Fieldwork isn’t part of the work. Fieldwork is the work.

Fieldwork is a way of seeing

The first question is simple: Who are we, and what are we trying to say?

To answer it, I spend time on-site—walking the floor, sitting in the space, and observing how things work.

Welcome to the Fieldhouse. I’m Eric Zimmett, and I run this shop from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

If I don’t first understand your business, I’m not in a position to offer effective marketing advice.

First, we figure out what the business is trying to say. Then we determine the best platforms for sharing that message. Social and photography are often how that work shows up. It’s one system. The output changes; the process doesn’t.

I call this process fieldwork. It draws on 20 years of experience in journalism and marketing, and on learning to recognize what matters.

In my back pocket, I carry a Field Notes notebook filled with bent pages and coffee stains. It captures the small details most marketers overlook—the details that help a brand express its true identity.

My Field Notes ultimately serve as the foundation for the brands I work with, which you see on social media and beyond.

This is where it all comes together. Welcome to the Fieldhouse.

“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

Some brands I’ve rolled up my sleeves with:

The Field Burger & Tap • Grace at Carnegie House • Toftrees Golf Resort • Shaner Hotels • Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park • Marriott • Go Tell It In the Mountains for The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) • Zion Lutheran Church in Boalsburg • Centre County United Way • Taste of the Town • Dominos

Fieldwork is a way of seeing

I spend time on-site, observing closely, taking notes, and noticing details that others might overlook. From this, I create a visual brand bulletin to organize everything and identify patterns. The details I notice on-site aren’t stored in a spreadsheet; instead, they get taped to the wall at the Fieldhouse. I connect the dots and build from what is actually happening.

The details I notice on site don’t live in a spreadsheet. They end up taped to the wall at the Fieldhouse. I connect the dots and build from what’s actually happening.

This uncovers signals from what I’ve seen:
• A strategy rooted in real-world experiences
• Documentary-style Field photography & video from the scene
• Fieldwork-backed advising to find your brand voice and identity

Why Fieldwork Matters

“If you want to understand how animals live, you don’t go to the zoo, you go to the jungle.”
— Martin Lindstrom, Consultant, author, Small Data

You see things differently when you’re close enough to notice the details. That means real footage, real photos, real posts from hand-written notes.

I use fieldwork the same way I did as a journalist: in the thick of it, paying close attention. Observe first, find patterns, then write the story.

Fieldwork isn’t part of the work. Fieldwork is the work.

About Eric Zimmett & “Braden”

Hi, I’m Eric Braden Zimmett.

I launched my work in Central PA in 2014, building what would become Braden Social through on-site fieldwork and observation.

Today, I lead with Fieldwork & Advisory—the core of how I work and how I see.

Braden Social is how that work has shown up over the years, and for many clients, it still does.

I bring a journalist’s eye to every project, shaped by more than 20 years in journalism and marketing. You get real content—captured how things are actually happening, backed by insight into how people think and behave.

Braden is my middle name — but it also carries a deeper meaning. When I started this practice, my first project was fieldwork on my middle name. I found that Braden [Bradán] is derived from an Irish Gaelic word meaning “salmon.” In Irish folklore, Bradán feasa — the ‘Salmon of Knowledge’ — was said to grant the world’s wisdom to whoever caught it. Hear the legend in the audio player below.

Training & Certifications

I’m Certified by Cannes Lions in Storytelling and Behavioral Science for Brands, and by Ogilvy in Applied Behavioural Science and Behavioural Economics. Penn State, 2008. Dale Carnegie graduate.