Behind the Brand with Andy Diamonds
Orb Faithful,
Good morning, friends. In the blink of an eye, the curtain falls on another regular season here at Orb Analytics. What a ride this season has been. I wanted to go into more depth about the accomplishments from my perspective as Creative Director. This season, we have seen growth in ways we couldn't have ever predicted. We look back, and much of that growth was a reaction to unpredicted challenges rather than well-thought-out planned decisions. We never expected people to become paid subscribers, we never expected to receive an enormous amount of positive feedback, and we never expected to be as successful as we are from a community standpoint. Going into the season, we were hovering around 60 subscribers and had 24 followers on Instagram. We now stand taller at 430 subscribers with 728 followers on Instagram. With a season-high of 8,000 monthly page views, Orb Analytics is read in 40 US states and connects with audiences in 13 countries. It's surreal.
I want to quickly return to the beginning of this journey and talk about where I was when I first heard of the Orb. I was working at a tennis facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, cleaning tennis courts and taking out the trash for the ultra-wealthy. I remember getting a text from my dear friend telling me about this model he was building to predict NFL games. My ears perked up, and I started asking more questions about how it was going and the model's success rate. After going back and forth for some time, we hung up the phone, and I went on kissing people's asses and bringing them beers in coolers filled with ice. After a late night shift and polishing off a chicken finger tray from Cookout (if you know, you know), I told myself that while the tennis gig was getting me out of the house and learning new people skills, I missed using the creative side of my brain. Long story short, I called Orb Wizard back one afternoon and asked him his thoughts on turning this model into a side project, and I would at least make some graphics that he could send to his friends. A virtual handshake later, Orb took its first steps.
Whenever you start something, the original plan is different from your path. Over the last two NFL seasons, I learned many new things about what it truly takes to build and curate a brand. You start with graphics, a rough logo, and a blank Instagram page. Suddenly, I'm printing stickers and business cards and going to parties in Boston to talk to people about the brand. Suddenly, I'm driving to Philadelphia to network at a sports gambling business conference at UPENN. Suddenly, I'm learning about tactics to grow a subscriber base on Substack.com. People don't see the creative struggles that I face when creating the newsletter, graphics, and media content. While the final product may look "polished," the kitchen that it was cooked in was a disaster. While I am very proud of where the brand is today, I know that I will look back after some time off in the offseason with fresh eyes and understand the changes I want to make to enhance the brand even further.
To conclude, neither Orb Wizard nor I have had the best experiences in corporate America. I wish to live independently from a boss, a desk, or having to be judged on my "performance" when, in reality, it's a lot of politics with very insecure people. Putting myself out there and calling myself a "Creative Director" was a decision I will never regret. I cannot extend my gratitude enough to you, the Orb Faithful. I have never been more motivated to continue to elevate the brand and find new ways to grow our audience, and I'm very excited to see what the new year has in store for all of us. I send love to the people who read us weekly and want to say that god is watching over you. You have a purpose and already obtain all the gifts and talents you need to build your life. Keep going, and enjoy the journey rather than the result. Listen to your instincts and embrace the things that spark curiosity.
We love you, we appreciate you. Happy Friday!
- Andy Diamonds
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