How Merit Built a Cult Following Before It Had a Name with Aila Morin

Most photographers shooting fashion campaigns today work in digital, instant previews, instant safety net. Brydie Mack, known to her audience as Wolf Cub, doesn't. She shoots everything on film: three to four rolls per look, five different cameras on set as backup, and a vague idea of what she's actually got until the lab sends it back. In this episode, Brydie breaks down exactly what it takes to specialize in film in an industry that's mostly moved on from it, the real cost and risk of every shoot, why brands are chasing the medium-format, hand-printed look right now, the airport scanner mistake that can ruin a week of work, and her honest take on why AI is about to make "handmade" the new luxury. She also opens up about stepping back from photography as her next chapter, and gives us the first real look at Lens, the film photography course she's building to pass on everything she knows. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — About Brydie and the Wolf Club Origin 04:47 — On-set Politics 08:03 — The Cost & Risk of Film Photography 09:11 — Photography Heroes 13:52 — Anatomy of a shoot 15:49 — Camera Recommendations for beginners 18:56 — Film Stocks and Flying with Film 22:43 — Managing Shoot Days 24:33 — Dream Clients & US Visa Problems 29:08 — Life Outside Work 34:16 — Boundaries on travelling for work 35:58 — A Photographer’s Dream Model 39:21 — Pitching Jobs 40:20 — Photography Inspiration 44:59 — Shooting Nudes 52:53 — AI in Photo & Film Industry 59:34 — Szilvesztre Mako 1:00:29 — Film Lab Recommendations 1:03:36 — Advice for aspiring film photographers 1:04:15 — Connect with Brydie Join the Waitlist for Lens: Brydie's upcoming Film Photography Course  Connect with our Guest: Brydie Mack (Wolf Cub) on Instagram @wolfcubwolfcub Website: brydiemack.com Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode references other photographers and their work for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"You can't afford to be an arsehole if you're famous; people talk about it too much." - Joh Bailey Forty-one years ago, Joh Bailey opened a single Double Bay salon with one goal: to be number one. Today, that same "no bullshit" philosophy has taken him from doing Princess Diana's hair on royal visits to building his own haircare line from scratch; tested, adjusted, and re-tested until it was right. In this episode, Joh gets refreshingly honest about what it actually takes to survive four decades in an industry built on trends: the phone call from Buckingham Palace that changed everything, what working with clients like Kim Kardashian taught her about fame and behaviour, surviving the GFC when she and her business partner Marilyn had "no idea what to do" with the money coming in, and why she still tests every product on himself before it ever reaches a client. It's part masterclass, part memoir, and a genuinely funny, unfiltered look at what it takes to build something that lasts. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: 41 Years & the Marilyn Partnership 03:05 — The Non-Verbal Language of hair 06:45 — The accidental business partner 09:01 — Breaking the judgement intimidation in salons 11:08 — Anatomy of a world class blow-dry 15:41 — Doing Princess Diana's Hair 21:53 — 40 Years of Ups & Downs 26:47 — Celebrity Clients 28:25 — Building the Haircare Line 33:20 — The harsh reality on how to have good hair 35:02 —Business Advice for Hard Times 29:23 — Going Global? 40:02 — Giving Back & Handwritten Notes  42:25 — Can Damaged Hair Be Repaired? 46:05 — Work Ethic 47:32— What's Next? 54:01 — Connect with Joh  Connect with our Guest: Joh Bailey on Instagram: @johbaileyofficial Joh Bailey Salons & Haircare: johbailey.com.au Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes discussion of third-party public figures and historical events for educational commentary. Any imagery referencing Princess Diana or other celebrities is press/archival material; all rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"My parents owned a five star luxury hotel that they built when I was ten... it formed me in a way that I cannot even comprehend." — Arielle ThomasFor over 140 episodes, Arielle's been the one asking the questions. This week, she turned the mic on herself. With so many new listeners joining after the Merit episode went viral, it felt like time to rewind the tape, who she actually is, how Process the Podcast came to exist, and where her seven-figure production company, Cinema Thom, stands today.From growing up behind the scenes of her parents' five-star hotel, to a teenage sales job at Scanlan Theodore, to acting school in New York, to directing a Kmart TikTok vertical that helped drive enormous value for shareholders. This is the full, unfiltered walk through everything that built the person behind Process. It's personal, it's honest, and it's the episode to send anyone who's ever asked, "wait, how did you get into this?"INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Process the Podcast and Arielle's Origin Story 01:15 — Growing Up in Hotels: The Lyall 03:53 — Learning the Value of a Dollar 05:32 — Moving to New York for Acting School 06:12 — Coming Home & Arielle's Acting Career 08:05 — Behind the Camera With Meat and Potatoes 12:00 — Working with Kmart 16:13 — The TikTok Era 20:30 — Global Expansion: Anko Philippines 20:57 — How Process the Podcast Came to Be 24:00 — Process Today 30:15 — Cinema Thom Today 33:00 — What's Next?Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community!Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast New here? We're now on YouTube with a companion panel alongside the video, worth a watch if you're a visual person! Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.See you at the next one!This episode references past projects (Meat and Potatoes, Deadline Gallipoli) discussed for personal/educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected]

