Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you want to know about STRUT Stories, our services, our philosophy, and SAIL™.
ABOUT STRUT STORIES
1. What is STRUT Stories?
STRUT Stories is a content marketing, strategic communications, and brand advisory studio that helps organizations define how they are understood by audiences, partners, investors, the media, and increasingly, AI-powered discovery platforms. Through strategy, storytelling, communications, content development, curation, and digital experiences, STRUT Stories transforms ideas into clear, compelling narratives that build authority, strengthen reputation, and support long-term growth.
Founded by Jason R. Latham, STRUT Stories works primarily with streaming media, luxury hospitality, and lifestyle brands while also partnering with organizations across education, health and wellness, food and beverage, retail, nonprofit, and technology sectors. Every engagement begins with a simple belief: every brand has a story. STRUT Stories helps ensure it’s the right one.
2. What does STRUT Stories do?
STRUT Stories develops the strategies, messaging, and content that shape how organizations communicate with the audiences that matter most. Depending on a client’s needs, STRUT Stories services may include defining a brand’s market position, developing executive messaging, writing press materials, creating website content, producing presentations, organizing content libraries, or designing digital experiences that improve audience understanding and engagement.
Every project is built around the same objective: helping organizations communicate with greater clarity, consistency, and purpose. Whether launching a new brand, supporting an established organization, or introducing a new initiative, STRUT Stories creates communications that help businesses tell stronger stories and build lasting credibility.
3. What services does STRUT Stories provide?
STRUT Stories offers a range of communications, content, and strategic advisory services designed to help organizations strengthen their brands and connect with their audiences.
Core services include:
Brand strategy and positioning
Brand storytelling
Communications and media relations
Executive messaging and thought leadership
Content strategy, curation, and packaging
Website messaging and digital experiences
Presentation and pitch deck development
Strategic AI Landscape Audits (SAIL™)
Each engagement is tailored to the client’s objectives, whether that involves launching a new brand or website, supporting a major announcement, refining an organization’s messaging, or developing long-term communications strategies.
4. What industries does STRUT Stories work with?
STRUT Stories works across multiple industries, with particular expertise in streaming media, luxury hospitality, and lifestyle brands. The studio also partners with organizations in higher education, health and wellness, food and beverage, retail, nonprofit, and technology sectors.
While every industry has its own challenges, the underlying communications principles remain remarkably consistent. Organizations need clear positioning, compelling stories, thoughtful messaging, and content that builds trust over time. STRUT Stories adapts those principles to each client’s goals, audience, and competitive landscape rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions.
5. Where is STRUT Stories based?
STRUT Stories is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and works with clients throughout the United States and abroad. While many partnerships are developed remotely, the studio also supports clients through on-site collaboration, strategic planning sessions, executive interviews, media events, and other in-person engagements when appropriate.
Because much of STRUT Stories’ work focuses on strategy, communications, and content development, geography is rarely a limitation. The studio regularly collaborates with organizations across different markets while maintaining a personalized, hands-on approach to every engagement.
6. Who founded STRUT Stories?
STRUT Stories was founded by Jason R. Latham, a communications executive, writer, and former television news producer with more than two decades of experience developing stories for broadcast, digital, corporate, and consumer audiences. Throughout his career, Jason has led communications and content initiatives for streaming media companies, luxury hospitality brands, universities, nonprofit organizations, technology companies, and lifestyle businesses. His background in journalism, television production, public relations, and strategic communications informs STRUT Stories’ approach to helping organizations communicate with clarity, credibility, and purpose.
7. Why is it called STRUT Stories?
The name STRUT Stories reflects the belief that every organization has a story worth telling, and that the strongest brands communicate with confidence, authenticity, and intention.
Stories shape how people understand organizations. They influence reputation, establish authority, create emotional connections, and often determine whether audiences remember a brand at all. STRUT Stories exists to help organizations discover, develop, and communicate those stories through thoughtful strategy, compelling content, and purposeful communications.
8. What makes STRUT Stories different from a traditional marketing agency?
STRUT Stories focuses on the strategic foundation that supports effective marketing rather than replacing it. While traditional agencies often concentrate on advertising campaigns, media buying, or creative production, STRUT Stories helps organizations define the narratives, messaging, communications, and content that give those efforts meaning.
