Process The Podcast

Allow me to reintroduce myself: The story behind Process the Podcast

"My parents owned a five star luxury hotel that they built when I was ten... it formed me in a way that I cannot even comprehend." — Arielle Thomas For over 140 episodes, Arielle's been the one asking the questions. This week, she turned the mic on herself. With so many new listeners joining after the Merit episode went viral, it felt like time to rewind the tape, who she actually is, how Process the Podcast came to exist, and where her seven-figure production company, Cinema Thom, stands today. From growing up behind the scenes of her parents' five-star hotel, to a teenage sales job at Scanlan Theodore, to acting school in New York, to directing a Kmart TikTok vertical that helped drive enormous value for shareholders. This is the full, unfiltered walk through everything that built the person behind Process. It's personal, it's honest, and it's the episode to send anyone who's ever asked, "wait, how did you get into this?" INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Process the Podcast and Arielle's Origin Story 01:15 — Growing Up in Hotels: The Lyall 03:53 — Learning the Value of a Dollar 05:32 — Moving to New York for Acting School 06:12 — Coming Home & Arielle's Acting Career 08:05 — Behind the Camera With Meat and Potatoes 12:00 — Working with Kmart 16:13 — The TikTok Era 20:30 — Global Expansion: Anko Philippines 20:57 — How Process the Podcast Came to Be 24:00 — Process Today 30:15 — Cinema Thom Today 33:00 — What's Next? Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast New here? We're now on YouTube with a companion panel alongside the video, worth a watch if you're a visual person! Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode references past projects (Meat and Potatoes, Deadline Gallipoli) discussed for personal/educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

The Story Behind Persona's Debut Issue, with Bella Freud

"It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina Paige Grace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud. In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona 05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves 07:41 — What They Knew Going In 14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules? 16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud 18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board 22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening 22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had 31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine? 34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca 42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print 44:18 — Production vs. Printing 48:23 — The Launch Gamble 53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life? 58:24 — Partnership 1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From 1:04:00 — Second Issue? 1:08:32 — Where to Find Them 1:10:15 — Persona Launch Party Take a look at Persona: Persona Magazine: www.persona-magazine.com Instagram @thepersonamagazine Connect with our Guests: Grace O'Neill on Instagram: @grceoneill Paulina Ortega on Instagram: @paulinapaige Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes references to third-party archival imagery and licensed material (including works connected to the Lucian Freud estate) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

How to actually be funny as a brand. Inside Miss Double Bay's media career, poking fun at (nearly) everything.

"The beauty of great satire is you blur the line of whether or not something is true or not true."- Claudia Bursill Before she was Miss Double Bay, Claudia Bursill was just a uni student with a Woolworths review that spiralled into a national news story. Today, that same anonymous meme account is her literal resume; it's how she landed a job at the Betoota Advocate, and now leads talent and business development at its sister agency, Leverage. In this episode, Claudia breaks down the real mechanics behind building a satire brand: why great comedy always "punches up," never down, how she decided to reveal her identity after years behind the account, the brand deals she's turned into some of her most-shared content, and why she thinks a running joke can build more trust than a perfectly polished post ever could. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: Claudia Bursill A.K.A Miss Double Bay 01:30 — The 'Miss Double Bay' Persona & Origin Story 02:33 — Origin Story: The Woolworths Avocado Review 06:25 — The Identity Reveal 10:57 — Miss Double Bay (MDB) & Job Opportunities 13:01 — Why Authenticity Beats the Traditional Influencer Brief 14:59 — From Meme Account to Writer to Business Development 16:12 — The Future of the Creator Economy 17:23 — A Day in the Life at Leverage 20:16 — What Is Satire, Really? 20:54 — The Golden Rule: Always Punch Up 24:41 — Turning a Moment Into Content 30:12 — Climbing & Fighting the Cringe Mountain 33:41 — Riding a Trend the Right Way 40:32 — Your Relationship With Your Phone 46:12 — PNLs in Media 48:18 — Trivia Night! 52:17 — Closing & Where to Find Her TRIVIA NIGHT TICKETS! Get it here Connect with our Guest: Miss Double Bay on Instagram: @missdoublebay Claudia Bursill on Instagram: @claudiabursill The Betoota Advocate: @betootaadvocate Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes third-party references (news coverage, satire case studies) used for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

How Merit Built a Cult Following Before It Had a Name with Aila Morin

Aila Morin is the founding Chief Marketing Officer of Merit Beauty, one of the fastest-growing brands in the beauty industry. On this episode of Process, host Arielle Thomas sits down with Aila for a rare, in-depth conversation about brand building, marketing strategy, and product development, from Merit's earliest days as an anonymous Instagram account to its most recent Clean Volume mascara launch. Aila walks through how Merit built a loyal community before the brand even had a name, why the company skipped paid advertising entirely for its first four months, and how a single UX fix increased sales by more than 100%. She also gets candid about product failures, the emotional weight of building something people trust, and why Merit has no interest in using AI in its creative process. This conversation covers founder transparency, marketing strategy, brand building, product development, and the beauty industry from the inside, a masterclass for anyone building a brand, working in marketing, or curious how one of beauty's most consistent companies actually operates day to day. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro 00:38 — How Merit Came to Be 03:15 — Finding the White Space in Beauty 05:10 — Building a Brand That Doesn't Need the Product 07:17 — Learning to Sell from the Shop Floor 09:46 — The Secret Instagram Account That Became Merit 11:33 — Skipping Paid Ads for Community as a Focus Group 13:12 — Why Great Brands Aren't Built on Virality 16:59 — Reinventing the Foundation Stick 22:13 — Data Over Market Reports: Building Clean Volume 26:11 — The Kaizen Approach to Product Development 29:24 — Story First: How a Launch Actually Gets Built 34:15 — Why Merit Never Starts With the Grid 35:20 — Casting With a Story: Whitney Leavitt & Karen Pittman 38:10 — Self-Doubt Behind the Confidence 40:28 — Owning Polarizing Reviews 42:17 — What Hasn't Worked 44:30 — The Unglamorous Reality of Running Merit 46:22 — Building a Brand That Lasts 100 Years 49:00 — Clean Volume's "See to Believe" Sampling Strategy 50:37 — The Future of Social & Why No AI Creative 52:41 — Arielle's Personal Encounter With Merit 55:36 — Beauty: Shame vs. Belonging Connect with our Guest: • Aila Morin on Instagram: @ailamorin • Merit Beauty on Instagram: @merit • Website: meritbeauty.com Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! • Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠: • Us, on Instagram,⁠ @processthepodcast •Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes third-party audio used for educational commentary and reference. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

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Petit: Why Your Portfolio Isn't Getting You Hired Anymore

Your showreel might be quietly costing you clients, and no one's telling you that. In this solo petite episode, host Arielle Thomas walks through the exact framework she's using to recalibrate Cinema Thom: why clients now hire for problem-solving over taste, the real difference between a showreel and a case study, and the asset-mapping system replacing both. Part life update, part masterclass in founder transparency; including the six months she went quiet online, why that was a mistake, and the Tyler the Creator clip that changed how she thinks about promoting her own work. In this episode, you'll learn: The real difference between a showreel and a case study and why clients now expect both How to build a campaign asset map (Arielle's own team framework) Why "Rome wasn't built in a day" should be a content strategy, not an excuse The system Arielle's team uses to keep posting consistently without her being the bottleneck INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro 00:43 — Why Clients Hire Me Now 02:54 — Showreel vs. Case Study, Defined 03:35 — Building the Asset Map 05:15 — Put Out Your Work (Tyler the Creator clip) 06:19 — Systems & Processes 08:15 — Behind-the-Scenes Beats the Hero Shot 09:15 — The Recalibration Roadmap 11:04 — Who Do I Want to Be? 12:12 — Closing & Community Enjoyed this Petit? Join our Community! Cinema Thom: @cinema_thom ( https://bit.ly/4fwwZI7 ) Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ (https://bit.ly/4v21hby) Us, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKl) Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/44pdcFf) Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes third-party audio used for educational commentary and reference. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please get in touch with hello@cinemathom.com

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Playboy to Summer Fridays: Ali Mitton Reclaims the Female Gaze

"If people want to work with you, they’re going to find you. So you've just got to create the work, be aligned with your own taste, and put it out there." — Ali Mitton From a darkroom in the Gold Coast to shooting global campaigns in Los Angeles, photographer Ali Mitton has built an undeniable, sun-drenched career capturing freedom, raw movement, and elevated beauty. But what happens when the high stakes of commercial advertising pull you away from your artistic centre? In this incredibly raw and transparent conversation, Ali opens up about building massive relationships with legacy brands like CoverGirl and Aerie, navigating the toxic comparison loops of Instagram, and how a devastating personal crisis, losing her dream home in the 2025 LA wildfires, sparked an existential creative reckoning. We dive deep into the differences between the Australian and American industry landscapes, the realities of high-stakes commercial sets, and why true artistry requires the courage to say "no". INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro 04:32 — Owning the Title Before You've Earned It 07:46 — Protecting Your Signature as Jobs Get Bigger 12:06 — The No-Retouching Era 16:16 — Getting Dropped 21:10 — How Dream Clients Actually Find You 24:35 — Shooting Playboy for the Female Gaze 28:29 — Legacy Clients, Celebrities & Managing Egos 34:35 — Being the Client for Once 36:55 — Losing the House in the LA Fires 43:45 — Learning to Say No 48:04 — The Impossible Shot List 57:51 — Beauty's Nostalgic Rewind 1:01:28 — Instagram Rewind: Behind the Shots Connect with our Guest: Ali Mitton on Instagram: https://bit.ly/4vLjmuR Website: www.alimitton.com https://bit.ly/3T12QJj Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ https://bit.ly/4v21hby Us, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKl Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast https://bit.ly/44pdcFf Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! * This episode includes third-party images and video clips used for educational commentary and visual references. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

