Fieldwork isn’t part of the work. Fieldwork is the work.
Welcome to the Fieldhouse
I’m Eric Zimmett, founder of Braden Fieldwork & Advisory, a fieldwork practice that believes good brands last when they’re built around the work.
Before we create anything, I enter a client’s world to understand it from the inside. I spend time on-site—walking the floor, sitting in the space, asking questions, and paying attention to the details most people overlook.
Over time, patterns emerge. Those patterns become insights. From that pool of understanding, we build.
This is fieldwork.
And the first question is simple:
What are we trying to build?
Fieldwork isn’t the deliverable. It’s how better deliverables are built.
Whether the answer is strategy, social media, photography, websites, events, press, or advisory work depends on what we’re trying to build. But fieldwork comes first.
But first, Fieldwork
How I Work
In my back pocket is a Field Notes notebook, worn, with bent pages and coffee stains. It catches the artifacts—the small data—that most consultants ignore. Those details are often the first clues to a brand’s identity.
Back at the Fieldhouse, the notes get taped to the wall or stuck to the whiteboard. Then I look for patterns and talk through what I’ve been noticing into my recorder.
I work the same way I did as a journalist: showing up, getting involved, and paying close attention.
Observe first. Discover patterns. Then build.
“If you want to understand how animals live, you don’t go to the zoo, you go to the jungle.”
— Martin Lindstrom, consultant and author of Small Data, The Tiny Clues That Uncover Huge Trends
Fieldwork is the starting point
Why I Work This Way
Most clients first come to me for social media marketing.
Social media is often the proposed answer. Fieldwork begins by asking whether we’re solving the right problem.
Too often, organizations begin with the answer. Fieldwork begins with better questions.
The format changes. The process stays the same: careful observation, clear thinking, and attention to what makes your organization distinct.
Field Notes: a Fieldwork Portfolio
Long Construction Co.
What were we trying to build? Social media that reflected the company’s history and values.
What Fieldwork discovered: A 5th-generation contracting company with positioning “Built for the Next Generation™.”
That positioning now guides Long Construction’s website, social media, and storytelling, paired with photographs of both its past and future.
Zion Lutheran Church
What were we trying to build? Community awareness and attendance at Zion Lutheran Church.
What Fieldwork discovered: Zion’s identity is inseparable from Boalsburg itself.
That insight led to “Grounded in Boalsburg™” and community activations like Music on the Lawn.
Stable Mind
What were we trying to build? A business model, identity, bio, and service offerings.
What Fieldwork discovered: Mind-body alignment was the unifying idea behind the practice.
What began as a series of conversations in a horse barn became a defined practice with a clear identity, service offerings, and roadmap for growth.
AscentOps
What were we trying to build? A visual identity.
What Fieldwork discovered: The hiking tradition of adopting ““”trail names””” created an opportunity for a dual identity connecting the founder and the business.
That insight led to the “Trevor” logo concept and original sketch, paired with the founder’s passion for hiking and adventure, with final design by Andy Heckathorne.
Some brands I’ve rolled up my sleeves with:
Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park • Shaner Corp. • Zion Lutheran Church in Boalsburg • The Field Burger & Tap • Toftrees Golf Resort • Grace Restaurant at the Carnegie House • Go Tell It IN the Mountains with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) • Centre County United Way • Domino’s Pizza • Long Construction Co. • Penn State University • Penn State Police & Public Safety
“Your content is spot-on. It doesn’t feel like an ad, which is the best part. A lot of agencies try to do this but ultimately fall short.” — Gautam Kulkarni, Meta Marketing Pro
About Eric Braden Zimmett
For most of my life, I’ve been interested in the same thing: research, discovery, uncovering the story.
As a kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist.
In high school and throughout college, I worked as a journalist, which taught me to pay attention.
Today I’m still digging things up — through fieldwork.
When I started this practice, my first fieldwork project was myself.
Braden is my middle name, but I discovered it has a deeper origin: the Irish Gaelic Bradán, meaning “salmon.” In Irish folklore, Bradán Feasa—the Salmon of Knowledge—gave wisdom to whoever caught it. That discovery led to the Braden name, the early slogan, Swim Against the Stream, and the salmon that became the logo.
Braden Fieldwork reflects the process behind my work. Fieldwork comes first. From there come strategy, storytelling, social media, photography, press, digital channels, events, and advisory.
The Salmon of Knowledge (Bradán Feasa) is a creature in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology
Training & Certifications
I’m Certified by Cannes Lions in Storytelling and Behavioral Science for Brands, and by Ogilvy in Applied Behavioral Science and Behavioral Economics. Penn State University, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, 2008. Dale Carnegie & Associates Graduate, 2009; Dale Carnegie Graduate Assistant, 2010.
Fieldwork isn’t part of the work. Fieldwork is the work.
I like you
A fieldwork practice by Eric B. Zimmett
Braden Fieldwork LLC, estd. 2014
eric@bradenfieldwork.com
Website Built in the Field by Eric B. Zimmett
Braden Fieldwork & Advisory 