The studio frequently works alongside in-house marketing teams, public relations professionals, creative agencies, and executive leadership to strengthen positioning, clarify messaging, develop content, and create communications that support broader business objectives. The result is a cohesive story that audiences, stakeholders, and partners can understand and trust.
BRAND STORYTELLING & STRATEGY
9. What is brand storytelling?
Brand storytelling is the practice of communicating an organization’s purpose, values, expertise, and identity through clear, consistent narratives that people can understand and remember. It’s not about inventing a story. It’s about identifying the one that already exists and expressing it in a way that resonates with the right audience. Effective brand storytelling extends far beyond advertising. It influences website copy, executive messaging, media interviews, presentations, thought leadership, social content, and customer experiences. When done well, it creates consistency across every touchpoint, helping audiences understand not only what a company does, but why it matters.
10. Why is storytelling important for businesses?
People rarely remember lists of services or product features, but they do remember stories. A strong narrative helps organizations explain who they are, what they believe, and why customers, partners, or stakeholders should care. Storytelling also creates consistency. It provides a framework for how an organization communicates across its website, media interviews, presentations, marketing materials, and executive communications. Rather than relying on disconnected messages, businesses with a clear story build recognition, trust, and long-term relationships through communications that reinforce the same ideas over time.
11. How does STRUT Stories develop a brand narrative?
Every engagement begins with discovery. STRUT Stories works to understand an organization’s history, goals, audiences, competitive landscape, and existing communications before developing recommendations. From there, key themes, messaging pillars, positioning statements, and supporting narratives are established to create a cohesive story that can be applied consistently across communications. The goal isn’t to manufacture a new identity, it’s to clarify the organization’s strengths and communicate them with greater confidence, consistency, and purpose.
12. What is a messaging strategy?
A messaging strategy is the framework that guides how an organization communicates with different audiences. It establishes the core ideas, language, and supporting messages that should remain consistent across websites, presentations, media interviews, marketing materials, executive communications, and other public-facing content. A well-developed messaging strategy ensures that every communication reinforces the same brand story while allowing individual messages to be tailored for different audiences and situations. It creates consistency without sacrificing flexibility, helping organizations communicate more clearly and build stronger recognition over time.
13. Can STRUT Stories help reposition an existing brand?
Yes. Organizations evolve, markets change, and audiences develop new expectations. STRUT Stories helps businesses evaluate how they are currently perceived and identify opportunities to strengthen or redefine their positioning without losing the equity they’ve already built.
Repositioning may involve refining messaging, clarifying a brand’s value proposition, developing new narratives, updating website content, reorganizing communications, or introducing new strategies that better reflect where the organization is today. The objective is not to become something different, but to communicate more accurately and effectively.
STRUT Stories has gone through this process itself. Originally launched in 2017 as Tryon Studios, a freelance copywriting service, the company evolved into STRUT Stories in 2020 to better reflect its expanded focus on communications, brand strategy, content marketing, digital experiences, and AI consulting. That experience reinforced an important lesson: successful repositioning isn’t about abandoning your history -- it’s about creating a brand that more accurately represents who you’ve become.
14. How can better storytelling strengthen a brand?
Clear storytelling helps organizations establish a stronger identity by creating consistency across every communication. When audiences encounter the same themes, values, and messaging repeatedly -- whether through a website, news coverage, presentations, or executive interviews -- they develop a more complete understanding of the brand.
Over time, that consistency builds credibility, recognition, and trust. It also makes communications more effective because every new piece of content reinforces the broader narrative instead of competing with it. Strong storytelling doesn’t simply support marketing—it strengthens the foundation on which long-term brand reputation is built.
COMMUNICATIONS & CONTENT
15. Does STRUT Stories write press releases?
Yes. STRUT Stories develops press releases for announcements ranging from product launches and executive appointments to grand openings, partnerships, awards, events, and major business milestones. Every release is written with two audiences in mind: the journalists who may cover the story and the readers who will ultimately discover it through news outlets, search engines, and company websites. Beyond announcing news, a well-written press release helps organizations establish credibility, reinforce their messaging, and create a lasting public record of important developments. STRUT Stories works closely with clients to ensure every announcement aligns with broader communications objectives while maintaining an authentic voice and a clear sense of purpose.
