Be Massively Helpful

Going big has always been a virtue of mine—from a year of posters to a world of portraits. Hell, starting this company 11 years ago was a giant swing for the fences. And now at Selman, our goal is to not just be helpful but to be massively helpful—as a creative partner, as a company, and as an employer.  

As partners, our approach is super simple and also massively helpful. We meet clients where they’re at. We listen, think ahead, and then over-deliver. We’ve heard the frustrations clients have had with other agencies and their cumbersome processes and million-dollar PDFs. The industry is changing for the better, paving the way for smaller, more nimble companies with lower operating costs and higher creative output.

We’ve found this true working with the Google Brand Studio on a range of high-level branding and campaign projects. Recently, our team helped Google craft and refine its visual identity. We were able to quickly cast an enormous net of creative exploratory, before delivering useful insight and systematic guidance. In the past, this type of work would go to larger agencies often owned by huge holding companies, but we’ve proven that by being massively helpful, bigger is definitely not better.

So what does it mean to be a massively helpful company? Similar to the Triforce in Zelda, massive helpfulness is achieved with the balance of three values:

01 Hardwired Positivity
We believe in optimism and the potential of what can be achieved.

02 Powerful Practicality
We believe in efficiency and prioritize usefulness in the things we make.

03 Radical Creativity
We believe magic happens when imagination meets intention.

The key word here is balance. The balance of these three values is exponentially more powerful than they are alone. Positivity could be mistaken for blind optimism, but when paired with practicality and creativity, it’s unstoppable. Practicality alone could be seen as the enemy of creativity, but together they represent a more focused effort and useful output. 

For example, we worked with Charity Ball, a non-profit organization that provides soccer balls to children in poverty-stricken communities. We listened to founder Ethan King’s vision to create a level playing field for children, especially girls, who were being excluded from the sport all over the globe—from Mozambique to Michigan. We were already working with Ethan on graphics for his new soccer ball design for Charity Ball and saw the opportunity to pivot and use the ball as the centerpiece for a campaign to “Level the Feild.” Today, over 50k balls have been distributed, Level the Feild brand and league partnerships have been established, and a passionate global community is thriving with the goal of improving the world they live in through sport.

Another example is No Web Without Women, which highlights the critical role women have played in shaping the digital world and promotes the dialogue on gender equality. Celebrating the resilience of these pioneering women, the project emphasizes how our modern lives rely on their groundbreaking work. The website has been used as an educational resource by classrooms around the country and was recently honored with a Webby for the People’s Choice Award.

Over the past two years, we've redefined what it means to be a massively helpful employer. With the addition of Megan Greig in People Operations, we've developed a transparent career development framework. Her influence has fostered a 'clear-is-kind' culture, demonstrating a significant investment in our people, especially for a small company. We've streamlined complex processes and cultivated an inclusive environment for learning and growth.

Being physically together in the studio is a priority at Selman. We’ve gut-renovated a 3-story building in Gowanus, Brooklyn, that now stands as a hub for creativity. The building is built for function with two conference rooms, a photo studio, and a production room, while also bringing the comforts and privacy of a townhouse. We have a studio garden with hot peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and herbs, which are nice additions to the weekly Family Meal. Studio culture develops honestly in these moments together and it's something that you can't replicate on a computer screen.

The ultimate hope is that our contributions to this world and the people we surround ourselves with are net positive. By supercharging our pursuit of helpfulness, we are equipped to achieve that goal, to solve that challenge, and to do so with empathy and kindness. At the end of the day, I’d like to think that we leave things in a profoundly better state than when we started. So, what's the best way to do that?

Be massively helpful.