> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://capitolcommunicator.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# The Creative Now: A Chat with Trudi Benford, Senior Vice President, Director of Creative Services, GMMB
- URL: https://capitolcommunicator.com/the-creative-now-a-chat-with-trudi-benford-senior-vice-president-director-of-creative-services-gmmb/
- Published: 2020-06-02T14:54:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T23:48:09.000Z
- Author: Cade Martin
- Tags: The Creative Now, #Import 2026-10-08 18:50

**By** [**Cade Martin**](http://cademartin.com/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)

**As a kid, I spent many a dinner at a table surrounded by friends of my parents,** an eclectic cast of characters — sculptors, writers, painters, creatives. That thread of creative community has remained in our offices, our teams and our collaborations. But that thread feels thinner in this moment.

So I asked, with the purpose of sharing, and of supporting and caring for this creative community in its current, uncertain reality. I asked what people are doing, how they are feeling, how they are sparking creativity. It feels important to share what we do, when we can’t do all our doing.

Reaching out first to some of the talented people I’ve had the good fortune to profile though the Capitol Communicator portrait series. It’s my version of a virtual dinner table of sorts. Grab a chair and listen in to the conversation with **Trudi Benford**, Senior Vice President, Director of Creative Services, GMMB.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/16/5016dd29-aeff-4565-a68b-cdbb78bc58e6/content/images/2026/10/Trudi_Benford_0033.jpg)

**Trudi, what, if anything, are you doing differently during the pandemic?**

Before school was shut down and we began working from home, my family was definitely in a rut with food. We had a few menus in rotation, virtually the same grocery list every week and relied on restaurant food for a good portion of our meals. My teen daughter has been the main chef in our house for years (thank you, Audrey!); we are now both cooking since I have more time. Suddenly, there’s a ton of color, creativity and variety in what we’re eating on a daily basis. We’ve moved on from “rush hour tacos” to try new things: a citrus-spinach salad with roasted squash, pantry dishes featuring beans, jarred veggies and rice, antipasto-style meals where we eat up what’s left but try to blend it all together thematically, even an old-fashioned springform pan cheesecake garnished with fruit. We have much less food waste and it’s actually been enjoyable to try to figure out how best to use what we have on hand.

**Are you staying creatively active?**  
  
GMMB has been actively involved in crisis communications nationwide during the pandemic, so continuing to work with and motivate teams within our Creative Group has been a good challenge. It’s been interesting to try to think of ways to continue to be creative with no in-person contact. As someone who likes to motivate and inspire artists, one personal COVID-19 endeavor that makes me proud is “The Bach Project” that I put together for my son Harrison’s piano studio. His teacher, **Nancy Breth**, maintains a small group of motivated students; the lessons have moved to Zoom and there’s an unavoidable feeling of distance and separation. As a surprise for the teacher and to get students feeling engaged and creative, I secretly invited everyone to choose and teach themselves a new piece by Bach. When their videos were ready, I assembled all of them into a gallery and surprised their teacher on Easter. All of the students felt artistic pride in the outcome and it helped everyone feel part of a cohesive group. It was a small project, but a good example of how we can make a difference within our circles and keep people creating.

**How are you sparking yourself creatively?**  
  
When we last spoke, I was writing and publishing a lot of poetry. This past year, I’ve been wanting to move into longer forms and thinking seriously about writing a novel or a collection of short stories (I know, I know…a girl’s gotta dream, right?!) I’ve been stalled on getting started until now. Staying at home with no commute and few evening or weekend plans has given me consistent time to read a lot of fiction, which in turn is revving me up to begin this daunting project. Wish me luck!

**View Trudi’s Capitol Communicator profile** [**here**](https://capitolcommunicator.com/up-close-and-personal-getting-to-know-trudi-benford-senior-vice-president-director-of-creative-services-gmmb/)**.**