16. Does STRUT Stories provide executive communications?
Yes. STRUT Stories develops executive communications that help leaders communicate with confidence, consistency, and clarity across a wide range of situations. Services include executive messaging, speeches, talking points, keynote presentations, media interview preparation, leadership announcements, employee communications, award nominations, opinion pieces, and strategic correspondence. Every communication is tailored to the executive’s voice while supporting the organization’s broader messaging and business objectives. Strong executive communications build trust, reinforce leadership, and ensure that important messages are communicated thoughtfully to employees, customers, partners, investors, and the media.
17. Can STRUT Stories develop thought leadership content?
Yes. STRUT Stories helps organizations and executives establish authority by developing thought leadership content that shares expertise, perspectives, and original ideas with industry audiences. Thought leadership may take many forms, including articles, executive bylines, keynote presentations, LinkedIn content, conference materials, blog posts, interviews, white papers, and contributed media articles. Rather than focusing on promotion, effective thought leadership demonstrates knowledge, provides valuable insights, and helps position individuals and organizations as trusted voices within their industries.
18. Does STRUT Stories write website copy?
Yes. STRUT Stories develops website messaging that helps organizations communicate clearly while creating a better experience for visitors. Every page should answer important questions, guide users naturally through the site, and reinforce the organization’s overall story. Website projects may include homepage messaging, service descriptions, About pages, landing pages, leadership biographies, FAQs, calls to action, and content architecture. Rather than treating each page independently, STRUT Stories approaches websites as complete narrative experiences where every page contributes to a consistent understanding of the brand. STRUT also offers website build services via Squarespace.
19. Can STRUT Stories create content strategies?
Yes. Content strategy is one of STRUT Stories’ core services. Rather than focusing only on creating new content, STRUT Stories helps organizations determine what content they already have, what they need, how it should be organized, and how it can best support business goals. A content strategy may include editorial planning, content audits, website architecture, messaging frameworks, publishing priorities, content repurposing, and recommendations for improving discoverability across search engines and AI platforms. The objective is to create content that serves a clear purpose and continues delivering value long after it is published.
20. Does STRUT Stories offer crisis communications support?
Yes. STRUT Stories provides strategic communications support for organizations navigating sensitive situations, reputation challenges, or unexpected events that require clear, timely, and thoughtful messaging. Crisis communications may involve developing holding statements, executive messaging, media responses, internal communications, question-and-answer documents, or broader communications strategies designed to help organizations respond with accuracy and confidence. While every situation is different, the guiding principles remain the same: communicate honestly, provide clarity, and maintain trust with the audiences who matter most.
AI STRATEGY & SAIL™
21. What is SAIL™?
SAIL™ is STRUT Stories’ Strategic AI Landscape Audit, a consulting framework designed to help organizations understand how they are represented across today’s leading artificial intelligence platforms. As more people turn to AI assistants to research companies, products, services, and industries, SAIL™ evaluates what these systems know, where information gaps exist, and how brands can strengthen their visibility and authority. The audit examines how platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity interpret a brand through hundreds of structured prompts. The result is a practical assessment of how an organization is currently perceived within AI ecosystems, along with strategic recommendations to strengthen discoverability and improve future visibility.
22. What does SAIL™ stand for?
SAIL™ stands for Strategic AI Landscape Audit. The name reflects the audit’s purpose: providing organizations with a comprehensive view of how they appear across today’s AI landscape. Rather than measuring website traffic or traditional search rankings, SAIL™ evaluates how artificial intelligence platforms understand, describe, categorize, and recommend a brand. The audit helps organizations identify strengths, uncover knowledge gaps, and better prepare for a future in which AI plays an increasingly important role in how people discover information.
