Creating Harmony in Creative Work with Joél Leon from New York Times Advertising

Creating Harmony in Creative Work with Joél Leon from New York Times Advertising

Author: Convince & Convert November 17, 2023 Duration: 38:06

Joél Leon, Creative Director, T Brand Studio at New York Times Advertising, hits us with some mic drop moments in this episode of Social Pros. He explores how to build more harmony into the creative process and lead your team to success.  

Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week:  

Full Episode Details  

If you want your creative team to hit it out of the park, then you've got to foster a healthy environment for them. Joél Leon, the Creative Director, T Brand Studio at New York Times Advertising, believes there needs to be more "harmony" within the creative process. And part of that is by building a healthy environment for your team. 

In this episode of Social Pros, we hear Joél's take on what it means to be a great creative director and why the environment that you set up for your team is key to helping them create their best work.   

We hear how Joél approaches creative projects and why his role is all about trusting people to do their work and creating safe spaces for them to flourish creatively. He explores how he defines success, some of his favorite campaigns to work on, and why we need to be genuine and practice what we preach when joining conversations about social issues.  

In This Episode:

  • 1:51 - Joél explains his role within T Brand Studio  
  • 5:40 - How Joél's team works alongside the newsroom and editorial teams 
  • 7:10 - Joél shares some details of campaigns his team has worked on 
  • 8:16 - How Joél leads his team to deliver the very best content 
  • 12:12 - Joél's methods for managing expectations and working with brands  
  • 15:20 - How leaders can create a healthy work environment  
  • 17:20 - How to protect the interests of your team while keeping clients happy 
  • 20:20 - Joél shares some of his favorite campaigns to work on 
  • 23:56 - How Joél prefers to think about failure and success 
  • 27:14 - Finding a harmony between creativity and social issues 
  • 31:05 - Why listening is the most active form of communication 
  • 32:11 - Joél announces his publishing deal and upcoming book 
  • 33:29 - Joél's top tip for those wanting to become a social pro 

Resources 

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 


For years, Social Pros Podcast has served as an essential meeting point for those who do the real work in digital marketing. Created by Convince & Convert, this isn't a theoretical discussion; it's a deep dive into the practical realities of managing social media within larger business ecosystems. The conversations here consistently explore how platforms intersect with brand strategy, content creation, public relations, and paid media, moving beyond hype to examine measurable impact. You'll hear directly from the people behind the profiles at major organizations like Google, Reddit, Uber, and Oracle, gaining insight into their successes and the challenges they navigate daily. The longevity of this podcast is a testament to its value, offering a accumulated wealth of knowledge from hundreds of candid interviews and expert commentaries. Each episode functions like a focused case study, breaking down the "how" and "why" behind decisions that drive genuine business results. If you're looking to understand the evolving role of social media beyond the latest trend, this series provides a grounded, insider perspective that has educated a generation of marketing professionals. Tune in to hear the actual pros discuss the work that rarely makes it into a polished tweet or case study.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Social Pros Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Building Ideal Customer Profiles for Social Media Success [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:45
A marketing strategy can be full of great, inventive ideas but unless it's targeted at the right people, you could be flying blind. But how do you narrow down and identify your target market? Katie Robbert, CEO of Trust…
A Social Pros Special: Looking At Q4 and 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:27
What is exciting about social right now, and what are the things that bug you the most? This special episode of Social Pros gathers together Convince & Convert experts to talk about their shared frustrations with social,…
An AI Storytelling Masterclass with Mike Allton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:57
Can AI help us to become better storytellers? Your immediate thought might be no, of course not! But while an AI tool won't craft a compelling narrative out of nowhere, it can help us to become better at our jobs by savi…
How Quizlet Turns Fans into Friends on Social [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:26
When people head to social media, usually the last thing on their minds is studying. But Quizlet, the widely popular learning platform, has managed to build an impressive social media presence that engages learners aroun…
How Uber Turns Cultural Moments into Social Success [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:47
What does it take to manage social media for a global brand like Uber? We hear the secrets to their social success in this episode with N'Yaisha Aziz, the Global Social Media Lead at Uber, who takes us through Uber's str…
[Bonus] How Marketing Can Lead the Way with Data [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:42
Data-Driven Decisions is a new limited-series marketing podcast presented by Convince & Convert and shared with our Social Pros listeners. What happens when marketing truly takes the driver's seat with data and insights?…
How to Learn from Trend-Signals & Social-First Content [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:47
Leaning into social-first content can help you connect to the trends that your audience is already engaged with. The key to great social-first content? Being a content consumer yourself, says our guest this week, Byron S…
[Bonus] How Marketers Can Use Buyer Intent Data [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:00
Data-Driven Decisions is a new limited-series marketing podcast presented by Convince & Convert and shared with our Social Pros listeners. Data is being used more and more to help businesses make the best decisions, in p…