Big Names in Naming: A Naming for Everyone podcast

I talk with Eunice about… * How she found naming through a Craigslist job post * Experiences at big agencies, iconic naming studios, and the in-house side of things * Her current role at SAP and how it differs from working outside-in * Managing a queue of 180 (!!!) name requests Plus we play That Can’t Be Real! Eunice has to decide which of these are real. Play along at home: 1Heaume The world’s f...

I talk with Win about… * How he got into naming, from Northbound to Amazon to Salesforce * Seeing naming as an extension of business strategy * How Salesforce handles naming requests (it’s unlike anything I’ve heard before) * Managing stakeholder conflict by arguing their case for them * Finding creativity through customer obsession * Advice for new in-house namers Plus we play Defend! That! Name!...

I talk with Marc about… * His journey from radio to comedy to write to naming to comedy to naming to ultimately bringing ‘em all together * Old-school naming brainstorm sessions with Lexicon * Introducing new ways to working creatively at Landor * His role in popularizing the Christmas hit “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” * Generally being a fun and funny guy who does lots of projects I admire...

I talk with Rachel about… * Her path into naming, verbal identity, and coaching * The overlap between naming and coaching, and how psychology became central to her work * Why fear often goes unnamed in creative and corporate settings, even though it influences both sides of the client/agency relationship * How naming fear can make it easier to work with * Practical tools to manage fear * What fear...

I talk with Jed about… * How he became a namer after starting out as a teacher * Balancing naming work with his therapy practice * Fear 😎 * Why rapport matters more than most namers realize * The “miracle question” as a way to get clients to see beyond limitations they may be imposing on themselves Plus we play Defend! That! Name! and Jed sells me on Soundless for an art gallery, Jom Jom for an i...

I talk with Laurel about… * Her path from Rutgers linguistics to co-founding Catchword to her own practice, Sutton Strategy * How linguistic disaster checks work, and what you can use them to uncover * Why clients want to skip them, why that’s risky * Why in-country native speakers matter * Cultural checks beyond names: How should we think about colors, images, and context when entering new market...

This summer is hot as hell, in the bad way (sweaty, climate demise) and in the good way (fun projects, great collaborators, much to look forward to). The big thing I have my sights set on is The Business of Naming 2026 , the annual conference naming that I co-host with Nina Beckhardt of Naming At Scale and The Naming Group . We have an exceptional lineup of experts speaking on topics you will not...

I talk with Jenna about: * Addison Whitney’s Ari platform, an AI-powered naming tool designed to support creative exploration in pharmaceutical naming * Misconceptions about pharmaceutical naming * The skills needed for a career in pharmaceutical naming, including a love of language and natural curiosity Plus we play Defend! That! Name! and Jenna tells me why Rest Area is what we’ll all be calling...

Hannah Emery names people— something I find daunting, as a namer. We get into it! I talk with Hannah about: * Hannah's background in sociology and how it informs her approach to naming. * The process she uses to help parents choose baby names—which includes March Madness style brackets! * How the popularity of names has evolved over time * The unique challenges and considerations involved in helpi...

I talk to Scott about: * The journey from philosophy to working at Interbrand in Japan and New York to founding Tanj * How we grieve for the names of businesses that don’t last long enough in market * His work creating short-form naming content (GO ENJOY IT!) * His advice to his current self from his younger, scrappier self ( this really hit home…) Plus we play That Can’t Be Real! And Scott does s...

I talk to the brilliant Orlaith Wood and Jamie Thorp of Reed Words about: * Orlaith’s and Jamie’s naming origins in underwear and booze * Collaborating across offices and time zones on naming work * The importance of giving oneself "permission to be stupid," as some of the best names come from initial “dumb” thoughts * How Jamie used AI to develop Name Dealer, putting 10 years of Reed Words' namin...

I talk with Rob Meyerson about… * The PhD-to-namer pipeline * An in-the-works workbook version of his book Brand Naming * Why process matters * Key traits for namers beyond just liking language (though that matters too!) Plus we play Guess What We Do Here? and Rob makes some very insightful guesses about the nature of three companies that have something ~unusual~ in common. About Rob Meyerson Rob...