23. What is a Strategic AI Landscape Audit?
A Strategic AI Landscape Audit (SAIL™) is a structured evaluation of how artificial intelligence platforms perceive and communicate information about an organization. It measures the consistency, accuracy, completeness, and visibility of a brand across multiple AI systems using a standardized research methodology. Rather than relying on a handful of example prompts, the audit examines a broad range of questions related to brand recognition, positioning, authority, discoverability, competitive standing, growth opportunities, and business strategy. The findings help organizations understand not only what AI knows today, but also where improvements in messaging, content, and digital presence can strengthen future results.
24. Why does AI visibility matter?
AI is rapidly becoming another way people research companies, products, services, and industries. Instead of visiting multiple websites or conducting several searches, users increasingly ask AI platforms to summarize information, compare organizations, recommend providers, or explain unfamiliar topics. Because these systems rely on publicly available information, the quality and consistency of a brand’s digital presence directly influence how it is represented. Organizations with clear messaging, authoritative content, and well-developed digital assets are generally better positioned to be accurately understood. Understanding how AI currently interprets a brand allows organizations to make informed decisions about future communications and content strategies.
25. How does SAIL™ work?
SAIL™ evaluates an organization through a structured series of research questions across multiple leading AI platforms. These questions examine topics such as brand recognition, category positioning, discoverability, authority, recommendations, competitive differentiation, business opportunities, and future growth. The responses are analyzed collectively to identify recurring themes, inconsistencies, strengths, and opportunities. Rather than focusing on isolated answers, SAIL™ looks for patterns that reveal how AI systems consistently understand -- and sometimes misunderstand -- a brand. The final audit combines those findings into practical recommendations that organizations can use to strengthen their communications and digital presence.
26. What questions does a SAIL™ audit answer?
Every SAIL™ audit is customized to the organization being evaluated, but common areas of analysis include:
How do leading AI platforms describe our brand?
Are we accurately categorized within our industry?
What are our strongest authority signals?
Where are the biggest knowledge gaps?
How do AI platforms compare us to competitors?
When are we recommended—and when are we overlooked?
What opportunities exist to improve discoverability?
Which communications or content initiatives could strengthen our visibility?
A typical SAIL™ audit involves as many as 100 questions across multiple AI platforms. Together, these findings provide organizations with a clearer understanding of how they currently exist within the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem.
27. Who should consider a SAIL™ audit?
SAIL™ is designed for organizations that depend on reputation, expertise, discoverability, or thought leadership to attract customers, audiences, partners, or investors. The audit is particularly valuable for media companies, hospitality brands, professional services firms, technology companies, educational institutions, political organizations, nonprofits, and companies with established digital presences that want to understand how AI currently represents their brand. It can also provide valuable insights for organizations preparing to launch new initiatives, expand into new markets, or strengthen their long-term communications strategy.
28. What does a SAIL™ report include?
A SAIL™ report provides a comprehensive assessment of how AI platforms understand an organization or brand today, along with recommendations for strengthening future visibility.
Depending on the scope of the engagement, a report may include findings related to brand recognition, positioning, competitive analysis, authority, discoverability, recommendation behavior, monetization opportunities, messaging, and strategic communications. Rather than presenting isolated observations, the report connects these findings into a broader picture of how the organization is perceived across the AI landscape and identifies practical opportunities for improvement.
29. How is SAIL™ different from SEO?
Traditional search engine optimization focuses on improving a website’s visibility within search engine results. SAIL™examines a different question: how artificial intelligence platforms understand and communicate information about a brand. While there is some overlap, both benefit from strong content, clear messaging, and authoritative digital assets. SAIL™ evaluates how AI synthesizes information from multiple sources to answer complex questions, compare organizations, and make recommendations. The audit complements traditional SEO by helping organizations prepare for a future in which AI-assisted discovery becomes an increasingly important part of online search.
30. Can SAIL™ help brands become more visible in AI search?
SAIL™ is designed to help organizations understand the factors that influence how AI platforms represent their brand and identify practical opportunities to strengthen that representation over time. Because AI systems continuously evolve and rely on a wide range of publicly available information, no audit can guarantee specific rankings or recommendations. Instead, SAIL™ provides organizations with a strategic roadmap for improving the quality, consistency, authority, and discoverability of their digital presence—factors that can contribute to stronger visibility as AI-assisted search continues to evolve.
