Michael Vamosy has always been about more than just the brief. Throughout his entire career – which has led him through gigs at FX, Fox, Buster, Starz, Stun (now Known) and his own past creative shop, Vivid Zero, in partnership with data-focused research firm Smith Geiger – Vamosy has worked to defy norms to the advantage of his clients. Now Vamosy has taken that philosophy and put it into the name of his new Venice, Calif.-based agency, Defiant.

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Emmy-winning, creative executive Michael Vamosy has launched DEFIANT LA, an advertising and brand design agency that uses strong visuals to drive creative storytelling.

Vamosy and DEFIANT LA offer 360 creative services across entertainment, sports, news, social, content, gaming and consumer brands, with a deep focus on new frontiers and innovative solutions for branding and campaigns. DEFIANT LA’s clients include Scripps, PBS, Netflix, Roku, IBM, Hearst, Showtime, CNN, ABC News, The ABC Owned and Operated Station Group, FOX Sports, NBC Universal, Warner Bros, Peacock, PUBG, Velocity Global and Headspace.

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ABC News Live unveiled a comprehensive graphics package designed by Defiant in February 2025, built around a “tab” motif that bridges analog and digital eras.

The package features rounded visual elements inspired by paper file folders and modern interfaces, carried through lower thirds, fullscreens, and animation transitions. The redesign aims to unify the streamer’s visual identity across all dayparts while supporting editorial efficiency and flexibility, with a detailed toolkit of nearly 300 layout options.

The project also included updates to studio backgrounds, workflows and
them.

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The most successful AI implementations maintain a careful balance between automation and human creativity. Our panelists all emphasized that AI should enhance rather than replace human capabilities.

Michael Vamosy, founder and chief creative officer, Defiant LA, shared how his company maintains the human element in its creative process when working with AI. Its approach to the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight promo illustrates this philosophy perfectly. Rather than generating the entire promo with AI (which often results in the “soulless” quality seen in Coca-Cola’s widely criticized AI-generated holiday ad), Defiant LA started with real humans and real environments.

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At Vivid Zero, we create and innovate through collaboration, artistry, and truth… And to achieve this, we make sure the entire team knows what it really means and how to truly embrace it. That’s why our brainstorming sessions and reviews feel more like art school critiques. Everyone feels empowered to share their opinion and help drive the collective creative and innovation to a better place.

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Thanks for having me on NewsNation. As I said in the full interview,

“I applaud Bud Light’s efforts to be inclusive. I believe their initial thinking was right to expand their consumer base and make Bud Light a brand for everyone. I would have loved to see more influencers from the LGBTQ community involved in Bud Light’s campaign, and have it continue into Pride Month with a bigger payoff. It is unfortunate that there was such a backlash of anger, but I think Bud Light needed to respond. Any response. The silence was worse than the backlash. I believe you have to support those you bring into your mix and make part of your team. It would have been nice to see Bud Light organize a round table discussion with Kid Rock, Dylan and others. Have them sit down, share a Bud Light and discuss their differences and points of view. Sharing a beer always helps us see the person on the other side of the table as human, even if we don’t fully agree with each other. My heart goes out to the marketing team and families that were laid off at Budweiser. But, I think any publicly traded company has the right to start fresh with a new team, a new direction and re-align their thinking. They have some work to do over there.”

– MICHAEL VAMOSY
CO-FOUNDER + CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER