The Gatsby Brand F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896. James Gatz did something we would now describe in much more modern terms: he chose a new name, built a new story around himself, changed his appearance, his social circle, and eventually almost his entire life. Today, we would call it personal branding. Admittedly, he still needed a house, a car, an orchestra, champagne, and hundreds of guests. Today, a profile will do. The photographs are real. The journeys are real. The dinners, the books, the successes — all real. Just carefully selected reality. Like any good party. Perhaps that is why *The Great Gatsby* has never really grown old. Gatsby’s world is not quite as distant as we like to think. We have simply made the same performance much easier. Once, it took a palace to shape how the world saw you. Today, a profile will do.