The first and most important marketing/storytelling American phrase I learned to say was:

“Round Table Pizza, your order is here!”

–Me, at 5 years old.

Why?

Because we had just gotten to the States, and none of us could speak the language. My dad and I quickly realized we’d get more tips to keep us afloat if a kid delivered pizza to strangers in a big-ass city like San Francisco while he drove through the chaos of the Bay Area.

Spoiler: no, it wasn’t safe. Lot of batshit crazy psychos, thieves, threats, panic, unnecessary tickets, whatever else you could imagine in a city as big and diverse as SF. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it, namely because I grew up too fucking fast…but, we play the cards we’re dealt, right?

There were lots of dangerous experiences, but it saved money we didn’t have for sitters. We could also deliver for multiple pizza places at the same time to earn more. All of us worked multiple jobs, in some shape or form, and hustled anyway. More than a gimmick, it was honest work to survive in a new country with all the culture shock you could imagine.

Looking back, it was one of those experiences where I’m like, “Damn, so that’s where the marketing shit started.” It was effective for many reasons without needing to be elaborate.

Moral of the story: marketing and messaging in a world full of noisy positioning by brands of all sizes still requires truth and authenticity.

I brought that grit and so much more into each conversation, despite mixing languages and cultural intent through miscommunication. I was dead serious every time I delivered with the conviction that I had to get you your delicious food fast to avoid us getting a ticket because we were double-parked in a tow-away zone in some really shady area.

Your brand needs to find the truth of what you’re doing. That comes from conviction.

The conviction of your story and the culture you build around quality, speed, effort, origins, intent, and the overall experience is what moves people. I learned the direction of stories through acting and creating all kinds of projects technically and professionally, yes, but without the conviction to really believe in your story and share it, you’ve got nothing.

Whether it’s bringing a meal to someone as part of a ghetto bootleg Slavic operation or making commercials and movies on a multimillion-dollar set, it’s all the same. None of it matters without the narrative bridge you stitch together from that conviction and culture.

Survive we did, to tell a story another day.

I selectively worked with brands over the last decades because that storytelling passion, which was cemented early, required me to feel the purpose beyond selling a product or service. It was the experience. And experiences that come from that immovable conviction in your brand’s life and authenticity shape how people feel about it, regardless of how you format your creative campaigns. My craft, then, was being the best damn delivery boy I could be.

Instead of relying on templates for niche storytelling and worldbuilding, I reverse-engineer the living system around the story: culture, pressure, behavior, trust, timing, and emotional residue

Your culture and conviction will ultimately dictate the way people in your audience and community feel about you and your brand.

Conviction in craft breeds culture.
Culture creates stories.
Stories compel community.

And yes, I put pineapple on pizza because the optimal combo for sweet and savory is a crispy mini pepperoni and pineapple pizza on white sauce.

By: Alexander Intchovski

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Email: info@mindbeyondstudios.com