Date: 2026-09-17 8:04 AM EDT Attendees: Michael Houck (note creator), Ted (collaborator, system audio speaker) Note: Only Michael appears in Granola known_participants. Ted appears to be an internal collaborator or agency partner visible via system audio only.
Summary
Working session between Michael and Ted to plan the SF campaign strategy for Emile (Flashpass client) targeting a 2-week execution window. The campaign has a 3-layer framework: billboards, a middle layer (unresolved), and a physical storefront presence.
Billboards: found a platform that allows time-slot bidding (peak commute hours, Mon-Fri only), which keeps costs down. Best used for a visual/meme moment, not sustained presence. Brex SF billboard playbook cited as the template.
Storefront location options evaluated: Sand Hill Road (Palo Alto), South Park (SF), Ferry Building, Fisherman’s Wharf, Castro/Haight-Ashbury.
Middle layer: still unresolved, needs to be locked in within 24-48 hours. Must be a one-day splash that prompts photos and online chatter, framed anonymously with no direct tie to Emile yet. Ideas floated: man-on-the-street interviews on favorite billionaires; original data study on favorite CA billionaires published on an anonymous provocative site; interactive display showing tax revenue impact if billionaires exit CA. Data study angle has most legs given press/social love for hard, arguable numbers.
Also covered Jolt open items: digital twin OS videos are live and funnel is active. VSL/sales page video is the higher priority, targeting record by Sunday, live before Michael’s Friday (Sep 25) absence.
Decisions
- Billboard strategy: use rotating digital billboard for time-slot bidding, meme/visual creative for a moment, not sustained presence
- Middle layer concept needs paper within 24-48 hours; data study angle is the most promising direction
- VSL recording: Ted to record Sunday, live before Sep 26
Action Items
- Michael: Think through Emile’s middle-layer concept and share ideas with Ted (24-48 hours)
- Michael: Develop topic and hook for Emile’s social strategy (was due today, carry over 1-2 days)
- Michael: Drop open Jolt items in the team channel flagging what’s on Michael vs. Ted
- Ted: Record VSL for Jolt sales page (targeting Sunday, live before Sep 26)
Notable Transcript Excerpts
On SF billboards and the Brex playbook:
“SF actually, like, people actually care about the billboards. I don’t know if you’ve seen it in person, but it’s weird. You go through the rest of the country and it’s like personal injury lawyers, but you go to SF and it’s like AI companies. It’s all because of Brex. When Brex got started, they bought a ton of billboards in SF and that’s how they got known. And so now everyone tries to replicate that strategy.”
On billboard tactical use:
“We probably should do it for like a time period and use it more for like the meme picture that we can put up rather than expecting the billboard to actually be there for an extended period of time and cause a movement.”
On the middle layer:
“I just don’t think that a rotating billboard [alone]… I think we need an in-between… just getting people talking about this whole, like, him calling out billionaires thing, even though it’s not associated necessarily with him… a lot of anonymous accounts.”
Full transcript: Granola meeting 7f33828c-fd97-4aba-ba00-c79dd5b535ad