Find ways to generate ideas in concert with them.

A while back at another agency, I found out that one of the head creative guys on the most visible account loved bowling. So we did that for lunch! It became easier to talk once we found common ground.

Sometimes the collaboration flow starts socially. Sometimes it starts in hallways. Don’t count on it happening in meetings. Go out of your way to make it happen.

Pull one of the creative team that you connect with aside after a group problem-solving meeting. Offer to go into greater depth with them on a specific area that came out of the ideation. You just might strike up a great partnership that extends far beyond the life of the project at hand.

One of the other ways to make friends with the creatives is to make their work famous. Finding ways to buy media that stands out helps the client and makes you a creative favorite.