S14 E1: What’s the Future of Independent Design Studios? with Steven Wakabayashi

S14 E1: What’s the Future of Independent Design Studios? with Steven Wakabayashi

August 18, 2026 · 54 min · Season 14 · Episode 1

About this episode

Jen Davis interviews Steven Wakabayashi about the future of independent design studios and building a strong company culture in a remote agency.

In this first episode of season 14, I talk with Steven Wakabayashi, creative director and founder of Stranger Creative, about building a strong company culture in a fully remote, globally distributed agency, what it really takes to grow from freelance-style work into a sustainable team, and having the right mindset as a business owner. We also chat about how we work with talented freelancers across different areas of design expertise, and how that produces top tier work for our clients. Gue...

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