ASI’s Counselor Magazine Names Most Creative People In Promo

International mix of original thinkers and driven doers includes suppliers, distributors and decorators

TREVOSE, PA – May 8, 2018 – Counselor® magazine today unveiled its first annual list of the most creative people in promo, an international mix of original thinkers and driven doers that includes suppliers, distributors and decorators from throughout the $23.6 billion promotional products industry.

The 11 creative elites on Counselor’s inaugural list are generating industry buzz by designing, creating and inventing everything from killer prints and one-of-a-kind promos to ultra-cool tech gadgets and high-end T-shirts. Counselor is published by the Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI) and is considered the voice of the industry, providing important news, trends and business strategies to top distributor decision-makers.

“These branding trailblazers are a creative dream team whose imaginations run wild whenever they’re challenged by clients who demand the very best in self-promos, marketing, advertising and multimedia,” said Counselor Editor-In-Chief Dave Vagnoni (@VagnoniASI). “Each one of them demonstrates a unique skillset that makes them the creative kings and queens of promo.”

The Most Creative People in Promo list was open to anyone who displayed the raw talent Counselor was looking for, regardless of experience level. ASI’s editorial team selected the winners after a careful review of nominations from throughout the industry.

Below are Counselor’s 2018 list of the Most Creative People in Promo, in alphabetical order:

• Rene Adda, founder of French-based Lexon
• Jeff Anderton, senior content strategist at Utah’s SnugZ (asi/88060) and VideoFarm
• Rhea Aslin, senior director of brand management at Washington’s SanMar (asi/84863)
• Amy Baker, co-founder, owner and art director of Oregon-based Threadbare Print House
• Lauren Cocco, director of merchandising at New Jersey-based Vantage Apparel (asi/93390)
• Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak, founders of California’s Origaudio (asi/75254)
• Nicole McNamee, managing director of global accounts for Texas-based Boundless (asi/143717)
• Rick Roth, president and founder of Rhode Island-based Mirror Image
• Jamie Stone, president of Oregon-based Gifts By Design (asi/205947)
• Pete Thuss, marketing partner at Ontario-based Talbot Marketing (asi/341500)

Click here for profiles of each of the winners celebrated in the May issue of Counselor magazine, available in print and online.

Upcoming special Counselor issues include the annual Hot List of the coolest people coming up in the promo industry, published in June, which requires nominees to have been in the industry for five years or less, the State of the Industry in July and the debut of the Product of the Year in December.

ASI publishes three magazines, with a total of over 250,000 readers, and four catalogs, with a total circulation of 1.3 million. ASI magazines have earned over 150 editorial awards, including the Jesse H. Neal Award, considered the “Pulitzer Prize” of the business press, for Counselor.

For more information on Counselor, contact Dave Vagnoni at [email protected]. For info on advertising in any of ASI’s magazines, contact Matt Barnes, ASI’s vice president of publishing and media services, [email protected].

About ASI
The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI®) serves a network of 23,500 suppliers, distributors and decorators in the $23.6 billion promotional products industry. ASI’s flagship product, the technology platform ESP®, manages the industry’s entire supply and marketing chain. ASI also produces award-winning digital and print content, live events and educational programs that enable companies in 55 countries to be more efficient, productive and profitable. ASI’s Counselor® magazine provides the most authoritative business content in the industry, and the ASI Certification Program features 500+ live and online education courses for over 40,000 professionals. The company, family owned and operated since 1962, is proud to have been consistently ranked among the “Best Places to Work” in Philadelphia and Bucks County, PA. For more info: www.uat-asicentral.com.