Creative Campfire

About Creative Campfire

A show for the creative freelancer. Pull up a chair by the fire for candid conversations about the creative entrepreneur and freelancing. Hosted by Shelly Waldman, this show is for photographers, filmmakers, web/graphic designers and creative entrepreneurs working in advertising, brand storytelling, and content creation. We talk pricing, pitching, mindset, money, and the messy middle — with insights from Shelly and guests who share their expertise, mindset, tips, and behind-the-scenes stories of what life and business really looks like.

Publisher

Shelly Waldman

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Apr 2025

Latest episode

1 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

39 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Nov 2026

   EP 39: Meg Loeks on Nostalgia, Self-Taught Lighting, and the Courage to Keep Creating

   Meg Loeks keeps 35 chickens, raises four boys, and makes photographs so painterly that people on the internet keep insisting they're AI. In this episode, Shelly sits down with the self-taught portrait and fine art photographer to talk about the nostalgia and color that drive her narrative conceptual work, how she taught herself multi-light setups from scratch, and the running “shooting list” she keeps in a paper planner to capture every idea before it fades. Meg also opens up about building a flexible teaching career around her husband being in the military and her son's two leukemia diagnoses, why she still wrestles with imposter syndrome despite a growing run of gallery acceptances, and what she thinks the world needs more of right now. Resources & Links Mentioned Meg Loeks' website — megloeks.com Meg Loeks on Instagram — instagram.com/meg_nlo The Creative Thread (Meg's podcast) — podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1896768434  (also on Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you listen) Profoto — profoto.com  (the lighting brand Meg collaborated with early in her strobe journey) Adobe — adobe.com  (brand collaboration Meg mentioned) Lindsay Adler Photography — lindsayadlerphotography.com  (educator Meg has taken workshops from) Click Community (formerly Clickin' Moms) — theclickcommunity.com  (where Meg has taught for years) Picter — picter.com  (open-call and submission platform Shelly follows for fine art opportunities) We Are Colossal — Opportunities Newsletter — thisiscolossal.com/newsletter/opportunities  (monthly grants, residencies, and open calls for artists) •  •  • It's Okay Not to Love Everything You Put Into the World Meg's reminder this episode: you don't have to love every piece you make to be proud you made it and showed up anyway. If you're ready to build the business side of your creative work with that same consistency, here's where to start. DIY Basecamp Bundle — outpost.creativecamp.pro/basecamp/  (four self-paced workshops on usage, pricing, outreach, and more — $197) Work with Shelly 1:1 — Creative Sidekick — creativecamp.pro/sidekick  (ongoing coaching for creative entrepreneurs ready for ongoing support) •  •  • About the Host Shelly Waldman is a commercial, food, beverage, and lifestyle photographer and creative director working between London, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Known as “The Analytical Creative,” she pairs a background in economics, finance, and professional sports with more than a decade behind the camera for purpose-led brands, B Corps, and challenger companies. She's the founder of Creative Camp, a business education platform for commercial photographers and creatives, and hosts the Creative Campfire podcast. •  •  • About the Guest Meg Loeks is a self-taught portrait and fine art photographer known for painterly, color-driven conceptual work exploring nostalgia, home, and domestic life. Based on a working farm with her husband, five children, and 35 chickens, she teaches through Click Community, has collaborated with brands including Profoto and Adobe, is increasingly showing in galleries across the Midwest and beyond, and hosts her own podcast, The Creative Thread. •  •  • Keep the Conversation Going Have a question or a story of your own? Send Shelly a DM on Instagram: instagram.com/creativecamp.pro Enjoying the show? Buy Shelly a coffee to help keep the fire going: buymeacoffee.com/creativecamp Get the Camp Bulletin in your inbox: dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/1292113/152397802558719123/share Loved this episode? A rating and review helps more creatives find the show.

2. 

   19 Oct 2026

   EP 38: Stills to Video and Back Again: Mike Gluckman on Shooting Hybrid Campaigns