WORKING WITH STRUT STORIES
31. What types of clients does STRUT Stories work with?
STRUT Stories partners with organizations that recognize the value of clear communication, thoughtful strategy, and purposeful storytelling. While the studio works primarily with streaming media, luxury hospitality, and lifestyle brands, its clients also include organizations in higher education, health and wellness, food and beverage, retail, nonprofit, and technology sectors. Rather than specializing in a single industry, STRUT Stories focuses on a common challenge shared by many organizations: communicating complex ideas clearly while building long-term credibility and audience trust.
32. Does STRUT Stories work with companies outside Las Vegas?
Yes. Although STRUT Stories is based in Las Vegas, the studio works with organizations throughout the United States and abroad, supporting clients remotely as well as through on-site collaboration when appropriate. Many STRUT Stories engagements involve strategy, writing, communications planning, and digital content development, making remote collaboration both efficient and effective. When projects benefit from in-person meetings, executive interviews, media events, or workshops, STRUT Stories can also work directly alongside client teams.
33. Can STRUT Stories work remotely?
Absolutely. STRUT Stories regularly collaborates with clients through video meetings, collaborative workspaces, shared documents, and digital communications. Because much of the studio’s work involves strategy, messaging, writing, presentations, and communications planning, projects can often be completed seamlessly regardless of location. Clients receive the same personalized attention and collaborative approach whether they are located across town or across the country.
34. Does STRUT Stories offer project-based consulting?
Yes. Many clients engage STRUT Stories for individual projects such as website messaging, press releases, executive communications, presentation development, brand positioning, or Strategic AI Landscape Audits. Project-based engagements allow organizations to bring in specialized communications expertise for a specific initiative while maintaining flexibility. Every engagement is tailored to the client’s objectives, timeline, and scope of work.
35. Does STRUT Stories provide ongoing communications support?
Yes. In addition to project-based work, STRUT Stories partners with organizations that require continuing communications, content, and strategic advisory support. Ongoing engagements may include executive communications, media relations, content planning, presentation development, messaging refinement, website updates, thought leadership, and strategic consulting. Working together over time allows STRUT Stories to develop a deeper understanding of each organization while helping ensure consistency across evolving communications initiatives.
36. How do I get started with STRUT Stories?
The process begins with a conversation. Every organization has different goals, challenges, and opportunities, so the first step is understanding what the client hopes to accomplish and how STRUT Stories can best support those objectives. Following an initial discussion, STRUT Stories works with clients to define the scope of the engagement, establish priorities, and develop a tailored approach based on the organization’s specific communications and business needs. You can connect with STRUT Stories via the website’s contact page.
37. How can I contact STRUT Stories?
Organizations interested in learning more about STRUT Stories or discussing a potential project can reach out through the website’s contact page. Whether the need involves brand strategy, communications, storytelling, content development, digital experiences, presentation design, or a Strategic AI Landscape Audit, every conversation begins with understanding the organization’s goals before recommending an approach.
WHAT STRUT STORIES IS (AND ISN’T)
38. Does STRUT Stories replace an in-house marketing team?
No. STRUT Stories is designed to complement -- not replace -- internal marketing and communications teams. Many organizations already have talented professionals managing day-to-day marketing activities. STRUT Stories often serves as an additional strategic resource, helping clarify messaging, develop communications, strengthen content, provide executive support, or contribute specialized expertise for projects that benefit from an outside perspective. The goal is collaboration, not duplication.
39. Is STRUT Stories a public relations agency?
Public relations is one of the services STRUT Stories provides, but it does not fully define the studio. STRUT Stories approaches communications from a broader strategic perspective that includes brand positioning, storytelling, executive communications, content strategy, digital experiences, presentation development, and AI visibility through SAIL™. Public relations is an important part of that work, but it is one component of a larger communications practice focused on helping organizations build authority and communicate with clarity.
40. Is STRUT Stories a branding agency?
STRUT Stories helps organizations define and communicate their brands, but its work extends beyond traditional branding. Rather than focusing primarily on visual identity or logo design, STRUT Stories develops the narratives, messaging, communications, and content that shape how brands are understood over time. This includes positioning, storytelling, executive communications, websites, presentations, media relations, and digital strategies that reinforce a consistent brand identity across multiple audiences and platforms.
