PPB September 2021

Continued on page 31 Brandon Pecharich Age 38 Digital Media Director PromoCorner Austin, Texas B randon Pecharich first learned about the promo industry in early 2002. While living in Greeley, Colorado, and working the front desk at an assisted living facility, a friend suggested he come to work at a new distributor company the friend was opening. Pecharich was hired to run the company’s four- and six-head Tajima embroidery machines and he was hooked on the industry. Later, he segued into sales for a supplier in Fort Collins, Colorado, before moving to Austin where he worked in sales for several promo companies before joining digital marketing services provider, PromoCorner, in October 2017. Eleven Pecharich fans nominated him for the honor, including PromoCorner’s Laurie Moore, client services director, who is amazed at the influence he’s had since joining the industry. Pecharich hosts a daily video series called PromoErrday where he talks about a different promotional product, as well as a live weekly show, Express Training Bites , where a guest joins him to share industry knowledge. Most recently he has become the host for PromoShow’s live virtual events which require him to juggle multiple platforms in a live format. “I’mmost impressed by his abilities as a host and to make guests feel at ease. He’s not afraid to put himself out there and is always willing to help out anyone who’s looking for advice or help with video or content,” says Moore. “He brings incredible energy and passion to all of his projects.” This year Pecharich also served on the PPAI SPARK Workgroup to help plan and produce the virtual event held in July, and he was also a speaker. Nominator Sam Kabert, owner of distributor SwagWorx and a PPB 2020 Rising Star, says he’s known Pecharich almost as long as he’s been in the industry and credits his colleague with helping him in his own success as a content creator. “The fact he’s done a daily video featuring a different promotional product says it all. That sort of consistency is hard to achieve. He never stops. He’s as determined as anyone I’ve seen (in or out of the industry).” Biggest challenge in the past year: When the nation was put on lockdown, the whole world went virtual. The biggest challenge for me was self-imposed. I was building a name for myself in video production. There is a major difference in the gear needed for in-person video production vs. virtual meetings. I did a lot of research on what other people had done with video capture cards to use their quality cameras for online meetings. I ended up overcoming the new virtual video challenge with a pretty awesome mobile virtual setup that has fantastic sound with a quality picture. Proudest career accomplishment: Not going to lie; I’m pretty proud of myself for always going with my gut feeling and never being afraid to make a huge change. I had done production, sales, traveling, trade shows—you name it, in the industry. The thing I am most proud of is PromoErrday [a daily video series available through PromoCorner]. Creating those influencer-style videos helped me show everyone that promotional products are used literally every day. That show is not easy to make, but I made the choice to change my schedule to allow me to pull the trigger and start making those videos. I am so proud that there are over 950 episodes and counting. Most optimistic about for the industry’s future: We, as an industry, had to make a major shift as a result of 2020. Things were not going to go back to how they had been. Our industry is now closer to being on par with other industries in terms of technology. We should be able to leverage that and see major innovations and social initiatives that will continue to bring apparel and promo to the front of the marketing hierarchy. Biggest concern for the industry’s future: Humans love the way things used to be. It’s comfortable. It’s familiar. 2020 allowed us to all get on the same technology playground with other industries, as we were all learning together. However, I am concerned that there will be a large part of our industry that will not continue with the move forward and will slide right back to how it used to be. Rising Stars | FEATURE | SEPTEMBER 2021 | 25