Tom Horton, our lead consultant, formed Mind Cartel as a syndicate of professionals who share his vision and drive, and work in concert with his philosophy. His partners use their formidable skills to provide the best possible results for the client, while maintaining personal integrity, exhibiting a devoted work ethic, and paying strict attention to mission details, deadlines and budgets.

The cartel includes:

• Alison Slamon, graphic designer and photographer
• Sally Stryker, graphic designer
• Tonda McKay, photographer and videographer
• Kathy Evans, web designer, programmer and graphic designer
• Jim Elder, printing consultant
• Rick Prince, artist and illustrator
• JoAnna Howe, specialties and promotional consultant
• Haley Hopper, event planner

Philosophically, our clients are our partners. By fostering two-way trust, we approach their challenges with enthusiasm and drive, as though their goals were our own. Because they are: we recognize that Mind Cartel is only a successful firm if we achieve successful results for our clients.

We are different from most creative services firms. Most agencies talk a good game about being “outside the box” and “cutting edge.” But what if you need to be inside the box? What if your message doesn’t need to cut, but soothe? Our thinking on image is that a message that disrupts should actually say something once it’s gotten your attention. We don’t try to impose our style on you: instead, we work with you to develop an identity and brand that best represents you to your audiences.

Unlike big ad agencies, we aren’t cheerleaders who hear “billable hours” every time a client mentions a new project. If something won’t work, we’ll tell you: it’s as much our job to tell you things you don’t want to hear as it is to give you what you want and need. Straight talk is how we build trust, and trust is what we build every client relationship upon.

Mind Cartel gets a biography, because the secret is that it’s a syndicate made up of a single member. Thomas Horton is a Nashville native— a rare thing in this town— and has worked as one of the city’s foremost creative and strategic minds for the last fifteen years.

After deciding the life of an academic wasn’t for him (he’s a dissertation shy of a Ph.D. in French Renaissance Literature), Tom went looking for a job in advertising. Standing in the middle of the retail outfit he worked for part-time in Charlottesville, Virginia, a man offered him a job… in Nashville, his hometown. “It was like God saying, ‘Go home,’” says Tom. That was his first agency job. From there he has held progressively more important and prestigious positions in advertising, marketing, publications, public relations, politics and state government.

After having worked in every aspect of corporate communications, marketing and advertising, it made sense to share what he knows. He founded Mind Cartel and works today as a marketing, branding, advertising, public relations and strategic planning consultant. His clients include enterprises from home-based start-ups to Wall Street giants, and he treats each one as though it were his own business, becoming personally involved and committed to its success.

Of course, he can’t do it all alone. That’s why he engages top professionals from every major creative and logistical field to assist him in bringing the vision for his clients to fruition: photographers, designers, web programmers, printers, writers, videographers and event planners are all at his disposal to make sure that anytime a client asks Mind Cartel to head up a task, they can be assured it’s being handled by the best Nashville has to offer.

To reach Mind Cartel, you need merely click here for a quick e-mail link.

Alternately, you may find us other ways.

Snail:
Mind Cartel
Thomas Horton, Lead Consultant
133 Dodge Drive
Nashville, TN 37210

Phone:
615.428.3333

Fax:
508.749.7272

Skype:
tom_at_mindcartel

Over the last twenty years, we’ve done a lot of work. Here’s a list of some folks we’ve helped. You may have heard of a few of them.

Alcoa (NYSE:AA)
Fushi Copperweld (NASDAQ:FSIN)
Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Sodexo (Euronext:SW)
USAMobility (NASDAQ:USMO)
Nortel (PS:NRTLQ)
Tennessee State Government
Vanderbilt University
Follett Corporation
CX-Analytics

Mind Cartel’s strength is creative strategic planning. Any hack can put together a brochure, an ad, or a web site. But when you hire us to handle your communications, we insist upon learning a lot about your organization: if we don’t know what you’re about, how can we introduce you to the world?

Our first order of business is to learn everything we can about how a client’s organization currently operates. We examine corporate culture, mindsets, plans, and processes. We look at your history, and honestly assess how you are perceived in the marketplace: your strengths and weaknesses, challenges to overcome and underexploited qualities. Then, we prioritize your marketing, communications and strategic planning needs, taking into account budgets, media and messaging.

Once priorities have been established, we work with our clients on a success roadmap. By setting forth strategic visions that string together manageable projects, attainable goals, defined milestones and flexible forecasts, we help companies to energize their brands, focus their corporate message, and extend their reach— and that formula yields success.

This is the creative services page

This is the advertising page

What’s the point of achieving something if nobody knows about it?

Public relations is the art of creating “buzz.” We believe that anything worth doing is worth getting people talking about, and we know how to get tongues wagging.

Whether it’s traditional press releases in print newspapers and magazines, or the hot world of viral social networking, we have the ability to move your message into the mouths of those who will spread it for you. Ask us about our public relations services, and let us show you how we get folks talking.

Former Tennessee Governor Ned Ray McWherter used to be fond of saying, “Plan your work, and work your plan.” A strategic plan is as essential to success in business as a roadmap is to success in finding an unknown destination.

All entrepreneurial efforts start with an idea. But how to implement and execute the idea is an even pressing concern. How do you begin? What are your resources? Do you have contingencies if unforeseen events intervene?

We have written numerous business and marketing plans, and can help you figure out your roadmap to success. As we like to say, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re just wandering around.” Let us help you build a plan that works.