Call Prep: Storyteller Overland

C Company Snapshot

HQ	Birmingham, Alabama
Founded	2018
Employees	~300
Est. Revenue	~$50M
Funding	$42.5M total
Last Round	$21M (Mar 2024) — L Catterton
Dealers	40+ nationwide
Industry	Premium Adventure Vehicles
Website	storytelleroverland.com

S Your Contact: Summer Trammell

Title	Chief Marketing Officer
Email	summer@storytelleroverland.com
Timezone	Central (Chicago)
Lifecycle	Lead
Deal Status	No deal yet

Background: Not a traditional marketer. Rose through Chief of Staff → Chief Communications Officer → CMO. Spent 8 years at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in ops/logistics. Likely values execution over strategy talk.

P Product Ecosystem

Storyteller has grown from a single van model to a multi-brand adventure vehicle ecosystem through 3 acquisitions in 3 years.

Product	Type	Starting MSRP	Notes
Classic MODE	Sprinter 144" Van	~$192K	Entry-level adventure van
Dark MODE	Sprinter 144" Van	~$200K+	Mid-tier, stealth-styled
Beast MODE	Sprinter 144" Van	~$220K+	Best-seller, flagship, full off-road
CREW MODE XL	Sprinter 170" Van	TBD	Larger format, new for 2025
TOUR MODE XL	Sprinter 170" 3500	$254K	New Feb 2026
GXV Trucks	Expedition Trucks	$399K–$800K+	Acquired Jan 2022
TAXA Outdoors	Lightweight Trailers	Varies	Acquired Apr 2024

T Key People to Know

Name	Title	Why They Matter
Jeffrey Hunter	Founder / CEO	The brand visionary. Original MODE van was his napkin sketch. Ultimate brand guardian.
Lee Conn	Co-Founder / CEO, Motorized Vehicles	Elevated from COO to CEO of the motorized vehicles division (Sep 2024). Met Jeffrey as a customer shopping for a Sprinter.
Neil Grimmer	Chief Strategy Officer / CEO of TAXA	Co-founded Plum Organics (sold to Campbell's). Ex-Harley-Davidson Global Brand President. Aspen Institute fellow. Heavyweight.
Andrew Cooley	Co-Founder / CRO	Head of sales, travels 2/3 of the year managing dealer relationships.
Christina Linton	Chief People Officer	Also heads Performance & Accessories division. Nominated for 2024 C-Suite Awards.

R Recent Momentum

Feb 2026
Launched TOUR MODE — biggest van yet, $254K starting MSRP, 170" Sprinter 3500 dually
2025
Acquired Evictus Suspension Systems — proprietary suspension now standard on Beast MODE
2025
Launched CREW MODE — expanded into 170" Sprinter segment ("Year of the Beast")
Apr 2024
Acquired TAXA Outdoors (Houston, TX) — lightweight camping trailers. Neil Grimmer installed as TAXA CEO
Mar 2024
$21M investment from L Catterton (LVMH-linked PE) + Rx3 Growth Partners, Wheelhouse, Virentes
Jan 2022
Acquired Global Expedition Vehicles (GXV) in Springfield, MO — $400K-$800K expedition trucks

Growth signal: 8 open positions (assembly technicians) — production is scaling. L Catterton portfolio includes Pinarello, Getaway, Heartland RV. They know how to scale outdoor/lifestyle brands.

M Their Marketing Today

Marketing Team (very thin bench)

Summer Trammell — CMO sole senior mktg leader
No VP Marketing (left 2025)
No Creative Director (Amy Sibert left for Rossmonster)
Small supporting team only

Social Footprint

Instagram: 79K followers
LinkedIn: 3,200+ followers
Facebook: Active
YouTube: Present

Brand ethos is community-first. Their content, events, and owner community ("STORYTELLERS") are the core of their marketing identity. CEO Jeffrey Hunter is the ultimate brand guardian. Frame any marketing talent as amplifying the brand, not replacing it with performance tactics.

What's Working

"STORYTELLERS" community — owners group with regional chapters, multi-day group expeditions. Core differentiator.
Events — all 5 Overland Expo events, Tampa RV Supershow, Hershey RV Show, own rallies
Creative quality — 4 Silver ADDY Awards in 2023, cinematic brand content
Owner Stories content series — aspirational lifestyle documentation

V Competitive Landscape

Competitor	Type	Key Difference
Winnebago Revel	Class B 4x4 Van	Closest comp. Similar price point (~$250K). Bigger dealer network, less community.
Airstream Interstate	Luxury Class B	Premium brand cachet, highest build quality ratings. New off-road 19X model.
Thor Sanctuary	Class B Van	Backed by Thor Industries (largest RV maker). More affordable.
Sportsmobile	Custom 4x4 Vans	Legacy brand, deep customization, loyal following.
Outside Van	Custom Sprinter	Portland-based premium custom builds.

Storyteller's moat: Strongest community in the segment, vertically integrated (suspension, vans, trucks, trailers), PE-backed, only independent multi-format adventure vehicle company.

$ Where MarketerHire Fits

1. CMO alone — lost VP Marketing AND Creative Director

Summer is the sole senior marketing leader. The VP Marketing and Creative Director (Amy Sibert) both left in 2025. She's managing 4 brands with no senior #2 and no creative lead. This is the exact gap MH fills.

"How is your team handling the complexity of marketing across multiple brands and product lines?"

2. Performance marketing gap (tread carefully)

Their philosophy is community-first, but L Catterton expects growth. A fractional performance marketer could bridge brand purity and measurable demand gen.

"With L Catterton's investment, how are you thinking about scaling customer acquisition beyond organic and community?"

3. Content production at scale

Community-driven model demands constant high-quality content. Owner stories, expedition documentation, lifestyle imagery across 4 brands.

"What's the bottleneck on content right now — strategy, production, or distribution?"

4. Lifecycle / CRM marketing

$192K–$800K purchases = long consideration cycles. Email nurture, retargeting, referral programs for existing owners likely underdeveloped.

"How are you nurturing prospects through a $200K+ purchase decision today?"

5. Dealer co-op marketing

40+ dealers need localized marketing support, co-op ad programs, and retail materials.

"How much marketing support do your dealers get from corporate today?"

Recommended Talent Positioning

Need	MH Talent Type
Demand gen / paid media	Fractional Growth Marketer or Performance Marketer
Multi-brand content strategy	Fractional Content Strategist
Email nurture / CRM	Fractional Lifecycle Marketer
Dealer marketing programs	Fractional Channel Marketing Manager

A Suggested Call Flow

Open with genuine interest. Mention the STORYTELLERS community, the ADDY Awards, or the TOUR MODE launch. Show you've done the homework. Storyteller is a genuinely cool brand — let that come through.
Ask about the multi-brand challenge. "You've gone from one van model to an ecosystem of brands in 3 years. How's the marketing team keeping up?" This surfaces pain naturally without being pushy.
Don't lead with performance marketing. Their brand is community-first. Frame as "amplifying what's already working" and "making community scale faster" rather than "you need paid ads."
Understand the decision tree. Summer is CMO and Jeffrey Hunter is the CEO/brand visionary. Ask: "Who else would be involved in evaluating marketing talent?" — Lee Conn (CEO, Motorized Vehicles) and Neil Grimmer (CSO) may also weigh in.
Position MH as a force multiplier. "We help companies like yours add senior marketing talent without the overhead of full-time hires — especially during growth phases where you need to move fast across multiple fronts."
Respect her time. She rebooked this meeting with an apology — she's engaged but busy. Be concise and end with clear next steps.

! Watch-Outs

Jeffrey Hunter is the brand guardian. As CEO and founder, he's the final word on brand. Any marketing talent must respect the Storyteller brand DNA.
Summer's background is ops/comms, not demand gen. Don't over-index on marketing jargon. She values execution and reliability.
Marketing bench is very thin. No VP Marketing (left 2025), no Creative Director (Amy Sibert left for Rossmonster). Summer is running a 4-brand marketing org nearly alone — this is the strongest MH opening.
L Catterton is watching. PE-backed companies have board-level pressure for growth metrics. This creates urgency and budget — but also political complexity.
Community is sacred. The STORYTELLERS owners group is their #1 differentiator. Never suggest anything that commoditizes or undermines it.

H HubSpot Links

7 contacts in HubSpot. No deal created yet. Last contacted: April 8, 2026.