Kevin is a partner at Hound and our account man, although it’s not uncommon for him to come up with the “big idea.” Despite his formal degree in International Business from OSU, he’s more into learning by doing. Kevin has a tendency to get nerdy and has taught himself a variety of niche life and professional skills. Just ask him anything about barbecuing.
He’s a natural entrepreneur with business experience from spanning Amazon businesses to consumer product manufacturing. When it comes to building brands, Kevin is a big picture thinker with an uncanny ability to channel the target customer. He empowers brands to find the guts to say something and stand behind it. Outside the creative sphere, he’s trying to master Jiu-Jitsu for both self-discovery and self-discipline. And in case of a barroom brawl (before 7pm, because bedtime).
Say something, be someone, stand out, don't fit in, and most importantly, make it simple.
Listen, I don't know if I approach things differently, but I can tell you that a lot of brands are full of blablity blah. Making customers sift through all of that is ineffective.
When I deal with a brand, service, or product that is ultra clear, it makes me want to buy it. I'll even pay more. And that's how I approach everything we do for our clients at Hound. Just make it clear and simple.
I'm a big-picture guy. My brain typically spirals outward from a center point into outer space, collecting data points along the way. Those data points serve as my compass, whether it be a successful brand or a movie I watched. First-hand business experience or listening to Chris Do preach words of wisdom.
If you're looking for the practical answer:
I work to understand your entire business before taking a shot at solutions or decisions. Strategy serves as a template for that. Once we get clear, I become perpetually obsessed with the company, the model, the audience, the tactics, and the creative.
TLDR; Problem-solving is a messy process in my world.
If you're a future client, don't read this: I dream of the day that we're hired solely on our perspectives, and the client says, "Here's my idea; You have full creative control...Oh, budget isn't a worry, btw."
That's pretty crazy, so in all honesty, the best client relationship is when there is mutual respect and trust that we are on the same team. Your success is our success.
We like to be hired for our brains and work with open-minded brands that are committed to excellence.
So many failures. I failed math twice. I failed at my first job out of college. I failed at dating until I didn't.
My biggest failure was my first grown-up business with real money on the line, investors, logistics, and staff. I went big, but it didn't pan out, and I lost a lot of money. I realized that the way I thought about business was wrong. I realized that consumers are far more intelligent than I anticipated.
Ultimately, I realized you have to be pretty clever to change people's behaviors. That requires planning and good creative.
The year was 2015; I was in China on a business trip. They rolled out the red carpet from the moment we showed up.
Ice-cold Budweiser and 100 yr old fermented eggs. Umm, yeah, you better believe it. It was purple in color, gelatinous in texture, and, honestly, pretty good.