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Oliver Buchannon
Rachel Elnar

Rachel Elnar is a creative-community builder who designs experiences that turn audiences into communities.


Deep Dive on the Creative Workshop: How We Turned Digital Events from Snore-fest to More-fest

Deep Dive on the Creative Workshop: How We Turned Digital Events from Snore-fest to More-fest

We've all been there—staring at a screen while someone clicks through slides, desperately hoping for something, anything, to break the monotony of yet another "exciting product announcement."

Event Programming

From Poll to Practice  |  Your #1 Goal Just Called and It Wants a Strategy That Works

From Poll to Practice | Your #1 Goal Just Called and It Wants a Strategy That Works

We threw out a poll about your #1 business goal right now. Whether you voted or not, these are the four core challenges that keep coming up in my conversations with creative professionals... and here’s how to tackle each one.

Poll Advice

From Poll to Practice  |  From the Solo Host to Dream Team Leader

From Poll to Practice | From the Solo Host to Dream Team Leader

Who’s on Your Event Dream Team? You shared where you’re at today—here’s how to make the most of your current setup while building toward your next level of ease, flow, and support.

Poll Advice

+1

Host Like a Human Instead of a Corporate Robot

Host Like a Human Instead of a Corporate Robot

Your audience doesn’t want another polished presentation. They want connection, curiosity, and the feeling that they belong somewhere. Time to stop performing and start hosting like a human. Just use my bonus resource: the Human-First Host guide.

Event Hosting

+1

Cheers & Tiers: Season One Wrap-Up: Six Leadership Lessons (And Why Lobsters Make Terrible Leaders)

Cheers & Tiers: Season One Wrap-Up: Six Leadership Lessons (And Why Lobsters Make Terrible Leaders)

Well, folks, we did it. Erik and I somehow managed to wrangle 15 episodes of *Cheers and Tiers: Design Leadership Tales Retold* without completely embarrassing ourselves (though Erik’s story about literally destroying his first album... well, you’ll have to listen for that gem).

Podcast Episodes

From Poll to Practice  |  Your Community Superpower, Unlocked

From Poll to Practice | Your Community Superpower, Unlocked

What kind of community builder are you? After nearly 20 years of hosting everything from intimate design meetups to massive virtual events, I’ve cracked the code on community building. Spoiler alert: there’s no single “right” way, and that's exactly what makes it work.

Poll Advice

+1

Cheers & Tiers: From $350 to $85K: The Kristine Johnson Masterclass in AIGA Leadership

Cheers & Tiers: From $350 to $85K: The Kristine Johnson Masterclass in AIGA Leadership

Or: How to Ask for Money Without Getting Kicked Out of Mountain Retreats

Podcast Episodes

From Poll to Practice  |  Your Webinar Wipeout Fix: A 4-Part Rescue Plan

From Poll to Practice | Your Webinar Wipeout Fix: A 4-Part Rescue Plan

I've been running virtual events since 2013, which means I've made every mistake you're probably worried about making. The good news? Most webinar disasters are completely preventable once you know what to look for.

Poll Advice

+2

Cheers & Tiers: Bernardo Margulis, the Accidental Leader—How Saying Yes to Everything Shaped a Design Career

Cheers & Tiers: Bernardo Margulis, the Accidental Leader—How Saying Yes to Everything Shaped a Design Career

What happens when a fresh graduate gets thrown into AIGA leadership with zero experience and maximum enthusiasm? You get Bernardo Margulis, a designer-turned-engineer-turned-marketing director whose career reads like a masterclass in saying yes to opportunities you're not quite ready for.

Podcast Episodes

+1

Cheers & Tiers: Gage Mitchell Can’t Stop Building AIGA Communities

Cheers & Tiers: Gage Mitchell Can’t Stop Building AIGA Communities

TL;DR: We sat down with the guy who’s basically the Johnny Appleseed of AIGA chapters, and somehow this serial chapter-starter made starting design communities sound easier than assembling IKEA furniture.

Podcast Episodes

A Tale of Two Theaters (And Why One Deserves a Standing Ovation)

A Tale of Two Theaters (And Why One Deserves a Standing Ovation)

Here’s why the magic of live digital experiences can’t be faked, filmed, or focus-grouped into existence.

Livestreaming

+1

The Server’s Guide to Marketing: Why Your Registration Numbers Are Just Empty Tables

The Server’s Guide to Marketing: Why Your Registration Numbers Are Just Empty Tables

Why your $2 tip taught me more about customer success than your conversion funnel ever will.

