Our new interview series, Good Practice, delves into what makes good creative and good business. The podcast features candid conversations with professionals, artists, and change-makers from different corners of the creative economy whose work inspires us.
Season One: Conscious Curation
Season One explores the theme of Conscious Curation. It’s a practice that sits at the heart of how we our work at Stocksy—and one that shows up differently across creative fields.
In this series, Stocksy CEO Trace Cohen and Creative Director Genevieve Ross talk with creative thinkers about how curation shapes their work. Inspired by themes from our latest culture report, The Curation Paradox, these conversations dig into what it means to make thoughtful, meaningful work in a world that moves fast and produces a lot.
Episode 1: featuring Shane Ginsberg, Chief Brand Officer at Mach 49
A visionary brand strategist with a storied career in marketing and branding, Shane Ginsberg is Chief Brand Officer at Mach49. Leading with deep expertise, he’s shaping the firm’s practice of unlocking brand-led innovation and growth for Fortune 1000 companies.
Before joining Mach49, Shane co-founded Razorfish, one of the first and largest digital professional services firms. He also held leadership roles at agencies including AKQA, Organic, and EVB. In addition to his work at Mach49, Shane continues to work as a commercial artist, serves on the board of the ASU Art Museum and Fashion Program, and advises early stage companies. His love for creativity is reflected in his personal motto: “Create something every day. Even if it sucks.”
About the Conversation
In this episode, Shane breaks down how Mach 49 tunes into niche communities to spot what brands usually miss—and why rethinking how we research and listen can lead to more useful, resonant work.
Podcast Highlights
0:15 / Introducing the Good Practice podcast
1:19 / Trace introduces guest Shane Ginsburg
4:00 / Shane describes Mach 49’s PoV of brand as an under-utilized asset
7:26 / How brand manifests in the world: perception, meaning, culture and commerce
8:16 / On curation: information filters, categorization, the problem with audience segmentation
10:56 / Genevieve’s observation: how big data is blurring knowledge categories
11:55 / Shane on trafficking in attention versus anticipating unmet needs
15:05 / What defines a community of shared interest?
18:35 / How Mach 49 models online communities of interest
21:11 / Understanding the density or intensity of community networks
22:58 / Trace tracks a shift from dot-com era communities of interest to social feeds
25:24 / “Interesting stuff happens in the comments”
27:44 / Communities of shared values; Tesla as a case study of brand whiplash
30:47 / “If brands ignore culture, culture will ignore brands”
33:15 / Shane on why his travels to Chile have been inspiring him
How to Listen
Follow Good Practice on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to access the latest episodes as soon as they drop.
