Hey so it looks like this project is gonna push…
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: January 17 2016 10:22AM
Hello Loren,
I’m the Resources Coordinator here at Homing Pigeon. Trevor D recommended you, and the strategy writing samples on your website are strong. We’re doing an image update for a major FinTech brand and could use some help. Any chance for a 1H on your time 1/20–2/5?
Carter
Carter Hamm-Hart • Associate Producer
Homing Pigeon: A Creative & Branding Agency
3900 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles 90019
*****
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: January 17 2016 11:15 AM
Thanks for reaching out. I’m already on a first hold during that time. Would you like to challenge?
Loren
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: January 17 2016 4:15PM
I’m pretty positive we’ll want to. Will let you know by EOD. 🙌🙌🙌
C
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: January 19 2016 11:15 AM
Hi Carter,
Following up about this project. Thanks.
Loren
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: January 19 2016 1:33 PM
Hey Loren,
It looks like the project is going to push slightly. We’ll know more after the Monday producers meeting. Thanks!
C
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: January 24 2016 11:15 AM
Hey Carter. Following up. Any word on the project?
L
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: August 9 2016 7:20 PM
Hey Loren. Looks like we’re finally a go on this. What’s your avails 8/12–26?
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: August 9 2016 11:01 PM
Just to be clear: we’re talking about the thing you never got back to me about in January?
***
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: August 10 2016 7:34 AM
Oh man so sorry for that. Things have been crazy around here. Is 8/12–26 available? 🙏🏻 🙏🏻 🙏🏻
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: August 10 2016 10:26 AM
Those dates work.
***
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: August 10 2016 12:01 PM
Great! Let me talk to producers. I’ll follow up EOD.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 3 2017 11:06 AM
Hi Loren,
Hope all is well. Sorry for delay here. Project ended up pushing. Would you be available starting next week?
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 3 2017 4:41 PM
Carter,
I don’t think I like the way you’re making me feel.
Loren
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 3 2017 8:03 PM
Not sure I follow?
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 4 2017 7:54 AM
Hey Loren,
Really want to get you in here, so let me loop you in (not our usual with freelancers, but wanted to extend this courtesy)… The client has never done a rebrand before, and has had a lot of questions that have delayed the project, but Justin our CD finally broke through late Thursday night!
Now everything is moving fast, and we’re flying to Chicago Monday for an executive intake. We’d want a writer/strategist in the room.
Full transparency: Justin is talking to a couple of other writer-strategists, but Trevor’s recommendation is definitely working in your favor. Any recent samples (re-brands of FinTechs from last 6 months) could help put you over the top!
C
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 3 2017 9:16 AM
Carter,
Unfortunately I do not have a writing sample that meets those exact criteria. For what it’s worth though, I‘m intrigued by Justin’s late night “breakthrough” and starting to enjoy this correspondence on it own merits.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 3, 2017 8:58 PM
Hey Loren,
Hope you haven’t spent too much time getting together those samples. To continue keeping you in the loop, Justin decided to go with a strategist with a proprietary process for extracting core brand truths.
We’d still need a dedicated writer when we get back. If you have any proprietary processes, that could really help me sell you through to Justin.
C
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 4 2017 9:01 AM
Great news! Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea what a “proprietary process” is.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 4, 2017 12:11 PM
Ha. I love your honestly. Super refreshing. Me neither truthfully, but we’ll find out in Chicago.
Keep me posted on your availability starting mid-month.
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 42017 12:15 PM
Let me just say, I couldn’t be more excited to get started.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: March 4, 2017 12:17 PM
Amazing! Talk soon!
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: June 8 2017 9:43 AM
Hey Loren,
Before I inquire about your availability, apologies for taking so long to get back to you. Things have been next-level insane here.
As you might have guessed, the project pushed. To keep you in the loop (definitely NOT our protocol with freelancers) while we were out in Chicago for our executive intake, Justin ended up getting a cloud migraine (he gets them on occasion), and when recovered, he walked in on the strategist conducting a full brand audit! We weren’t even close to that phase yet, and an audit is definitely not something you try on a brand that isn’t even solid on their communication tone and manner. Justin chased this *person* from the room, but the client was already pretty shaken up, and months of work had been UNDONE!
We have finally gotten things back to a place where we can move forward with positioning, but given the delay, we’re looking to move forward at supersonic speed with a Monday kick-off. Are you available through this month, possibly into next?
Any writing samples could be helpful, but given time constraints, really not a deal-breaker. After all, Trevor says you’re great.
Carter
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: June 8 2017 10:50 AM
I don’t know where to begin with this. Need time to process.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: June 8 2017 1:22 PM
So did we. Glad you understand the delay. You’d be available for a Monday AM kick-off?