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Inside Everyone's Favourite Creative Substack, Art Direction with Zoë Yasemin

"If everyone draws from the same pool of images, but they don't know why they're drawing from that, the work becomes the same." - Zoë Yasemin Welcome back to Process the Podcast. This week, Arielle sits down with Dutch-based creative director, researcher, and the brilliant mind behind the viral, globally ranked Substack: The Art Direction, Zoë Yasemin. While previous guests have masterfully explored the mechanics of still-life curation and multimedia stop-motion, Zoë’s strength is the depth of her reference pool. In this expansive dialogue, Zoë and Arielle dissect "aesthetic flattening" - the dangerous cultural cycle where creators pull from the exact same surface-level internet algorithms, leading to an inevitable sameness in modern brand output. From bidding on rare, vintage indie magazines on eBay to studying the historical representation of the female form, Zoe shares an elite masterclass on how to bridge the gap between a beautiful mood board and world-class execution. Inside the Episode: 00:00 — Intro 05:22 — Decades of Visual History 11:43 — What is True "Taste"? 17:10 — The 57K Substack Secret Blueprint 22:53 — Sourcing References Beyond Pinterest 28:22 — The Visual Curriculum Framework 33:10 — Finding Unexpected Creative Fuel 38:10 — Heritage Brand World-Building 43:49 — Inside a 3-Day Editorial Marathon 49:04 — Embracing Human Craft Over AI Connect with our Guest: Zoë Yasemin on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3TixD4k The Art Direction School on Instagram: https://bit.ly/4vgZgrZ Art Direction on Substack: https://bit.ly/4gsNWp3 Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ (https://bit.ly/4v21hby) Us, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKl) Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/44pdcFf) Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! * This episode includes third-party images and video clips used for educational commentary and visual reference. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

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Petit: Creatives Are The New Athletes

"The reason why I want to instill you guys to care about this... is not because I want you to care about basketball. It's because I want you to care about the shape of the story. It's the unglamorous, the hours and hours and hours that go into unrewarded work." — Arielle Thomas Welcome back to another episode of Process the Podcast. We are sliding right back into the studio this week, and the way we are looking at our craft is getting a little bit sharper. In this unfiltered, solo Petit, Arielle steps directly up to the microphone to strip away the soft, algorithmic romanticism of the creative life. This episode drops a massive operational framework: creatives must think and work like high-performance athletes to truly get ahead. Pulling structural parallels from the historic 53-year championship wait of the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson’s relentless work ethic, and Kobe Bryant’s obsessive midnight training methods, Arielle breaks down how to navigate the modern wave of AI slop and self-optimisation burnout. This is a raw, grounded look at how to get excited about the unglamorous reps, master the actual volume of your craft, and build an unbreakable work ethic when absolutely nobody is watching. Inside the Episode: 00:00 Resetting the Outlook: The Creative Entrepreneurship Shift 02:04 The New York Knicks & The Half-Century Wait for Greatness 04:24 The Myth of the Short-Cut: Fighting AI Slop with Athlete Logic 07:51 The Unglamorous Reps & Staring Down Unrewarded Work 09:43 Borrowing the Engine: Inspiration vs. Disciplined Refusal 11:01 Kobe Bryant, Michael Jackson, & The Strategy of Deconstruction 13:50 Mastery in Volume: The Truth of the 10,000-Hour Privilege 17:16 Audacious Thinking & The Quest to Build the Best Creative Podcast 18:50 The Toxic Optimisation Wave: Resisting Algorithmic Laziness 21:51 Romanticising the Boring: Stripping the Workspace Back to the Greats Enjoyed this Petit? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ (https://bit.ly/4v21hby) Us, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKl) Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/44pdcFf) Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

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Encore: Vogue Receptionist to Editor in Chief with Kirstie Clements

