Researcher + strategist
People are
interesting.
Everyday life is full of things. I ask people about those things, then turn their answers into stories and interactive charts.
Join 500+ researchers, strategists, and marketers. A new question, most weeks.
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I was always curious about people. Eventually it became a job.
Read the career story →Agencies and brands
Research for 60+ brands and agencies, from Fortune 500 companies to startups and independent shops. Across that work: roughly 400 surveys and 100,000+ responses.
Ideas worth sharing
Published in Scientific American and invited to speak at IDEO.
Teaching
Adjunct professor of Consumer Behavior and Persuasion at the City College of New York.
Newsletter
I run original surveys on topics nobody asked about — then visualize the results.
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The Giving Tree EKG
153 readers traced the closeness between the boy and the tree, page by page.
The Plot Device
A survey interface where answering the question and drawing the chart are the same act.
One Year of Saying “Yes” to Every Survey
I took 199 surveys to understand what researchers forget when they stop being respondents.
“Sam’s a deadly combination. A research wizard with the strategic and operational chops to create value without draining the war chest.”
“Some of the most methodologically clean survey work I’ve ever seen.”
“As an academic, I find Sam extremely annoying. He gets to do great work without having to submit for grants or fight with Reviewer 2.”
“Goldmine for marketers and researchers. Sam’s brilliant at breaking down the nuanced design elements that make a good survey question work.”
“My #1 resource recommendation for anyone who needs a fresh take on quant, from junior analyst to a senior marketer.”
“Subscribe and then get a Roast. The value of the tips and insights you’ll get will feel like a steal.”
Client work
Three clients, up close
2024–2026Agency partner
One project became ten brands.
I’ve partnered with Giant Spoon on more than a dozen projects, helping the agency sharpen strategy, test ideas, and make stronger arguments in pitches and client work.
Brands I’ve researched with Giant Spoon
2024 → 2026
Water
Transit
Entertainment