Beyond Broadcast: Rebuilding Agency Culture for a Hybrid World - ep. #030

About This Episode

How do high-growth creative agencies balance rapid expansion, shifting workplace models, and intentional human connection without fracturing their core culture? In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Christian Jacobsen, Co-founder and Board Member of The Many. From 30 years in advertising forged on Madison Avenue and sharpened through a landmark stint with Red Bull to leading a global creative agency that has won Lions at Cannes, Christian brings a rare combination of strategic depth, entrepreneurial grit, and cultural fluency to modern workplace transformation. This conversation uncovers what happens when a high-growth agency collides with the seismic disruptions of the pandemic era and what a thoughtful leader does to rebuild from the inside out. As headcount doubled in a fully virtual environment, informal founder processes began to fracture, creating operational strain, burnout, and isolated team pockets with competing norms. Rather than implementing rigid corporate mandates, leadership intentionally built a flexibility-first hybrid model that balances local collaboration with seasonal work-from-anywhere windows. Drawing from his upcoming book, Wired to Participate, Christian also explores why humanity's fundamental wiring for tribal connection remains our greatest asset in an AI-driven world. "People are the core of everything and the heart of everything... Growth without operational intention can fracture culture. You have to protect the people while you scale the business." The episode dives straight into the real friction points and major wins of running a modern hybrid agency: The Core Challenges: Rapid growth without standardized operations created information gaps and fragmented a unified culture into isolated team pockets. Managing remote leadership development and addressing perceived equity tensions between office and virtual perks required moving away from surveillance toward intentional workplace design. The Core Successes: The Many designed a trust-first hybrid model featuring flexible core days, relocation support for LA returns, and two dedicated work-from-anywhere periods (July and the holiday season). By prioritizing autonomy and human connection, they successfully stabilized employee experience while driving performance Learn More About Christian Christian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-jacobsen-b7222811/ The Many's Website: https://www.themany.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices