The People’s Choice
Presented to
Jake
“Undefeated grill champion, self-declared”DeShawn Harris
4 people brought this up without being asked
We asked his friends to tell us the truth about him.
That was probably
irresponsible.
A surprise made by everyone who knew Jake before this chapter — and, on the evidence so far, remembers it differently.
10witnesses
on the record
10 people agreed
to go on the record.
Friends. Family. Teammates. Coworkers. People who have seen it all.
- Aaronroommate after college
- Billfuture father-in-law
- Carlafuture mother-in-law
- DeShawnfootball teammate
- Eddiefishing buddy
- +5more
PatientReliableStubbornKindLoyal
4 of 8 used some version of this. None of them compared notes.
04 — Archival material
Some photos should have stayed hidden.
They didn’t.
What happened after this photo was taken?
Their stories do not match.
- DeShawnHe drank the whole thing and then claimed it was apple juice. It was not apple juice.
- SamNobody drank anything. The funnel was a prop and he was holding it for a photo, that is all.
- NickHe lost a bet to me and the forfeit was the funnel. That is the entire story and he knows it.
- AaronThat was the night the smoke alarm went off, so the funnel never happened at all. Wrong night.
The group chat without him
We know what he says, does, and gets away with.
Here’s a typical night out.
- Sam
if he says “short hike,” pack dinner
- Sam
starts every hike with “it’s a short one”
- Mom
When he goes quiet he is hungry, not sad.
- Joe
If something makes a noise, he will take it apart. Hide the toaster.
- Aaron
reheats the same coffee four times and drinks none of it
- Brother
says “allegedly” after every true story
- Greg
Do not schedule anything before his coffee. We tried. Q3 2021.
- Jake has joined the chat
- Greg
He calls his mom on the drive home from work every day and has since college. He thinks nobody knows this.
Some things never change.
The awards
Based on real answers.
No participation trophies here.
1 of 3
The mad lib
We asked everyone a few unrelated questions.
This is what happened.
We are gathered here because Jake finally found someone who laughs at allegedlyNick every single time. Rachel promises to love Jake, who reheats the same coffee four times and drinks none of itAaron, to never question frosted tipsDeShawn, And Jake promises to keep answering to CalLinda.
All true. Unfortunately.
Off the record
“He calls his mom on the drive home from work every day and has since college. He thinks nobody knows this.”
— Greg Ostrowski, coworker
And one of them wrote to him.
When Dad was sick you were the one who kept everybody laughing in the waiting room. I never told you how much that held me together. This is me telling you.
— Linda Callahan, mom
Submitted by the people who were there. Every frame is someone’s.
The file stays open. He is, on the record, loyal.
How it happens
Three steps. He is present for none of them.
You start it without him.
Name the day he gets it. Nothing reaches his phone until you say so: no email, no notification, no accidental preview from a cousin who cannot keep a secret.
His people talk.
One link goes out. They answer on their phones, in their own words, at two in the morning if that is when it comes back to them. You read everything first and can cut anything.
He opens it once.
The photographs first, then the stories, then the letters from the people who do not usually say any of this out loud. It is his to keep afterwards.
Create his experiencePrivate link. His people need no account. You approve everything before he sees it.
The sizes it comes in
How much of him goes on the record?
Enough room for everyone who ever vouched for him.
The Little Secret
One inside joke, filed properly.
$29
- 3 contributors
- Up to 10 photos or videos
- The emotional reveal: stories, photos and letters
The Full Files
The whole crew, on the record.
$59
- 5 contributors
- Up to 30 photos or videos
- The full digital reveal: games, stories, letters
- Room for the whole group
The Whole Story
Everyone who ever vouched for him.
$99
- Up to 10 contributors
- Unlimited photos and video
- The full digital reveal: games, stories, letters
- First in line for the printed keepsake (planned)
One-time payment. No subscription. Contributors always free.
Planned for launch: the printed book and the group gift fund. Neither is on sale yet; every price above is for the digital experience.
Afterwards
The night is digital. The photographs are not.
Turn everything they filed into a keepsake, designed from his reveal page by page.
- Built from his actual reveal, exhibit by exhibit
- Extra copies for the people who will ask — his dad will
- Optional. The digital experience stands on its own
Planned for launch Not on sale yet. The digital experience stands on its own.
Optional group gift fund Planned for launch
The fund he has no idea about.
While his witnesses build the file, anyone who wants to can quietly add money too — in the story or not, as many people as you like — before he knows there’s a fund at all. It stays sealed until the reveal, when it lands as the final exhibit.
“This was the best (and worst) gift I’ve ever received.”
He’ll wear the suit for a day. He’ll keep this forever.
Ready in minutes. Reveal it whenever you choose.