DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built

#323 - The Brand Whisperer: Revealing the Tactics behind Your Favorite DTC Brands with Emmett Shine

Episode Summary

Emmett Shine is the Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of Pattern Brands — a family of brands on a mission to nurture daily enjoyment at home. In this episode of DTC Pod, Emmett opens up about blending artistic vision with operational savvy, navigating the challenges of launching brands like Equal Parts and Open Spaces, and the art of nurturing a brand from inception to market. He shares insights from his journey, from shaping the DTC landscape with his work at Gin Lane to fostering innovation at Pattern Brands.

Episode Notes

Emmett Shine is the creative genius behind Pattern, taking the lead in shaping the narratives and aesthetics of its seven brands. He also co-founded a creative agency, Gin Lane, and oversaw its evolution in parallel with the burgeoning startup ecosystem that came to define New York's landscape.

In this episode, Emmett discusses Pattern Brands' approach to cultivating a unique identity for each brand within its family. He underscores the need to create specialized experiences for individual brands while exploring synergies across the portfolio. His dual focus on operations and creatives emerges as a cornerstone strategy, proving pivotal in his company's ongoing journey to build a robust and profitable direct-to-consumer ecosystem.

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On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:
1. Creative vs Operational Mindsets
2. Talent Recognition and Recruitment Strategies
3. Timeless Design Principles and Inspiration
4. DTC Brand Challenges and Strategies
5. Building and Scaling a Brand Family
6. Personal Growth and Entrepreneurship 

Timestamps
00:00 Working with business founders, finding market opportunities
05:25 Starting Pattern Brands, buying businesses, launching a design agency
13:23 Finding and hiring the right talent
15:27 Emmett Shine’s background in design, creating timeless vs trendy designs
24:18 Launching two brands, Equal Parts and Open Spaces
28:31 Managing multiple brands: human resources and operations
33:50 Building specialized brands that cater to millennials
45:01 Focusing on consistency, quality, and iterative processes
46:34 Diverse projects in early stages, seeking new challenges

Show notes powered by Castmagic

Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  

Additional episodes you might like:

• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth

• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content

• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views

• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands

• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook

• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands

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Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:
DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internet
Olivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplement
Castmagic - AI Workspace for Content

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Emmett Shine - Co-Founder of Pattern Brands
Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic