The Brief Is the Work (with Maury Postal)
Okay, Actually is a show about what’s really going on at work — and what we can do about it. New episodes come out every other Thursday and are always under 30 minutes.
A creative brief is supposed to tell a team what problem it’s solving, who it needs to reach, and what the work needs to accomplish. But somewhere along the way, it often becomes a meeting summary, a record of every stakeholder’s opinion, or a form everyone completes on autopilot before moving on to the “real” work.
In this episode, I’m joined by my dear friend and former colleague Maury Postal, a creative strategist who has spent his career on both sides of the brief. We talk about the difference between a document that describes a project and one that actually gives it direction; why a brief needs a steward; how shared language becomes essential as teams change; and why process is often what makes speed possible.
This is a conversation about creative briefs, but it’s also about how groups decide what they’re trying to do, get aligned around a direction, and create the confidence to move forward together.
00:00 First Brief Lesson
02:09 Meet Maury Postal
03:26 A Brief Is Not a Summary
05:05 Defining Success Today
07:06 The Consumer and the Decision-Maker
09:27 The Brief Is the Project
11:12 Shared Language and Bad Briefs
17:21 Creative Leadership and Confident Organizations
22:16 Wrap Up And Part Two
About Maury
Maury Postal is EVP of Creative Strategy and Innovation Services for Grayling North America. He has more than 18 years of experience across creative strategy, storytelling, and digital innovation, helping organizations turn complex ideas into work that people can understand — and that can actually accomplish something.
He has worked with global brands including American Express, Audi, Ford, Genesis, P&G, Synchrony, and Japan Airlines. His work also includes AUTONOMY, a feature documentary made with Malcolm Gladwell that premiered at SXSW.
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