Date: 2026-08-14, 3:00 PM EDT Client: Will Hinman (Bowers Hinman / Flash Pass) Note captured by: Blake Stewart Context: Content interview call - Blake getting direct context from Will to fuel post drafts.
Attendees
- Blake Stewart (Megaphone / Foundingjourney, note creator)
- Will Hinman (will@bowershinman.com / will@flashpass.school)
Summary
Blake’s first direct content interview with Will. Productive 30-minute call covering Flash Pass’s rural health work, Will’s origin story, and networking philosophy. Will is currently unusually busy due to combing through Rural Health Transformation Program RFPs while most lobbyists enjoy a pre-election lull.
Flash Pass angles surfaced: local partnership model regardless of prime/partner status, complementing existing education institutions rather than disrupting them, and the adult learner career-infrastructure gap (K-12 has career exploration programs; adults have almost nothing). Will is prime applicant in Delaware (federal RHTP funds), training in medical billing, coding, and Epic software; partner model in states where out-of-state for-profits can’t bid prime.
Will’s origin story is rich: ornery high school student who addressed the cum laude society as an alum, political science major who was talked out of law school by an Ohio lobbyist he met at a Paul Ryan fundraiser at the Capitol Hill Club. Stayed in government after a job offer was rescinded, ran the Speaker of the House’s office, then started Bowers Hinman. Full-circle: that same lobbyist (later indicted in a $61M bribery scandal) called last week asking Will to potentially buy the firm.
Will flagged that posts feel too narcissistic and wants more humor and self-deprecation. Networking advice for early-career legislative staffers identified as a strong post angle.
Call will continue weekly; Will finds talking easier than voice memos.
Decisions
- Continue weekly content interview cadence
- Next call will cover feel-good lobbying stories and advocacy wins (to counter the “down and dirty” perception)
- Firm acquisition story is too sensitive to post publicly now; revisit later
Action Items
| Owner | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blake S. | Draft posts from this session | Priority angles: local partnership model, adult learner infrastructure gap, Will’s “ornery” high school to cum laude speaker arc |
| Blake S. | Prep feel-good lobbying story questions for next call | Will wants to spotlight advocacy wins that show lobbying positively |
Notable Excerpts
“Typically this is sort of a lull in the lobbying world because you’re kind of coming up to an election… while a lot of lobbyists are enjoying some time on the golf course, I am combing through rural health transformation program RFPs.”
“There’s really no career exposure infrastructure built for adult learners who might want to change careers or might be forced due to displacement to look into a new career later in life. And so I feel like that’s something we’re addressing through Flash Pass.”
“A lot of legislative staffers think that they will advance their careers by locking themselves in a room and understanding a bill front to back. And the ones that are actually better off are the ones that get out there and talk to more people.”
“I feel like my posts are talking about me a lot in a, like, almost a narcissistic way. There’s a way we can throw in some humor or some self-deprecation in there.”
Full transcript in Granola (granola_id: 57f1aedf-2cfa-492a-84f2-8017d80a4906) and client corpus at ~/.hermes/profiles/ryevalley/clients/will-hinman/calls/.