(Also, if you have a proprietary process, maybe better not to mention it to Justin🤭)
***
From: Loren Schiller
To: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: June 8 2017 3:01 PM
Like I said before, I have no idea what a proprietary process even is, and inherently distrust anyone in this industry who claims to have one.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: June 8 2011 3:19 PM
Yes! I’ll mark you down available. Should have an update EOD.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: December 9 2017 10:06 AM
Hey Loren,
Hope you’re having a good 2017 and staying busy. Super sorry I didn’t get back to you in June. To loop you in, I was literally hitting send on an official booking request to you, when Justin burst into my office. He’d just come from a breakfast (Republique) where an off-handed remark by the client surfaced the insight they don’t even know their brand essence! How this slipped through the cracks is anyone’s guess, but of course Justin was the one to catch it. The client fled the restaurant in apparent shame and embarrassment. Justin was able to give chase (he ran cross country in college) and assure them that we can fix this, but an emergency ethnography would be needed to surface the core customer’s core values and behaviors. The client said they’d think about it, and then tore off down the alleyway.
We didn’t hear from them for months, and then earlier this week, Justin’s phone rang in the middle of the night. Guess who? Yep the client. They said they had done some soul-searching, and realized the need for an ethnography if it wasn’t already too late. Justin was hesitant. A lot of time HAD gone by. But the client pleaded, insisting that they’d changed, and would even submit to a full rebrand if that’s what we recommended.
So we’re heading to the midwest to embed with the core customer for 2 weeks, then we’ll need a writer to synthesize our insights into positioning.
This would be a minimum 6-week booking 🙌 🙌 🙌 Writing samples are totally your call. Trevor recommends you, and Justin trusts him with his life.
Carter
***
To: Carter H
From: Loren Schiller
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: December 9 2017 3:31 PM
Thank you for the greatest email I have ever received.
L
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: December 9 2017 5:05 PM
Ha! I’ll take that as you’re available starting mid-May? I think we can have your booking confirmation before we leave for the ethnography.
C
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: November 19 2018 12:11 PM
Hey Loren,
Just wrapped up the ethnography, and we’re ready to rock. What’s your availability in December?
Carter
***
To: Carter H
From: Loren Schiller
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: November 19 2018 2:22 PM
Carter! You’re back! 11 months later though? Wasn’t it supposed to be 2 weeks?
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: November 19 2018 3:41 PM
Yes! Did I not let you know? 😬😬😬 OK looping you in here (so not a thing we do with freelancers) the ethnography surfaced some pretty surprising insights into the core customer’s behaviors and values, and Justin decided to embed even deeper with a small group of them, posing as a Dutch graduate student. That’s when the insights really started pouring in. The client is awed by our process, and it’s truly been a joy to see the glow return to their cheeks.
As far as booking you, it may be a good idea to send some writing samples. Trevor recently recommended a designer who wasn’t the best, so Justin would prefer to evaluate your work himself.
C
***
To: Carter H
From: Loren Schiller
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: November 19 2018 3:50 PM
OK not to get hung up on details, but why did he choose the character of DUTCH GRADUATE STUDENT??
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: November 21 2018 1:15 PM
Justin lived in Holland as a child. Don’t know about the graduate student part.
Actually hold off a beat on getting those writing samples together. Project may be pushing slightly.
***
To: Carter H
From: Loren Schiller
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: November 21 2018 1:32 PM
I hope to meet Justin someday. And you. Even if we never work together, I’d like to meet you both.
L
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: November 21 2018 5:55 PM
Totally. Let’s try to get you in on this. Should know more EOD.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: October 25 2019 5:33 PM
Phew! We’re almost ready to jump into writing. Just to keep you looped in, as a last pre-positioning step, Justin wants to perform a full brand colonoscopy, to get in and take a good look around. He sees the client in the morning. Until then, they’re on a prescribed 12-hour social media fast.
Stand by for booking update.
Carter
***
To: Carter H
From: Loren Schiller
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: October 25 2019 9:05 PM
My therapist advised that if you ever contacted me again, not to reply. But I am here.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter H
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: October 25 2019 9:59 PM
Awesome! Should have update EOD tomorrow.
***
To: Carter H
From: Loren Schiller
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: November 3 2019 3:22 AM
Carter:
I never heard back from you, and honestly have been obsessing about what happened with the full brand colonoscopy. I don’t usually send emails like this, but I have questions that won’t go away. I told my therapist about the colonoscopy and she’d actually love an update as well.
***
To: Loren Schiller
From: Carter Lloyd
Subject: Fintech rebrand
Date: June 17 2020 9:20 AM
Hey Loren,
Sorry for the delay. Things have been psychotic busy here. Glad you’re so engaged in our process. And your therapist too. Safe to assume she knows how to keep things confidential?
So yeah — Justin did perform the procedure, and when the results came back, it turns out our client isn’t even a FinTech brand at all. They’re Hospitality! Justin has been performing brand scopes for years, but he’s never had to “re-sector” anyone!
The client was initially enraged by the suggestion that after 35 years, they should stop being an online bank, and immediately pivot into opening a chain of boutique hotels. This went on for many months, but then Justin unexpectedly broke through very late last night!
Now it’s off on our ethnography. Should only be about 2 weeks, and then we’ll be launching into writing!
C
(Have you ever worked with a hospitality brand? Definitely send samples. Your best ones. Trevor is not to be trusted, and his recommendation may be a disadvantage for you)