Who We Are
We’re puzzle solvers (though one of us hates actual puzzles).
We’re noodlers.
We’re riffers.
We’re why-ers.
We’re what-if-ers.
The Team
Across a 20-year career, Jake has built brand strategies and dug up insights for companies in food and beverage, tech and telecom, healthcare, and financial services — mostly because he'd rather ask nosy questions than pretend to have all the answers. The hunt has taken him to some odd corners, from designing health-promoting services in rural Illinois to huddling in a rainy Moscow parking lot to understand Russian SUV owners. Before all that, he wanted to be a naval architect, an English professor, and a professional cook.
Kristina has spent her 20-year career fine-tuning the art of asking the right questions to get to the heart of what moves people to action, whether it's choosing a snack or investing in emerging markets. Fittingly, she leads qualitative research and strategy at Nacho Industries.
Before joining in 2018, she ran strategic communications programs for financial heavyweights like Goldman Sachs, Capital One, and Ally Bank as a Senior Vice President at Prosek Partners. She got her start in comms working with hedge funds and — yes, really — the International Association of Haunted Houses, a delightfully dissonant combination that eventually earned her a front page USA Today story declaring haunted house ticket prices a leading economic indicator. The aughts were truly wild.
Real talk with J & K
What's your favorite project?
Kristina: I’m a true focus group junkie. Getting a group of strangers together and creating an environment where they can be vulnerable enough to share what they’re actually thinking is pretty magical. I will die on this hill: There is no better way to get creative inspiration than the unexpected nuggets that come out of peoples’ mouths. In an industry that’s increasingly leaning on AI to tell us what we’re thinking, I’m here for the brave marketers who understand the value of exploring the world through real people.
Jake: When we get a chance to do smart research then create something new from it. Having the ability to explore a target audience knowing that you’ll be creating something for them ups the intensity. The ultimate project includes insights work, strategy, and naming. Give me that end-to-end energy.
What's your biggest fear?
Kristina: Watching Jake being eaten by a shark while I’m swimming next to him. My god. How traumatic. Am I next? Will I have to raise our kids solo? Will I ever be able to enjoy the ocean again or will I be doomed to a widower's life of swimming exclusively in shallow pools? Professionally, I worry we’re going to lose what makes great marketers great: our instincts, curiosity and human empathy.
Jake: No fear! Seriously, I’m a big believer in facing the unknown with curiosity and flexibility. In life, if we can do that, we’ll be OK. Our industry is changing so fast that we need to find the right balance between being open to the future and maintaining what enables us to deliver for our clients. Fine, one fear: People thinking synthetic sample is a good idea.
Who's your brand crush?
Kristina: Maude. A brand that (finally) broke the tropes of the adult category and made a wellness brand for, well, grown ups. Subtle colors, architectural design. All delivered without a single middle school euphemism.
Jake: Bandit. Ushered in a new era of running brands that were design forward, considered the whole experience, and used their athlete and influencer partnerships in new ways. Also, 11/10 customer service.
What's your last meal on earth?
Kristina: It’s a Tuesday night in 1995 and I just finished a new chapter book. The Pizza Hut waitress brings me my Book It Award and bubbling personal pan pepperoni pizza. The salad bar beckons with decorative kale, iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing. An embarrassingly dirty Tito’s martini arrives to wash it all down. The shark can eat me now.
Jake: Roast Pork Wonton Noodle Soup. Give me a big steaming bowl. Those thin yellow noodles. Wonton skins that are so delicate they float in the broth. Shrimp and pork wonton filling with great bounce. Bok Choi, tons of scallions. That’s it.