With a diverse background ranging from cafes to consulting firms, Matchbook's Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Herndon, brings a breadth of experience. He's a writer, brand strategist, and business leader.
Daniel serves as the strategic leader of our client strategy and is CEO of breaking the silence with a joke.
Although he may not take himself too seriously, he definitely takes brand communications very seriously. We've never seen anyone obsess over a headline or positioning statement more than he does, and it pays off for our clients.
His desire to understand each client partner and his tendency to question assumptions bring an insightful angle to the work we provide our clients. His experience includes national and international brand strategies, complex messaging campaigns, and complicated website projects. He's been at or near the helm of an ad agency for something like two decades and serving hundreds of clients in various industries.
One Million Years of Experience.
Well, not quite, but for the last couple of decades, Daniel’s work with clients has reached across the USA. Before starting a creative agency, he launched a fledgling record label and pursued brand endorsement partnerships. This business opened up opportunities that led to the start of his branding agency in 2008, which merged with Matchbook in 2020.
Writer. Ad Man. Food Eater.
Daniel was recognized in the Indianapolis Business Journal's Forty Under 40 in 2011 back when he was still under 40. His first swing at publishing was co-authoring Facebook All In One for Dummies on Wiley Publishing in 2012. He now writes (and illustrates) a news, politics, and humor newsletter at danielkherndon.com where he publishes at least once a week.
You'll also see his writing on marketing, brand strategy insight on our website right here. The Spark is how brand managers get smarter about marketing each week. Many of our articles are written by Daniel. Sign up here to get insightful articles in your inbox most weeks.
On the occasion he feels the need to work with his hands, you might find him building and selling custom poker tables, among other woodworking projects. Other times, he'll be playing on those very tables, with mixed financial results but a net positive on friendships. To keep sharp, he also serves on the board of the NO MORE Foundation, an international agency focused on creating awareness of domestic violence issues, and John Boner Neighborhood Centers, a vital organization supporting quality of life for the near eastside of Indianapolis.
Daniel and his wife, Carrie, live in Indianapolis and are young empty nesters, with two adult daughters. In his spare time, he studies philosophy, charcuterie, and other cured meats. He’s a devout bourbon enthusiast but religiously abstains from soda.
