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Kalin Siegwald
Director of Creative Planning and Operations at Very Great
Professional Background
Kalin Siegwald is a highly creative and strategic professional whose rich career spans across various sectors, including writing, design, branding, marketing, and printing. With a strong foundation in creative disciplines, Kalin has continuously proven to bring innovative ideas to life while successfully managing projects that bridge practicality with artistry. His multifaceted skill set has made him a significant asset in every role he undertakes.
After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Literature and Writing from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he maintained an impressive GPA of 3.75, Kalin set off for an exciting international career. He traveled to Thailand to earn his CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), further honing his communication skills as he taught English overseas. His journey continued in Japan, where he taught English to young learners, leading one of the most attended baby classes in Honshu.
Upon returning to the United States, Kalin took on the valuable role of management trainee at Quad Graphics, the second largest magazine printing company in America. His focus during this period was on the press, sales, marketing, and change management. At Quad Graphics, he had the opportunity to work on renowned publications like Vanity Fair, Vogue, Time, and Rolling Stone, significantly enriching his experience in the fast-paced world of print media.
Kalin's career took a creative turn when he relocated to Brooklyn, where he served as a manager in a high-end stationery company. This role allowed him to fully immerse himself in the intersection of art and commerce before he joined the innovative team at ?What If! Innovation. Here, Kalin collaborated with a variety of Fortune 500 clients, including Purina, American Express, Miller Coors, and MTV, focusing on consumer insights, product development, and employee training related to innovation. His work in this domain further evidenced his ability to merge strategy with creativity.
As his passion for design grew, Kalin turned to the world of motion graphics. Self-taught in the Adobe Creative Suite, he built an impressive portfolio that led him to pursue an MFA in Motion Graphics from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where he graduated with an exceptional GPA of 3.9 in Fall 2016. Today, Kalin serves as the Manager of Creative at Flavor Paper, a Brooklyn-based company known for its unique made-to-order wallpapers that include groundbreaking designs such as scratch-and-sniff wallpaper and interactive wallpaper printed with conductive ink.
Education and Achievements
Kalin is a standout graduate with a rich educational background that reflects his unwavering commitment to both creativity and leadership. His academic journey began at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Literature and Writing, signaling the start of his deep-seated passion for storytelling and creative expression. His dedication culminated in a stellar GPA of 3.75, an indication of his academic prowess.
After enhancing his English teaching credentials in Thailand with a CELTA certificate, Kalin further pursued his artistic aspirations at the Savannah College of Art and Design. There, he embraced the realm of motion graphics, honing skills in design, animation, and multimedia communication. His well-deserved GPA of 3.9 reflects his hard work and mastery of the subject.
Kalin's remarkable career journey has been accompanied by various roles in esteemed organizations. As the Director of Creative Planning and Operations at Very Great, he showcased his leadership skills, planning vision, and creativity. His previous roles have included that of Lead Creative Planner at Very Great, further solidifying his reputation as a leader in the creative process.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Kalin Siegwald has accumulated a wealth of achievements that speak volumes about his transformative impact in various industries. While at Quad Graphics, he played an integral role in shaping the visual narratives of some of the world’s most prestigious publications. His tenure at ?What If! Innovation was marked by innovative product development strategies for high-profile clients, drastically influencing the brands' engagement with their consumers.
At Flavor Paper, Kalin has embraced his role as a manager for creative initiatives, contributing to the unique wallpaper designs that define the company. His ability to blend functionality with artistic expression has inspired groundbreaking products that resonate with customers and designers alike. Kalin also dedicated time to share his knowledge, teaching wallpaper design for children at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
In addition to his work at established institutions, Kalin is known for his entrepreneurial spirit, founding ventures such as Mary Rose & Banyan, and freelancing under his own name, Kalin Kalin. These endeavors have allowed him to explore and express his creative vision fully, creating a lasting impact in the design community.
Kalin's journey showcases a whimsical blend of experience, education, and hard work that makes him an exceptional creative leader. His passion for innovation and strategic thinking is evident in every project he undertakes, securing his role as an influential figure in the arts and creative industries.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.