The Futur

Welcome to our second installment of 5 rounds. In this episode, we welcome creative sales coach (and Futur Pro Group member) Ivy Malik to the show. Her mission: grill Chris Do with a series of five tough questions. And she does not disappoint. Ivy tasks Chris with questions about how to be your true self in both public and private, why he dislikes the current state of educational sales, the role emotion plays in his decision making, and the biggest one of all: is The Futur a cult? Sponsored by Skillshare - skillshare.com/futur Sponsored by BetterHelp - betterhelp.com/futur Sponsored by Storyblocks - storyblocks.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you were to order an expensive meal at a nice restaurant, but then asked if they could knock 50% off of the price, how would your waiter respond? Probably not well. Of all the possible replies, the most likely one would be, “I’m sorry, we can’t do that.” Which is not surprising. So then why do people in the creative business bend to such requests from clients? In this fun Clubhouse talk, Chris helps people with their pricing and negotiation troubles by roleplaying scenarios with them. When do you push? When do you pull? And what do you listen for? Following a pre-written sales script is easy, but when conversational curveballs are thrown at you, they fall apart. Hear how Chris approaches these delicate discussions and learn why being in the moment and listening is all you need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever read a lengthy paragraph from a book and then sort of woken up and asked yourself, “Wait. What did I just read?” You and us both. Reading is a fantastic way to learn, but if you don’t retain that precious information then what is the point? In this Clubhouse discussion Chris shares his approach to reading books. How he reads, his note taking method, and why he suggests you read a book three times. And he is joined by The Futur Pro Group members, Stephanie Owens and Rahul Bhogal. Whether you are a bookworm or not, you will pick up a few practical tips to get more out of what you read. So join us while we explore and discuss the powerful magic of language and written word. Sponsored by Skillshare - https://skillshare.com/futur Sponsored by BetterHelp - https://betterhelp.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the corporate world, climbing the proverbial ladder seems common. To get ahead (and make more money) you must climb through the ranks. But in the creative industry, it feels different. We pursue a career in the arts because we're passionate about things like design, photography, and animation. We enjoy making things ourselves. But is that enough to sustain a long career? Will we be aged-out of our jobs? Should we strive to be more than just the artisan? In this lively discussion, Chris is joined by Anneli Hansson, Rodrigo Tasca, and several more guests on Clubhouse to discuss these questions. They talk about what it means to be a designer versus a strategist and how the two relate. We also hear from a variety of guests that share their opinion and experience on the matter. Design is a multifaceted industry. There are many paths you can take. We hope this conversation helps you find yours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

The concept of branding has been around since the dawn of human existence. It is hard-wired into us. Or as Patrick Hanlon refers to it: it’s our primal code. Patrick Hanlon is what many in the creative advertising world call the OG of branding. He is the founder and CEO of primalbranding.co, an acclaimed branding group with an impressive roster of Fortune 100 companies. Patrick also authored a book of the same name (Primal Branding) that has become required reading for the marketing departments of hugely successful companies like Google. In this episode, Patrick and Chris discuss this fascinating perspective of branding as an innate, definitive, and predictive concept. One that connects directly to what it means to be human. If you are a student of branding, then study this conversation. Patrick shares his branding insights and provides excellent examples along the way. Sponsored by Skillshare - https://skillshare.com/futur Sponsored by BetterHelp - https://betterhelp.com/futur Learn more about your ad choi

Adam J. Kurtz (aka Adam JK) is a designer, artist, and speaker whose illustrative work is rooted in honesty, humor and a little darkness. In this episode, we welcome Adam back to the show to talk about what it’s like writing a book about optimism when it feels like you’re living in an end-of-the-world movie. Adam and Chris also discuss their experience with therapy (and the immense benefit it has on your mental health), how to write like you speak, and why perfection is overrated. Sponsored by Storyblocks - https://www.storyblocks.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode comes from a discussion held on Clubhouse. The topic: perfectionism. Where it comes from and why it hinders your growth. Better said (and by Winston Churchhill), “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” In this talk, Chris is joined by The Futur Pro Group members Martha Cristina Garza, Jule Kim, and Lola Bakare. Each of them share their experience with perfection getting the best of them. So, how do you fight that intrinsic need to make something perfect before you share it? According to Chris: stay away from the results and enjoy the process. Jim Rohn famously said that success leaves clues, but failure leaves better ones. If anything, it is a gift. Think about this way—everyone that you look up to was once where you are today. They took that first step. They started. And they probably failed at least once. FAIL. First attempt in learning. Sponsored by BetterHelp - https://betterhelp.com/futur Sponsored by LightStream - https://lightstream.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca

This episode comes from a livestream we hosted via YouTube in early 2020. In it, Chris fields questions from a group of design majors visiting from Loyola Marymount University. The Q&A covers topics like the difference between art and design, demonstrating your value to clients, what to charge for your work, and why there is truly nothing new under the sun. Sponsored by Storyblocks - https://www.storyblocks.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Schwarz is an award-winning creative leader and one of the founding partners of acclaimed experience design agency, Hush. He’s spent his career designing brand experiences that integrate content, interactivity, architecture and technology. But what is experience design? It depends on where you are and who you ask. From where David stands experience design is about creating an immersive, three-dimensional, sensory experience in the real world. And affecting how you and I feel as we move through it. In this episode, David shares how his agency approaches designing these unique experiences and the impending blur between the physical world and the digital world. Sponsored by BetterHelp - https://betterhelp.com/futur Sponsored by Skillshare - https://skillshare.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once in a while we come across a story that we believe is worth sharing, even though it might not fit within the topics we generally talk about. Kyle Quilausing’s story is one of those. He’s gone from triumph, to tragedy, and back again. A sequence of events that touches on a recurring theme for our show: resilience. How we each find our way out of a dark place and the belief that it is never too late to become the person you are meant to be. Kyle’s message is simple: you are one decision away from living your dream or nightmare life. Either way, you get to decide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it take to run your own YouTube channel? According to Charli Marie, putting in the work is a good place to start. We know that’s not the advice you wanted to hear. But that’s the practical truth. You have to do the hard work. By day, Charli is Creative Director at ConvertKit. A creative marketing platform made for creators. And also by day, she is a YouTuber on a mission to help designers improve their worth as professionals. It almost sounds too good to be true, but Charli has built herself what some may call a dream job. On her personal channel, she shares what she’s working on at her day job. The good, the bad, and even the financial aspects of it. Which makes her content so fascinating. These are real projects with real stakes attached to them. In this episode, Charli and Chris discuss how she balances these two roles, that can be at odds from time to time, and her strategy for doing so. But most of the conversation centers around what it’s like running your own YouTube channel. The benefits, th

In the final round, Mo and Chris discuss what success means and how you can reverse engineer someone else’s. If you’re thinking, “but how do I effectively do that?” then you are asking the wrong question. There are no shortcuts. The path is tough and you will struggle. There is no way around it. But the reward you get, is efficiency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In round 4, Mo and Chris discuss goals and expectations. When it comes to setting goals, you should be uncompromising in them, but flexible in how you achieve them. If the plan is not working, change the plan, not the goal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Round 3 is all about balance. Mo asks something personal of Chris: how do you balance this uncompromising purpose and your responsibility as a husband and father? It’s a fantastic question and something that many people struggle with. Especially when it comes to making big, scary decisions. As the expression goes, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In round 2, Chris and Mo tackle the concept of ikigai. That is, how to live your life to it’s fullest potential. Theoretically, it makes good sense, but when it comes to taking action so few of us have the courage to do so. We are creatures of habit and comfort. The hard work and failure that leads to fulfillment is not an easy sell. But why is that? And how can you persevere in spite of that discomfort? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To celebrate our 150th episode of The Futur podcast we are releasing a new episode every day this week for a total of 5 episodes. We call them 5 Rounds with Mo. In each episode The Futur Pro Group member and friend of the show, Mo Ismail, will ask Chris a tough question and he won’t let him off the hook until he’s happy with the answer. In round one, Mo asks Chris about how he’s able to break big, complex problems down into something that anyone can understand. And how he does it without letting his emotions interfere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Henry Kaminski Jr. is a self-taught graphic designer and brand consultant. Over the past decade he’s built a multi-million dollar design business. But the road there was filled with rusty nails. Some of which were ready to force him off the road and into a ditch. In this episode, Henry shares his origin story. From surviving his tumultuous youth to earning his first million. Since he and Chris are close, it feels like you’re listening to old friends having a sincere—and at times difficult—candid conversation. Chris and Henry talk about the dynamics of business, family and how when the two overlap it can lead to a lifetime of trouble and heartache. Think of this conversation as part business story, part therapy. It’s rare that we’re able to be this vulnerable on our show and a kind reminder that we can learn a lot when we do allow ourselves to be. Sponsored by Storyblocks - storyblocks.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Vis

Are you familiar with the term “golden handcuffs”? It’s a phrase that refers to financial incentives given to employees to make them stick around. Because when you have everything you need, why would you ever want to leave? In this episode, we talk with illustrator, graphic designer, and Futur Pro Group member, Anthony Banks who—at the time this was recorded in 2018—was considering a big career move. But he is conflicted. His job is stable. It pays well. All of which is good for his family. For all intents and purposes, Anthony is doing just fine. But is fine enough? Or, without any room to grow in his current position, is he riding a slow boat to nowhere? The conversation you’re about to hear is from 2018. The world feels like a different place now, but our the dilemma remains the same: are golden handcuffs worth it? We do the math and find out. Sponsors Skillshare - https://skillshare.com/futur BetterHelp - https://betterhelp.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to another special episode format we call Hey Chris. We take listener submitted questions and make Chris answer them on the spot. No reading them ahead of time. No preparation. No time to think. Just a candid conversation between Chris Do and Greg Gunn. In this episode we answer four unique questions about topics like how to apply value based pricing (and when not to), positioning your business, whether to spend your time learning or doing, and and how to find your purpose. Have a question for Chris? Visit thefutur.com/heychris and ask away. This episode is sponsored by Storyblocks - https://www.storyblocks.com/futur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When he would get sent to detention, he’d spend his time there drawing for hours. And despite growing up in a super small town in South Carolina, he had access to an amazing art program. With the help of a nurturing mother, and a lot of talent and hustle, Douglas worked his way into a design career but always wanted more. He had spent a lot of his life creating, but came to a point where he wanted to explore the business side as well, and moved into strategy. In this week's conversation, Chris talks to Douglas about growing up and going to school with very few resources, moving into the world of strategy and the value it has provided both for Douglas's clients and himself, and Douglas's hustle as a teacher, bringing up a new generation. Douglas shares his unique perspective on life itself and how important it is to do what you love. “Life is long,” Douglas says. “Do you want to spend your life going to a job you hate?” After completing an arts program from Hampton University, Douglas took his resume and exper