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Creative Control

Creative Control

Written by: Fast Company
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 The days of celebrities, athletes, and creators relying solely on their talent to build their brands is over. Today, it’s all about partnering with brands, investing in companies, or even launching a business of your own. Join host KC Ifeanyi each episode as he talks to one of the world’s most creative people about how their business endeavors intersect with, and grow, their creativity.© Fast Company Magazine | Creative Conversation Art Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Spill's CEO on becoming more than 'Black Twitter'

    Spill's CEO on becoming more than 'Black Twitter'
    Apr 14 2026
    In 2022, Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell was the global head of social and editorial at Twitter until he was part of the mass layoffs following Elon Musk's acquisition of the company. Terrell and his fellow Twitter alum DeVaris Brown immediately pivoted to create their own social media platform, Spill. After years of seeing how harmful and exploitative social media apps can be to Black and queer folks in particular, they were determined to design a space to serve and safeguard the communities that actually drive online culture. It's easy to think of Spill as Black Twitter getting its own platform. And while Terrell is devoted to maintaining the trust of its users and building more equity for them, what he really sees Spill becoming is an operating system for fandom. In this episode of Creative Control, Terrell explains how being a "failed" musician set his career in motion, what the future of fandom looks like, how he's navigating brand partnerships with community trust, and what growth opportunities he sees for Spill in a very chaotic social landscape. For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control
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    53 mins
  • Your Creativity Needs a Good Stretch—and Riz Ahmed Is Here to Help

    Your Creativity Needs a Good Stretch—and Riz Ahmed Is Here to Help
    Mar 10 2026
    When Riz Ahmed feels lost in his creative endeavors, he asks two questions: Does it stretch me? Does it stretch culture? Those questions have guided Ahmed to an Oscar- and Emmy-winning acting career (The Long Goodbye and The Night Of, respectively), a boundary-pushing music catalog, and stories that have redefined who gets to be seen at the center of the frame. And now, in the latest chapter of his career as WePresent's guest curator, he’s posing those two questions to all creatives. In this episode of Creative Control, we explore how Ahmed is utilizing his role as WePresent's guest curator (a role previously held by the likes of Marina Abramović, Solange Knowles, and Olafur Eliasson) and how his upcoming version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet ties directly into his vision of stretching culture—particularly at a time when it needs it most. For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control
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    35 mins
  • Inside ‘Half His Age’: Jennette McCurdy on female rage, desire, and control

    Inside ‘Half His Age’: Jennette McCurdy on female rage, desire, and control
    Feb 3 2026
    In 2022, Jennette McCurdy shook the culture with I’m Glad My Mom Died, a brutally honest memoir that spent more than 80 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 3 million copies, and is now being adapted as a series for Apple TV+. But more than anything, the book marked a turning point for McCurdy as she reclaimed writing—not acting—as her true creative home. Now, she’s pushing her passion even further with her debut novel, Half His Age. The book follows Waldo, a 17-year-old student who enters an affair with her married English teacher. It’s an unsettling, razor-sharp examination of power, consent, female rage, class, and consumerism. In this conversation, McCurdy unpacks her writing process (it’s a full-body endeavor), the discomfort she’s intentionally leaning into, and what it means to take full authorship—and creative control—of her career. For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news To listen to the latest episodes of Creative Control on Fast Company:https://www.fastcompany.com/podcasts/creative-control
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    43 mins
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