I finally got to interview Brad Flowers of Bullhorn and author of The Naming Book ! I talk with Brad about about: * The journey from managing a bike shop to founding Bullhorn and becoming a namer * Bullhorn's naming approach and the role of company culture as an attribute to explore for naming * Remembering to celebrate milestones along the way and remembering that business success and personal va...

Meet Mason! Mason took my classes last year and he was, as you’ll be able to tell from our conversation, all in on naming. I wanted to talk to someone newer in their naming journey about what they’ve learned so far and what they hope is next. It had to be Mason! I talk to Mason about: * How he came to see naming as a possible path after a couple of decades as a French translator * What’s been chal...

I talk Davie Young, director of brand architecture and naming at Microsoft, about: * Finding naming through brand architecture * What a supportive CMO can do for an entire organization’s commitment to naming * The intricacies and sensitivities of saying “no” to an internal naming request * The different ways people can be a namer! And so much more! Plus, we play Guess What We Do Here? and Davie tr...

I talk with Nina about: * Some of the ways naming is misunderstood * How she sets criteria at the start of a project * What “naming” really is beyond the development of actual name candidates * Her dreams of getting into the color naming game Plus we play “Guess What We Do Here?” and Nina pitches some incredible guesses as to what businesses might be based on their names: Guse, Whalesync, and Ambi...

This one is for anyone who’s been frustrated by their namer, researcher, or client while navigating the research process—we all have a lot to learn from Brad Davidson. I talk with Brad about: * The journey from researching how doctors talk about death (or“around” death, as it turned out) to working at a prominent naming agency—and ultimately conducting lots of naming research * The traps of fit-to...

I talk to Felipe Valério about: * The quirks of naming in Brazil * How trust sets the stage for a successful naming relationship * The way he uses independent movie titles to generate naming ideas * His dream to name a cryptocurrency and take it in a more unexpected direction And so much more! Plus we play Guess What We Do Here and Felipe has to guess what yay.com, Humaans, and Threecolts do. He’s...

I talk with trademark attorney Angela Wilcox about: * Why trademarks matter so much to the practice of naming * The challenges of descriptive naming and some of the strategies brands can use to protect their brand name while still telegraphic what they do * How working with an experienced IP lawyer can help you work through some of the less black-and-white aspects of trademarks—and get you closer...

I talk to John about: * His transition from linguistics in an academic setting to applying them to naming work * The ~vibes~ of names and how linguistics can tell us why we like what we like * Some linguistic basics we can all apply to our own naming work (it’s time to become a freak about phonesthemes) Plus, we play Defend! That! Name! and John pitches me Giant Bore for a dry cleaners, Odditory e...

I talk to Jeremy about: * Going from academia to becoming a senior naming strategist at Amazon * The intricacies of in-house naming at Amazon, including how names are shared and decisions are made * Naming + neurodivergence * A ton of nerdy stuff about tiering and versioning that all you disgruntled seasoned namers out there are gonna love Plus—twist—Jeremy brings a game for me to play, called Bre...

I talk with Patrick Yovanov about * How learning improv will help you become a better namer * His favorite tool: Trademarkia * His dream of naming a girl group * How he likes to present names Plus, we play Guess What We Do Here? and Patrick guesses what Smearcase, Butter, and Agood Company do. About Patrick Yovanov Patrick Yovanov is the Chief Naming Officer at Jingleheimer and a Freelance Sr. Str...

[Yes, my phone rings a few minutes into this episode, and it sounds very bad! I apologize! I am my own producer, and I am not good at it.] I talk to James about: * His love of the systems that inform good naming (which you can read about on his website: https://jamesmueller.xyz/thoughts/brand-architecture) * How naming characters in his own fantasy fiction writing planted the seeds for a life as a...

I talk with Emily Grubman about * Her dream of naming a cannabis brand * How she could help parents-to-be name their kids more effectively (it's all about communication!) * What it felt like to shift from a broader set of offerings to going "naming only" at her studio, Title Case * Why she dislikes "This & That"-style names Plus, we play Defend! That! Name! and Emily convinces me that Flower Cycle...

I talk with Aaron Hall about: * The characteristics he looks for in a newer namer * How indulging your curiosity on TikTok can lead you to unexpected sources of word nerdery (shout out to Etymology Nerd , who is also on Substack) * The importance of taking field trips and getting outside into the sunshine * Why you should build easily overlooked skills like taking your time and asking lots of ques...