"You had an idea every ten seconds for Vogue. You can have an idea every ten seconds for yourself." - Kirstie Clements Welcome back to Process: Encore. In this archival series, we bring forward the timeless dialogues that laid the groundwork for Process. This week, Arielle revisits a deeply layered, expansive conversation with best selling author, journalist, and legendary former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Australia, Kirstie Clements. Kirstie’s 27-year trajectory at the absolute pinnacle of fashion publishing is a masterclass in creative longevity. Starting on the reception desk at age 23, she scaled the masthead to lead the iconic title through nearly thirteen years of epochal cultural shifts, international coups like anchoring Karl Lagerfeld's guest editorship and massive corporate evolutions. In this honest session, Kirstie unpacks what happens when you step out of a rigid corporate cocoon, how she completely shed the heavyweight skin of public expectation, and what it truly means to safeguard your innate creative power. Inside this Episode: 00:00:00 - From Vogue Receptionist to Editor in Chief: A look at a legendary 27-year trajectory, proving why mastering the unglamorous nuts and bolts of an industry scales creative longevity. 00:06:29 - Building a Vision for Australian Vogue: Navigating the intricate tightrope between corporate commercial profitability and world-class aesthetic execution. 00:12:51 - Karl Lagerfeld Guest Edits Vogue Australia: An inside look into the complex, midnight operational choreography of securing one of fashion’s biggest editorial coups. 00:14:45 - Lessons from Fashion Legends: Unpacking the relentless stamina and surprisingly unpretentious nature required to keep a creative fountain thriving over a lifetime. 00:16:16 - The Pre-Social Media Era: Celebrating the legacy of keeping monumental interactions private, far away from the obligations of front-facing camera validation. 00:20:19 - Life After Vogue: The profound psychological execution of self-reinvention once you entirely decouple your identity from corporate structures. 00:35:50 - Creative Reinvention and Freedom: Moving past corporate politics to realize that your innate ability to generate ideas can never be institutionalized. 00:44:01 - Modern Pressures on Women: Deconstructing the hyper-monetized, algorithmic anxiety targeting women's aesthetics and biological timelines. 00:53:52 - Advice for Overwhelmed Creatives: Why modern multi-hyphenates must intentionally protect their artistic sensibilities from copy-and-paste digital algorithms. 01:02:44 - What Inspires Kirstie Now: Shifting entirely away from corporate consensus to find ultimate creative sovereignty in travel, freedom, and deep mentorship. Connect with our Guest: Kirstie Clements on Instagram: @kirstie_clements (http://bit.ly/4oNOVSS) Website: www.kirstieclements.com.au Substack: @kirstieclements (https://bit.ly/4eyPcEh) Read Her Books: Why Did I Buy That? (https://amzn.to/4eCKipX) The Vogue Factor (https://amzn.to/4eyA9uk) Impressive (https://bit.ly/4fVBIoy) Enjoyed this Encore? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram,⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ (https://bit.ly/4v21hby) Us, on Instagram,⁠@processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/4xJ1EKl) Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast (https://bit.ly/44pdcFf) Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

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Encore: Georges Antoni is a Slave to the Picture

"I don't say to my assistants that you're working for me... you're working for the picture, so everything you do is about making the picture better. The picture is my boss." - Georges Antoni Welcome back to Process: Encore. In this archive series, we spotlight the foundational conversations that continue to guide our creative landscape, unedited, uncut, and re-centred for our community today. This week, we are throwing it back to a deeply insightful conversation with one of Australia’s most in-demand commercial fashion photographers, Georges Antoni. Georges took a beautifully unconventional route into the industry, transitioning from corporate strategy at Coca-Cola and PricewaterhouseCoopers to shooting portfolio books out of his parents' crystal-cabinet front room. Today, he architects massive productions for leading brands while fiercely maintaining a family-first philosophy. In this episode, Georges and Arielle pull apart the critical intersection of artistic integrity, active diplomacy on set, and why Australian retail is falling behind on a global scale. Inside the Episode: The Potency of Art Buying: Why conservative corporate hierarchies give local retailers a major global disadvantage. The "Picture as the Boss" Protocol: Stripping ego entirely out of production so the whole team serves the final image. The 95% Active Diplomacy Matrix: How to manage high-volume commercial mechanics while making talent feel entirely unjudged. The 1,900 Lighting Diagram Rule: Why Georges documents every single setup to avoid lazy, repetitive lighting styles. The Unified Creative Umbrella: Constructing a symbiotic stills-and-motion framework to stop fractured social media content. Selling the Sizzle Over the Brand: Shifting from flawless product form to building an identity consumers actually want to ascribe to. Connect with our Guest: Georges Antoni on Instagram: @georgesantoni Website: www.georgesantoni.com Enjoyed this Encore? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you on the next one!

