Keeping Up with the Coal Crew: Show & Tell Edition

After a long, cold winter for many of our Coal Creative clan, this spring we’re diving into what enlivens us with joy. We asked each team member to pick one object in their space to show and share at a team meeting that fills them up with good feels. And the results? Well, we think the warm and fuzzies will be contagious even through the screen.

The Coal Crew’s Joy-Sparking Show-and-Tell Submissions

Masterful Melodics

Many of our members have a musical side, starting with Matt. As a man of many talents, Matt presented his band’s physical debut album as his show-and-tell submission. It features some eye-catching graphics, which came as no surprise considering that Matt is our brilliant Lead Web Developer and Lead Designer.

“This is my band’s debut album that came out last year. It’s special to me because it’s the first time I really got to combine my love for music and graphic design. There’s also cool little drawings and icons in here that I hand drew, so it was a full circle thing for me,” Matt said. 

Another one of our musical masterminds is Travis, Coal Creative’s Web Developer and Technology Specialist. He displayed a vinyl record from his band, Sleepsculptor, during the show-and-tell. “It’s the second album I’ve been a part of writing with them, but this is the first vinyl I’ve ever had with my music on it. The experience of recording this in New Jersey for a whole month was really cool,” he explained. 

Our final virtuoso, Will, works as our Post-Production Manager by day and plays in the band Rosary Guild by night. During our show-and-tell, he unveiled his Suzi Omnichorch and said, “This is one of the cooler, more obscure instruments that I have. It’s an 80s electronic instrument. It was actually based on the acoustic instrument of an autoharp. June Carter, Johnny Cash’s wife, would play one.”

Culinary Creatives

Next, we heard from the Coal Crew members who find their flow state in the kitchen. Production Manager Alex shared his love for scrumptious food with his show-and-tell contribution: Lemon, Love, & Olive Oil. “I’ve been getting really into cooking. My girlfriend and I love Greek food, so she got me this Greek food cookbook and that pumps me up.”

While Alex’s happiness is derived from delicious dishes, Jesse’s delight springs from the perfect cup of coffee. Like many marketing heroes, our masterful Campaign Manager is proudly fueled by caffeine. When Jesse’s not strategizing new social campaigns for clients, he enjoys testing out different caffeinated creations using his barista-grade espresso machine, endearingly named Chamille. 

“My love for coffee began in college years ago when I was trying to learn how to save money and make my own coffee,” Jesse said. “I began learning how to create my own lattes and eventually, my parents bought me a small espresso machine that got me through the rest of my college years. Once I had my first job, I splurged and bought Chamille, a Breville Barista Express, and my life hasn’t been the same since.” 

Furry Friends

After hearing from our culinary creatives, Coal Crew’s pet parents took center stage. Managing Director Camaryn attributed her high spirits at home to her cat, Kitty. “The reason her name is Kitty is because we found her living under my shed and she just responded to Kitty. So we couldn’t change it,” Camaryn explained. 

She went on to say, “She brings me a lot of joy because she is just like my spirit animal. I think we’re very similar with our thoughts and feelings. Justen, my fiancé, tells me this as well.” In light of this information, we’re currently reviewing Kitty’s resume for the Coal Creative management team. 

Another heart-warming show-and-tell submission came from Samantha, our Content Director. She presented a plaque of her corgi, Sully, who sadly passed away last year. “He was a really great friend and would frequently appear in my background during Zoom meetings. When he passed, I was really upset. The next time I came into the office, Holly and Cam surprised me with this custom wood-burned plaque of Sully, created by NEPA Creative-spotlighted artist Rachel Kissell.”

Not only does this plaque memorialize Samantha’s fluffy sidekick, but it also highlights the strong bonds at Coal Creative. “It brings me so much joy that not only do I have this lovely memorial piece, but that I had such amazing friends at Coal who thought to give me this incredibly special gift,” said Samantha. 

Easy on the Eyes

Many Coal Crew members appreciate visual art, starting with our CEO, Holly. She showcased a gift she received from a high school friend—a framed piece of art that says, “All the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you.” 

Holly hung this gift in her home so she can glean inspiration from it every day. She went on to say that this gift “was basically thanking me for choosing NEPA as a priority and having an influence on the progress of the valley. Sometimes you forget that people are watching and that you’re making an impact. Just a constant reminder that our ripple effect goes far and wide.” Wise words, indeed. 

Next, we heard from Jay, our Video Production Coordinator. While her position at Coal focuses on digital mediums, she’s also a big fan of the printed page. She and her boyfriend hand-crafted a Tokyo-themed, light-up book nook to call attention to her ever-expanding library. She said that it yells out to her “Hey, come over here and finish your books. Stop buying them!” Relatable. 

Lastly, Operations Director Jeremy shared how he’s been partial toward print marketing for many years. During our show-and-tell, he proved his talents with his hand-crafted Wallace.dog box. He said that this box “represents the various different mediums I have learned and also this childhood affinity for marketing materials. It harkens back to the late 80s version of North American Nintendo Entertainment System marketing.” Handmade vintage art? We love to see it! 

Cinematic Playstation

To finish off our glorious show-and-tell session, a couple of members of the Coal Crew discussed their love of visual mediums—namely, filmmaking and video games. 

Chief Creative Officer, Samuel, has an enduring passion for filmmaking. Thus, it came as no surprise that he revealed a video camera as his show-and-tell contribution. This particular video camera had a special story behind it. 

“This is my first camera. It was my dad’s camera, the GL1. It was a really great tool for me to use as a young creative person. It really helped me develop my love for making movies and editing and doing in camera editing and whatnot… Having this kind of prosumer-level camera as a nine-year-old was really important for my development,” Samuel said.

Next, Design Specialist Mia spoke about her nostalgic love of video games. “I have a lot of good memories with video games and playing them with my boyfriend and my friends. We tell funny jokes while we’re playing and really enjoy talking to each other,” she said. 

Like Samuel, Mia’s show-and-tell selection had a special family connection. “I also feel very connected with my brother when I play video games. I’m trying to continue his legacy with buying all the consoles and storing them.”

You’re up next! What sparks joy for you? Let us know in the comments, and we hope our show-and-tell brought a little sunshine to your day.