Jeremy joined RCKT. Communications in April 2015 as the agency’s internal content creator and editor. Born in the USA, Jeremy has also lived in Canada (Vancouver, B.C.) and Denmark (Copenhagen) and worked as a journalist and as a press spokesperson before moving to Berlin in November 2013. Coming along on the trip was also his Shiba Inu, Toro, who flew for 10 hours in the plane’s cargo hold, an event that caused his owner more stress than he ever wants to remember.

Here are the handful of items that Jeremy feels are absolutely essential for his workday.

1) Shiba Inu – most common question I hear: ‘Ist das ein Fuchs?’

My dog normally doesn’t come to the office (I’m fighting the good fight to change that), but he’s often my top source for inspiration. When I take him out for a walk I carry around a small notepad (from Muji) so when an idea hits me I can write it down real quick and then share it with our team when I’m back in the office. Toro and I are often out and about in Prenzlauer Berg, so if you happen to see a fox-looking dog come over and say hello.

2) Reference books in German

I’m only one of a handful of people here at RCKT. who don’t speak German as a first language. So in order to mithalten I practice for an hour a day after work. I keep these books (Sag es treffender and Besseres Deutsch) on my desk as a handy reference when I need to write an email or find a synonym for a word that I’ve already used a hundred times. If you’re a native speaker and have further recommendations I would love to hear them [jeremy.cothran (at) rckt.com]

3) iPhone 6

Can’t live without it. We communicate as an agency with Skype and team-internal with Slack. So even when I’m out of the office I’m able to stay connected with coworkers and team leads.

4) Kindle

Good for the days when I take public transportation in, or when the sun’s out and I have lunch outside. I shoot for two books a month and right now I’m tackling Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner, a polyglot opera singer who learned six languages fluently.