🚀 Behind the Name: Why EJRCO Is Personal At EJRCO, we’re all about growth—personal, professional, and for the brands we partner with. But here’s the thing: growth often comes with a lot of introspection, discomfort, and owning the parts of ourselves we’ve tried to hide. Our founder, Ezekiel J. Rudick, recently shared a deeply personal story about his relationship with his name. For decades, “Ezekiel” felt like a burden—awkward jokes, teasing, and shame. But over time, he learned to see it differently. That name is tied to everything he’s accomplished: creative campaigns, building brands, growing businesses, and his own personal transformation. Naming our agency EJRCO wasn’t just a branding decision; it was a declaration. A bet on growth, resilience, and the power of owning your story. #GrowthMindset #AuthenticBranding #Entrepreneurship #EJRCO
For most of my life, I hated my name. My most feeble attempt to assume an alternate nom de guerre happened in second grade. ✏️ Like most primary school “prisons,” in class we had to write our names on the board whenever we needed to fulfill our biological duties in the restroom. 🚻 I wrote down my middle name: James. "I want to be called James now," I said in my annoyingly confident 8-year-old voice. The teacher laughed it off. 🤷♀️ "Your name is Ezekiel, and we're calling you Ezekiel. Now put the right name on the board!" I had so much shame around "Ezekiel" and "Zeke." 😔 In the subculture of my rural Washington State existence, I was given a weird name. With Ezekiel came the problematic Amish jokes. 🛻 With Zeke came the hillbilly jokes. 😵💫 And with Rudick...well, I'll let you do the math. ✖️✖️ For decades, I played with different iterations of my name—some more embarrassing than others. There was a time I wanted folks to call me Eazy. 🤦♂️ Then, my musical and editorial nom de plume became Ezekiel James. That one stuck the longest. 🎶 Then, a weird thing happened a few years ago: I leaned into my full name professionally. I started looking at the pieces of my story I was ashamed of—and the names attached to them. 🧩 Then I looked at everything I’d accomplished. Wouldn’t you know it? My name was attached to those too. 💪 My name, Ezekiel J. Rudick, became the sum of my life’s parts: creative 🎨, musician 🎸, abuse survivor 💔, artist 🖌️, brand marketer 📈, executive 🏢, entrepreneur 🚀, music festival curator 🎤, copywriter 🖊️, husband 💍, partner 💛, son 👨👦, brother 🤝, friend 🤗, cat dad 🐱, stepdad 👨👧, and sober person. 🥤 It’s with a healthy amount of trepidation that I decided to call my agency EJRCO. 😬 All the negative self-talk crept in immediately: 💭 "They'll think it's an ego move." 💭 "They’ll think it’s like naming my kid EJR Jr." (No offense to those taking that route on the complex parenting journey. Respect! 🙌) But here’s the thing: EJRCO is the ultimate bet on myself. 🎲 I’ve made cool things. Built cool brands. Made mistakes. Learned a ton. Grown a ton. 🌱 And I still have a lot of growing to do. At its core, EJRCO is about growth. Hoping you'll come along for the ride. 📈 Anyway, thanks for listening. 🫶 I promise to talk about marketing shit tomorrow. 💻 Cheers, EJR ✌️ #PersonalGrowth #Authenticity #EntrepreneurJourney #EJRCO