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Encore: Jasmine Dowling: Balancing Art, Life, and the Creative Tightrope

"The more I want the work to be the focus, the more I pull back sharing myself. I want the work to speak." — Jasmine Dowling Welcome to Process: Encore! In this archive series, we’re spotlighting the foundational conversations that continue to guide our creative community, completely untouched from the day they first aired! This week, we are taking you back to a hotel room in Brisbane where Arielle sat down with one of Australia’s most distinct creative eyes: multimedia artist in still and motion creation, Jasmine Dowling. Jasmine has spent over a decade navigating the fragile balance between commercial partnerships with global mainstays like Longchamp, Mecca, Chanel, and Hermès (just to name a few) and the highly intentional, low-fi personal practices that keep her creative spirit alive. In this unfiltered conversation, she opens up about the reality of executing work that is entirely yours. In this episode: The 40/30/30 Split: Balancing unpaid personal exploration, client work, and paid social partnerships. The "Slave to the Eye" Paradox: The endurance required when your hands are working overtime to match the vision in your mind. The Low-Fi Medium Strategy: Ditching the heavy gear to capture her Paris Hermès project via film, a compact Sony, and raw iPhone voice memos. The Illusion of "Dream Clients": The unfiltered reality of navigating heavy corporate bureaucracy and creative revisions. The Power of the Gifted Spark: How unexpected tactile packaging triggers immediate, experimental animation concepts. The Boundaries of Curation: Treating your digital platform strictly as a workspace while fiercely protecting your private family life. The Forever Fear of Work Disappearing: Overcoming the anxiety that everything will crumble the moment you set structural boundaries. Connect with our Guest: Jasmine Dowling on Instagram: @jasminedowling Studio & Prints: jasminedowling.com Enjoyed this Encore? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you on the next one!

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Petit: How to Build an Active, Engaged Community from Scratch Ft. Brooke Moody

The boardrooms are obsessed with a community, but most are just building an audience. This week in the Clubhouse, Arielle sits down with retail and AI strategist at Amazon Web Services, corporate influencer, and community builder, Brooke Moody. If you’ve been trying to unlock the framework of how to turn passive metrics into a hyper-engaged collective, consider this your ultimate guide. Brooke has been the hidden engine behind massive community moments; from engineering events for Hot Smart Rich that packed out rooms across New York and LA to launching her own independent collective, Aussie Angels. In this Petit, we’re sharing the reality of what it actually takes to build infrastructure for ambitious women, without the vanity metrics or the corporate fluff. In This Episode: The Butler vs. The Leader: Why sideline "management" will never replace an embedded strategist leading from the front. The 50% Engagement Matrix: Why true community spaces pull a massive 50% engagement rate compared to traditional media's 5%. The Low-Fi Longevity Secret: How stripping away the corporate frills and over-engineered events keeps your collective sustainable. The First 20 Rule: Why you need to ditch the 650-person waitlist obsession and focus on the first 20 people in the room. The "What are you working on?" Pivot: The exact entry question that skips the surface small talk to drive immediate collaborative depth. Finding Your Platform: Figuring out what platform works for you and why you should never automate community chats. Connect with our Guest: Brooke Moody on Instagram: @brookekmoody Aussie Angels on Instagram: @aussie__angels Aussie Angels Whatsapp: @aussieangels Substack @moodboard Enjoyed this Petit? Join our community! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast (75% of people show up to these rooms completely alone. So don't be shy to join in! The community is built for you) Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

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Shared Stages: Reverse Engineering Your Creative Career

We’re taking you out of the Clubhouse and onto the Masterclass Stage. 🎙️ This week, we’re sharing a special live recording from The Social Summit 2026 in Melbourne, presented by Riser Collective. Arielle joined three powerhouse women on April 23rd to pull off a topic that every creative professional needs to master: Reverse Engineering Your Creative Career. This session explores how to intentionally design your path, make strategic pivots, and the raw reality of building a career that actually works for you, rather than waiting for a seat at the table. The Panellists: (From Right to Left) Anna Mackenzie: A startup advisor, portfolio career mentor, and a leading global voice on building financially lucrative and fulfilling creative portfolio careers. Lizzie Mulherin: Brand strategist, journalist, and founder of The Solo Co, a community platform helping women build businesses without burning out. And your very own, Arielle Thomas: Director, Content Strategist, and Founder of Cinema Thom and Process the Podcast. Moderated by: Rosie Boccamazzo, Social Content Manager at Melbourne Social Co. In This Bonus Content: The "Intentional" Approach: Arielle breaks down how she uses spec work and strategic positioning to land dream clients like Mecca & Vogue The Portfolio Career: Anna explains the beauty of experimentation and how to build a lucrative career from multiple creative income streams Building Without Burning Out: Lizzie shares the smartest way to transition from your corporate life to a creative business Personal Brand as an Anchor: How to build a personal brand that does the heavy lifting for you in opening doors Special Thanks: A huge thank you to Amy Dickinson and Riser Collective for bringing this summit to life and allowing us to share this conversation with the listeners of Process. All Photography by Claudia Tivendale: Instagram @claudia.tivendale Connect with our Guests on Screen: Anna Mackenzie Instagram: @annaclmack Substack:@annamackstack Website: annamackenzie.com.au Lizzie Mulherin Instagram:@lizziemulherin The Solo Co IG: @joinsoloco The Solo Co Website: www.joinsoloco.com Arielle Thomas Instagram: @arielle.thomas⁠ Cinema Thom Website: cinemathom.com Rosie Boccamazzo: Instagram: @rosieboccamazzo Melbourne Social Co Website: melbournesocialco.com.au Connect with the Makers of The Social Summit: Amy Dickinson on IG: @amzdicko The Social Summit IG: @thesocialsummit Risercollective on IG: @risercollective_ Claudia Tivendale IG: @claudia.tivendale Enjoyed the live session? Join our community! Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you on the next one!

