2025 Brand Side - Home - Brand-Side Creative Conference

BRAND-SIDE: A CONFERENCE FOR CREATIVES WITHIN

Brand-Side is our two-day conference aimed squarely at the inner dynamics of the very best in-house creative departments. With sessions from some of the most acclaimed brand and marketing leaders in the industry, Brand-Side is a one-of-a-kind experience that gives creatives in this space a behind-the-scenes look at the tactics and cultures behind the teams who build, maintain, and grow a brand’s presence in the market.

Whether being Brand-Side is a new experience for you or you are a seasoned in-house leader looking to invigorate your team, you will come away from the conference with inspiration, connections, and practical applications to up your creative game. Sessions will tackle topics like ‘How do you establish a strong creative culture if your brand isn’t considered ‘creative’? What is the best way to steward your brand internally and also work seamlessly with external agency partners?’ and much more.

BRAND-SIDE 2026

Hyatt Centric Downtown Nashville

210 Molloy St.

Nashville, TN 37201

September 24-25, 2025

Schedule is subject to change

Day 1, September 24 Day 2, September 25

Day 1, September 24

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Registration & Breakfast

10:00 AM - 10:10 AM

Welcome

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM

The Heartbeat of the Brand: The Agency That Matters the Most

Let's stop pretending external agencies have the secret sauce. Verizon's SVP of Creative & Brand Design, Ricardo Aspiazu, is ready to pull back the curtain on a new creative paradigm. This session isn't just about the rise of in-house teams; it's about their dominance. Learn how Verizon is leveraging its unique insider advantage to drive innovation, accelerate sales, and build an unshakeable brand from within. It's time to take back control of your brand's destiny.

Ricardo Aspiazu

SVP, Creative & Brand Design || Verizon

11:05 AM - 11:55 AM

Design Defense

I often get asked, “What does a creative do in defense?” or “Why would you need designers?” This session explores what it means to apply creativity in defense, a field defined by extreme constraints. We’ll challenge the misconception that defense products are purely utilitarian, and how design systems — from communication to hardware — organize complexity and support rapid decision-making. Design matters in defense because it establishes trust, enhances clarity, and reinforces accountability.

Jen Bucci

VP, Head of Design || Anduril Industries

12:00 PM - 12:50 PM

AI: Your Next Creative Leap

Sandro Corsaro shows in-house creative teams how to use AI as a creative multiplier to visualize ideas, align on vision, and scale production. With wins from Wayfair and a career spanning entertainment, publishing, and e-commerce, he shares proven ways to turn an imaginative spark into bold brand breakthroughs that connect emotionally and build lasting value.

Sandro Corsaro

Head of Global Creative & Content || Wayfair

12:50 PM - 1:45 PM

Lunch

1:45 PM - 2:35 PM

Why did I say yes to presenting today? How Amazon teaches you to question everything.

Join Jo Shoesmith as she dives into Amazon's culture of curiosity and how it fosters innovation, radical thinking, and big ideas.

Jo Shoesmith

VP, Global Chief Creative Officer || Amazon

2:40 PM - 3:25 PM

Round Table Session

A more intimate forum to discuss the day's sessions, providing a platform to exchange insights, share best practices and foster networking among attendees and speakers.

Sergio Claudio

Head of One School

The Transformation of the CMO into a Chief Revenue Officer

Is the CMO becoming obsolete—or simply evolving into the ultimate growth driver? In
this roundtable, we’ll dig into the rise of the CMO-as-CRO, exploring the forces behind this shift and what
it means for marketing’s future. Expect a lively debate on how brand-to-demand principles reshape
priorities, especially in B2B and tech.

Jo Shoesmith

VP, Global Chief Creative Officer at Amazon

Why did I say yes to presenting today? How Amazon teaches you to question
everything.

Keep the dialogue going! Join this speaker-led roundtable for an engaging
deep dive into their session themes – where ideas sharpen, questions grow
bolder, and insights turn into action.

Cassie Worley

Executive Creative Director, Brand Creative & Identity at Capital One

Brandon Barrett

Senior Director, Brand Agency Relations at Capital One

In-house and External Creative Relationships

As business demands grow and operational budgets are tight, in-house
creative teams are relying more on external support to scale. I’m curious
to learn how other brands are making partnerships with agencies and
freelancers work seamlessly—creating a unified team without sacrificing
brand consistency or creative excellence.

