Sep 17, 202641 minS3
What does it mean to be a design leader in 2026, and what can the experiences of today’s leaders tell us about where the profession is headed next? In this episode, I’m joined by six students from my Design Leadership...
arts
This Is A Prototype
Hosted by Doug Powell · arts · EN
About this Podcast:
We are in the midst of an unprecedented time in the history of the design profession. Businesses are investing in design at rates never before seen—building scaled design teams of hundreds and even thousands of designers, and hiring design leaders into executive roles giving them influence and access at the highest levels. As an executive design leader myself, I’m fascinated by the experience of designers moving into these new leadership roles. For most of us this is completely uncharted territory, the jobs are often undefined and there is rarely a roadmap or playbook to help us succeed, so most of us have had to learn on the job. In each episode of This is a Prototype, I invite two design leaders who have traveled very different life and career journeys to share their stories, compare notes, and talk about what it takes to be a leader in this new era of design.
Pitch Analysis
Required Pod Score for this podcast. PitchCentric checks your profile against host openness, topical fit, and audience signals before you generate a pitch.
Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
31%
Guest openness
Selective
80/100
Required Score
Sign up to generate a grounded pitch for This Is A Prototype.
Signup to Generate a PitchQuestions about This Is A Prototype
What is This Is A Prototype about?
We are in the midst of an unprecedented time in the history of the design profession. Businesses are investing in design at rates never before seen, building scaled design teams of hundreds and even thousands of designers, and hiring design leaders into executive roles giving them influence and access at the highest levels.
Who hosts This Is A Prototype?
This Is A Prototype is hosted by Doug Powell. The show has published 30 episodes to date.
What has This Is A Prototype covered recently?
Recent episodes include "S3•E7 Emerging Patterns in Design Leadership 2026" (17 September 2026, 41 minutes), "S3•E6 Arianne Miller + Sean Baker" (7 January 2026, 53 minutes), and "S3•E5 Phil Gilbert" (4 December 2025, 60 minutes).
How often does This Is A Prototype publish?
This Is A Prototype publishes roughly monthly, with episodes averaging 45 minutes across 30 episodes.
How hard is it to get booked on This Is A Prototype?
Booking probability for This Is A Prototype is 31%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. This Is A Prototype requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. This Is A Prototype's contact route on record: verified email.
Who should pitch This Is A Prototype?
The strongest fits for This Is A Prototype are Design Services and Business & Management Consulting. This Is A Prototype has an arts audience.
About the host
Doug Powell hosts This Is A Prototype, an arts podcast with 30 episodes published.
Verified host email: ████████@████.comSign in to unlock →
Recent episodes
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Episode #6
S3•E6 Arianne Miller + Sean Baker
Jan 7, 202653 minS3Throughout season 3 of this series, I’ve been speaking with leaders in the practice of civic design; designers who have dedicated their careers to improving the everyday experience we, as citizens, have when we interact...
Episode #5
S3•E5 Phil Gilbert
Dec 4, 20251 hourS3One of the core principles of my leadership courses and coaching engagements is that, as design leaders, we are always agents of change in complex, scaled organizations, always challenging entrenched ways of working and...
Episode #4
S3•E4 Ashleigh Axios
Oct 30, 202557 minS3The practice of civic design is increasingly in the spotlight in the U.S. as dramatic cuts to federal agency staffing and funding resulted in the abrupt elimination of thousands of design jobs earlier this year. <br...
Episode #3
S3•E3 Sara Cantor + George Aye
Oct 6, 202556 minS3On this episode, host Doug Powell is joined by Sara Cantor and George Aye, co-founders of Chicago-based Greater Good Studio, a design firm dedicated to the public sector, taking a people-centered approach to their work...
View More
Sep 25, 202543 minS3On August 28, I hosted a webinar on Building Diverse Design Teams in which I spoke to some of the top leaders in design about the importance of building a more diverse, equitable and representative profession—and what...
Sep 18, 202545 minS3On August 28, I hosted a webinar on Building Diverse Design Teams in which I spoke to some of the top leaders in design about the importance of building a more diverse, equitable and representative profession—and what...
This Is A Prototype
2025 State of Black Design Conference
May 20, 202537 minS0The State of Black Design conference was launched as a virtual event in 2020 during the wake of the murder of George Floyd at a time when our country, and the design industry were confronting the sobering reality of...
