Theory House names new presidents for agency and TheoryNXT

Theory House appointed Jared Meisel president of the agency and Blake Pointer president of TheoryNXT, while founder Jim Cusson moves to chairman. The split leadership reflects the company’s push to grow its agency business and its AI-focused tech venture separately.

Why it matters: - Theory House is formalizing two different growth paths: retail and shopper marketing on one side, and AI-driven commerce technology on the other. - The leadership changes are meant to sharpen focus as brands face new competition for shopper attention across shelves, search, and AI agents.

What happened: - Theory House and its tech venture TheoryNXT named two presidents and said founder Jim Cusson will move to chairman across both companies. - Jared Meisel was named president of Theory House. - Blake Pointer was named president of TheoryNXT. - The announcement was issued Sept. 15, 2026, from Charlotte, North Carolina.

The details: - Meisel becomes responsible for full operational and client leadership of Theory House. - Meisel co-founded Theory House and has helped shape the agency since its launch. - Meisel previously worked at Saatchi & Saatchi X, where he opened the agency’s first Cincinnati office and led work for P&G’s Walmart Global Customer Team. - Meisel also worked at FCB Chicago, where he built and integrated the shopper marketing discipline across client teams and new business development. - Since 2013, Meisel has helped shape Theory House’s Retail Brand Fuel approach and work for brands including 1800 Tequila, Twisted Tea and Starbucks. - Pointer will lead TheoryNXT at launch. - Pointer brings more than 25 years of experience across retail, brand development, technology, CPG operations and executive leadership. - Pointer’s background includes roles at Tyson Foods, Nuqleous, Field Agent and Saatchi & Saatchi X. - Pointer also founded and scaled My Brother’s Salsa from concept to national distribution before its acquisition. - TheoryNXT says its flagship product, KASPER, is built to help CPG brands measure, diagnose and optimize AI visibility. - KASPER is designed to show how brands perform in AI-driven discovery and improve findability, recommendation frequency and conversion. - Theory House described the agency as an independent retail and shopper marketing firm founded in 2013 and headquartered in Charlotte. - The agency specializes in food, beverage, spirits and CPG. - Theory House’s Retail Brand Fuel approach combines strategy, creative and shopper-first activations aimed at repeat purchase.

Between the lines: - The leadership split suggests Theory House wants separate operators for two businesses with different markets, clients and product timelines. - Pointer’s background in both brand operations and retail technology lines up with TheoryNXT’s effort to sell AI visibility tools to CPG brands. - Meisel’s promotion signals continuity for the agency side, since he already helped define the company’s core approach and client work.

What's next: - Jim Cusson will focus on strategic vision and long-term growth across Theory House and TheoryNXT. - TheoryNXT will continue promoting KASPER as brands adjust to agentic commerce and AI-led product discovery. - Theory House is likely to keep leaning on its Retail Brand Fuel model as it serves food, beverage, spirits and CPG clients.

The bottom line: - Theory House is separating day-to-day leadership to support both an established agency and a newer AI commerce venture.