   This week at the fire, we're joined by Mike Gluckman (https://www.mikegluckman.com/)— a food and beverage photographer and director who splits his time between Orlando and Seattle, and whose path to the table was anything but direct. Mike cut his teeth directing corporate video for Darden Restaurants (think Red Lobster and Olive Garden), working his way up from the lighting department to director of photography to director. Then the pandemic shut down a shoot mid-production, and Mike used the forced pause to niche down hard into food and beverage stills, building a portfolio from his own kitchen while the world waited out lockdown. Years later, it's all come full circle: clients who hired him for stills are now the ones asking for his video chops. We get into how Mike lights a single set to work for both stills and video, the real difference between a director's scout and a technical scout, what to do when you show up with zero time to scout at all, and the full behind-the-scenes story of Miller's Ale House's "Skillet Queso Dunks" campaign — from a years-old warm email lead to building a set from scratch to rigging a DIY slow-motion bacon drop on a shoestring budget. Resources & Links Mentioned Mike Gluckman — website (https://www.mikegluckman.com/) Mike Gluckman — Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mikegluckman/) Eddie V's Prime Seafood (https://www.eddiev.com) Miller's Ale House (https://www.millersalehouse.com) Squarespace (https://www.squarespace.com/) 7.1 (the platform behind Mike's newly redesigned site) ⁠Tesco's Now We're Cooking Campaign (https://creative.salon/articles/work/tesco-bbh-now-we-re-cooking) It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know Mike's biggest jobs — Eddie V's, Miller's Ale House — didn't come from cold pitches. They came from relationships he kept warm for years, sometimes through gigs he didn't even want to take. If you're ready to build that same kind of foundation — the pricing clarity, the licensing know-how, and the visibility that gets you remembered — the Basecamp Bundle is where to start. Basecamp Bundle (https://outpost.creativecamp.pro/basecamp/) And if you're ready for ongoing, 1:1 support as you build those relationships and grow your business, Creative Sidekick is my 6-month coaching program — built for creatives who want a thought partner in their corner. Creative Sidekick (https://creativecamp.pro/sidekick) About the Host Shelly Waldman is a commercial photographer (http://www.shellywaldman.com), creative director, and the founder of Creative Camp (http//www.creativecamp.proi), a business education platform for commercial photographers and creative freelancers. Known as “The Analytical Creative,” she draws on a background in economics and finance to teach pricing, usage licensing, and business strategy for creatives. Shelly's clients have included the San Francisco 49ers, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Duckhorn Wine, Citibank, and Shutterfly, and she hosts the Creative Campfire podcast from her home base in London. About the Guest Mike Gluckman is a food and beverage photographer and director based between Orlando and Seattle. He built his career behind the camera on corporate video sets — eventually working his way up to director of photography and director — before niching into food and beverage stills during the pandemic. Today his stills and video work have come full circle, with recent campaigns for Eddie V's and Miller's Ale House, where he served as creative director, storyboard artist, and director of photography all in one. Keep the Conversation Going Got a question for Mike or for me? Send us a DM on Instagram — we read every one. Instagram: @creativecamp.pro (https://www.instagram.com/creativecamp.pro) Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/creativecamp) Sign up for the Camp Bulletin (https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/1292113/152397802558719123/share) And if this episode was helpful, leaving a review helps more creatives find the fire. We read every single one — hugs and high fives for taking the time.

3. 

   17 Sept 2026

   EP 37: The Logo Designer Who Refuses to Gatekeep with James Barnard

   Episode SummaryShelly sits down with James Barnard — logo designer, Adobe speaker, and founder of the Designerrrs design community — met while doodling at a craft table at Adobe 99U in NYC this past June. James shares: his winding path into design (failed record producer, years of data entry, self-taught Photoshop), why it took a decade to niche into logo design, and how one TikTok video bragging about a LogoLounge feature turned into 70 leads and three months of bookings overnight. pricing on demand instead of hours, why he presents one logo concept instead of ten, the one-page brand guide he built for budget-conscious clients, the 50/50 rule that keeps his pipeline from going quiet. Timestamps to jump to:00:00 — Intro and How they met in NYC at Adobe 99U03:32 — James Back story: From wanting to be a record producer to self-taught designer09:38 — Niching into logo design and the SEO win that followed17:17 — Going viral: the LogoLounge TikTok and the 15M-view pencil tool video26:58 — Why he built the Designerrrs community (the poop emoji logo story)28:24 — Teaching in public: "a rising tide lifts all ships"32:01 — The one-page brand guide for budget-conscious clients35:18 — How James actually prices a logo project38:13 — One concept vs. fifteen: two schools of logo design41:32 — The CRM and lead-scoring system behind his business44:12 — Landing his first Adobe MAX talk48:02 — Scripting content and platform-specific strategy52:05 — The 50/50 rule for marketing vs. client work53:44 — Family, running, and book-bindingAbout James James Barnard is a logo designer and founder of Barnard.co, a freelance studio based on the Gold Coast, Australia. Originally from England, he spent over a decade in UK publishing — including Runner's World, Men's Health, and The Daily Telegraph — before going freelance and niching into logo and brand identity work. He founded the Designerrrs design community, speaks at Adobe MAX, and teaches design workflows to a large following on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. About Shelly Shelly Waldman is the founder of Creative Camp, a business education platform for commercial photographers and creative freelancers, and host of the Creative Campfire podcast. A working commercial photographer with a background in finance and economics, she brings an "Analytical Creative" lens to pricing, positioning, and business strategy. Links and Resources James's website: ⁠Barnard.co⁠ (https://barnard.co/) CRM Episode on Creative Campfire (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4dCx8tUVODpvQeUdOqTRgu?si=2c6a5ddfb58548e4) James's community: Designerrrs (https://www.designerrrs.com/) Follow James: @Barnardco on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/barnardco/), TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn CRM mentioned: Bloom — bloom.io/james (http://bloom.io/james) for a free first year ⁠CRM Episode on Creative Campfire (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4dCx8tUVODpvQeUdOqTRgu?si=2c6a5ddfb58548e4) Keep the Conversation Going Follow along on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/creativecamp.pro) Support the show buy Shelly a coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/creativecamp) Sign up for the Camp Bulletin (https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/1292113/152397802558719123/share) If you loved this episode, leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps more Campers find the fire. Want to know what gear I use to make the podcast here you go. It's listed below. Podcast Gear: Shure MV7 mic (https://amzn.to/4fYelcp) Audiotechnica M50x headphones  (https://amzn.to/4hXvxRN) HP Omnibook 7 TB2 (https://amzn.to/3TM9jrY)  (https://amzn.to/3TM9jrY) on the go mics for iphone/mobile (https://amzn.to/4xzIK89) Rode Wireless micro for phone or camera (https://amzn.to/4z7h0Jm) Rode Wireless GO III  (https://amzn.to/4z7h0Jm)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

8,026

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 49 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

55

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

32

Contact Creative Campfire

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.