Bridget Johnston’s career began in the world of museums, where she brought stories to life through immersive, multilingual exhibits in partnership with giants like Disney, NASA, and National Geographic. From launching cutting-edge experiences at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to shaping the narrative at AI-driven startups like Pattern89 and Lily AI, Johnston has built a career at the intersection of technology, creativity, and human connection.
Now, as Head of Marketing at Flamel.ai, she’s bringing that same passion for meaningful storytelling into the world of franchise marketing, helping multi-location brands scale. Flamel.ai is an AI-powered content platform built to help franchises localize social media and ad content at scale, enabling marketers to deliver on-brand, community-specific messaging that resonates.
In this conversation, Johnston shares insights from her journey, from creative technology and content leadership to startup growth and brand building. She also offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Flamel.ai is positioning itself as a trusted partner in one of the most dynamic spaces in marketing today.
What was your background before starting at Flamel.ai?
BJ: My career began at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis—the largest children’s museum in the world—where I learned to tell powerful stories with heart, color, and a ton of creative energy. I started in email marketing and eventually ended up overseeing creative technology for exhibits.
I built and launched immersive experiences with Disney, Nickelodeon, NASA, and National Geographic, among others. I led multilingual exhibit rollouts across the world, from Spanish-English experiences in the U.S. to Arabic exhibits in the UAE. It was inspiring, wild, meaningful work. By 2018, I’d helped double the museum’s footprint by opening its Sports Legends Experience, and I was about to turn 30. I had accomplished just about everything I could do in the museum world by that point, and wanted something that’d push me further.
So I jumped. I needed a new challenge, and that led me to Pattern89, an AI startup focused on predictive performance for social ads. I eventually became their head of marketing before the company was acquired by Shutterstock in 2021. I went on to lead content strategy there and Lily AI, while simultaneously bootstrapping Backstroke, a generative content platform for email marketers.
By the end of 2024, I was craving a role where I could own marketing strategy, a team, a vision, and the execution of it all. That’s what brought me to Flamel.ai: a fast-moving, people-first startup in the franchising space where I could bring together everything I’d learned—storytelling, tech, leadership—and help brands grow in real, localized, meaningful ways.
How does your role as Head of Marketing at Flamel.ai contribute to the company’s overall mission and vision?
BJ: I’ve been in AI for seven years and in marketing for much longer, and if there’s one universal truth, it’s this: people buy what they feel.
Franchise marketers—and really, all marketers—have been stuck between scale and soul for too long.
My job at Flamel.ai is to bridge that. To make sure every post, every ad, every localized campaign still hits like it came from someone who knows the customer, their culture, their preferences, and more. And this isn't just a theory. I know what it's like to painstakingly create and manage dozens of locations’ worth of great content from a national seat. Flamel’s moment is now because it allows franchisors to personalize at scale without sacrificing brand, quality, time, or their sanity.
My role? I make sure we’re not just building the product people wish they had, but we’re delivering it to the people who need it most.
What is the biggest difference you’ve experienced in marketing at a fast-growing startup like Flamel.ai compared to larger companies?
BJ: At a startup like Flamel, I get to build. I’m not just overseeing strategy. I’m writing, designing, launching, and iterating.
I love getting my hands dirty. I love owning something from idea to execution to impact.
In my experience at bigger companies, things tend to move more slowly, get stuck in process, or get diluted by layers. But at a startup, there’s this raw urgency and a real sense of momentum. When something goes live, when it works, when it moves the needle, I feel it. We all do!
That’s the kind of environment that gives me the most energy and the most satisfaction. I’m not built for corporate cruise control. I’m here to make things happen.
We’re not just building tech for the sake of it. We’re creating tools that help franchise brands connect with real people in real places.
What’s been the most effective marketing strategy or campaign for Flamel.ai so far, and how did it impact your growth in sectors such as professional services, like agencies?
BJ: When I started marketing at Flamel, the first mountain to climb was brand awareness. No one knew who we were, so I leaned into creativity and presence. We hosted events like Cowboys & Cocktails at the Emerging Franchisor Conference in Austin, and even pulled off a wandering magic show in Las Vegas at the IFA conference.
Those weren’t just fun stunts. They were memorable touchpoints that planted the Flamel name in the right minds.
But just as important has been the depth we’ve built through content. Franchisors and their teams are get-stuff-done people, too. They want resources they can reference, not fluff. So I created long-form, practical guides, toolkits, and collaborative content with other industry leaders to give our audience real value they can apply immediately.
Our podcast, Behind the Franchise, also plays a big role in amplifying insights and action plans from the people actually in the trenches. This mix of creativity, consistency, and usefulness has helped establish Flamel.ai not just as a tool but as a trusted voice in the franchise space.
What advice would you give to other marketing professionals looking to join an early-stage tech startup?
BJ: Know what you’re signing up for... and know what drives you.
Startups are fast, messy, and constantly evolving. You’ll be challenged professionally, creatively, and sometimes emotionally. But for me, the fulfillment I get from building something meaningful, taking risks, and actually making things happen far outweighs the comfort of a more predictable role. If you thrive in that kind of energy, it can be incredibly rewarding.
That said, you have to believe in the product. Really believe it solves a problem. Because when things get hard—and they likely will—it’s that belief that will keep you going.
Also, if you're aiming for a leadership role, the people matter just as much as the product. You need to trust, respect, and genuinely like your co-leaders. Startups only work when the team is aligned, honest, and willing to lean on each other.
When that clicks, the growth—both personal and company-wide—is unmatched.
How is Flamel.ai leveraging AI to help multi-location brands and franchises stand out in competitive markets, especially in Kentucky’s priority industries like business services?
BJ: We all intuitively understand that people in California respond to different messaging than people in Kentucky. That’s a macro-cultural truth. What resonates in Santa Monica won’t always land in Bowling Green.
At Flamel.ai, we’ve built technology that doesn’t just understand those differences. Rather, it homes in on them for multi-location businesses to capitalize on. Our platform uses AI and data-driven insights to help multi-location brands turn that intelligence into localized, on-brand content and social ads that feel personal and relevant to each market.
For high-trust industries like business services, especially in Kentucky, that kind of tailored visibility is a game-changer. It allows brands to scale while staying rooted in the needs and values of the local communities they serve, growing one location at a time, with messaging that actually works.
How is Flamel.ai positioning itself differently from other AI content platforms?
BJ: We’re positioning ourselves a little differently than other AI content platforms, because we know this space isn’t just about automation or efficiency. It’s about relationships.
We’re a young, human-centric brand made up of people with deep technical and content-focused backgrounds, but we also really understand the nuances of franchising, especially the importance of personalization and local connection. That’s where we stand out. We’re not just building tech for the sake of it. We’re creating tools that help franchise brands connect with real people in real places. And, we do it in a way that’s thoughtful, collaborative, and genuinely supportive.
Our goal is to be the partner that brings both the cutting-edge AI and the personal touch that this industry needs.
Find out more about Flamel.ai at flamel.ai. Are you a startup based in or looking to relocate to Kentucky? Keyhorse’s current quarterly investment cycle is open! Apply now.
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