they may not be as comfortable
in thecreative space. That's why they bring
us on. That's where we fall in. But
it would seem to me that, that, you
know, inviting them in to this creative
opportunity as well and get their,
youknow, start coloring and playing
withpipe cleaners and Legos is also going
to be, you know, inspiring for them
as well. So that transition then,
from the work that you're doing internally
with your team, how is that playing
outwith, you know, with clients and
getting, you know, them to kind of
understand this is now the process
bywhich their team is going through.
(14:04):
Yeah, no, it's a greatquestion, and, you know, something
I hadnot thought about but is coming to
mind. Some of our most strategic
breakthroughs with clients have been
sessions that we've hosted here at
the office doing exactly that. We've
had full brand execution strategy
sessions with the client here. We've
mapped out 18 months of a full rebrand
using the space, inspiring fresh
approaches to things. Some of it
is the actual creative, tactile experience,
but it's also the culture that we've
created of, hey, come to our. Come
to our home, if you will, right?
Cometo our space as a business, we want
to invite you in and come imagine
withus, come dream with us, what could
be. And in this space, anything is
possible, right? And then we start
narrowing it down to what is practical.
But it starts when you walk in the
door and our clients realize, oh,
we can use anything in here. We can
go anywhere. We can use any space.
Wecan combine things in fresh ways.
Itreally has been a game changer for
the work that we do with our clients.
Itbonds us together, and I think it
demonstrates what we do on a regular
basis as a team, we like to be integrated
with our clients, and so that's been
a great way to help them experience
thatculture of creativity and then together
get an end product for them that
reflects that. That has kind of the
ethos of new possibilities, new approaches,
you know, and looking at how can
wetake your end goal and maybe get
there in a way that you've never
gone before?
(16:03):
Do clients come to a PR andcommunications firm looking for creativity?
I genuinely don't know the answer
tothis, but I want to kind of throw
itout there. Obviously, in the creative
services, there's a whole wide range
of things, and certainly, if you're
looking for a branding or a design
firm, you are expecting to get a
creative product. I get the sense
sometimes that people think of PR,
and, again, run a PR firm specifically,
butI'm curious about this. They think
ofPR in a more mechanistic way. Like,
look, we're hiring you to flip a
switch and get us into the news or
keep us out of it. And they don't
necessarily think of that as a creative
process. What's your sense? Am I
completely wrong here, or is that.
Isthere some degree of truth? How do
you get clients to see the value
ofcreative communications if they don't
already?
(16:53):
Right? Yeah. And Abbie, you,I'm sure, have an interesting perspective
on this, too, so chime in with your
thoughts. But I think you're right.
Iagree that there are leaders and
companies that think of pr and communications
as very transactional. But those
aren't the ideal client for us. For
us, we're looking to partner with
clients and brands who are open to
using all the tools in the toolbox
toget to the end goal. So sometimes
earnedmedia, media relations is the right
path to accomplish something that
they need. But we like clients that
are open to, hey, here are a couple
oflevers. We can work with influencers,
we cando some paid placements, we can look
at our digital strategy and leverage
online outlets. There are a lot of
ways to accomplish what they're ultimately
looking to do. And for us, we get
to showcase our creativity and oftentimes
get them much better results because
they were open to something that
isn't the traditional pr that people
think of, the tactical and checks,
youknow, checks the box pr. So in my
experience, while there are companies
andleaders who think that way, those
arenot our ideal clients. The ones that
we're working with are really open
to looking at all the options and
picking the best one to achieve their
goals.
(18:24):
Well, that really plays intothe goal that we all hope we have
with our client relationships is
that we are a team that we are all
working toward a goal. We have a
path that we take to help you get
to your goal. You client have a path.
You need to get to let us both come
together with our strengths and find
ourselves there. And we feel the
same way. I mean, we can check the
boxes, we can do those task oriented
things, but ultimately that's probably
not going to get you what you need
in the long run. And we'll be successful
because we can check those boxes.
Butdid we really accomplish what we
set out to do? And when you can get
to that kind of conversation, you
do know that's the right fit. And
if we paid more attention to our
intuition, we know exactly at the
moment when we know it's not going
towork. But we still hope we can get
that a little bit further down. But
I'm fascinated with this idea of
the idea of creativity being idea
generation and things like that,
butreally about the, it's all around
usand how we choose to bring that together.
And I also want to ask you, because
wetalked a little bit about the bringing
the clients into that space, if I
can take it back a sec, to the new
team members that might be coming
in,and they may have heard out there
onthe streets that three box has pipe
cleaners and Legos in their lobby,
butthis is not a comfortable place for
a lot of, even those of us that are
in this creative environment. Those
types of things are not always an
easy way to operate. And bringing
themon board and into that philosophy
is asmuch of a responsibility of the leader
and, you know, as it is in implementing
itfor, you know, the clients is making
sure our teams fully grasp what it
is we're trying to do. And that it
wasn't that Amanda just took three
weeks off to romp through the mountains.
(20:54):
Right? Right. Yeah. It'sdefinitely a. It's a unique. In some
ways, it's a unique mindset or approach.
And initially, it can be a little
uncomfortable, particularly for older
millennials or Gen X, certainly.
BlakeLewis, our founder, as we were kind
of transitioning to this space now,
he's, I think, really progressive
andflexible as a boomer. But, you know,
it is a little weird to be like,
oh,that person is doodling in a meeting.
Are they paying attention? So I get
it. I get that the initial kind of
instinct for some is to be skeptical.
Butwhat I've also found is that inherently,
all of us have a yearning for this.
All of us have this desire to be
creative, to exercise, at least those
in marketing pr. Right. Have this
desire to exercise some freedom of
creativity. And so once they have
permission, and they can do it, too.
It's fascinating how when you combine
that with sharing the vision, this
is why we do it. This is, we want
togive people that time and space to
come up with new ideas or to, you
know, think of things differently.
They getit pretty quick. So we have not encountered
a real friction on that long term.
But I certainly acknowledge that
itcan be hard for some people to adjust
to initially. But, you know, give
them some tools, give them their
preferred medium and the permission
toplay a little bit and. And then focus
that on what is a client challenge
oropportunity that you can apply it
to. And we've seen some really, really
cool things come out of that.
(22:54):
Thanks for listening to thisepisode of PRGN Presents, brought
toyou by the Public Relations Global
Network.
We publish new episodes everyother week, so subscribe now in your
favorite podcast app. Episodes are
also available on our website, along
with more information about PRGN
andour members, at prgn.com.
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