“I haven't personally watched anyone else's launch video in the last month or two… But, a newspaper… an Americana feeling newspaper article, a call to arms to the best people you know. Given out at events, shared online… that could really work”
About a month ago, the Base Power creative team and I sat down for a regular check-in to discuss the Series C announcement. The goal was very clear: focus on one audience, prospective hires. Ideas flew around, another hype video (the Series B video had performed well), a founder interview, standard playbook stuff... Then inspiration struck from Maya (who interned for the company this summer and recently joined full-time as a designer): “what about producing an actual newspaper?”
The timing was right. Base had just taken over the lease on the Austin American-Statesman printing press building in downtown Austin. A newspaper felt like the right homage to that history and Base’s ambition to be a foundational and trusted infrastructure. It was the perfect medium for both a bold headline: “Join the Charge” and in-depth perspectives from the team and backers.
Base Factory 1 at the former Austin American-Statesman BuildingEverything clicked into place fast. The “Base American” was obvious from the start. 40+ Classifieds showcasing open roles. A lifestyle segment on the perfect day in Austin. Period-appropriate ads in different styles. A crossword. A comic strip. An ad beckoning you to work on anything but B2B SaaS. A fold-out WPA poster. A “drop” kit sent to friends and investors. An interactive site to read and experience it.
Maybe we give them out at talks with Justin and Zach?
Maybe we deliver them in major cities via Newsboys?
Maybe we drop some from a helicopter?
Maybe we trademark America’s Power Company? (well done, Gabe)
The ideas kept coming. But the deadline did as well.
None of us had ever designed or produced or distributed a newspaper. The team talked to some friends with experience in printing and publishing. All resoundingly told us not to do it.
The team moved with the kind of velocity I've come to expect but never stop being impressed by. While dozens contributed, the core work fell to a very small group: Cole, Hailey, Victoria, Maya, Gabe, and Yash. I pitched in where I could, but they owned it.
From idea to 13,000+ shipped newspapers in under a month. Apart from bringing in a single videographer (shoutout to Nate), all was done by this small team.
The results speak for themselves. Just 24 hours after launch: millions of views across platforms, career page traffic that dwarfed any previous announcement, and a genuine cultural moment that felt distinctly Base.
A selection of launch day social media postsAnd they weren't done. Alongside the newspaper, the team produced two videos: one featuring the new factory sign (which they also rushed to create to meet timelines), and another with Zach and me in conversation in front of the factory. They also coordinated a dozen more interviews by Zach and Justin with local and national news outlets. All while running their actual jobs: scaling growth operations, launching new cities, expanding deeper into existing markets, and maintaining Base's momentum.
Fast companies compress what's possible. They keep a high Base Pace.
Doing things differently for the sake of it is pointless. But when creative ambition and intensity meet execution speed and a clear goal, something special happens. Look at some recent results: Anthropic's “thinking” cap. OpenAI's Dev Day token usage awards. Base's newspaper. Creative teams unconstrained by convention, driven by pride, care, and a bit of fun.
Base Pace means the quality matches the speed. The newspaper was economical, but didn’t feel it. It felt considered, crafted, right.
I feel lucky to work with this team week after week, watching them compound these capabilities in real time. A year ago, they didn’t have a designer (other than me). Now, they're raising the bar for what a startup creative function can be. And they're proving that Base Pace applies everywhere: hardware deployments, regulatory wins, and yes, even launching a Series C with a printed newspaper.
I think the newspaper will quickly become a limited collector's item. But more importantly, it's a signal to those thinking of working at Base: if this is what a small team ships as a side project in three weeks, imagine what the whole company is capable of.
The interactive newspaper at BaseAmerican.comCredits to the full crew who contributed articles, ads, classifieds, and more:
Zach Dell
Justin Lopas
Dino Sasaridis
Chase Dowling
Matt Waddingham
Jared Greene
Dana Paz
JP Reilly
Lindsey Ewertsen
Erin Price-Wright, a16z
Packy McCormick, Not Boring