Episode #10
S2•E10 Kevin Bethune
Oct 8, 202444 minS2In this episode—the finale of Season 2 of the series—I speak with renowned design leader and author Kevin Bethune.<br /><br />Kevin’s remarkably divergent career spans engineering, business and design over more than 25...
Episode #9
S2•E9 Jenna Date
Sep 10, 202445 minS2“We keep thinking that things are supposed to be static, but it’s always changing. It’s about reinvention and seeing the beauty in that.” <br /><br />As we’ve discussed throughout Season 2 of this series, we’re in the...
Episode #8
S2•E8 Richard Hollant
Aug 20, 202444 minS2Throughout this season of the series I’ve been speaking with leaders who have used their design superpowers in community and civic leadership roles, and in this episode I continue that thread in my conversation with...
Episode #7
S2•E7 Daniela Marzavan
Aug 6, 202448 minS2I caught up with my guest for this episode, Daniela Marzavan, in the middle of an 8 week design road trip she is taking through Europe with her partner and 2 children—she’s calling it the Traveling School of Design...
Episode #6
S2•E6 Vivek Rao
Jul 23, 202442 minS2“I think that this idea of cross-functionality may be a legacy framework.”<br /><br />Throughout this season of the series I’ve been looking at the impact of AI and other emerging technology on the future of design and...
Episode #5
S2•E5 Jonathan Hanahan
Jul 9, 202441 minS2In recent years AI has become the dominant disruptive force for businesses and scaled organizations in every industry and global region, and it’s having a dramatic effect on the profession and practice of design. Over...
Episode #4
S2•E4 Bill Grant
Jun 18, 202452 minS2Any podcast episode that begins with “I was born in Dalton, Georgia, the carpet capital of the world…” must be a good one! <br /><br />Throughout Season 2 of this series, host Doug Powell is speaking with guests who...
Episode #3
S2•E3 Kaleena Sales & Sadie Red Wing
Jun 4, 202452 minS2One of the best design books of 2023 was <b>Centered: People and Ideas Diversifying Design</b>, a remarkable collection of essays, interviews, and stories compiled and edited by my guest for this episode Professor...
May 21, 202432 minS2Episode 2 of the new season is a continuation of our discussion with Kate Aronowitz of Google Ventures and Robert Fabricant of Dalberg.<br /><br />In part two, we dig deeply into a pair of articles written by Robert for...
May 14, 202438 minS2Season 2 of This Is A Prototype: The Design Leadership Podcast is underway! This opening episode is a special two-part discussion featuring design leaders Kate Aronowitz of GV (Google Ventures) and Robert Fabricant of...
This Is A Prototype
Season 2: Coming Soon!
Apr 30, 20243 minS2Season 2 of This is a Prototype: The Design Leadership Podcast is coming soon! <br /><br />The practice and profession of design in scaled companies continues to evolve in unexpected ways, and the role of the design...
- Dec 5, 20231h 1mS1
My guests for this Season 1 finale episode are Doreen Lorenzo and Mbiyimoh Ghogomu.<br /><br />Doreen Lorenzo is a pioneering design leader who is the Assistant Dean of the School of Design and Creative Technology at...
Recent guests
Recent guests on This Is A Prototype. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
M
Matt Grossman
Bookstore Entrepreneur, Washington University in St. Louis
D
Doug Powell
Design Principal and Program Director of Education & Activation, Lumen Brothers Electric Company
S
Sean Baker
Exhibits and Artifacts Curator, Clemson's Special Collections and Archives
P
Phil Gilbert
author of Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success, Fudge Park Productions
Best industries to pitch This Is A Prototype for
PitchCentric classifies This Is A Prototype under these industries. Guests from them are the closest fit, and each links to the best podcasts in that industry.
Similar Podcasts
Shows with the most semantically similar episode content. Pitch one, pitch all; producers cluster.
Design Leadership Insights
17~240 listeners83% similar
Everything is a Prototype: The DMBA Podcast
18~251 listeners83% similar
Design Meets Business
23~324 listeners81% similar
Design Executive Council Podcast
16~235 listeners81% similar
WHY DESIGN?
27~392 listeners80% similar
This Is DesignIntelligence
28~402 listeners80% similar
Podcasts like This Is A Prototype
Is this podcast yours and you'd like to remove or correct details? Request removal or email privacy@pitchcentric.com.
Questions about the free trial? See the pricing FAQ