Mastering the Domain Game: Emmett Shine’s Journey to Securing GinLane.com

In this episode of Master of Your Domain, Rob Schutz sat down with Emmett Shine, founder of the renowned creative agency Gin Lane and co-founder of Pattern Brands. Emmett walked through the path to acquiring the domain GinLane.com, a process that sounds more like a scene from a historic re-enactment than a modern-day domain negotiation.

From Southampton Roots to NYC Hustle

Growing up in Southampton on Long Island, Emmett named many ventures after places he loved in his hometown. Gin Lane, an iconic oceanfront road, became the namesake for his agency, which he founded in New York City’s Chinatown in 2008.

Initially, Emmett’s life as a photographer and freelancer had him working for musicians and artists, often struggling to get paid on time. To gain credibility, he decided to rebrand himself as an agency, choosing the regal-sounding name “Gin Lane” and adopting a serif font to exude authority. Little did people know, his “agency” was just him and a couple of friends, hustling out of a dark room in Chinatown. “I figured, hey, if I sound established, maybe clients will pay on time,” Emmett recalls, laughing.

A Marching Band? Really?

As Gin Lane grew, it launched and scaled brands like Sweetgreen, Harry’s, and Stadium Goods, making waves in the branding world. By then, Emmett knew they needed the cleaner and more memorable domain, GinLane.com—only to discover it was already taken by a Canadian colonial reenactment marching band. Yes, you read that right. The domain was tied to a traditional marching band that donned period costumes and performed colonial tunes in Ottawa.

Emmett’s clients, understandably, got a little confused. “They’d type in GinLane.com expecting a hip creative agency and end up staring at a group of Redcoat lookalikes ready to march off to war.”

The Year-Long Domain Deal

Contacting the marching band to inquire about the domain was anything but straightforward. Emails went unanswered for months, as though they were being delivered via Pony Express. Eventually, after nearly a year of back-and-forth, the band agreed to sell—for the oddly specific sum of $3,333.33. The price, Emmett explains, was carefully calculated to split equally among the three band members, a figure that carried symbolic weight for them.

“I didn’t even negotiate. I was just grateful they’d finally agreed,” Emmett says with a grin. However, even the domain transfer itself seemed like something out of a historical drama, with formal instructions arriving as though the band were sealing the deal in old English.

Why Domain Names Matter (Sometimes)

Once the deal closed, GinLane.com was finally theirs, marking a turning point for the agency’s branding and visibility. But Emmett points out that while a clean, memorable URL like GinLane.com is an asset, it’s not the be-all and end-all of building a successful business. In his view, the product, team, and customer experience should always come first. “You can spend all your cash on a fancy domain, but if the business doesn’t work, it’s just a good URL with nothing behind it.”

Lessons from the Gin Lane Marching Band

Emmett’s journey to secure GinLane.com is a testament to the quirky, often unpredictable world of domain acquisitions. For early-stage founders, Emmett’s story underscores the importance of prioritizing what truly matters for growth while understanding that, sometimes, a domain name is just icing on the cake.

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