Invangelist

About Us

Philosophy

All those in the Invangelist network are creative services professionals who possess real-world experience that informs our perspective and approach to supporting in-house agencies (IHAs). The values and beliefs of the group include:

  • Radical transparency
  • Authenticity
  • A collaborative and solutions-based mindset
  • Respect for creatives and the creative process
  • The value that exceptional creative brings to organizations
  • The critical importance of organizational culture
  • Understanding of the need for organizational integration and respect for the greater organization’s goals and priorities
  • The value of robust but balanced operational infrastructure
  • The fact that creative teams have unique mandates that require unique ways of working different from other organizational departments

The Team

Invangelist is a network of virtual team members that is tapped into on an as-needed basis. This allows us to tailor a team to the unique needs of each engagement or initiative.

Andy Epstein

Andy Epstein is the principal of Invangelist. With over 40 years of experience in the creative services space, 30 of which have been working in, creating, and leading in-house agencies in a variety of industries, Andy has broad and deep IHA expertise and robust contacts in the field.

Overview

Andy began his career as a freelance illustrator and designer before transitioning to the realm of in-house creative services and the management of creative teams and business operations. His professional expertise includes the creation, documentation, and delivery of creative services, as well as the implementation of general business best practices. Andy’s focus lies in professional development, the optimization of creative team operations and organizational design, leadership and team coaching, and strategic consulting.

Andy firmly believes that in-house creative teams possess the potential to drive substantial positive change within their host organizations, extending beyond the creative they deliver to clients. He is dedicated to advancing this positive impact by consistently establishing and supporting in-house creative agencies. Business can change the world. Creatives can change business.

Professional Background

Summary

Andy Epstein has worked in the in-house creative services space for over 30 years, having built and led both small and large multidisciplinary teams in a range of industries. By leveraging both creative and operational expertise, the teams Andy has led have consistently exceeded established KPIs and outperformed peer groups in the industry. Andy has been a passionate supporter of the in-house community and has written and spoken extensively at numerous industry events partnering with flagship organizations such as HOW and AIGA. In addition, he co- founded InSource, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting in-house creative teams and published of “The Corporate Creative” one of the few books specifically focused on the in-house professional.

In-house Team Establishment and Positioning

Beginning with his first in-house role at Commonwealth Toy and later at Gund, Inc. and Merck, Andy has established 3 groups from the ground up. He established organizational, operational and resourcing practices unique to each engagement based on the business needs and expectations of the host companies. In a recent consulting engagement, Andy created an In-house Agency (IHA) Roadmap of over 410 distinct co-dependent tactics that captured all critical activities associated with the creation of an IHA and then assisted in its implementation at a major telecommunications company.

At 2 other engagements, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Designer Greetings, Andy worked with company leadership to reposition and restructure large existing teams to better meet changing corporate expectations and mandates. On these jobs, Andy partnered with internal and external resources to audit, analyze, develop and implement needed refinements and adaptations.

Leadership and Team Development

At every engagement he’s been in, Andy has been tasked with hiring and developing the associated leadership teams. Understanding the functional, management and leadership acumen required of these positions, Andy has worked closely to develop recruitment, interview, retention and ongoing development strategies specific to the in-house environment. These best practices have cascaded from the leadership groups out to the entire IHA team resulting in high performing groups that have exceeded industry standards in client satisfaction, efficiency, and cost effectiveness.

In partnership with his leadership teams, Andy has developed unique performance review, teambuilding, professional development and compensation plans that have driven successful cross-training and retention programs and high employee morale.

Organizational Planning and Development

Each organization that Andy has led has required different organizational and resourcing models to best meet the needs and expectations of the host company. Organizational structures developed have ranged from multidisciplinary teams dedicated to specific departments and business units to functional teams working for a variety of clients. Resourcing practices have included multiple models ranging from dedicated FTE teams to flexible staffing contingent labor as well as hybrid models of the two.

Operational Expertise

At every engagement, Andy has had to work with internal and external experts to create both project-specific and studio SOPs, workflows, OLAs and SLAs, often while the team was already in place and executing creative deliverables. At BMS, Merck and Designer Greetings he initiated and led efforts to realign multiple IHA teams’ collaborative practices, redefine roles and responsibilities and establish detailed workflows that increased efficiencies beyond established goals and enhanced team morale and productivity.

Industry Activities

Andy has written and spoken extensively on in-house topics, having partnered with flagship industry organizations including AIGA, Adobe and HOW. He co-founded InSource, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting in-house creative and wrote “The Corporate Creative” one of the few books dedicated to topics relevant to in-house professionals. He is currently working on the second edition of the book as well as a new book “Lose-Lose, Win-Win:Observations from the belly of the corporate beast”.

  • Articles/Essays/Contributions:
    • Published “The Corporate Creative” with F+W/HOW Publications
    • Edited and wrote for the HOW InHOWse eZine
    • Graphic Design:USA Magazine
    • InSource Web site
    • HOW Magazine
    • Dynamic Graphics Magazine
    • Bringing Graphic Design In-House (Book) Rockport Press
    • The In-house Design Handbook Rotovision Publishers
  • Presentations/Panel Discussions:
    • RGD Design Thinkers Conference 2014/2023
    • Adobe MAX Conference 2014
    • Cella Beyond The Creative Conference 2012-2014
    • Cella Creative Execs Roundtables 2014
    • RGD Webinars 2012-2014
    • HOW Webinars 2012-2014
    • Curated In-house Affinity Sessions for AIGA Make/Think and PIVOT Conferences
    • American Marketing Association/Aquent 2007
    • HOW Design Conference 2006
    • InHowse Design Conference 2006-2011
    • AIGA GAIN Conference 2005/2008
    • AIGA Make/Think and PIVOT Conferences
    • AIGANY Intrapreneurialism Workshop and In The House panel moderator
    • NJASPRRA 2004
    • NJCAMA 2003
    • InSource 2003-2007
  • Advisory Committees:
    • HOW and InHowse National Conferences
    • HOW Publications
    • InSource
    • AIGA In-house Task Force Chairperson