Episode 7: The Rise of the AI Creative

EP

7

March 17, 2026

The Rise of the AI Creative

Or listen on:

Read transcript

About the Episode

About the Episode:

JC is joined by Mike McGetrick to examine how AI is transforming the creative process in higher education marketing. They discuss the evolution of creative roles, the impact of AI-powered tools like Adobe Firefly, and the balance between efficiency and authentic brand storytelling. JC and Mike also explore AI’s role in democratizing content creation, maintaining authenticity, and reshaping creative education. Listeners gain insights on implementing AI-driven creative strategies while preserving the core values and differentiation unique to each institution.

‍

Connect With Our Host:

‍Dr. JC Bonilla‍

https://twitter.com/jbonillx

‍

Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.

People in this episode

Host

Dr. JeanCarlo (J. C.) Bonilla

Dr. JeanCarlo (J.C.) Bonilla is an executive leader in educational technology and artificial intelligence.

Interviewee

Mike McGetrick

Mike McGetrick is a marketing communications professional and educator with more than 30 years of experience in the higher education marketing field. Mike leverages cross-disciplinary experience to solve a wide array of challenges for his clients at Spark451. He leads the creative and digital services groups and is the graduate marketing practice lead. In the course of his career as a marketing agency executive, Mike has worked at numerous New York-based agencies and in the Creative Studio at Disney Television. Mike is also an adjunct professor at NYU, where he teaches digital marketing. Mike has been a host faculty member for the NAGAP executive professional development workshops on interactive marketing. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Studio Art from Brooklyn College and an MSM and MBA from New York University.

Other episodes

Episode 71: How Pretzels Became One of Higher Ed’s Most Memorable Enrollment Marketing Campaigns

Marketing + Communications

All Episodes

Episode 71: How Pretzels Became One of Higher Ed’s Most Memorable Enrollment Marketing Campaigns

Safaniya Stevenson sits down with Andy Schneider, Dean of Admissions at Marquette University, to unpack the now-famous admissions pretzel—an unconventional campaign that sends 10,000+ pretzels to admitted students each year.

with

Safaniya Stevenson

Episode 108: You’re Not Behind on Agentic AI

Technology + Data

All Episodes

Episode 108: You’re Not Behind on Agentic AI

Mallory Willsea sits down with Doug Gapinski, Account Director at 8th Light, to unpack the real story behind agentic AI.

with

Mallory Willsea

Pulse Check: The Reputation Rethink - Part 5

Marketing + Communications

All Episodes

Pulse Check: The Reputation Rethink - Part 5

Host Day Kibilds sits down with student leaders Kathleen Parks (Texas A&M) and Mac Mahoney (Dartmouth) to discuss how they’re creating spaces for respectful dialogue and meaningful conversation on campus.

with

Dayana Kibilds

Ep. 41: Moving From AI Pilots to Institutional Production

Technology + Data

All Episodes

Ep. 41: Moving From AI Pilots to Institutional Production

Brian sits down with Dr. Manjeet Rege, Chair of the Department of Software Engineering and Data Science at the University of St. Thomas.

with

Brian Piper

Technology + Data

All Episodes

Episode #320: Building Allied Health Talent at Scale Without Student Debt

Dustin sits down with Van Ton-Quinlivan to unpack how her organization is tackling the healthcare workforce shortage by helping adults earn debt-free credentials in allied health fields.

with

Dustin Ramsdell

Weekly ideas that make you smarter

Subscribe

Join the Enrollify Community!

The Rise of the AI Creative

About the Episode

People in this episode

Host

Dr. JeanCarlo (J. C.) Bonilla

Interviewee

Mike McGetrick

Other episodes

Weekly ideas that make you smarter