About Us
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“Embodying casual intensity with an empathetic smile, a well-told story and embracing music.”
Tether was born in 2008 with the dream of creating brand visions for visionary brands. We set upon our future in a creative playground where we sold products we made, showed art we curated, held community events and concerts and created multidiscipline solutions for brands we love, from corporate giants to passionate start-ups to launching our own brands. We’ve grown and moved a few times since those early days, while remaining steadfastly independent and wholly committed to being a place where strategies are elucidated, stories are crafted, concepts are germinated, and brands—big and small—are born, reborn and sent out to conquer the world.
Our Tetherites
Stanley Hainsworth
Chief Creative Officer
Left-brained† revolutionary embarks on madcap mission‡ to redefine how design gets done.
- † Left-brainers are known for extricating astounding creative solutions from chaotic office environments.
- ‡ Most lucrative madcap missions involve a memorable logo, a proven hydration beverage, and a clairvoyant gnome
Nancy Urner
Operations Director
Efflorescent† executor magically manages the machinations of an emerging empire.‡
- † Efflorescent individuals are often enamored by punctuation’s potential for self-expression!!!!!
- ‡ All empires have lifecycles. We’re looking forward to the decadent decline, when it’s all champagne and supermodels.
Steve Barrett
Executive Creative Director
Masterful mentor† enlightens with poetic perceptions and big-picture bravura.‡
- † Effective mentorship requires the ability to provide advice that can be construed as both sagacious and cryptic.
- ‡ In certain contexts, “bravura” may be misinterpreted as “adult ADD.”
Julia Fiorito
Group Account Director
Sassy Saxon† with a knack for tackling complexity steers projects to first position.‡
- † Wenn ich das übersetzen muss, du schuldest mir ein Bier.
- ‡ Be warned, should she volunteer to drive: this former Autocrosser still chases the checkered flag.
Neil Webster
Executive Creative Director
Tactical jargonaut† summons verbalistic prowess to craft new legends, new worlds, new rituals.‡
- † Jargonauts differ from liars in that they enjoy gainful compensation and a generous 401k plan.
- ‡ Rituals include, but are not limited to, falcon husbandry, competitive gurning and Kirkpinar oil wrestling.
Matt Lider
Senior Creative
Inquisitive† tinkerer engineers ergonomic and aesthetic excellence of Brobdingnagian‡ proportions.
- † This “Investigator” shares an Enneagram type with none other than Einstein.
- ‡ Towering at 6’4,” he’s got the altitude to elevate any project.
Libby Snow
Senior Account Manager
Superpowered† account conductor fights mediocrity‡ and defeats disorganization with augmented aplomb.
- † Our hero’s origin story begins on San Juan Island, a mysterious land rising out of the Salish Sea
- ‡ In civilian life, Libby is a meticulous plant mom whose little green babies grow up strong and proud.
Madeleine Waite
Account Director
Green Mountain mama follows family tradition† granting client wishes with poise & precision.‡
- † With a dad in ads, is it a coincidence that “Madeleine” sounds a lot like “Mad Men”?
- ‡ Two qualities she honed in lacrosse, effortlessly connecting balls to defender’s noses nets.
Calvin Ouyang
Creative
History-minded maker is always building—on his outdoor avidity†, podcast proclivity and obsessive tendency to tinker‡.
- † + From snowboarding to mountain biking and hiking, if it’s en plein air, he’s all in.
- ‡ ‡ “Frankenbinding” snowboard parts and drafting a custom bike frame are just the start.
James Halada
Creative Director
Alphabetic alchemist† transmutes lexical mettle into marketing gold.‡
- † Early alchemists attempted to transmute strips of leather into bacon, thus accidentally inventing beef jerky.
- ‡ You should see this guy on the drums, pounding out the hits from the golden age of hair metal. That’s pure gold.
Daniel Petrzelka
Group Creative Director
Curious concoctor† nimbly shifts gears and focus, inspiring a propitious panoply‡ of profferings.
- † Should anyone tempt you with a “brand-new concoction”, insist they take the first sip.
