i started this as a @DevinLewtan appreciation tweet but realized it's actually a list of things you should look for in your first brand hire so listen up founders!! -**can make things herself end to end.** videos, creative, landing pages, etc. THIS ONE IS KEY bc she is completely unblocked to ship on her own without lots of resourcing and budget. a lot of "brand" people are actually just professional brief writers. you want a brand person that can make things. -gets the zeitgeist. good brand is not only good material, it's good timing. -personality is a natural extension of the brand. full company pride. turbopuffer is hardcore and whimsical. devin is hardcore and whimsical. ideally the creative of the company flows naturally from the person. if your head of brand doesn't want to personally rep the brand, you have a problem. -very very good relationship with founder. otherwise things get stuck and everyone gets grumpy. -has a stable of creatives and operators she trusts to call on for quick work. again so she does not get blocked on in-house resourcing. need custom music, assets, a sticker maker, she knows who to call. -thinks in every format and surface. words. visuals. timeline. billboards. swag. props. event vibe. and if she feels weak in one area, she knows who to call. -cares about budget. you don't want someone that lives to spend spend spend. this is an area that can get out of control fast. -brings the rest of the company along. some brand people take pride in being obscure outsiders. that's the wrong first hire. everyone at turbopuffer gets and respects devin's work not only because the work is good and delivers impact but also because she works hard to make sure its legible to everyone. -happy to get weird. fearless! you can't cut across and get attention by doing things everyone else is already doing. Devin loves trying new things and she doesn't get too discouraged to try again if one little thing falls flat. -listens. good at synthesizing feedback. lots of brand people like to hold and own the entire vision for things. Devin seeks feedback and genuinely listens -cool friends. 1/ she's always texting friends for informal feedback on stuff and they help shape the work in the right direction. 2/ by just being herself and hanging out, she's repping the brand with cool people! -proactive. a lot of brand work is opportunistic. absolutely CAN NOT be a person that waits to get told what to do. -extends the life of all creative. devin's always looking for ways to remix things and help them live longer. time and money spent goes further! -elevates others. devin's always looking out for who else at turbopuffer she can help shine. it's not all about the brand and the founder. it's not only kind, it's effective! -she's fun! working with her is really fun and everyone thinks so.