State of the Union – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this first episode, Josh Horton—founder of Creative Works and the Creative Workers Union—shares the honest story behind this podcast: why it took years to launch, what finally pushed him to hit record, and why real, unfiltered conversations about creative work are more important now than ever.

If you’re feeling uncertain, burned out, or just looking for something real, this episode is for you.

Register for Creative Works EAST (Oct 2–4, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY) → creativeworks.co/east

Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now?

📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co

Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes.

💬 Share this episode with a friend or tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast

In this episode, Josh Horton sits down with Miné Day, Brad Hodgkiss, and Clinton Campbell — the partners behind MUTI, a Cape Town–based design and illustration studio known for its stunning range of styles, collaborative energy, and deeply human approach to creativity. They talk about how the studio formed through trust, friendship, and a shared vision — and how it grew organically into one of the most respected illustration shops in the world.

Together, they explore how collaboration can lead to exponential growth, how leadership and humility shape studio culture, and how craft, connection, and curiosity keep their work evolving. The conversation also digs into team dynamics, emotional intelligence, commercial versatility, the limits of AI, and why human connection still wins in a world chasing speed and scale.

If you're building a creative practice, leading a team, or trying to stay grounded in your work — this episode is for you.

✊ Support the Show

Help spread the word by sharing this episode with someone who needs it—it makes a real difference. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast

🎙️Podcast Credits

Presented by Creative Workers Union

Hosted by Josh Horton

Edited by Sydney Gladu

Artwork by MUTI

🔗 Relevant Links

MUTI Website: https://studiomuti.co.za

MUTI Wallpapers: https://www.creativeworks.co/greetings-from-seattle

——

CWU Website: creativeworks.co

CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter

CWU Beta Member Sign Up: creativeworks.co/members

📖 Your Story

Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co

Include your name and location — we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 Follow & Connect

Instagram → @creativeworks

Threads → @creativeworks

LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes.

In this episode, Josh Horton sits down with Theresa Fitzgerald — a mission-driven designer, educator, and creative leader behind some of the world’s most trusted brands in children’s media. Together, they explore the evolving role of education in a fast-moving world. From the global influence of Sesame Workshop to the principles of designing for children, they discuss the power of play, nostalgia, and storytelling to shape culture and create connection. The conversation also touches on the shift from fun to purpose in creative work, the rise of AI, and the need for community in a time when craft matters more than ever.

If you’re navigating change, chasing purpose, or looking for ways to stay grounded in your work — this episode is for you.

✊ Support the Show
Help spread the word by sharing this episode with someone who needs it—it makes a real difference. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast

🎙️ Podcast Credits
Presented by Creative Workers Union
Hosted by Josh Horton
Edited by Sydney Gladu
Artwork by MUTI

🔗 Relevant Links
Theresa Fitzgerald — LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/theresa-fitzgerald

Selected Brands: Sesame Workshop • Nickelodeon • Peanuts • Scholastic
——
CWU Website: creativeworks.co
CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter
CWU Beta Member Sign Up: creativeworks.co/members

📖 Your Story
Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co. Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes.

In this episode, Josh Horton sits down with Brian McDonald—an award-winning screenwriter, director, and author of Invisible Ink and Land of the Dead. With over 30 years in film, television, and comics, Brian’s storytelling wisdom has shaped generations of writers and filmmakers.

Together, they talk about the craft and truth of storytelling—why good stories last, how AI challenges creativity, and why authenticity still matters more than ever. They also explore how film and story can reconnect us to our shared humanity in a time when speed and spectacle often win over substance.

If you care about story, truth, and what it really means to be a creative in a changing world, this episode is for you.

✊ Support the Show
Help spread the word by sharing this episode with someone who needs it—it makes a real difference. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast

🎙️ Podcast Credits
Presented by Creative Workers Union
Hosted by Josh Horton
Edited by Sydney Gladu
Artwork by MUTI

🔗 Relevant Links
Brian’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writeinvisibleink
Story First Studio/Podcast: https://www.storyfirst.studio
Books by Brian McDonald: Invisible Ink & Land of the Dead
——
CWU Website: creativeworks.co
CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter
CWU Beta Member Sign Up: members.creativeworks.co

📖 Your Story
Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes.

In this episode, Josh Horton talks with designer and illustrator Matt Stevens—longtime friend, collaborator, and the creative mind behind projects like Max 100 and Good Movies as Old Books. They explore how personal work can reshape a career, what it takes to stay inspired as a one-person studio, and how curiosity, clarity, and consistency have guided Matt’s path for more than a decade.