From 600 Followers to Netflix: The Jemma Sbeg Podcast Story

Jemma Sbeg is the voice behind the global #1 psychology podcast, The Psychology of Your 20s. From a management consultant with a private Instagram account with only 600 followers to signing a historic global deal as one of only 15 podcasters on Netflix, Jemma has redefined what creative at scale looks like in 2026. In this episode, she joins Arielle in the Clubhouse to pull back the curtain on the "messy middle" of her meteoric rise. They dive deep into the raw reality of moving to London with zero local production support while being tasked to deliver 96 episodes a year . The Netflix Call: The "pinch-me" moment Jemma’s agent delivered and the immediate, grounded reaction that followed. Network vs. Sponsors: A breakdown of how Jemma actually gets paid, including "minimum guarantees" and the "magazine ad" analogy for filling audio real estate . Scaling the Support: Transitioning from doing her own research and editing to hiring PhD researchers and production teams. Creative Evolution: The decision to move away from the "20-something living room" aesthetic and evolve her brand as she enters a new chapter of womanhood . The "Dilly Dally" Routine: Jemma’s non-negotiable Sydney ritual for mental health and staying connected to her roots. Creativity in Crisis: How Jemma stays reactive to the world climate while protecting her audience's space . Resources: Book: Person in Progress by Jemma Sbeg The Ultimate Guide to your 20s. A roadmap to navigating the personal and professional transitions of your twenties, with practical insights and reassurance that you’re not alone, from the host of the top podcast The Psychology of Your 20s Jemma Sbeg on Instagram @jemmasbeg The Psychology of your 20s: Streaming on Netflix The Psychology of Your 20s Instagram @thatpsychologypodcast Substack @thepsychologyofyour20s Loving the show?Join our community! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you on the next one! Inside the Episode: Connect with Jemma:

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Petit: My ‘Creativity at Scale’ playbook

In an era where every app demands a different ratio and every campaign must stretch across dozens of platforms, the old school brief of 10 hero images and some video is officially delusional. In this episode, Arielle Thomas, Motion Director, Founder of Cinema Thom, introduces a game-changing framework called Shoot Architecture. Learn how to move away from chaotic, frantic shoot days and toward a "Pulled Pork" method that ensures every piece of content has a home before the camera even clicks. Inside the Episode: The Death of the Traditional Brief: Why asking for "40 images w 10 heros" no longer works in 2026. The Pulled Pork Method: How to slow-cook your creative to get every last "shred" of value out of a single shoot. The Shoot Backbone: Why great shoots start with spreadsheets, not just mood boards. The Fatigue Formula: The literal math behind how many setups you actually need for a 12-week campaign. The 3 Tiers of Shoot Architecture: Arielle breaks down the "Three Columns" every campaign creative and brand owner needs to master: Tier 1: Paid Placements: Fixed, commercial destinations like store windows, LEDs, e-comm headers, and paid social ads. Tier 2: Organic Cadence: The calculated social output (usually 3–4 posts a week) is built on understanding your category’s fatigue rate. Tier 3: Opportunistic Catches (The Reserve): The essential "safety net" assets for last-minute billboards, gift cards, or holiday pivots. Resources Mentioned: The Shoot Architecture Workbook: Grab your free copy of the spreadsheet Arielle uses to plan 95+ assets per day. Includes the fatigue math calculator and asset matrix. 📌Link to Shoot Architecture Worksheet Key Takeaways for Brand Owners: If you commission creative work, stop asking "how much?" and start asking: What are all the placements for this campaign? What is our fatigue window for this category? What does the reserve layer look like? Are you ready to prioritise a spreadsheet before you make a moodboard? This episode is powered by Remy, the energy gummy designed to kill the 3 pm slump. Next Week on Process: We’re heading to Australian Fashion Week to talk brand architecture with the designers on the ground. Don’t miss it!. Join our community! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you on the next one!