- ‡ When confronted by a propitious panoply, we advise that you assume a fetal position and yodel until it retreats.
Dave Schlesinger
Creative Director Industrial Design
Spatial savant† formulates 3D serendipity in an unkempt and off-kilter‡ world.
- † It requires first-hand experience and a trained eye to distinguish between a spatial savant and your average felon.
- ‡ A term that originated with the rampant deskirting of Scotsmen during the 1513 Battle of Flodden Field.
Minos Spyridakis
Controller
Hellenic† water baby swims‡ in spreadsheets, quantifies the creatives and choreographs our fiscal fitness.
- † † If the vowels and consonants in his name wasn’t clear enough, our Minos’s DNA was imported from Greece.
- ‡ ‡ He doesn’t appear to have gills, but Minos loves swimming so much he claims to be a reincarnated fish.
Becky Van Wieringen
Talent Manager
Ommetaphobic people-picker,† triumphant in global gauntlet,‡ levels an eye for untouchable talent.
- † Her first job was packing widgets on an assembly line. Now it’s placing wizards in an open office.
- ‡ Pausing her lifelong tour of Washington with a trip to 13 countries in 3 weeks. Plus layovers.
Josh Stough
Senior Creative
Vehement velocipedist† shifts the prototypal paradigm up a gear with celeritous‡ skill.
- † He’s the proud proprietor of nine wheels—eight of ’em on bikes. We’ll let you noodle on the ninth.
- ‡ Frameworking at full-throttle is a given with an almost-pro RC racecar driver.
Tina Ou
Senior Project Manager
Operationally OCD organizer† greases the lanes, helping projects strike the pocket‡ with perfect precision.
- † Tina’s juvie rap sheet includes several counts of aggravated calendaring.
- ‡ Ever the tweener, Tina delivers with equal parts power and finesse.
Kat Simpson
Associate Creative Director - Strategy
Strategy-minded design maven brings megapixel passion to aged Parmesan, fresh tunes† and outdoor exploits‡.
- † + Need recs? She keeps a spreadsheet of new albums and how she ranks them.
- ‡ ‡ Whether hiking, bikepacking, camping or canoeing, this nature girl is all about it.
James LaFuente
Associate Creative Director
Pixel wiz reigns as king of the hill† when it comes to inky‡ scripts, creating comps wild enough to rival his Yeezy Boost 700s.
- † This former flamethrower traded fastballs for even faster design chops.
- ‡ His passion for pigment led him straight to the hard stuff—13 tats in one year.
Bronson Folz-Edwards
Associate Creative Director
Graphite-wielding† graphic designer finds beauty in abecedarian forms, alley-oops and fiery food.‡
- † 2H to 6B, his penchant for pencils is downright Escher-esque.
- ‡ Whether cooking up concepts or chowing down, he brings the heat.
Sarah White
Associate Creative
Inveterate thingmaker† goes all in on the slopes, on her bike and on and on and on with her feline fanaticism‡.
- † She likes making things so much she takes existing things apart just to put them back together again.
- ‡ Did someone ask about her cat, Manchester? That’s OK — she’ll happily share pics anyway.
Danielle Buffa
Senior Creative
Pixel-perfect† branding buff bags peaks, bleeds Maize and Blue and boasts a soft spot for serial killers.‡
- † This creative lives for smart design, from UI and UX to packaging and identity.
- ‡ She’s all about true crime podcasts, psychology and what makes people tick.
Björn Soneson
Creative Director
Globetrotting graphics hit man executes† deliverables with a Swiss-army skillset.‡
- † Let’s be clear, all this talk of execution is purely metaphorical … or is it?
- ‡ Skillset includes print, web, and slow jams.
Ollie
Dog
Hur… Hur…
Bo Gilliland
Associate Creative Director
Salty scribe navigates lyrical seas†, crafting siren songs with style‡ and soul.
- † Making sweet, sweet music—with bands and brands—floats this salt’s 38-foot Kettenburg.
- ‡ Three-time winner of Seamen Digest’s Sartorial Sailors & Natty Naval-Gazers.