41. When should a company hire STRUT Stories?
Organizations typically engage STRUT Stories during periods of change, growth, or opportunity. That may include launching a new brand, introducing a product or service, refreshing website messaging, preparing for a major announcement, strengthening executive communications, organizing content, or evaluating AI visibility through SAIL™.
Some clients also seek an outside perspective when existing communications no longer reflect who they are or where they are headed. STRUT Stories helps organizations clarify their story before communicating it more effectively.
42. What kinds of projects are the best fit for STRUT Stories?
STRUT Stories is best suited for organizations looking for thoughtful communications and strategic guidance rather than high-volume marketing production. Projects often involve defining brand positioning, developing messaging, creating executive communications, writing press materials, building websites, organizing content ecosystems, producing presentations, supporting thought leadership, or conducting Strategic AI Landscape Audits (SAIL™). While every engagement is different, the common thread is helping organizations communicate with greater clarity, consistency, and confidence.
THE STRUT STORIES PHILOSOPHY
43. What does STRUT Stories believe about storytelling?
STRUT Stories believes that storytelling is where emotion, clarity, and truth come together. A great story can create an emotional connection, but it also has to be honest, purposeful, and easy to understand. Too often, organizations bury their most important ideas beneath layers of corporate language, buzzwords, and messaging that sounds impressive but ultimately says very little. The strongest stories are often the simplest because they communicate exactly what people need to know and remember. Storytelling also shapes perception. Every organization has a story, whether it actively tells it or not. If a company doesn’t define its own narrative, customers, competitors, the media, or even artificial intelligence may define it instead, and they may not tell it accurately. That’s why STRUT Stories believes organizations should take ownership of their story before someone else does. Finally, every story needs a reason to exist. That philosophy comes from STRUT founder Jason R. Latham’s career in broadcast journalism, where every story had to earn its place by answering a simple question: Why are we telling this today? STRUT Stories applies the same discipline to every engagement. Whether developing a website, writing a press release, creating a presentation, or building a long-term communications strategy, every piece of content should have a clear purpose and contribute to a larger narrative.
44. What is the Invisible Artist philosophy?
The Invisible Artist philosophy is the belief that the best communications often go unnoticed because they feel authentic, natural, and true to the people delivering them. While the phrase itself was discovered later, it perfectly describes an approach that has guided STRUT Stories founder Jason R. Latham since his early career as a television news producer.
In television, producers work almost entirely behind the scenes. When a broadcast is successful, viewers remember the anchors, reporters, and stories — not the producer who brought it all together. That experience shaped an enduring belief: the real success is creating something so seamless that the audience never thinks about who created it.
That same philosophy guides STRUT Stories today. Whether developing executive speeches, press releases, website content, presentations, or communications strategies, the goal is to help clients become the trusted voice, the recognized expert, and the face of their own story.
In that way, STRUT Stories succeeds by giving away the spotlight. Every successful project allows a client to earn the credibility, recognition, and influence that the work was designed to create. That’s why the STRUT Stories website says, “If you haven’t heard of us, that means we’re doing our job right.”
45. What does “Build What Moves You. Tell Stories That Move People.” mean?
“Build What Moves You. Tell Stories That Move People.” reflects the philosophy behind STRUT Stories.
The first part of the phrase -- Build What Moves You. -- is about intention. The strongest brands, businesses, and ideas are built around genuine purpose rather than trends or imitation. Organizations that understand why they exist and what they want to contribute are better equipped to adapt, grow, and build lasting relationships with the people they serve.
The second part -- Tell Stories That Move People. -- is about communication. Great stories can inform, inspire, persuade, entertain, or challenge the way people think, but they always leave an impression. Whether the goal is attracting customers, building trust, introducing a new idea, or strengthening a brand, meaningful communication has the power to influence how people remember an organization long after the conversation ends.
Together, the phrase represents the belief that meaningful work deserves meaningful communication. Building something worthwhile is only part of the journey. The story you tell about it helps determine how the world understands it.