Sandro Corsaro

Head of Global Creative & Content at Wayfair

AI: Your Next Creative Leap

Keep the dialogue going! Join this speaker-led roundtable for an engaging deep dive into their session
themes – where ideas sharpen, questions grow bolder, and insights turn into action.

3:30 PM - 4:20 PM

Is the democratization of design ruining the industry?

It’s the kind of question that shows up in Reddit threads or sparks debate on panels. As simple, easy-to-use design tools like Canva put creative powers in more hands, some worry it’s devaluing design itself. In this thought-provoking session, Canva’s Executive Creative Director, Cat van der Werff addresses the backlash head-on. She unpacks the identity tension within the industry, makes the case for why more design literacy doesn’t mean worse design, and argues that the future of design relies on those bold enough to scale it.

Cat van der Werff

Executive Creative Director || Canva

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Group Dinner

Enjoy local New American cuisine, quality cocktails, and optional bowling with fellow attendees and speakers at Nashville’s Pinewood Social.

Day 2, September 25

10:00 AM - 10:50 AM

The R Word:
The Myth of Risk and Why It’s Holding Everything Back

A few years ago, putting healthy beverages into beer-style cans and calling it Liquid Death seemed like a dumb, risky move. But Andy would argument, it’s the safest thing they could have done. He’ll dissect why the binary choice between “risky” and “safe” is a myth we tell ourselves, and how we need to reframe our point of view to make breakthrough work.

Andy Pearson

VP of Creative || Liquid Death

10:55 AM - 11:45 PM

No,seriously. Why not?

A three-part look at shifting how we see and do things. We’ll call out a few myths, show why small moves hit hardest, and swap comfort for curiosity. You’ll leave ready to charter new paths, poke a few holes, and start bending the rules that never made sense to begin with.

Marlice Johnson

Chief Brand Officer || Sterns Bank

11:50 AM - 12:40 PM

Listening to the Brand: How Sound Shapes Culture, Emotion, & Loyalty

Brand perception isn't just visual or verbal - it's deeply auditory. This session dives into the neuroscience and commerce data behind why sound can boost brand recall by over 90%, heighten emotional engagement, and directly drive behaviour across everything from social to retail. We'll reframe sonic branding and music strategy not as afterthoughts or jingles, but as architectural frameworks for emotional brand experiences. From IVR systems to retail soundscapes, social content to bespoke audio logos, every brand touchpoint is an opportunity to build loyalty through sound. We'll explore how platforms like TikTok and cultural icons like the UEFA Champions League anthem demonstrate that strategic sound design can transcend logos and become cultural signals. We'll walk through how leading brands are embedding sonic strategy into their creative ecosystems – and how in-house teams can take ownership of it.

Roger Sho Gehrmann

VP of Integrated Partnerships || MassiveMusic

12:40 PM - 1:30 PM

Lunch

1:30 PM - 2:20 PM

Moving the Goalposts

How Rocket restaged, redesigned and reimagined the biggest brand in homeownership at the big game. We’ll unpack Rocket's journey from brief day to game day, sharing how a forty-year-old business executed a complete overhaul of its brand identity, culminating in a world-first live commercial crossover that blurred the lines between advertising and activation.

Peter Giorgi

SVP, Brand Marketing, Partnerships & Creative Excellence || Rocket

2:25 PM - 3:10 PM

Round Table Sessions

A more intimate forum to discuss the day's sessions, providing a platform to exchange insights, share best practices and foster networking among attendees and speakers.

Paige Hudson

Global Executive Creative Director at Superside

Scaling Creative Excellence – Redefining Modern Marketing Teams

Creative teams are under pressure to move faster, create more, and stay on brand—with
fewer resources.
AI can help, but only when paired with the right talent and workflows. This roundtable will discuss
how AI drives efficiency, redefines roles, and highlights the need to certify creatives in AI skills.
Participants will explore how AI is reshaping creative work, the essential skills for the future,
and strategies to.

Andy Pearson

VP of Creative at Liquid Death

The R Word: The Myth of Risk and Why It’s Holding Everything Back

Keep the dialogue going! Join this speaker-led roundtable for an engaging deep dive into their session
themes – where ideas sharpen, questions grow bolder, and insights turn into action.

Cat van der Werff

Executive Creative Director at Canva

Is the democratization of design ruining the industry?

Keep the dialogue going! Join this speaker-led roundtable for an engaging deep dive
into their session themes – where ideas sharpen, questions grow bolder, and insights
turn into action.

