27th May 2025
Eric Zuncic on the art of ‘uncomfortable collaboration’
Episode 30
Eric Zuncic
Global MD & CPO, Forsman & Bodenfors
Today’s guest is Eric Zuncic, Global Managing Director and Chief Product Officer at Stagwell’s creative collective, Forsman & Bodenfors. And he’s passionate about the work.
Eric describes why our industry’s obsession with outputs is hampering impact. So if your agency is still taking briefs at face value and churning out content, then you’re missing a trick.
He unpacks how Forsman breaks the rules, ditch the hierarchy and prioritise ‘uncomfortable collaborations’ that actually change things. This is about earning permission to ask better questions – and being bold enough to walk away when a brief is just plain wrong.
HIGHLIGHTS
[02:04] Redefining the creative ‘product’
[06:00] Prioritising ‘uncomfortable collaboration’
[10:01] Leaping from ‘ask to task’
[16:46] The artificiality of pitches
[19:39] Being truly different
[24:02] Clearing the barriers
[26:02] Win the client, not the pitch
[28:01] From one small project to lasting change
[31:16] Media makes the money, creativity gets the scraps
[36:36] Being accountable for change
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