Jessica Van Sack wasn’t setting out to overhaul one of the most beloved home improvement brands in America. But a few Instagram posts for Kevin O’Connor turned into a six-year (and counting) partnership between her indie agency, Yellow House, and one of the most trusted home improvement brands in America.
They weren’t hired to reinvent the wheel. The original ask was simple: “Make us modern.” But as Van Sack puts it, “We ended up co-authoring the brief.” What followed was a slow and steady transformation built on trust, not trend-chasing. And plenty of 5 a.m. call times.
00:00 – From butler to builder
Early on, the job was mostly execution. Van Sack described it as “social media butler” work—take the order, post the content, make sure it’s right on the first round. But once they started embedding with the This Old House team, everything changed. Yellow House didn’t just schedule posts. They became part of the crew—literally riding up in bucket lifts and showing up before dawn with the rest of the cast.
04:50 – Scroll-native by design
The strategy wasn’t about going viral. It was about making great content native to each platform—and empowering the cast of makers and artisans to be creators in their own right. No middlemen, no fluff. The team helped talent like Tom Silva (yes, he’s on TikTok) show up authentically online, without forcing anyone into a content template that didn’t fit.
08:06 – Scale, the indie way
Today, Yellow House manages 40+ social profiles and produces over 200 original pieces of creative per month. That includes the main brand, sub-brands, and individual cast members. “It’s several clients in one,” Van Sack said. And while it sounds like a job for a holding company, the Yellow House team pulls it off with systems built for precision and a mindset that every month is an earned opportunity—not a guaranteed retainer.
12:14 – No one’s chasing viral
Van Sack is clear on one point: “Do you want a one-hit wonder, or sustainable growth?” The team doesn’t rely on spikes. They’ve engineered credibility by showing up consistently, respecting the audience, and letting good creative—and real people—lead the way. Any virality that happens is a bonus, not the point.
13:50 – Always be filming
A favorite Yellow House motto is ABF: always be filming. On a This Old House set, there’s always someone with an iPhone capturing content in the moment. Not as an afterthought—but as an integral part of production. As Van Sack says, they’re not just TV stars pretending to be builders. They’re builders who happen to be on TV. And Yellow House is helping them tell that story—every single day.
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