Hiring without the hustle: SuperStuff.ai rewires marketing talent

Hiring in the advertising and marketing industry has long been a broken process—a problem both brands and agencies acknowledge but often feel helpless to fix. Now, SuperStuff.ai, a talent platform co-founded by Julie Kriegshaber and Pranay Swarup, is attempting to disrupt this inefficiency.

For Kriegshaber, whose 14-year entrepreneurial journey spans a US-based D2C brand, a VC-backed Indian retail tech startup, and an influencer marketing platform, the lesson is clear: "Great teams build great companies." Yet, she contends, hiring remains painfully outdated. "Resumes, titles, and personal networks continue to dominate decisions rather than real abilities and outcomes," she told Campaign India.

This belief underpins SuperStuff.ai’s foundation: a system that combines human judgment with structured proof-of-work. Their AI-powered platform enables talent to showcase case studies, tools used, results delivered, and async video intros, giving hiring managers genuine insight before the first call.

"Brands and hiring managers get meaningful insight before the first call," said Kriegshaber. "Our platform doesn’t just read resumes; it understands people by what they’ve built, driven, launched, and created."

Fixing a broken talent pipeline

Swarup, who previously built Chtrbox and LetsIntern, has witnessed first-hand the chasms in marketing and creative hiring. "In tech hiring, you have GitHub and coding tests. Marketing and creative sectors have no equivalent. Resumes still rule, but they reveal little about real skills," he said.

At Chtrbox, data and content intelligence informed influencer-brand matches, prioritising proof of work over labels. Since its launch a year ago, SuperStuff.ai applies this logic across the broader marketing and creative stack, whether hiring full-time, part-time, or agencies. "We’re reimagining discovery with AI, video, and proof-of-work storytelling," Swarup explained.

SuperStuff.ai's platform helps companies identify experts not just by skills but by the tools they specialise in—vital in today's martech-driven landscape. This positioning at the confluence of marketing, talent, and tools has helped them grow a network of over 30,000 experts in India, with expansion eyes on the US and Southeast Asia.

The startup claims to have a very high repeat client rate because it does all the pre-work companies, which saves hours of vetting. They get a pre-filtered shortlist where profiles include visual work, video intros, and role-fit signals.

“Powered by our AI, they can watch Super Intro talent interview videos at 1.5x speed, skip to the important parts, and not get stuck on a 30-minute interview call when they could have decided in two minutes. It's better, faster insight than wading through CV,” Kriegshaber stated.

Real-world use cases

The co-founders assert that SuperStuff.ai’s methodology has already yielded results. Swarup shared the case of an Indian fintech brand that struggled with two large network agencies for their social media growth, despite paying retainers of around INR 60 lakh. "Their content mix skewed heavily towards static posts, but video drives storytelling and engagement today," he said.

SuperStuff.ai facilitated a match between the fintech company and a Bengaluru-based boutique agency founded by ex-network professionals. The client benefited from a founder-led account, full attention, and a modern video production approach, creator collaborations, and performance marketing—resulting in improved ROI.

Similarly, a US-based AI legal tech company needed a tailored go-to-market strategy. SuperStuff.ai connected them with a lawyer-turned-tech marketer within hours—a perfect blend of domain knowledge and marketing expertise. "That kind of fit isn’t luck—it comes from context-rich discovery powered by proof-of-work data," Swarup noted.

SuperStuff.ai’s mission extends beyond aggregation to democratising access. "Some of the best creative minds don’t come from elite backgrounds or metros. They often lack opportunities, not talent," Swarup stated.

Experts can create a Super.Page and Super Intro—free tools for building portfolios and video introductions that showcase campaigns, results, and client testimonials. SuperStuff.ai’s AI agents surface experts based on skills, work done, and tools used, not just connections.

"We’ve already facilitated flexible income opportunities across 12+ Indian cities, from Indore to Kochi to Pune," he noted. Kriegshaber added, "Diversity isn’t just geography. It's giving creative thinkers visibility wherever they are."

