SAN DIEGO — Baseball hats have been very, very good to two San Diego childhood friends. In this Zevely Zone, I visited Liberty Station to meet two branding geniuses.
Is there anything more American than a baseball hat? The Arts District Liberty Station is filled with so much talent, you'd better hold on to your hat.
Trying on a hat is a lot like finding a new friend, some fit just right. San Diego natives and childhood best friends, Jason Klein and Casey White are behind some of minor league baseball’s craziest logos and mascots.
Jason and Casey met in kindergarten in La Mesa. "Casey liked that I was eating paste," said Jason. "I was the goody two shoes looking for a little rebellion," said Casey. "I was the rebellious ADHD kid who was trying to get kids into trouble," said Jason.
They may have meet on a playground, but it was in college where they earned a masters in mascots. The two have been a part of the famous antics you've seen by the Padre Friar, Shamu at Sea World, and Big Al the Elephant at Alabama.
From their dorm rooms, they launched a logo and design company called Brandiose and started writing letters to minor league baseball teams. "150 letters, printed, no email,' laughed Jason and Casey. How many responses? One.
Sometimes in baseball and business it only takes one pitch.
Founded in 2000, Brandiose Studios has dreamed up all kinds of team names, mascots, and looks, including top selling logos for the Richmond Flying Squirrels and the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. The West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx were rebranded to the Jackson Generals. Since then, Jason and Casey have rebranded over 100 teams including Rocket City Trash Pandas, Corpus Christi Honey Butter Biscuits, Gwinnett Strippers, and Wisconsin Udder Tuggers. "Every cap tells some story," said Jason.
One team is called the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit, baseball lost its appetite for hats. In 2020, baseball was cancelled. "Yeah, we were freaked out. Full panic mode. No season means no fans, no fans, no money, no Brandiose," said Jason and Casey.
The best friends dug deep and came up with a ten-gallon hat idea. They called it The Clink Room. It's a website that allows people all over the world design their own hats. "This guy is in Melbourne, Australia," said Casey. "This guy lives in the Florida pan handle." The Clink Room was a baseball hat homerun. "It's beautiful," said Jason about a friendship and business that have both thrived. "Jason is my best friend," said Casey.
The Clink Room is now five times the size of their original company. Jason and Casey have been profiled by ESPN and the New York Times, but San Diego will always be there first love. "We are homers. We love San Diego; we are always showing up for SD. Hometown pride," said Jason and Casey.
Their business is located at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station. The complex is San Diego’s largest Arts & Cultural District located in historic buildings at the former Naval Training Center in the Liberty Station neighborhood, near Downtown on San Diego Bay.
For more information about The Clink Room click here.
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