A Better Way to Review Creative Work
The CreativePro Podcast
Theresa Jackson kicks off this episode of the CreativePro Podcast by digging into one of the most common frustrations for creative teams: review and approval chaos. She’s joined by Mike McHugh from PageProof. Listeners are invited to learn alongside Theresa as she asks the questions many teams wrestle with every day. Together, they unpack why creative reviews break down, why email and ad-hoc tools fail at scale, and how centralized proofing changes the way designers, marketers, legal teams, and executives work together. They also explore accountability, reporting, and the human side of...
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Journey from Designer to Presentation Strategist
The CreativePro Podcast
Mike Parkinson and Jody Wissing join the CreativePro Podcast for a candid conversation about their unexpected paths into presentation design. They explain that presentation design isn’t what most people think it is. It’s not about making pretty slides. It’s about understanding and caring about the content well enough to turn it into a story. They walk through their favorite features for building slides in PowerPoint plus other essential apps for outlining, note gathering, and creating visual elements. Their conversation includes open and honest thoughts about the growing role of AI in...
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AI, New Tools, and Takeaways from Adobe MAX
The CreativePro Podcast
David Blatner and Theresa Jackson return from Adobe MAX 2025 with stories, insights, and a few surprises. They recap the biggest announcements, their favorite new features, and the feeling of creative inspiration that had nothing to do with Adobe. From AI showing up in nearly every app to Firefly credits, new collaboration tools, and what it all means for creative professionals, they break down the most important takeaways from Adobe’s flagship event. Episode Highlights David and Theresa share their experiences at Adobe MAX 2025 — what makes it both inspiring and overwhelming. Why...
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Canva Makes Affinity Free?!
The CreativePro Podcast
During Adobe MAX, Canva dropped a bombshell announcement: the entire Affinity suite—Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher—would be free forever. In this episode, David Blatner, Theresa Jackson, and Mike Rankin share their reactions to the news and unpack what it means for creative professionals. They discuss how Canva’s move shakes up the design software landscape and whether Affinity can ever rival Adobe’s Creative Cloud. The team also explores why this announcement might be good news for everyone, from professional designers to the next generation of creatives. Episode Highlights ...
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InDesign 2026: What's New
The CreativePro Podcast
InDesign 2026 is here—and so are David and Anne-Marie! In this episode of The CreativePro Podcast, David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepción bring back InDesign Secrets and dig into the newest release of Adobe InDesign (v21). They explore what’s fresh, and what’s just plain weird. From the new Flex Layout feature to live text editing in the browser, they unpack the good, the bad, and the future potential of InDesign’s next chapter. Along the way, they share favorite finds, event updates, and a few classic “InDesign Secrets” throwbacks—complete with the return of the Obscure...
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AI’s Impact on Creativity with Amy Balliett and Mark Heaps
The CreativePro Podcast
In this episode, Amy Balliett and Mark Heaps sit down for an honest conversation about artificial intelligence and what it means for creative professionals. They share how AI is showing up in their work today, the opportunities it creates, and the worries it raises about originality, ethics, and the future of design. Along the way, you’ll hear candid reflections on how creatives can keep their unique voice while adapting to rapid change, why embracing experimentation matters, and how to balance efficiency with authenticity. Amy and Mark bring both optimism and caution to the discussion,...
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Inside CreativePro: Content, Community, and AI Creativity with Mike and Theresa
The CreativePro Podcast
In this episode, Theresa Jackson and Mike Rankin go behind the scenes at CreativePro. They share how their similar career beginnings in prepress connected them at their first meeting many years ago, and how they now share overlapping roles at CreativePro. You’ll hear from Mike about the CreativePro Magazine evolution from InDesign-only coverage to a broader creative focus, and other changes that make content faster and easier to digest. This is followed with a conversation about community connection and their ideas for sustaining the energy of CreativePro Week year-round. Mike shares his...
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Introducing the CreativePro Podcast
The CreativePro Podcast
InDesignSecrets is now the CreativePro podcast! Join David Blatner and Theresa Jackson and review the past 20 years of podcasting, as well as what to expect next! Links and Info: ! Trivia: Did you know our podcast intro music was created by Anne-Marie Concepcion's daughter, Nicole?! Have an idea for a future podcast? Leave us a note below!
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Ep. 332: Live from CreativePro Week
The CreativePro Podcast
Topics: Big news about podcast name Our favorite obscure features Fun obscure feature "spelling bee" game Obscure Feature: Positional Form Friendly Alien: Barbell: Positional Form:
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Ep. 331: Bad Advice
The CreativePro Podcast
Just for fun: Bad Advice (and Good Lessons) Interview with Marcus Radich from PageProof Obscure feature: Show Transparency Grid Links: Bad Advice Interview with PageProof: News: Adobe engineers did an Ask Us Anything 24-hour marathon . Creative Cloud Members get 3 months of LinkedIn "Premium Career" membership (which includes LinkedIn Learning). See Obscure Feature: Show Transparency Grid
info_outlineDuring Adobe MAX, Canva dropped a bombshell announcement: the entire Affinity suite—Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher—would be free forever. In this episode, David Blatner, Theresa Jackson, and Mike Rankin share their reactions to the news and unpack what it means for creative professionals.
They discuss how Canva’s move shakes up the design software landscape and whether Affinity can ever rival Adobe’s Creative Cloud. The team also explores why this announcement might be good news for everyone, from professional designers to the next generation of creatives.
Episode Highlights
- Canva’s surprise move announced during Adobe MAX
- Why David says “free” doesn’t necessarily mean “professional-grade”
- Theresa’s take on Adobe’s shifting focus toward hobbyists
- Mike’s look at Affinity’s strengths (and key limitations)
- The gap between Adobe’s “everyone” tools and enterprise solutions
- How Affinity compares for pros: what’s missing and what’s impressive
- The bigger picture: education, accessibility, and competition in creative software
Resources
- Canva’s official announcement: Affinity now free forever
- Affinity Suite overview (Photo, Designer, Publisher)
- Adobe MAX on demand sessions
- CreativePro InDesign Conference