INSIGHTS
January 21, 2025

From Brighthouse to Building Creature

How innovation begins with people

Written by:
Matt Berberian
Defining moments need defining relationships.

My journey, especially my time at Brighthouse Financial, has profoundly shaped my belief that strong relationships are the foundation of any successful business transformation. 

It wasn't just about the work; it was about the people I worked with, the challenges we overcame, and the shared experience we created. 

This ethos now drives Creature and our mission to help other companies navigate their own defining moments.


A bright idea


I was an AVP of Digital at Metlife within the retirement products division, managing a team of a few dozen, and focused on trying to figure out how Snoopy had anything to do with selling Variable Annuities. It was 2017 and MetLife had a bright idea and a bold move: to spin off a quarter of the business into a new Fortune 250 company, Brighthouse Financial. 

We would make it happen with essentially the same team we had in place - ~1,200 employees that were transitioning from one of the most recognized companies in the world, to a company that no-one had ever heard of. 

We decided to build a company and brand from scratch. One that millions of customers would interact with and hundreds of millions would see.

 

I was terrified.

A relationship that unlocked opportunity


I had a thesis going into the Spinoff conversations (read about that here) that value is created at the intersection of Product + UX + Brand. Companies that excel in all three create the highest value. But notably, that Brand was the secret multiplier. 

Up until this moment, I had worked for great brands - but had never built one. 

My Leader at MetLife (who later on became CMO at Brighthouse) was assembling the new marketing organization. Having seen my creative thinking first-hand and ability to deliver, he advocated for expanding my role to take on Brand Identity - to put my thesis to test. 

This relationship coached me through the terror, amplified the curiosity, and enabled me to do something I had never done before. 

He also recognized my ability to thrive with autonomy. Having previously been through Situational Leadership training together, we had a common vernacular of S4/R4 (with a little S3 once in a while) that enabled him to delegate huge pieces of the business. 

He saw (and knew) that great people can do great things - and had the confidence to give me the reins to deliver. 

Doubling down on your rockstar relationships


I now had responsibility for three major workstreams, a (nearly) impossible 8 month deadline, and a confused yet motivated team (plus three children under 10 years old wondering why Snoopy is going away).

Here’s what our team had to do, concurrently:

1. Build a new Brand Identity

2. Develop the new web, mobile and marketing infrastructure

3. Design nearly 1,000 marketing materials (after we culled it down from 3,000!)

For each of these workstreams, I found myself in the same shoes as my boss. I had to identify the leaders within the organization, regardless of current role, who would invite the challenge (the R4s). The Rockstars who would drive change, but also lead teams of people towards a common goal and redefined culture. 

I had the privilege of working alongside some incredibly talented people during this time - many are now friends and I see over beers and fantasy football (congrats Scruffy Nerf Herders for winning Berb Bowl ‘24!). Others I see less frequently, but know they’ll always pick up the phone.


One of those talented people is Margaret Strickland, who is now our VP of Brand & Marketing and Co-Founder at Creature. She was the Brand Identity Lead at Brighthouse Financial, a powerhouse manager that combined innate project management skills, an eye for design, and ambition like no other. We (and many others) were in the trenches together, working long hours, skipping the steak dinners for Halal food trucks, and tackling the insanity of managing 350+ logo options of Bright Houses. (We did celebrate at Koi once it was done!)

This shared experience forged a bond between us that went beyond just professional collaboration. It was during this time that the core of what would become Creature Studio began to take shape

It also showed us the excitement of building new things everyday.

We were addicted. 

New relationships for new perspectives


To do something truly new and deeply ambitious, we needed help; people that had done the brand and digital projects at Major-League scale. 

We sought to find partners that brought unique perspectives, were motivated by the opportunity, and were committed not only to delivering on the near-term tasks but also to us individually. 

At Brighthouse, we developed the brand, experience and marketing with so many people - and we continue to get together to share dinner & nights out (remember LCD Soundsystem? Rostam? Chromeo?) 

We found that it's the personal relationships that drove both the work and the new perspectives. 


At the time I met Chris Kline, who was Creative Director at RedPeak, and now ECD at Creature. Chris led the design behind the Brighthouse Identity - teaching me an appreciation for the process of brand identity, crafting systems that are consistent and efficient, and “selling” a vision grounded in strategy.


Scott Brown is another stand-out relationship, who I met as UX Director at Citizen. Scott led the experience design supporting the Brighthouse digital marketing platform, and is now Head of Product & UX at Creature. Scott taught me to continually put our users at the center, assess what they need regularly, and deliver against those needs relentlessly. 


Their teams knew creative and we knew the business.

It was harmony, navigating a defining moment together from both the client-side and creative partners. 

(I’m also humbled everyday to work with Scott & Chris - two incredible people that continue to teach me new perspectives.) 


Creature: forging relationships to transform your business

At the heart of Creature's philosophy is the belief that strong relationships are paramount to delivering outsized value. 

It’s why we work to build lasting relationships, not just complete projects. A sentiment that extends to our clients and is measured by the proud statistic that the vast majority of clients return to work with Creature year after year. 

But it’s often hard to start a new relationship, given competing priorities, procurement challenges, and budgets.

It’s why we built ADAPT program - our easy, no commitment way to jumpstart a relationship with Creature. With <2 hours of your time, you’ll walk away with insights, plans, and new friends to tap when you’re ready to navigate your next defining moment. 

We also know that it's important to have fun, and that the best ideas come when people feel comfortable and engaged. We strive to be the type of team you want to grab a beer with. 

I’m really proud of the relationships we’ve built at Creature, and I’m excited about the future as we continue to grow and help our clients achieve their own defining moments.

Closing thoughts…

The launch of Brighthouse Financial was a huge success; a top 10 corporate spin-off, on time, with zero customer impact. We proved my thesis that delivering against the triad of Product and Experience and Brand can generate significant value and rally an organization.

A defining moment for the company, and a defining moment for me. 

A moment that proved that after the project ends, its the people you meet and relationships you made that is the true accomplishment. 

THANK YOU to everyone at Brighthouse. It was a special moment.