Sam Nathews
Vice President, Brand Strategy
Sam Nathews builds brands with backbone. He turns strategy into story, ideas into action, and campaigns into conversations people remember. Equal parts creative lead and trusted advisor, he helps organizations show up like they mean it.
As Vice President of Brand Strategy for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), Sam leads the development of brand platforms, national campaigns, major industry events, and executive communications, ensuring the organization speaks with clarity, purpose, and impact. Across every initiative, Sam is known for turning ambitious ideas into creative executions that move people and achieve real-world results.
In 2024, Sam led the conception, creation and launch of The Cocktail Party, a fictional political party introduced during a presidential election year to rally industry advocates and elevate spirits policy priorities. From concept and messaging to event production and funding, Sam helped build the campaign from the ground up, culminating in The Cocktail Party Convention, a now-flagship event for the industry. The campaign not only turned heads — it redefined what effective advocacy can look like in a complex regulatory landscape.
Before stepping into his current role, Sam served in a shared leadership position with Responsibility.org, where he helped evolve the organization’s brand in support of its expanded five-year strategic plan. He led the national Responsibility Starts with Me campaign — an emotionally intelligent, culturally resonant initiative that reframed alcohol responsibility as a personal, collective and vital value. His work there helped deepen partnerships with both corporate and civic stakeholders while positioning the brand for long-term relevance.
Sam’s experience spans industries and sectors, but a common thread runs through it all: bold yet magnetic storytelling that drives strategy forward. At the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), he helped lead the award-winning Creators Wanted campaign, an effort now central to the industry’s workforce development work to recruit the next generation of U.S. manufacturers and challenge outdated perceptions of the industry. Aimed at Gen Z and their parents, the campaign brought together immersive experiences, influencer partnerships, and digital storytelling to reintroduce modern manufacturing to the American imagination. To date the campaign has generated millions of dollars and inspired thousands of young people to make the future, literally.
Earlier in his career, Sam served as Senior Communications Advisor on an upstart U.S. Senate campaign, where he shaped core messaging, advised on earned media strategy, and built narrative frameworks that supported national engagement. The campaign further sharpened Sam’s ability to lead under pressure, communicate with precision, and build emotional resonance around big, urgent ideas.
Sam approaches brand building with both creative ambition and operational discipline. He introduces systems and infrastructure that help teams scale their work — from intake processes and reporting structures to feedback loops and campaign toolkits. He’s a trusted advisor across departments, known for helping organizations show up as their best and most impactful selves.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from The University of Alabama, is a graduate of the DISCUS Academy Leadership Program, and earned a Leadership Certificate from Cornell University. He’s also the co-creator of Eat Your Feelings, an emotionally honest and unexpectedly funny YouTube show that explores how food connects to mental and emotional health — a side project that reflects Sam’s lifelong commitment to meaning, vulnerability, and the stories that bind us.
Sam lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife Mary-Kate, their son Sawyer, and their golden retriever Teddy. And when the day comes to a close, you’ll most likely find him opening a bottle of fine American Whiskey to stir up his go-to cocktail: a Rye Manhattan, up.
