In-House Leaders Say "Us Versus Them" Mentality Is a Thing of the Past

Five years ago, Jeff Topol hesitated about going in-house. Today, the creative strategy director at TikTok Canada has no regrets.

“When I took this job at TikTok, I struggled so much with the perception of the choice I made,” he said during an LBB Beach panel on the evolution of brand-side creativity. “Anybody who works agency-side as a creative knows there's a very strong belief in that world that this is the right way to do things - and the only way to do things. So it was really hard for me to decide to take this job… because of that perception and the feeling like, oh my god, maybe I'm going to be a bit of a pariah.”

That mindset, he said, is changing fast. “More and more, people are turning to brand-side. There are a lot of great opportunities there. And specifically where I sit, to work at a brand like TikTok - where so much of what we do impacts culture every day - it’s just so exciting.”

Cass Zawadowski, executive creative director for Lyft, echoed that sentiment, describing her own shift to the brand side as a deliberate decision to grow - not slow down.

“When I reflect on my own personal journey and why I wanted to go brand-side, I felt that I just had more to learn - professionally, personally. I wanted to challenge myself differently.

“Now that I am brand-side, regardless of where my next career move might be or how I continue to grow at Lyft, learning to talk the language of performance is only going to help you as a creative leader in any role. Getting closer to a CEO and understanding how they think, regardless of where you go as a creative leader, is only going to help you.

“So I think if it's something you've been thinking about, try it. You can always go back. And I think agencies will probably want you a little more, maybe because you bring that different perspective, and you understand the inner workings of a brand that much more.”

During the session at Cannes Lions, David Connell, who has been worldwide head of production at Amazon for 10 years, agreed that while there was once upon a time an existence of that tension, it exists less so than before. “Having been brand-side for 10 years, I think it's less ‘us versus them',” he said. “I think there was a notional - or not antagonistic, but more commonplace - divide.

“But I do think that this industry thrives on change. It is reinvigorated by that. I think that’s being recognised or realised in real time. I don't feel it quite as much these days, but five to ten years ago, I did think there was the idea that if you went brand-side, you were going to a country club.”

As someone who describes himself as loving creativity, Jeff, an ex-agency creative, said the nature of the platform only deepens the appeal to create culturally impactful work. “That’s the life of the platform - everyday people doing things really creatively - and now seeing brands try to use that space for the same type of work… that’s what I’m always preaching to creative agencies. They listen like 10% of the time, which is fine,” he joked, “but really - this platform is all about creativity. We are all creative people. How do we do great creative work for brands?”

Jeff added that TikTok Canada had a role open nine months ago, and the number of people who applied from creative agencies was eye-opening. “That just tells you - just by their actions - what people are starting to think about: the potential of working in-house or brand-side versus agency-side.”

That evolution is also playing out in how in-house teams position themselves internally - and the kind of work they're empowered to do. At DoorDash, creative and brand lead Renaldo Chapman said the decision to bring the studio under his remit has been a game-changer for attracting top-tier talent.

“The one thing I'll add is, moving the creative studio underneath my remit unlocks dollars for the studio. It also unlocks headcount,” he said. “So when I'm looking at talent across my full org, I go after the best of the best. And as long as you're not hiring the retiree - which I'm not - then it creates a reputation within the studio.

“As long as you're investing dollars into the studio for them to do the work they want to do - the upper funnel, sexier work that makes it on the stage at Cannes - then you're able to attract more talent over to client-side.”

Across the board, the panellists agreed that success in today’s hybrid landscape depends on strong, respectful collaboration with external partners for creative and production support. “We handle the full funnel, and about 75% of the work is done in-house,” said Renaldo. “However, we do have an agency ecosystem that covers the remaining 25%. That last portion usually includes larger-scale projects. While we are capable of handling big product campaigns internally, we’ve found it’s often easier to outsource those to our agency partners rather than burning out our internal creative team.”

That sense of balance was echoed by Cass, who spoke to the realities of working with a leaner internal setup. “We have a much smaller production team - small but mighty - and that’s where many of our agency partnerships really come into play,” said Cass.

“For example, if we’re thinking about an experiential project, we might have someone in-house to help get it off the ground, but we’re also looking for an external partner who can take it over the finish line. That helps us avoid burnout and keeps the workload manageable. A lot of the time, our in-house production team is focused on getting things started, and then there’s a smooth hand-off, which is essential just to keep up with the sheer volume of work.”

“I think we’ve found the right size,” added David. “Our creative leadership wants everyone deeply involved in the work, but there’s only so much mindshare to go around. I’m not personally producing every piece of content, but I am involved in every single production my team touches. We’ve landed on a scale that lets us maintain the quality of the work, while also looking at different ways to bring in support - using agencies and creative partners as a kind of pressure valve.”