Initially, it was unclear why the angels had seen fit to relinquish this fated soul. (And right now you can probably hear Belinda's infamous laugh.)

But years later, their divine intentions became clear in the form of a fifth grade poster contest for recycling. Travis bested the whole county by depicting Coke and 7UP cans with a headline that read, "Recycle all you CAN." A year later, after he'd blown through the pizza party and $25 prize, he noticed the recycling program was using his headline in their television commercials. And then two things happened:

1. Our young hero decided that somehow, someway, he would infiltrate the advertising industry.
2. Our young hero filed an intellectual property suit against the Belmont County Recycling Center.

Today, Travis marshals the diverse talent of the Fitting Group Creative Room — which is a little like herding cats, if those cats are really into puns. He prefers to keep something close to a 50/50 ratio of the work he does directly and the projects he oversees, but all of our pieces must eventually pass his conceptual rigor.

Holistic impact is another trademark of he-whose-heart-went-silent-but-now-sings-again, because Brand Spanking requires more than a mere design shop. What he does — what we do — requires experience, passion bordering on obsession and a cultivated iTunes playlist of 80s Hair Bands.

This work demands creativity, talent and intermittent genius. It subsists on guts and a Thermopylae mentality.

And, quite frankly, it requires a leader who is willing to push the fundamental boundaries of the branding universe — a man who will guide his team to the brink of oblivion whereupon they can gaze out and say, "The answer is none. None more black."