Together, they get into the realities of client work, the value of over-communicating, and how a simple Air Max obsession turned into a book, a Nike commission, and a whole second creative lane.

If you’re a designer, illustrator, or studio-of-one trying to build the kind of career you actually want, this episode is for you.

✊ Support the Show
Help spread the word by sharing this episode with someone who needs it—it makes a real difference. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast

🎙️ Podcast Credits
Presented by Creative Workers Union
Hosted by Josh Horton
Edited by Sydney Gladu
Artwork by MUTI

🔗 Relevant Links
Matt’s Portfolio: hellomattstevens.com
Matt’s Instagram: instagram.com/mattstevensclt
Good Movies as Old Books: goodmoviesasoldbooks.com
——
CWU Website: creativeworks.co
CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter
CWU Beta Member Sign Up: members.creativeworks.co

📖 Your Story
Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes.

In this episode, Josh Horton talks with Amy Hood—designer, co-founder of Hoodzpah, and one half of the sister-duo that’s helped shape everything from startup brands to global campaigns with their bold, unmistakable style.

Together, they dig into Amy’s Southern upbringing, how it shaped the way she sees people and work, and the differences she and her sister Jen have noticed between design scenes across the country—from the Heartland to Silicon Valley to the East Coast. They talk candidly about creative community, startup culture, the tension between conversion and brand integrity, and what it really takes to build a career rooted in conviction instead of algorithms.

If you’re a brand designer, a small-studio creative, or someone trying to find your footing in a changing industry, this episode is for you.

✊ Support the Show
Help spread the word by sharing this episode with someone who needs it—it makes a real difference. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast

🎙️ Podcast Credits
Presented by Creative Workers Union
Hosted by Josh Horton
Edited by Sydney Gladu
Artwork by MUTI

🔗 Relevant Links
Hoodzpah: hoodzpahdesign.com
Amy on Instagram: instagram.com/amyhoodlum
Hoodzpah on Instagram: instagram.com/hoodzpahdesign
——
CWU Website: creativeworks.co
CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter
CWU Beta Member Sign Up: members.creativeworks.co

📖 Your Story
Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes.

In this episode, Josh Horton talks with Tracie Ching—illustrator, poster artist, and one of the most distinctive digital printmakers working today. Known for her meticulous vector work and striking limited-edition posters, Tracie has built a career defined by discipline, reinvention, and an unwavering commitment to craft.

Together, they dig into the realities of building a creative career in public—what it means to start over, to rebuild momentum, to learn in real time, and to keep showing up even when the work feels uncertain. They talk candidly about the pressure to produce, the slow decline of social platforms, the temptation of AI shortcuts, and the power of doing deliberate, disciplined work when no one’s watching.

If you’re a creative wrestling with visibility, pressure to “build a brand,” or how to actually support the next generation coming up behind you — this episode is for you.

✊ SUPPORT THE SHOW → creativeworks.co/podcast
State of the Union is self-funded and independently produced—these conversations exist for and because of people like you.

If this episode resonated, please consider making a small donation to help keep the podcast going and these conversations alive.

Sharing the episode also goes a long way. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast so others can find it too.

🎙️ Podcast Credits
Presented by Creative Workers Union
Hosted by Josh Horton
Edited by Sydney Gladu
Artwork by MUTI

🔗 Relevant Links
Tracie’s Portfolio: tracieching.com
Tracie on Instagram: instagram.com/tracieching
We Create Mentorship Program: wecreatementorship.com
——
CWU Website: creativeworks.co
CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter
CWU Beta Member Sign Up: creativeworks.co/members

📖 Your Story
Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes.

In this episode, Josh Horton sits down with Brandon Rike—creative director and designer known for shaping the visual world of bands and musicians across genres. Over the last two decades, Brandon has worked with artists like Twenty One Pilots, Skrillex, Thirty Seconds To Mars, The Smashing Pumpkins, Blink-182, and Underoath, building a career that’s as prolific as it is honest.

Together, they talk candidly about what it means to be a creative in real time—what “arriving” actually looks like, and what happens after you get there. Brandon opens up about the long road from playing in a Tooth & Nail band, to cranking out merch for half the music industry, to building an agency that grew too complex, and eventually stripping everything back to a simple, sustainable practice serving only the artists he cares deeply about.

They explore ego, expertise, burnout, humility, parenting, creative uncertainty, and the courage it takes to keep evolving when everyone expects you to stay the same.

If you’ve ever chased a milestone, hit it, and still felt restless—or wondered what career longevity really looks like—this episode is for you.

✊ SUPPORT THE SHOW → creativeworks.co/podcast
State of the Union is self-funded and independently produced—these conversations exist for and because of people like you.

