Side Affects 147 | Who is the Strategy & Innovation Team?

July 8, 2025·48 min·3 clips

Kenzie opens the episode. She and Dave sit with the full strategy and innovation team, then start introducing the people who usually stay behind the scenes and the work they do for clients and for McGowan Brabender. The table is full. Dave notes that eight people are in the room, which makes this their biggest podcast setup yet after months of trying to get everyone together. They keep it practical. The conversation keeps circling back to how different specialties can lift engagement, ease the load on HR teams, and turn complicated healthcare messaging into something simpler to use. Each role gets airtime. The team walks through the mix of directing, filming, animation, editing, and client-facing creative support that sits behind the finished work. The vibe stays relaxed. One contributor explains that helping people feel comfortable on camera can matter just as much as the technical work, because a calm set lets the message come through cleanly. There is a Hollywood aside. D'Angelo talks about spending about three years in Los Angeles, learning by trial and error, and helping get Chet Hanks more at ease on camera. The animation talk gets specific. Kenzie and Dave credit him with freshening up the studio's animation work so it feels more modern and polished than before. The crew sounds grateful. The close lands on a simple point: they like coming to work, seeing each other, and helping clients tell stories with a little creative polish instead of a lot of corporate distance. The mood stays easy. It plays like a workplace tour that remembers people listen better when the room feels comfortable.

As heard by us

A practical team portrait that shows how benefits messaging gets clearer, easier to use, and more engaging.

Kenzie and Dave anchor a clear behind-the-scenes look at the strategy and innovation team behind Side Effects. The piece lays out what each person does and how the group helps clients shape distinct messaging, lift engagement, ease the load on HR teams, and make complex…

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Why you'd press play

You want to meet the people behind the benefits polish.

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