Hi,
Some of know me already, but for those who don’t, I’ll give you a quick 101 on this blog, myself and the background on the banner. Sit tight, it’s a very compelling story.
The Banner
I cobbled together something from old photos on my hard drive that shows a little about who I am and people I’ve worked with since launching BBPR in 2006 (of course, this isn’t ALL the people I’ve worked with… I’d need a much bigger banner!).
Going from left to right, the first photo was taken of me in the offices of Vapor Studio during an editorial project I was working on. Ricardo Camargo and the Vapor team have helped build (literally) or launch products that many of us have worn on our feet, put on our backs or sat in over the years.
The next photo is of a piece Banksy did that I saw Mike Paddock of the Rome SDS post online somewhere. I’ve always found this particular one amusing.
The griptape on my skateboard is courtesy of Tim Swart, the man behind UNIV in Encinitas, as well as a bunch of other brands you’ve heard of during the last 15 years. Tim also happened to connect me with the fine folks at IPATH.
The last picture was taken at Mt. High during last year’s Industry Day, which was equal parts fog and fun. On the left is group Y’s founder, Liz Randall who has been a great friend and collaborator the last three years. Next to her is Ty Smith, from Propaganda HQ, the brand consultancy behind project BLUE, among other creative initiatives both in and out of the action sports industry. The guy on the end in the helmet is me. Some people have told me the cool kids don’t wear helmets or run stomp pads, but I heard helmets were the new black, so I’m all about them. BTW – Mt. High has a pretty sweet deal on season passes going on right now. If you like fun, snowboarding and Southern California, you should consider getting one.
The BB
In 1997, I began my career in the wonderful world of public relations. My first job was with an agency in NYC (big thanks to Ann P!) working on, among other things, the Burton Snowboards account, helping them gain media exposure beyond the endemic media outlets. In addition to Burton, my NYC days had me working with a range of brands that included Duracell, LG Electronics, Old Spice, Hoover and Intel. Occasionally I had to order lunch for brainstorms, get coffee and send Fed-Ex packages for higher-ups. That sucked was incredibly rewarding, but and it’s often part of paying your dues at a larger agency. Working with brands outside of action sports has really helped me develop some creative ideas for my action sports clients as they look to broaden their exposure. Learning how to send Fed-Ex packages has come in handy too.
I relocated to San Diego in late 2005 and after my dot-com job failed to generate the millions of dollars I was told very passionately that it would, I started BBPR. Since launching BBPR, we’ve helped quite a few lifestyle brands grow their public awareness beyond their endemic media through traditional and new/social media initiatives. We also help non shred-focused brands with their media relations and social media strategy, including big players in the automotive, adult beverage, entertainment and health care spaces.
The Blog
The plan for this blog is to discuss marketing, more specifically, public/media relations and social media, since that’s where my professional background is. Similar to the BBPR corporate blog, this one is going to focus on what I see out there in the greater marketing world, not just action sports or lifestyle brands (I expect there to be some overlap between the two as well). Compared to the BBPR blog, this one will be a little less about BBPR client successes or how great of a PR consultancy I run (if you are interested in that, please feel free to visit the other blog or just send me an email for my unbiased opinion on the value BBPR brings).
I’ll probably use spell check on this blog too, if I can remember.
Pic courtesy of Becky McMichael
Big thanks to Chad for giving me this forum to spout propaganda on.
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