If this episode resonated, please consider making a small donation to help keep the podcast going and these conversations alive.

Sharing the episode also goes a long way. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast so others can find it too.

🎙️ Podcast Credits
Presented by Creative Workers Union
Hosted by Josh Horton
Edited by Sydney Gladu
Artwork by MUTI

🔗 Relevant Links
Brandon’s Portfolio: brandonrike.com
Brandon on Instagram: instagram.com/brandonrike
——
CWU Website: creativeworks.co
CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter

📖 Your Story
Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co. Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 Follow & Connect
Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen so you don’t miss future episodes.

In this episode, Josh Horton sits down with Austin Dunbar—designer, entrepreneur, and studio owner. Austin is the Principal of Durham Brand & Co. and a partner at Wenzel Distillery, and he’s built multiple businesses and long-term client relationships through some of the most volatile years the creative industry has ever seen.

Together, they talk candidly about what it actually feels like to be a creative right now—the emotional whiplash of being on top of the mountain one day and completely gutted the next. Austin shares why the work isn’t just about talent anymore, but about your nervous system—how you handle pressure, uncertainty, and the shrinking middle of the industry.

Austin opens up about one of the hardest seasons of his life: surgeries, injuries, loss, and trying to keep a business and a family moving through it all. They talk about staying present, building grounding practices outside of work, and what it really means to show up—as a creative, a partner, and a dad.

They also zoom out to the state of the industry—AI, shrinking budgets, and why relationships will always outlast portfolios. They talk about design as a trade, not a trend, the danger of chasing what’s cool over building real craft, and why Austin believes in a “we economy” over a “me economy.”

If you’re feeling fried, questioning your path, or wondering how to build something more resilient than a social feed—this one’s for you.

✊ SUPPORT THE SHOW → creativeworks.co/podcast
State of the Union is self-funded and independently produced—these conversations exist for and because of people like you.

If this episode resonated, please consider making a small donation to help keep the podcast going and these conversations alive.

Sharing the episode also goes a long way. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast so others can find it too.

🔗 RELEVANT LINKS
Durham Brand & Co.: durhambrandco.com
Wenzel Distillery: wenzeldistillery.com
——
CWU Website: creativeworks.co
CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter

📖 YOUR STORY
Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co. Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 FOLLOW & CONNECT
Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎙️ PODCAST CREDITS
Presented by Creative Workers Union

Hosted by Josh Horton
Edited by Sydney Gladu

Artwork by MUTI 

🎧 SUBSCRIBE WHEREVER YOU LISTEN so you don’t miss future episodes.

In this episode, Josh Horton talks with Nathan Goldman, designer, illustrator, and cofounder of DKNG Studios, about what it really takes to build, and sustain, a long-term creative life.

Nathan reflects on growing up in an artistic household, finding his creative footing through music and screen printing, and how a high school friendship evolved into a 20-year studio partnership. Together, they unpack how DKNG grew from gig posters and garage print runs into a diversified studio spanning illustration, branding, licensing, retail, and education.

They also talk candidly about craft in the age of AI and easy tools, the pressure to become a visible online personality, and why Nathan still believes thoughtful, well-made work can stand out in a noisy industry.

If you’re curious how a two-person studio is built, evolves, and stays committed to craft over decades this episode is for you.

✊ SUPPORT THE SHOW → creativeworks.co/podcast
State of the Union is self-funded and independently produced—these conversations exist for and because of people like you.

If this episode resonated, please consider making a small donation to help keep the podcast going and these conversations alive.

Sharing the episode also goes a long way. Tag us using #StateOfTheUnionPodcast so others can find it too.

🔗 RELEVANT LINKS
DKNG Studios Website: dkngstudios.com
DKNG Studios Process Videos: youtube.com/@DKNGstudio
——
CWU Website: creativeworks.co
CWU Newsletter: creativeworks.co/newsletter

Creative Works WEST ’26: creativeworks.co/west

📖 YOUR STORY
Got a story about your creative life—a win, a struggle, a breakthrough, or just a moment that captures what it’s like right now? 📩 Email us at stories@creativeworks.co. Include your name and location—we may feature it in a future episode.

📲 FOLLOW & CONNECT
Instagram → @creativeworks
Threads → @creativeworks
LinkedIn → Creative Workers Union

🎙️ PODCAST CREDITS
Presented by Creative Workers Union
Hosted by Josh Horton
Edited by Sydney Gladu
Artwork by MUTI 

🎧 SUBSCRIBE WHEREVER YOU LISTEN so you don’t miss future episodes.