Spotlight
Sessions
with Adobe.

Joseph Soto sits down with Justin Bamforth on Spotlight Sessions to talk creative leadership, mentorship, and the business side of design: a candid, wide-ranging conversation for anyone building a career with both craft and intention.

As Director of Art and Brand at Nickerson and President of AIGA Los Angeles, Joseph has spent over fifteen years at the intersection of creativity and strategy, leading campaigns across life sciences, technology, real estate, and hospitality, while simultaneously investing in the design community he calls home.

In this episode, he speaks candidly about what it means to lead a creative team, how mentorship shaped his own path from Boston to Los Angeles, and why understanding the business side of design is no longer optional for today's creative professionals.

Watch on YouTube  ·  64 min

Throughout the conversation, Joseph reflects on the communities that shaped him, from Boston Latin School and MassArt's Compass Program, to AIGA Boston, to the vibrant design scene he found after moving to Los Angeles during the height of the pandemic. His story is one of intentional relationship-building, of showing up fully, and of recognizing that a career in design is as much about people as it is about pixels.

He also opens up about what it looks like to lead a creative department, balancing the day-to-day of running a team with the longer arc of building a brand that actually means something. For Joseph, design has never been just decoration. It's a strategic tool, a cultural driver, and a way of advocating for the communities he serves.

The episode is produced in partnership with the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship, a program dedicated to connecting emerging designers with mentors and opportunities in the industry. Joseph encourages anyone interested in growing their creative career to explore the program and join the Adobe Creative Career Discord community.

Connect with host Justin Bamforth at justinbamforth.com and follow Joseph on LinkedIn and Instagram. To get involved with the AIGA Los Angeles design community, visit losangeles.aiga.org.