PaperFrank for PrizePicks

PrizePicks has always had an appetite for merch. The problem is we don't want to drop merch just to drop it. We want it to have a real story behind it so it doesn't end up in the gym shirt rotation. That's a harder standard than it sounds.

Frank and I met at a PrizePicks event and stayed connected for about a year before this ever became a real conversation. When the idea started taking shape, he was the only call to make. A genuine staple of Atlanta's art scene who already understood what the brand was about.

The brief was simple: create your version of Gobby and show us how you see the world of PrizePicks. Frank ran with it. We made a few tweaks along the way — swapped the billy clubs for money guns — but it was damn near no notes. That's what happens when you partner with the right people for your brand.

I ran everything. Chose Frank, lead the creative direction, chose Amb3r Apparel out of Denver to produce the pieces. Designed the merch silhouettes, the Shopify site, all the marketing assets. Once the product was locked, I led the go-to-market strategy end to end.

The drop didn't get the full org behind it the way it deserved — the marketing team doesn't believe in an elevated merch approach the way our founder and I do. We launched anyway. 100 tees, 100 hoodies, 100 hats. Gone in 13 hours. Most of it before lunch.

Frank chose to give all proceeds to ForeverFamily, an organization that helps kids who have one or both parents in the prison system.

If I'm being honest, I'd do the rollout differently. I'd build a proper merch calendar, lock in the dates, and fight harder for org-wide buy-in before launch. But I was happy we got it out into the world the right way, with Atlanta at the center of it.