Skip to main content

House of Hōma - Sam F. Rad

Samples

Stories

Not All Heroic

This story was originally written for one of the most decorated master athletes in CrossFit, as part of a pitch project.

The project included two parts:

  1. A voice-over script for one of her Instagram competition videos from the 2025 season, which she won. The tone was bold and heroic.
  2. A narrative for the “About Me” section of her athlete application.

I chose this story because I believe in the character; While the material wasn’t selected, she kindly allowed me to share it. The name has been changed to respect her privacy. Below is the application narrative.

Application Narrative

I was almost flying, I couldn't see anything but the narrow lane I was running inside.

I had about 20 meters to finish.
10
5
.
.
.

Hi, I'm Elena Markari; And that was the greatest moment of my life, until ...

Weeks after that race, I was thinking how I started with a fragile body and turned myself into a formidable athlete. Letting go of that transformation hurt more than the torn muscle and the unfinished race I left beheind.

“You won't end up on that podium ever again,” that was the sound in my head.

I was lucky enough to have another chance with CrossFit. Not to finish first but I had to transform myself again and again. Just like the first time. I was not a weightlifter. I was not a gymnast, either. But I was willing to become one.

There is always a new direction, a new limit. But I promise you, if you are willing to change who you are, there will always be a new podium.


What Makes it Work?

I wrote this analysis for the McDonald’s new campaign in Phillipines. You can read the full article following the link below:

Emotions Are The New Financial Instruments

If you haven't watched the ad click on the link below:

Watch the ad here

Kilig: The Un-translatable Feeling

This is the story of how 114 million people were invited to a dinner they’ll never forget.
If you’re from the West, you probably thought: “Okay, that was sweet… but so what?” Exactly. That reaction is the point.
Western audiences don’t have the emotional vocabulary for what they just saw. But 114 million people on this planet do, and some of them watched that ad with tears in their eyes. So who are they?
Kilig is a Tagalog word with no direct English equivalent.
It’s the electric, weightless moment between eye contact and confession. The look that says more than friendship, but doesn’t quite land on love.
For millions, it’s a common emotional language. For the rest, it takes a Hollywood budget to simulate it.
That single word launched McDonald’s to emotional stardom faster than any media plan ever could. The campaign was a huge success, with aftershocks across social media. They got the people to do the heavy lifting, by handing them an emotional grenade, and boy they detonated it on TikTok. People shared their own kilig moments and tagged McDonald's.
You might think that’s the whole trick. It’s not. Kilig was a rosy-tinted patch of an impressionist painting. Let's step back and see the whole masterpiece.

Experience Designs

Alternative Realities

Alternative Realities

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) has left many destitute. Alternative Realities, is a Web-Application that tells a story you never lived.
It time travels to past.
It tells you what could have happened, if you had taken a different investment plan, and it always surprises you. You'll be exposed to your blind spots or you might discover the talent you never knew you had.
For most of us, it's a reassurance of a good choice, and for few, a green signal to take more risk in the future.
You can read the full project description on my portfolio section, follow the link below
Alternative Realities

Emotional experience design is storytelling without words. I design experiences to tell stories in a non-traditional way. It can be an application or a physical space. What remains after is the story you lived.


If you’d like to explore how this feels in practice, scroll to the Samples section.


To experience the interactive pieces first-hand, get in touch. Due to the sensitive nature of some projects, an NDA may be required.

I’m a writer and designer.

House of Hōma is my creative practice.

Stories are how I design emotional experiences. Maybe an application, sometimes a physical space.

Professionally I go by Sam, pronounced “Sām.” Officially on papers I’m Reza. Welcome to my world.

I studied Industrial Design in Belgium and International Business in the UK & Spain.

I live in Athens and Madrid, visit Tallinn often, and sometimes you’ll find me in Antwerp. Someday, hopfully, in Tehran.


Now I'm here to tell your story.

You have the answers. I look for the tensions, the intentions.

I might visit you at your work or the places that shaped you; Just to see the world through your eyes.

And once I find the thread, I build from there.

You have one shot to make them feel your story. Don’t waste it on silence.

Contact

Tallinn
Harju maakond, Lasnamäe linnaosa, Sepapaja tn 6
15551 Tallinn, Estonia
Working Hours
Monday–Friday:
08:00–18:00 (CET)
Meeting Availability
Tuesday–Thursday:
10:00–12:00
14:00–16:00 (CET)

Other times available upon request.