After winning the NBA Slam Dunk Title, Vince Carter explained, "What people have to understand is that most dunks aren't planned in advance at all. I mean, sometimes I wanna do a straight-up, two-hander but when I get up there? I don't know, I just do a 360 Tomahawk instead. No idea why." Thanks, Vince, for a great summation of what the 30-odd members of VIA's Creative team do all day, every day. We always know the starting point. That's fixed. But it's up to us to find the end point. Doing that is, in its purest sense, "the creative process." It's always a discovery. And often, it's one that can only be made at the very moment you find yourself levitating a foot above the rim.

Two teams, maybe two dozen people, all engaged in essentially the same task: "plugging things in." That's right, they plug our ideas into our audiences' lives. By building the technology, buying the right vehicle or finding the partner we need to bring an idea from concept to reality—an experience you'll interact with on your tablet, smartphone, home page, or at the head of the opening pod of your favorite sitcom—even the occasional pizza box, "wall of mist" or slow-moving cloud. (Really.) Putting ideas in front of people is just what they do. And they do it for some of the biggest brands in the world. So don't be wooed by their friendly smiles—these guys get you when you least expect it.

One of VIA's core principles is "Find the Magic," and for the Production team—from the VIABLE broadcast group to the dozen-or-so members of The Studio—that's really more of a mantra. Because nothing they do is easy. None of it comes prepackaged, in standard sizes or matching sets of 12. But they figure it out. From marking up proofs to overseeing million-unit print runs to sourcing Amazonian rainforest frogs for photoshoots, these are the people who ultimately make our dreams come true. As for the rest of us, we know enough to never ask them how.

Strategy is the exact sum total of the decisions we make. Which involves absorbing vast quantities of information, seeing any number of possible approaches and then having the tools, experience and general wherewithal to vet them down to the one (or two) that will give our teams the best, straightest shot at the goal. It requires both critical and creative thinking—but also intangibles like insight, vision, inventiveness and passion. Led by VIA CEO and Founder John Coleman, the Strategy team makes the critical decisions early in the process that create the conditions for success later on down the road. In doing so, they shine a light down a once-darkened path that will soon lead us to another shining success.

From Finance to Human Resources, the Operations team is responsible for managing and running the day-to-day flow of a business built on dreams, ideas and a very vaguely understood process called "concepting." It's balancing a million moving parts and personalities; clients, contracts and the occasional conflict of interest; everything from recruiting and NDAs to implementing Flip-Flop Fridays. And it's no picnic either. See, we know the world is full of unemployed geniuses. So job one at Operations is making sure none of us wind up crowding a nearby street corner. And they must be doing something right: AdAge just named VIA the best small agency in North America.