By: Nick Nyhart, President, and David Donnelly, National Campaigns Director

It's rare that we do this – writing on our blog about a fellow staffer - but it’s also rare that one of our staff here at Public Campaign winds up being part of an overnight Internet sensation.  We are referring, of course, to the Tumblr created by our Communications Director, Adam Smith, and his friend Stacy Lambe, Texts from Hillary - photographic postings of fictional texting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and various celebrities.

Adam and Stacy developed the idea after work one evening last week. Within a few hours, their site went up and within 24 hours, word was spreading all over. Five days later, after 32 posts, 83,000 Facebook shares, and news stories too numerous to cite, Adam was in Secretary Clinton’s office, enjoying a friendly moment with the object of his online attentions. A day later, on Wednesday, Adam and Stacy, retired their Tumblr, leaving at the top of their game.

Many of you probably visited Texts from Hillary or heard about it in the news media. But readers of this blog, friends of Public Campaign, and followers of money and politics have met Adam before whether you knew it or not. Six years ago, Adam began work at Public Campaign. He’s the guy who writes our press releases and talking points, explains our issues to reporters, oversees our websites, edits our publications, produces PowerPoints, coaches us on public appearances, and sends a full plate of money-and-politics clips out to hundreds of advocates every morning.

For his co-workers, the Adam Smith who the public got to know through Texts with Hillary, is the same one we work with each day. His sharp wit, incisive grasp of political and pop culture’s interplay, agility around social media, good judgment, and easy charm light up our office and make Public Campaign a better organization. And we don’t think Adam’s spotlight experience and 45,000 Tumblr followers worth of fame has changed him very much. His proudest moments? Seeing how happy his mom and dad were and having the story covered back home in Parkersburg West Virginia.