Talent trends shaping the market

Post-Covid, the way global brands and agencies companies build and assemble their marketing teams has fundamentally shifted. Swarup outlined four trends redefining hiring in marketing and creative fields.

The first is that remote no longer equals compromise. Brands are building offshore hubs for non-tech roles like growth, content, and design—especially from India, where talent is often 70% more affordable.

Since marketing is no longer one-size-fits-all, brands don’t need generalists; they seek experts across growth hacking, UGC ads, email flows, brand storytelling, AI-powered performance marketing, etc. “We’re seeing brands shift from hiring generalists to curating micro-teams of top 1% talent who can deliver fast, measurable outcomes,” Swarup added.

Talent must also wield AI tools and understand martech stacks, because execution systems matter more than just years of experience. Moreover, brands increasingly prefer hiring part-time or project-based experts for specific needs, creating flexibility in operations.

These trends align with post-pandemic shifts and rising digital transformation imperatives. "Startups, D2C brands, and legacy firms in digital transitions are leading this change," Swarup added.

Shifting career mindsets

Traditional agency career paths are losing their sheen. Kriegshaber observed that many young professionals seek autonomy, mentorship, and growth opportunities rather than rigid corporate ladders.

"Ambitious young marketers want freedom at work. They seek companies where learning and growth are fast or prefer freelancing for multiple income streams," she said. "In the AI age, with tools increasingly accessible, top talent want to build cognitive muscle—to lead and grow. They don’t want to be passengers; they want to drive outcomes."

This mindset shift calls for agencies and brands to rethink talent engagement—not just hiring but retention. SuperStuff.ai enables flexible engagement models: part-time gigs, founder-led agency partnerships, and fractional leadership roles.

Removing logistical friction

Hiring isn't just about finding talent; it’s about simplifying onboarding, compliance, and payments—especially in cross-border contexts. SuperStuff.ai handles everything post-match: contracts, setup, payments, and documentation.

"Brands can pay in USD or INR. We ensure fair, prompt payments, handling currency conversions and invoicing," Kriegshaber said. They also provide pricing model clarity, deliverables, and dispute resolution mechanisms.

For full-time hires, structured trials and contract-to-hire options enable both sides to test fit. "The goal is fast, confident hiring without legal or logistical headaches," she added.

Kriegshaber, originally from the US, has spent a decade observing India’s untapped creative potential, especially outside metro cities. "Talent often doesn’t know how to break in. The industry must open pathways for underrepresented voices," she said.

SuperStuff.ai uses AI-driven vetting, proof-of-work, and regional sourcing to diversify creative teams—prioritising capability over pedigree. "We’ve seen meaningful projects flow to experts from smaller cities, proving great work can come from anywhere," she noted.

Agencies need to evolve

As agencies grapple with burn rates and quality concerns, SuperStuff.ai offers a plug-and-play talent pool. Agencies can scale per campaign without bloating teams. "This keeps quality high, burn low, and teams energised," Kriegshaber asserted.

She summed it up: "Retention happens when work is rewarding. Our model ensures both sides—expert and brand—gain real value, not just a filled seat."

SuperStuff.ai’s bet is clear: reimagining hiring not just as a transactional process but as a smart, data-driven matchmaking system. By tapping into underutilised talent pools, enabling flexible models, and stripping away logistical hurdles, Kriegshaber and Swarup are leaning on their entrepreneurial insights to build a more efficient and equitable hiring ecosystem for marketing and creative industries.

As the industry continues to navigate talent shortages, rapid digitalisation, and evolving career mindsets, platforms like SuperStuff.ai could redefine how agencies and brands build, scale, and sustain teams.

In Kriegshaber’s words, "It’s not about where someone sits. It’s about how they think and what they can deliver." That ethos might just be the new hiring mantra the industry needs.