The Spark Podcast: Nashville

What does it take to build something that lasts nearly a century? Manuel Delgado is the owner and master luthier of Delgado Guitars, the family business his grandfather and great-uncle founded in Mexico in 1928. He still builds every instrument by hand in East Nashville. In this episode of The Spark, Manuel joins host Mark Scrivner to share how he went from East LA to East Nashville and why his grandfather’s advice to “take your time, because we’re in a hurry” still guides every decision. He also explains how a serve-first mindset led to restoring history at The Hermitage and building custom guitars for Nashville SC and Arrow McLaren. For creatives, founders, and business owners, it’s a lesson in building with patience and purpose. Topics include family business legacy, craftsmanship and quality, standing out in a crowded market, customer-centered product design, purpose-driven entrepreneurship, and community leadership in Nashville’s creative scene.Learn More & ConnectShow Notes + Resources: https://snapshot.agency/the-sparkConnect With Manuel Delgado: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-a-delgado-7765b48/ | https://delgadoguitars.com/Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #Luthier #HandmadeGuitars #FamilyBusiness #NashvilleCreatives #CreativeEntrepreneur

What happens to creative work when anyone can generate something “good enough” in seconds? Mark Scrivner sits down with Wes Webb, art director at Nashville's Locomotion Creative. By day, Wes builds brands for some of the region’s biggest names. By night he makes salvaged wood sculpture, ambient music, DJ sets, and homemade software. Wes explains why DJing is really just design, and how a quote from Louis Kahn shaped his whole creative practice. He also covers why Locomotion lets clients work directly with the people doing the work, and how he uses AI to augment ideas instead of replacing them. This conversation is for creatives, marketers, agency leaders, and young designers navigating a fast-changing industry. Topics include creative process, agency culture, client collaboration, AI in design, mentorship and Nashville’s creative community.Learn More & ConnectFollow The Spark: https://snapshot.agency/the-sparkConnect with Wes Webb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-webb-7731598a/ | https://loco.design | https://iamweswebb.comEmail Wes: [email protected] to Wes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5CaHtlHWsf55Kq8VHXImc9Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivnerOur Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #NashvilleCreatives #ArtDirection #AIinDesign #CreativeProcess #AgencyLife

What happens when a global creative director trades 200-person agencies for a team of seven and starts making more work than ever? Alex Goulart, Founder and Executive Creative Director of Fire Kite, spent two decades creating campaigns for Gillette, Nissan, Honda, and Qatar Airways across Europe and the US before launching his own agency in Franklin, Tennessee. He joins Mark Scrivner to share the Ben Franklin story behind Fire Kite, why strategy has to come before audacity, and how a small team became the most awarded agency at the local Addys. Topics include creative agency growth, brand platform strategy, cause marketing, Nashville's creative scene, new business development, and creative collaboration.Episode Highlights00:00 - Alex shows off a replica of Ben Franklin's kite 10:28 - Why Alex left big agencies to start Fire Kite 14:01 - The Ben Franklin story behind the Fire Kite name 19:42 - The alien abduction insurance ad in The Wall Street Journal 23:34 - King Tut, charity: water, and a love ballad to the penny 30:20 - Why Nashville's creative energy feels raw and unformulaic 34:27 - Instinct Sessions and the power of small beginnings 40:30 - A goal to end human trafficking in Nashville in our lifetimeLearn More & Connect Show Notes + Resources: Vaulted: Because Gold Campaign charity: water: Penny Ballad Flower Crown https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/ Connect With Alex Goulart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandergoulart/ | https://www.firekite.co Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/ #TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #CreativeAgency #BrandStrategy #AgencyOwner #NashvilleCreatives #AdvertisingCreative

As AI-generated content floods every feed, what actually cuts through? Rob Erickson, founder and CEO of Massive Mission, joins Mark Scrivner to share how he turned a severance package into a video production company trusted by major agencies and global brands. Rob explains why he believes authenticity will win the AI era, how his team uses AI to move faster without replacing people, and why a company mission rooted in giving back still guides his work. The conversation covers live event video production, agency partnerships, creativity in regulated industries, AI workflows, referral-driven growth, and his new paranormal podcast, The Weird Side. Episode Highlights 00:00 – Welcome to The Spark with Rob Erickson 02:12 – From aspiring engineer to hooked on video production 05:33 – The severance offer that launched Massive Mission 10:44 – The story behind the name Massive Mission 13:38 – Why authentic storytelling will outlast AI slop 19:32 – Growing through referrals and honest sales conversations 24:41 – Rob's AI mandate: faster work, no replaced people 30:04 – Inside The Weird Side, Rob's paranormal podcast Learn More & Connect Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/ Connect With Rob Erickson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberickson77 | https://www.massivemission.com Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/ #TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #VideoProduction #LiveEventProduction #CorporateVideo #AIinMarketing #NashvilleCreatives

What does it really take to build an agency from a hare-brained idea into a company that helped bring Amazon and MLS to Nashville? For episode 52, host Mark Scrivner, founder and CEO of Snapshot, steps into the guest seat while Snapshot President Josh Moquin takes the mic. Mark traces his path from restaurant operations to advertising, launching Snapshot on a $50,000 line of credit, surviving COVID with $40,000 in the bank and payroll due, and learning the discipline to niche down. It's an honest look at the pivots, near misses, and relationships behind a founder's journey. Topics include career pivots, bootstrapping, agency growth, crisis leadership, niche strategy, and the power of an abundance mindset. Episode Highlights 00:00 - Intro: Josh Moquin takes the host chair as Mark Scrivner steps into the guest seat 02:26 - From Houston's and J. Alexander's to running an ad agency 09:36 - Launching Snapshot with video resumes and a $50,000 line of credit 13:05 - Why founders who won't pivot go down with the Titanic 20:49 - Surviving COVID with $40K in the bank and payroll due next week 26:04 - Learning to say no and niching into industrial and behavioral health 31:40 - The story behind launching MasterMined and The Spark 45:43 - What Mark usually leaves out of the Snapshot story Learn More & Connect Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/ Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency Connect with Josh Moquin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-moquin/ | https://snapshot.agency Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/ #TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #FounderStory #AgencyGrowth #Bootstrapping #NashvilleBusiness #AgencyOwner