TSC | Previously The Starr Conspiracy’s Post

For me, 2024 was the best HR Tech ever. First and foremost, I got to hand over the CEO keys to my longtime friend, Ashley Bernard. After working with Ashley for about 15 years now (including in a co-CEO role for the last year), it was one of the (truly) happiest and most gratifying moments of my life to see her receive a very amazing and well-deserved welcome from the most influential people (you all) in all of work tech. If you’ve spent time with Ashley, you already know she is one of the smartest, hardest-working, professional, compassionate and authentic people you’ll ever meet. And I look forward to working for her in my new role as Chief AI Officer! (More on that later.) I also loved this HR Tech because I think the team did a great job on the rebrand. (We are now TSC.) I’ve been through a few of these in my life, and I think this was the best one I’ve ever been part of. Everything was so intentional and creative and well executed. I’ve talked to a lot of people who love our new brand, and a few who hate it. And I’m grateful for both perspectives, because it means people care. There were multiple moments in the process when I was very nervous, but then I was reminded of something I’ve told clients for years: “If your marketing doesn’t make you nervous, no one else will even notice it.” Everyone at TSC | Previously The Starr Conspiracy played a role in the rebrand. But I have to send much love to Racheal Bates, Nancy (Pummill) Crabb, Erin Swan, CDE® and JJ La Pata who worked their asses off, got shit done and delivered a real defining moment for our agency that really stands out, even in a 25-year history of doing crazy shit. I also loved talking to people about AI during this year’s HR Tech. I know there are a lot of skeptics out there when it comes to AI in general (and my new role, specifically). But don’t be fooled. AI is becoming fundamental to marketing. And my work is not garden variety chatGPT stuff. I’m building multi-agent custom apps that sit on top of fine-tuned LLM models to do things that people still think can’t be done (like write good content that reflects the tone, knowledge and brand standards of a specific company and the people in it). I talked to a lot of fellow AI geeks and, after spending nearly a year in the lab, it was encouraging to get out in the world and compare notes with the vanguard. Finally, I love hosting the exhibitor lounge. We spend over $100,000 on the lounge each year (mostly on booze, lol) because we know that standing in a booth for hours and hours each day, talking until you hate the sound of your own voice and doing it all on only a few hours of sleep is a lot. And sometimes you just need a little sanctuary. A couch. A beer. An outlet. We host the lounge each year because we are so grateful for each of you and your support of our agency over the years. So once again, much love to all you beautiful HR Tech software companies (and especially all the people with sore feet today). We’re big fans.