The Nine is growing again. Blake Coward has joined the team as Director of New Business, leading new-client relationships from the first conversation through Insight Genesis kickoff.
Who he is.
Blake knows agency life from the owner's chair. He grew Select Studio in Chicago, and he's spent that run pushing new AI technologies into how client work actually gets done — not as a demo, but in production. Now based in Mobile, Alabama, he also brings deep relationships across the Southeast credit union network and beyond.
That combination matters here. The Nine is an AI-native agency, and Blake has lived both sides of what that takes — the accountability of running your own shop, and the conviction to adopt the new tools before they're safe and obvious. When he tells a prospective client what's possible, it's because he's done it.
What he'll do.
- Own the front door. Every new-business conversation — inbound or outbound — starts with Blake.
- Bridge to delivery. He carries new clients from first call through the Insight Genesis audit, so nothing gets lost in a handoff.
- Grow the credit union practice. With SmartSource Solutions inside The Nine, Blake's network across the cooperative-finance space gets a full bench behind it.
Why it matters.
The Nine has always sold the same way it works: senior people, straight answers, no bait-and-switch to a B-team after the contract signs. Adding a dedicated Director of New Business means the people running engagements spend more time running them — and prospective clients get a single, accountable point of contact from day one.
You'll find Blake on the team page — or skip straight to the conversation and hire us.