Roger Sho Gehrmann

VP of Integrated Partnerships at MassiveMusic

Listening to the Brand: How Sound Shapes Culture, Emotion, & Loyalty

Keep the dialogue going! Join this speaker-led roundtable for an engaging deep dive
into their session themes – where ideas sharpen, questions grow bolder, and insights
turn into action.

3:10 PM - 4:00 PM

The House Always Wins: Reinventing the Brand from the Inside Out

When you work brandside, you are the house and that’s your edge. This is a candid, real-talk session on how to use that advantage to pull off bold creative reinvention from within, despite (or maybe because of) the constraints. Learn how to accelerate progress, make a few high-leverage plays that earn trust quickly, and build lasting internal momentum, even within large, complex organizations.

Xanthe Wells

VP, Global Creative || Pinterest

4:00 PM - 4:05 PM

Closing Remarks

4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Closing Cocktails

Join us as we close out the conference in style for our specialty cocktail reception, sponsored by our friends at Superside and located at Ella's Bar in the heart of the Hyatt Centric.

LODGING

Brand-Side will be held at the Hyatt Centric Downtown Nashville, however, space is limited - see details below and book now!

ADDRESS:

210 Molloy St,

Nashville, TN 37201

ROOM RATE:

$309 per night

BOOK NOW

LOCATION

Set in the pulse of downtown Nashville, the Hyatt Centric blends modern edge with Music City soul—just steps from the neon glow of Broadway and the raw creativity that fuels the city.

ATTENDEES

Sho Gehrmann, Roger

VP of Integrated Partnerships, MassiveMusic

Shoesmith, Jo

Global Chief Creative Officer, Amazon

Skaggs, Stephanie

Head of Brand & Creative, Hometap

Skidgel, Jennifer

Global Director, Creative Development, The One Club for Creativity

Stoffers, Sacha

Director, Partnerships, MassiveMusic

Summers, Ryan

Creative Innovation Lead, Sarofsky

Thomas, Colleen

VP, Operations, Kentucky Distillers Association

Topol, Jeff

Creative Strategy Director - TikTok Creative Lab, TikTok

Tuggle, Daniel

Head of Production, Lucid Motors

van der Werff, Cat

Executive Creative Director, Canva

Van Hoven, Matt

Co-Founder, Raven Public Relations

Vandette, Chris

Executive Creative Director, Capital One

Venezia, Louis

Owner/Chief Creative Officer, PILOT CONTENT

Vugts, Susan

Managing Director, SUPERHEROES

Wampler, Sadee

Director of Brand Marketing, Clayton

Wells, Xanthe

VP, Global Creative, Pinterest

Wentland, Brooke

Art Manager, Mead & Hunt

Woodrow, Emily

Group Creative Director, Publix Super Markets, Inc

Worley, Cassie

Executive Creative Director, Capital One

BRAND-SIDE: A CONFERENCE FOR CREATIVES WITHIN

BRAND-SIDE 2026

Hyatt Centric Downtown Nashville

210 Molloy St.

Nashville, TN 37201

September 24-25, 2025

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Registration & Breakfast

10:00 AM - 10:10 AM

Welcome

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM

The Heartbeat of the Brand: The Agency That Matters the Most

11:05 AM - 11:55 AM

Design Defense

12:00 PM - 12:50 PM

AI: Your Next Creative Leap

12:50 PM - 1:45 PM

Lunch

1:45 PM - 2:35 PM

Why did I say yes to presenting today? How Amazon teaches you to question everything.

2:40 PM - 3:25 PM

Round Table Session

3:30 PM - 4:20 PM

Is the democratization of design ruining the industry?

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Group Dinner

10:00 AM - 10:50 AM

The R Word: The Myth of Risk and Why It’s Holding Everything Back

10:55 AM - 11:45 PM

No,seriously. Why not?

11:50 AM - 12:40 PM

Listening ​to the Brand: How ​Sound Shapes Culture, ​Emotion, & Loyalty

12:40 PM - 1:30 PM

Lunch

1:30 PM - 2:20 PM

Moving the Goalposts

2:25 PM - 3:10 PM

Round Table Sessions

3:10 PM - 4:00 PM

The House Always Wins: Reinventing the Brand from the Inside Out

4:00 PM - 4:05 PM

Closing Remarks

4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Closing Cocktails

LODGING

LOCATION

ATTENDEES

The One Club for Creativity

Follow Us

The R Word:
The Myth of Risk and Why It’s Holding Everything Back

Listening to the Brand: How Sound Shapes Culture, Emotion, & Loyalty