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Rebuilding Australian Fashion Week, Kellie Hush spills the tea on their Trade Over Trends approach

From the editor’s desk at Harper’s Bazaar to the front lines of fashion tech and circularity, Kellie Hush has seen every evolution of the Australian style landscape. Now, as she leads the charge for a revitalised, newly not-for-profit Australian Fashion Week, Kellie is on a mission to bring the industry back to its roots: trade, community, and global recognition. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the fashion festival to discuss the high-stakes business of the runway. Kellie gets candid about the lessons she learned from professional failure, the necessity of fantasy pieces, and why she’s trading the industrial walls of Carriageworks for the iconic backdrop of the Sydney Harbour. Inside the Episode: The Career Sprint: Kellie reflects on her journey from writing about "babies and dummies" at Practical Parenting to the helm of the country's most prestigious fashion titles. The Pivot to Not-For-Profit: Why the Australian Fashion Council took the reins from IMG to focus on supporting designers rather than corporate bottom lines. Trade Over Trends: A deep dive into the strategy of getting international buyers back to Australia and why our "lifestyle clothing" is our greatest global export. The Business of the Runway: The reality of show costs, infrastructure, and why some of those "money shots" on the runway never actually make it to the retail floor. Failure as a Credential: Kellie shares why her failed retail venture made her a better leader and more relatable to the designers she now champions. The New AFW DNA: Moving the "fashion walk" to the heart of the city and balancing avant-garde discovery with commercial viability. Join the Conversation: What part of Kellie’s Failure-to-Success story resonated most with your own creative journey? And are you excited about the move to the MCA and the harbour? Is Australian fashion finally getting the global credit it deserves? Let us know in the comments! Fashion Week Dates: May 11-15. See you in the front row (or behind the scenes)! Connect with Kellie: Follow Kellie Hush: @kelliehush Australian Fashion Week: australianfashionweek.org The Volte : thevolte.com The Seamlist: seamlist.com.au Join our community! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you on the next one!

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Coco Mocoe: Trend Forecasting, Going Viral, and Building Before You're Ready

The opposite of trendy is timeless. 🎙️✨ In this episode of Process, Arielle sits down with the internet’s favourite trend forecaster and cultural strategist, Coco Mocoe. From her early days at Famous Birthdays, where she famously spotted Charli D’Amelio at just 10,000 followers, to building a short-form empire at BuzzFeed, Coco has mastered the art of seeing what’s next before the rest of the world. Crucially, Coco also breaks down why "just being yourself" isn't enough; she explains the vital importance of crafting a repeatable, unique format that allows a creator to sustain a long-term career and monetize their intellectual property. We dive deep into her transition from corporate girlie to full-time creator, the launch of her hit show Middle Row, and why she believes the future of content isn't about chasing the algorithm, it’s about human imperfection. In this episode, we discuss: Spotting Talent Early: How Coco discovered Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae by looking for "social proof". The BuzzFeed Era: Why she kept "church and state" separate while building TikTok teams for one of the world's biggest media companies. The "Cocoisms": Why you can't "read the label from inside the jar" and how to build a brand that stays timeless. Predicting 2026: Why long-form content, "pre-AI" aesthetics, and human mistakes are the next major viral triggers. The Business of Middle Row: The financial and strategic decisions behind her movie-theater-based interview show at Spotify. Tangible Advice for Creators: Why you need a repeatable format (not just a personality) to sustain a career in the creator economy. Key Quotes: "The shorter the video, the shorter the object permanence. Smart creators are leaning on long form to create lasting impressions." — Coco Mocoe "You can be the best hairstylist in the world, but you can't cut your own hair... That's where the outside perspective comes in." — Coco Mocoe Connect with Coco: TikTok: @cocomocoe Substack: Coco Mocoe Show: Middle Row Say Hello! Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Enjoyed this episode? Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you on the next one!

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Petit: How I’m getting ahead with AI (literally all the use cases)

In this episode of Process the Podcast, your host, motion director, and social strategist Arielle Thomas, records for the first time in the new Clubhouse. Arielle pulls back the curtain on how Cinema Thom is moving beyond the "cheerleader" energy of standard chat models to use Claude AI as a high-level critical thinking partner. This episode is a deep dive into the specific workflows, prompts, and uncomfortable feedback driving the business forward. In This Episode: No More "Cheerleaders": Why Arielle swapped ChatGPT’s niceness for a partner that plays devil’s advocate. The Skill-Upload Era: Moving beyond basic searches by using files to give AI professional context and specialised expertise. Defining the Role: Shifting from a standard chatbot to a granular thought partner that identifies strategy gaps. Creative Deciphering: How one prompt turned a vague vision into a hard-hitting, six-page growth strategy. The Money: Building complex three-tab financial models and tiered client margins in under three minutes. Case Study: Image Retouching: Using AI to fix lighting and swap products, saving thousands in potential reshoots. Maintaining Momentum: How AI bridges the gap between a creative idea and a team brief so projects don’t "die in the gaps." The Toolkit: Why platforms like Claude and Nano Banana are now essential for high-level creative output. The Devil's Advocate Prompt: " Work with me as a thought partner, get granular on positioning and strategy, push back where you see the gaps, and encourage me to go deeper where there’s something worth exploring, and give me both a quantitative and qualitative rate. " Mentioned in This Episode: Bella Cipolla, co-founder of Ponnd, who shared the specific prompt that unlocked Claude’s critical thinking. Bella on Instagram: @bella.cip Special thanks to: Alice McMullin of McMullin Furniture Alice McMullin on Instagram: ⁠@alice_mcmullin McMullin on Instagram: @mcmullinandco Join the Conversation: Share your own AI use cases with the creative community in the Project Girly group chat via the link in our Instagram bio. (Link to post) Say Hello! Your host, Arielle on Instagram @arielle.thomas Us, Process the Podcast on Instagram @processthepodcast New episodes drop every Tuesday. Don’t miss next week's episode with Coco Mocoe An LA-based trend predictor, as she breaks down the game of short-form content. See you then!

