Specific on purpose
The work should sound and feel like the business behind it, down to the choices a template would miss.
About 8gnc
An agency for what comes next.
Founded by Michael Sebastian, 8gnc brings strategy, design and marketing into one working direction. We involve experienced specialists where the work calls for them, then help the people receiving it put it to use.
The rule got simpler over time.
Michael’s work has moved across brand strategy, design and hands-on delivery, from Zero Cool Studios to the agency now called 8gnc. The name has changed; keeping the business, the decisions and the work connected remains the point.
The handoff matters: people need the understanding, practice and support to use what we build. Training and handoff help are scoped to the people receiving the work.
Tools and channels keep changing. A clear direction gives your team a way to work with those possibilities. The eight points to infinity: room for what comes next.
Name the problem first
A new asset is useful only when it closes the right gap. We make that call before scope.
Keep judgment close
The person who hears the problem stays close enough to decide what ships.
The founder
Michael Sebastian.
Michael founded Branded Mayhem Collective LLC, the company behind 8gnc and br8n.
Michael brings strategy, design and hands-on delivery together. Experienced specialists contribute where the work calls for them, with scope and responsibilities agreed for each project.
Michael Sebastian
mlsebastian.com ↗Michael’s education and credentials
UT Dallas
B.A. Arts & Technology
Caltech
Machine Learning Certificate
Oracle
Oracle Certified Professional
IAPP
Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional
Certified Information Security
NIST AI RMF 1.0 Architect Training
Advisera · Exemplar Global TPECS
ISO 42001 Internal Auditor · ISO 27001:2022 Foundations
HubSpot Academy
Solutions Partner Certified
Third parties keep score.
GoodFirms lists us among the best branding agencies in Texas for 2026, Clutch ranks us among Texas AI consultants, and Clutch named us a top fractional CMO services company in Plano for 2026.
See how we move from a conversation to a reviewed piece of work.
How we work →8gnc is half the story.
Branded Mayhem Collective (BMC) runs two practices under one roof.
The agency.
Brand, websites, content and growth. We bring the position and the things that carry it together.
Explore 8gnc services →
The AI practice.
AI delivery capability inside your organization: courses, systems and the governance to run them.
Visit br8n.io ↗