A Brief History of Spin Sucks
Spin Sucks was founded by Gini Dietrich in 2006 as a blog.
Today the Spin Sucks brand includes The Spin Sucks Podcast with Gini Dietrich, the PESO Model® and its accompanying PESO Model® Certification, the Spin Sucks blog, the Spin Sucks book, and the Spin Sucks Community.
Spin Sucks educates and elevates the communications industry with the latest in trends, insights, market reports, and tactical advice. The Spin Sucks brand has a loyal, engaged following that adds to the community’s brain trust and lively discussions. Promoting industry ethics will forever be our North Star.
In 2020, we partnered with the S.I. Newhouse School for Public Communications to bring a certification to professionals who have learned how to correctly and effectively implement the PESO Model®, a framework we developed.
We haven’t stopped. Stay tuned for future launches, partnerships, and professional development as our work to inform and inspire the communications industry has just begun.
Trusted by Fortune 500 companies, global agencies, 100+ universities, and 1400+ certified professionals in 15 countries.
Our Team
Gini Dietrich
Founder and CEO
Gini Dietrich
Founder and CEO
Gini is the founder of Spin Sucks, creator of the acclaimed PESO Model® and its accompanying Certification, and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated digital communications agency that serves B2B brands.
Travis Claytor
Chief Integration Officer
Travis Claytor
Chief Integration Officer
Florida Gators lifer, addicted to travelling, proud horse show husband, bourbon trail regular, fluent in sarcasm, and devoted dad.
Shelly Verkamp
Chief Learning Officer/Chief Operating Officer
Shelly Verkamp
Chief Learning Officer/Chief Operating Officer
Shelly Verkamp, Boilermaker fanatic, Proud Mom and Nonna, avid traveler, and lover of good foods, wine, and bourbon.
Robert May
Chief Revenue Officer
Robert May
Chief Revenue Officer
Robert May is the Chief Revenue Officer at Spin Sucks. He owns growth to move the PESO Model from smart strategy to measurable scale.
Shannon Burch
Integration Team Account Director
Shannon Burch
Integration Team Account Director
Shannon is a communications consultant and success coach dedicated to helping her clients—whether businesses or individuals—reach their full potential.
Aquila Mendez-Valdez
Integration Team Account Director
Aquila Mendez-Valdez
Integration Team Account Director
Aquila is a PR and Marketing entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in media relations, social media, and event planning across fashion, retail, service, and more.
Melissa Wickes
Marketing Manager
Melissa Wickes
Marketing Manager
Melissa is a copywriter and content marketer with years of experience helping brands grow through her communications skills, storytelling, and background in journalism.
Media & Speaking
Want us to speak at your event?
From keynotes and panels to firesides and corporate workshops, Gini, Travis, Shelly and the Spin Sucks team have given hundreds of talks across North America and Europe. Our content is practical, actionable, and engaging.
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Social media bootcamp: Making sense of it all
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Driving sales with technology: Using branded content, publishing, and mobile
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Digital communication: New trends and capitalizing on them ahead of the competition
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Business blogging: Generating traffic, writing valuable content, and monetizing visitors
Contact Us
Need help with your PESO Model implementation? Want to contribute to the Spin Sucks newsletter or blog? Want to invite us to speak at your next conference or internal event? Just want to say how brilliant you found something we wrote? You can do all of that by contacting us here.
Or you can email us at support@spinsucks.com.
Explore & Learn
Toolkits, trends, and thought leadership to help you apply PESO and lead an integrated strategy.
Books
Explore books by Gini Dietrich, including deep dives on the PESO Model and modern MarComm strategies.
Blog
Smart, practical, and (let’s be honest) kind of funny. Stay current on trends, tactics, and leadership with 100,000+ readers.
Podcast
Get insights on PESO, leadership, and the evolving marketing landscape with Gini Dietrich.
Videos
Watch fireside chats, expert interviews, AMAs, and more — designed to make integrated marketing and comms practical and powerful.
Community
Ask questions, share wins, get feedback, and connect with peers.
Ready to Learn More?
Reach out. We’re here to help. Email us at support@spinsucks.com.