First, congrats on the new role. We’re sad to see you go, but, as you said, it’s one of those once-in-a-career moves you’ve just got to make. We’ll be cheering for you, and not just because we want you to hire us once you get your bearings at the new gig. 

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Your announcement got us thinking about the arc of our work—and relationship—together. 

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When we first met, you asked for a free one. You asked several of our peers for a free one too. The pitch wasn’t as horrible as some, and you behaved decently enough during the process. (And who are we to complain, having emerged victorious?) Alas, it did start us off on a wrong foot.

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It took us the better part of our first paid engagement to break even from the pitch. And well into the second to show a sustainable profit. And though we were still in the honeymoon phase, we resented you for that, just a little. 

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Early in our time together, you scrambled us to your office on short notice to help convince a wavering VP that the direction the work was taking was sound. That was a pivotal moment for all of us: we earned her respect, and our trust in one another solidified. Things didn’t necessarily get easy after that—in fact, the stakes only got higher. But there was a new and lasting sense of confidence that we’d prevail, whatever we faced. 

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We hit our stride together, and with time we put together a track record that would make anyone proud. The work we did for you performed beyond expectations. Your brand thrived. You got promoted. You were good enough to bring us with you as your purview expanded. You got promoted again.

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And we thrived as well. Your partnership enabled us to build a committed team and allowed each individual on it to grow their knowledge and flex their skills. We won awards. We added to our portfolio. We grew as a firm as you grew in your career. 

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More importantly, when the world fell apart and your brand needed to pivot, we were able to help you to guide it through. A testament to the mutual trust we’d built and the strength of the relationship, yes, but also to our mutual understanding of the value of brand in such moments. (If only some of our other clients had shared that understanding they might have weathered that storm as well as you did…)

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We won’t talk about what happened in Pittsburgh that led to missing our return flights, other than to note that maybe they could make those “jet bridge door is about to close” announcements a little more audible in airport bars. 

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But it is worth noting how much we valued the side conversations while on the production set, the family stories over hotel restaurant dinners, even the chit-chat behind the glass during focus groups. All these small moments of humanity amidst long, sometimes stressful hours, serve as reminders of why we chose such a collaborative field. 

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No doubt your new role will bring with it many new challenges. Here’s hoping you’ll encounter the same humanity, trust and success that characterized our work with one another. 

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And here’s hoping we can find a reason to miss another flight together one day soon. 

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Indelibly yours,

Mike, Thom, Jeff & Matt

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