"My parents owned a five star luxury hotel that they built when I was ten... it formed me in a way that I cannot even comprehend." — Arielle Thomas For over 140 episodes, Arielle's been the one asking the questions. This week, she turned the mic on herself. With so many new listeners joining after the Merit episode went viral, it felt like time to rewind the tape, who she actually is, how Process the Podcast came to exist, and where her seven-figure production company, Cinema Thom, stands today. From growing up behind the scenes of her parents' five-star hotel, to a teenage sales job at Scanlan Theodore, to acting school in New York, to directing a Kmart TikTok vertical that helped drive enormous value for shareholders.  This is the full, unfiltered walk through everything that built the person behind Process. It's personal, it's honest, and it's the episode to send anyone who's ever asked, "wait, how did you get into this?" INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Process the Podcast and Arielle's Origin Story01:45 — Growing Up in Hotels: The Lyall03:42 — Learning the Value of a Dollar05:20 — Moving to New York for Acting School06:00 — Coming Home & Arielle's Acting Career08:17 — Behind the Camera with Meat and Potatoes10:54 — Working with Kmart14:09 — The TikTok Era17:45 — Global Expansion: Anko Philippines19:43 — How Process the Podcast Came to Be21:21 — Process Today27:52 — Cinema Thom Today28:30 — What's Next? Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast   New here? We're now on YouTube with a companion panel alongside the video, worth a watch if you're a visual person! Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode references past projects (Meat and Potatoes, Deadline Gallipoli) discussed for personal/educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina Paige Grace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud. In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona 05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves 07:41 — What They Knew Going In 14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules? 16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud 18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board 22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening 22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had 31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine? 34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca 42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print 44:18 — Production vs. Printing 48:23 — The Launch Gamble 53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life? 58:24 — Partnership 1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From 1:04:00 — Second Issue? 1:08:32 — Where to Find Them 1:10:15 — Persona Launch Party Take a look at Persona: Persona Magazine:⁠ www.persona-magazine.com⁠  Instagram ⁠@thepersonamagazine⁠ Connect with our Guests: Grace O'Neill on Instagram: ⁠@grceoneill⁠ Paulina Ortega on Instagram: ⁠@paulinapaige⁠ Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠ Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast ⁠ Whatsapp Community⁠ @processthepodcast ⁠ Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes references to third-party archival imagery and licensed material (including works connected to the Lucian Freud estate) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina PaigeGrace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud.In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing.INSIDE THE EPISODE:00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves07:41 — What They Knew Going In14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules?16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine?34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print44:18 — Production vs. Printing48:23 — The Launch Gamble53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life?58:24 — Partnership1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From1:04:00 — Second Issue?1:08:32 — Where to Find Them1:10:15 — Persona Launch PartyTake a look at Persona:Persona Magazine: www.persona-magazine.com Instagram @thepersonamagazineConnect with our Guests:Grace O'Neill on Instagram: @grceoneillPaulina Ortega on Instagram: @paulinapaigeEnjoyed this Episode?Join our Community!Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!This episode includes references to third-party archival imagery and licensed material (including works connected to the Lucian Freud estate) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected]

"The beauty of great satire is you blur the line of whether or not something is true or not true."- Claudia BursillBefore she was Miss Double Bay, Claudia Bursill was just a uni student with a Woolworths review that spiralled into a national news story. Today, that same anonymous meme account is her literal resume; it's how she landed a job at the Betoota Advocate, and now leads talent and business development at its sister agency, Leverage.In this episode, Claudia breaks down the real mechanics behind building a satire brand: why great comedy always "punches up," never down, how she decided to reveal her identity after years behind the account, the brand deals she's turned into some of her most-shared content, and why she thinks a running joke can build more trust than a perfectly polished post ever could.INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: Claudia Bursill A.K.A Miss Double Bay 01:30 — The 'Miss Double Bay' Persona & Origin Story 02:33 — Origin Story: The Woolworths Avocado Review 06:25 — The Identity Reveal 10:57 — Miss Double Bay (MDB) & Job Opportunities 13:01 — Why Authenticity Beats the Traditional Influencer Brief 14:59 — From Meme Account to Writer to Business Development 16:12 — The Future of the Creator Economy 17:23 — A Day in the Life at Leverage 20:16 — What Is Satire, Really? 20:54 — The Golden Rule: Always Punch Up 24:41 — Turning a Moment Into Content 30:12 — Climbing & Fighting the Cringe Mountain 33:41 — Riding a Trend the Right Way 40:32 — Your Relationship With Your Phone 46:12 — PNLs in Media 48:18 — Trivia Night! 52:17 — Closing & Where to Find HerTRIVIA NIGHT TICKETS! Get it hereConnect with our Guest:Miss Double Bay on Instagram: @missdoublebayClaudia Bursill on Instagram: @claudiabursillThe Betoota Advocate: @betootaadvocateEnjoyed this Episode?Join our Community!Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcastWhatsapp Community @processthepodcastFollow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!This episode includes third-party references (news coverage, satire case studies) used for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices