Ty Braswell, R’76, looks for one key element whether he is consulting in brand storytelling, engineering, or comedy — creative courage.
“I like working with people who have the courage to push the envelope,” he says. “I love looking at what’s possible.”
After working as a vice president at both Virgin Records and Sony Corp. of America, Braswell set out on his own. He established Creative Digital Strategies, a consulting resource to help brands, startups, and tech companies with business development expertise, digital audience engagement, and brand storytelling strategies. The communication graduate can’t help but smile when describing the “small” company he created in 2007.
“It’s me,” Braswell says, “and my key freelance colleagues that I bring in based on their proficiencies that match up for the specific assignments.”
“My strength is being able to talk to people and get them to trust each other and utilize each other’s sense of humor.”
That small company has collaborated on some big projects — Braswell was instrumental in launching NHL Mobile and the digital comedy startup JASH. Regardless of the industry, Braswell looks at three elements in any company he works with — creative, digital, and strategy.
“I have a basic functional expertise with each of them, but I don’t know how to code. When I’m around creative people, it’s actually quite humbling,” Braswell says. “My strength is being able to talk to people and get them to trust each other and utilize each other’s sense of humor.”
The creative digital strategist thrives on the synergy between the three distinct entities. “Those three types of teams need to work together, and that’s where the fun is,” Braswell says. “Everyone leaves their ego at the door and is a little more open-minded. I love the energy of seeing them work together — seeing people have a joyous vibe working on a project. When you’re building stuff, it diminishes the internal politics, and that’s the best part.”