Customer Experience

+1

Cheers & Tiers: How Victor Davila Leads Five Communities Without Losing His Mind

Cheers & Tiers: How Victor Davila Leads Five Communities Without Losing His Mind

Sometimes you meet someone who’s involved in so many creative communities that you wonder if they’ve secretly figured out how to clone themselves. Enter Victor Davila—Orlando-based illustrator, UCF professor, AIGA national board member, Creative Mornings host, Giant Illustrators founder, and apparently the human equivalent of a Swiss Army knife for design leadership.

Podcast Episodes

Your Customers Want to Belong, Not Just Buy

Your Customers Want to Belong, Not Just Buy

Through community-driven events, I’ve watched businesses soar when they stop treating prospects like sales targets and start treating them like humans craving connection. The difference? Night and day.

Customer Experience

+1

Cheers & Tiers: From Chapter President to Design Champion, a Conversation with Frances Yllana

Cheers & Tiers: From Chapter President to Design Champion, a Conversation with Frances Yllana

There’s something special about podcast conversations that flow so naturally you forget you’re recording. That's exactly what happened when Frances Yllana (pronounced: ill-ee-yana) joined Erik and me on the “Cheers & Tiers” podcast.

Podcast Episodes

Measuring What Matters: Rethinking Engagement Metrics for Digital Events

Measuring What Matters: Rethinking Engagement Metrics for Digital Events

In the world of virtual events, we’ve become obsessed with registration numbers. But registration counts are often just vanity metrics that mask what really matters—genuine engagement.

Event Programming

+1

Cheers & Tiers: From Complainer to Creative Rebel, The Brian Singer Chronicles

Cheers & Tiers: From Complainer to Creative Rebel, The Brian Singer Chronicles

You know you've found a kindred spirit when someone’s claim to fame includes getting death threats for his art. That’s Brian Singer for you—the man who photographed drivers on their phones and put them on billboards, just to see what would happen.

Podcast Episodes

Seamless by Design: The Production Team That Never Missed a Beat

Seamless by Design: The Production Team That Never Missed a Beat

Virtual events can be a nightmare, like building an airplane while you’re already in the air. But not with this crew. We had this beautiful rhythm where everyone played their part perfectly while staying flexible enough to improvise when shit hit the fan.

Livestreaming

+1

Cheers & Tiers: Building Ladders, Not Pedestals—Leadership Wisdom from Ashleigh Axios

Cheers & Tiers: Building Ladders, Not Pedestals—Leadership Wisdom from Ashleigh Axios

With her impressive journey from AIGA DC volunteer to White House Creative Director to AIGA National Board President, Ashleigh offered insights that left me inspired and energized about the power of design leadership.

Podcast Episodes

From Awkward to Awesome: The Secret Sauce of Memorable Interviews with Design Leaders

From Awkward to Awesome: The Secret Sauce of Memorable Interviews with Design Leaders

I’ve hosted hundreds of conversations from Adobe Creative Jams to General Assembly’s Brilliant Minds series, from Cheers & Tiers podcast episodes to countless industry panels—I’ve learned that interviewing is less about perfect questions and more about creating genuine human moments.

Event Hosting

+2

Cheers & Tiers: Skateboards, Pyramids, and Design Leadership with Elysia Syriac

Cheers & Tiers: Skateboards, Pyramids, and Design Leadership with Elysia Syriac

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you mix skateboard art, human pyramids in bowling alleys, and a decade of design leadership, our latest Cheers & Tiers episode with the fabulous Elysia Syriac delivers all that and more!

Podcast Episodes

Digital Event GRWM: My Transformation Routine for Webinar Glow-Ups That Convert

Digital Event GRWM: My Transformation Routine for Webinar Glow-Ups That Convert

After producing hundreds of virtual events and testing elements for better engagement metrics in real-time, I’ve developed my own “get ready” routine to create virtual events that truly perform.

Livestreaming

+2

Cheers & Tiers: When AIGA Legends Gather, a chat with Mike Joosse

Cheers & Tiers: When AIGA Legends Gather, a chat with Mike Joosse

Mike Joosse, Group Studio Director of Brand Design at VML, shares how attending a record-breaking ten AIGA leadership retreats shaped his approach to creative community-building and design leadership. From volunteer to chapter president to national director, his AIGA experiences have become the blueprint for his current role connecting design professionals across the country.

Podcast Episodes

Why “Do What You Love” Is Only Half the Story

Why “Do What You Love” Is Only Half the Story

Passion without a supportive environment is like having a Ferrari stuck in a mud pit. Performs great, goes nowhere. So here’s to finding not only work that you love, but work that loves you back.

Design

+2

Cheers & Tiers: A Whimsical Wander with David Jon Walker

Cheers & Tiers: A Whimsical Wander with David Jon Walker

Oh, what a delightful chat we had with the ever-moving, ever-creating David Jon Walker! While Erik and I settled into our virtual seats for this episode, David joined us fresh from his daily run in New Haven—the man literally never stops!

Podcast Episodes

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