Creative Agency Account Manager Podcast

How an in-house AI Strategist supports client experience, with Meg Pescio and Tom Duffy

Creative Agency Account Manager Podcast

Show Notes

Welcome to episode 151. If you’re trying to work out how to integrate AI into your agency without losing the human side of what you do, this conversation will help.

Today I’m joined by two guests from Noble Studios: Tom Duffy, Head of AI Strategy, and Meg Pescio, Vice President of Client Experience. Noble Studios is a creative digital performance marketing agency based in Reno & Las Vegas in Nevada and Bristol, UK, focusing primarily on travel and tourism and B2B technology clients. Noble’s impressive client list includes the likes of Adobe, SiriusXM Media, Travel Nevada, and Visit Lake Tahoe.

They’ve been intentionally experimenting with AI across the agency, and in this episode we dig into how Tom and Meg are partnering to bring AI into client work in a thoughtful, human-first way. Here’s what we cover: · Why Noble decided to hire a dedicated Head of AI Strategy and how that role works alongside the client experience team · The change management piece: how they’ve built trust internally and avoided “AI panic” in the agency · Practical use cases for account managers and client success teams, including: using AI as a learning and thinking partner, creating client “knowledge hubs” with tools like Notebook LM, aggregating messy data sources to uncover new insights for clients · How they’re thinking about data privacy, tools, and tech stack decisions · The impact AI is having on agency positioning, pricing and perceived value · Why human judgment, critical thinking and relationships are becoming even more important as AI usage grows · Their advice for agencies thinking about hiring an AI lead or formalising their AI approach

If you’d like to learn more about what Noble Studios is doing, you can head to http://noblestudios.com/ or connect with Tom and Meg on LinkedIn, where they regularly share what they’re testing and learning. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-duffy-reno/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/megpescio/

And if you want ongoing support with the account management side of agency life, join my newsletter. It’s where I share: · practical account management tips · trends and shifts I’m seeing in the industry · notifications of new podcast episodes · any mini training sessions or speaking I’m doing

You can sign up at http://accountmanagementskills.com/

More from Creative Agency Account Manager Podcast

Oct 14, 2026

Welcome to Episode 174. This episode is particularly useful if you're wondering how your clients are really adopting AI, and what that means for the future value of agencies.

Sep 28, 2026

Welcome to Episode 173. This episode will be genuinely useful if you're an agency owner thinking about how you'll eventually sell your business, or wondering whether AI is actually giving your agency an edge or just helping you do things faster.

Sep 16, 2026

Welcome to Episode 172. AI in agencies has moved on significantly from simply experimenting with ChatGPT and saving a bit of time. My guest is Roy Murphy, Co-founder at G3NR8 - AI innovator for brands including Samsung, Arsenal, and Perrigo. Roy helps businesses unlock exponential technologies as a driver of growth, guiding organisations to understand and act on AI through comprehensive training, strategy, and implementation initiatives. He serves as AI Advisor to the in-house agency network Inside Out and has delivered AI training for over 150 brands, including GSK, Lego and the Bank of England. Roy regularly speaks at AI roundtables, podcasts, and industry events, working with HR, communications, marketing, and operations teams to drive meaningful transformation. In this episode, we look at: • what comes next • why agencies need to rethink their business model and service lines • how connecting your existing client data can give account managers much better intelligence • and why agentic workflows could fundamentally change the way we manage and grow client relationships. We also talk about the skills account managers need to stay valuable as AI becomes embedded in everyday agency life. There’s a lot packed into this one. You can connect with Roy Murphy on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roymurphy/

Sep 2, 2026

Welcome to episode 171. I’m joined by Duncan Arbour, Head of AI Innovation in the Kinetic team at Syneos Health.

Aug 19, 2026

Welcome to Episode 170. This is a fascinating one if you work in or with design agencies, or if you’ve ever wondered why brilliant creative work doesn’t always get the influence it deserves inside client organisations.

See all episodes →