Blake
BLAKE RICCIARDI
FOUNDER & CEO
Hometown:Boston, MassachusettsNickname(s):Boss, Buh La Kee (thank you Key & Peele)A typical day for me at the Popular Demand office is…Non-stop. I typically get in around 8:30am and work until 8pm or 9pm. What happens in-between is usually a blur. Whether I am designing a product, talking to one of our retailers or working on the next marketing project, no two days are the same. I also do my best to work with each member of the team every day. It’s my job to mentor each employee and help put them in the best position to succeed.What I did before Popular Demand:Before moving to Los Angeles, I started and ran two divisions for Karmaloop.com — Karmaloop Kazbah and KarmaloopTV.Prior to Popular Demand I started another business. My company sold up-and-coming clothing brands through high-traffic websites. It was quite a learning experience. I lost the majority of my savings and wasn’t a great boss. That experience helped me create and run a successful business.Something I wish I knew when I was younger:That you have to be willing to fail. I used to always try to avoid failure, which made me adverse to taking major risks. It also limited my progress and my success. I’ve been through a lot and now know that nothing will break me — I take it in and learn from it. It makes me better.My guilty pleasures are:A rotation of my favorite TV shows (The Walking Dead, Mr. Robot, Sons of Anarchy [RIP], Shark Tank…)Three things I can’t live without:An iPhone (I have never not had an iPhone since they were first released in 2007), my green tea energy pills, information (I consume media. I read all of the time — books, blogs, magazines)One weird fact about me:I have a great place in the middle of Hollywood that I have yet to decorate. I have furniture… well, a little bit of furniture… but when you walk in it feels like I just moved in last week. Oh, and I have basically no food in it whatsoever. I clearly don’t cook. I have actually only used my microwave once in 15 months.My favorite Popular Demand story:I could name my favorite story about each member of our team. Running Popular Demand is one big adventure each and every day.