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Soundtracking the Met Gala: How Winslow Bright Architects Iconic Sound for Premiere Music Group

Most people think music supervision is just "picking cool songs." Winslow Bright is here to prove it’s actually a high-stakes chess match involving seven-figure budgets, complex copyright laws, music language translations, and ego-management of the world’s top directors, to the creatives and individuals who own the projects. From her origins of running iPods for Wes Anderson, burning CDs, to her current role as Co-President of Premiere Music Group, Winslow has navigated the most complex licensing deals in the business. In this episode, we deconstruct the invisible labor behind the world’s most iconic sonic moments, from advertisements for Tiffany & Co to the races of pushing out content for the Met Gala. In this Episode: A long-standing creative friendship. The Wes Anderson era: Running iPods and early lessons. Defining the Role: What does a Music Supervisor actually do? Creative Deciphering: Turning a director’s vague reference into a perfect track. The Money: Budgeting and licensing costs for "Big Music." Case Study: The Tiffany Campaign and reimagining "Happy Together." The Met Gala: The race to create viral fashion reels. The Toolkit: Why platforms like Disco and FrameSet are essential. Featured in this Episode: The Making of Tiffany and Co. Happy Together Agency: Premiere Music Group Platforms we’re loving: Disco Platform | FrameSet Say hello! Our Guest: @winslowbright Your host: @arielle.thomas Us: @processthepodcast

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Why Who is Elijah? is Stripping Back to Scale for 2026, in partnership with Thoughtful

What happens when you decide to dismantle an 8-year-old global success story to build something leaner, smarter, and more equipped for 2026? Recorded live at Google Headquarters in Sydney, this special episode of Process takes you inside Thoughtful Minds Connect. In celebration of their 10th anniversary, the elite data and performance minds at Thoughtful invited Arielle to host an intimate, unfiltered conversation with Raquel and Adam, the visionary founders behind cult fragrance house Who is Elijah. This is not a retrospective look at success; it’s a conversation recorded in the eye of the storm. While the moving trucks were quite literally at their warehouse, Adam and Raquel revealed the real-time reality of a massive business restructure, the $1.7M mistake that nearly cost them their brand prestige, and their new Top-Down strategy for global retail rollout. This is definitely a masterclass in founder transparency. So whether you’re navigating a complex supply chain, pivoting your brand positioning, or looking to the best data minds in the country to optimise your performance, Raquel and Adam’s strip-it-back-to-grow approach offers a roadmap for any creative founder feeling the heaviness of a scaling business. In this episode: The $1.7M Lesson: Raquel opens up about a massive retail deal that taught them the danger of a Bottom-Up strategy. The Great Restructure: Why they are shutting down their own manufacturing to focus 100% on brand and lightweight operations. Top-Down Authority: Why starting with Harrods and Selfridges is the only way to protect prestige in a crowded market. AI as an Emotional Agent: Adam’s fascinating off-mic theory on how product data must evolve to serve the emotional human through unemotional AI agents. The Thoughtful Edge: How shifting from Meta to Google (with a 40% higher AOV) transformed their performance marketing. The Future of Founders: Why the next generation of brands will thrive with teams of just two people and simplified supply chains. Featured in this Episode: Shop Who is Elijah at whoiselijah.com.au Brought to you by Thoughtful: Elevate your brand performance at thethoughtfulagency.com or DM Arielle for a direct intro to the team. Say Hello! Our Guests: Adam Bouris on Instagram @adambouris Raquel Bouris on Instagram @raaaquelbouris Our Episode Partner: The Thoughtful Agency on Instagram @thethoughtfulagency Your host: Arielle Thomas on Instagram @arielle.thomas Us: on Instagram @processthepodcast ⁠ New Episode Drops Every Tuesday. Catch you on the next one!