Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Phillipi.
Brad, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve lived in Los Angeles my whole life – Arcadia childhood, USC undergrad and UCLA Anderson MBA. After studying finance at USC, I worked at Trust Company of the West (TCW) in downtown LA for my first 3.5 years out of college. While there, I began the UCLA Anderson FEMBA (part-time nights and weekends) program from 2012-2015. While there I developed a passion for management and leadership and wanted to be able to get my hands dirty – creating and implementing strategies in companies.
Unfortunately, Coca-Cola wasn’t looking for a 25-year-old CEO, so I looked to the startup world – somewhere I’d be afforded the opportunity and challenge of strategically growing a company. In my two years at ZBoard, I led a $912,000 pre-order campaign, raised a $500K term sheet, and successfully lobbied for the legalization of electric skateboards in California. I learned a ton with all that was thrust on me as President of a 7-person firm, but I made a lot of mistakes, too. I left the company in 2016 when we struggled to produce the second generation product that had nearly a million dollars in pre-orders.
My next and current adventure is VT Pro Design – an experiential marketing production firm. Here, I’ve been able to grow my management and operations skills, growing the business from 8 to 35 employees and making it profitable. I’m blessed for these opportunities and will take the lessons learned from each adventure through my career.
Has it been a smooth road?
Hahaha… no. The startup world certainly presents far more volatility and internal politics, but working at a larger firm did, as well. At ZBoard, we struggled to fulfill a pre-order campaign. At VT Pro Design, every job is a recreation of the wheel (not the easiest operation to standardize).
I’ve struggled with internal politics, external roadblocks, fight or flight, fold or double down. It’s never been a smooth road, and it never will. If it were, it wouldn’t be as exciting and rewarding.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the VT Pro Design story. Tell us more about the business.
VT Pro Design is unique in its ability to work with a client from creative genesis all the way through execution. Our team comprises animators, artists, engineers, programmers, and fabricators. We’re an incredibly diverse team, in every aspect, but we share a sense of teamwork and camaraderie that’s required for us to function.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
“Experiential” marketing is not a term understood by everyone, but it’s taking significant market share every quarter of corporations’ advertising spends. In a time when traditional advertising (TV, print, radio, even online) is seeing drops in conversion and success, branded live activations and experiences are seeing the major benefit for brands.
We’ve benefitted from this growth, and we see brands budgeting a greater piece of their advertising pie for live events moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: vtprodesign.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vtprodesign/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VTProDesign/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vtprodesign?lang=en
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