Storydriven.
Together.

Pete guides The Buddy Group’s storydriven vision. Founding the company more than two decades ago, it reflects his blend of work in creative marketing roles across film, television, radio and theatre and his passion for innovation, creative strategy, design thinking, media and business building. Since 2005, Pete and his team have worked at the convergence of marketing, storytelling and connected technology.

Under Pete’s leadership The Buddy Group has shaped the trajectory of countless firms across industries while shaping the terrain of storydriven consulting. The diversity of his experience and expertise is reflected in The Buddy Group’s client list, past and present including; Michaels, Vertafore, Goodwill, Wells Fargo, AARP, St. Joseph Health, GE, Washington Mutual, Pentel, American Express, Microsoft, King’s Hawaiian Bread, Western Digital (WDTV), Google, YouTube, Epson, National University, McDonald’s HappyMeal.com and Experian. Along the way, it has executed 200 product and program launches; deployed across mobile, web and connected television.

In 2007, he established one of the first b2b and b2c in-house YouTube-era sound stages designed for interactive content creation and distribution, with a focus on the future of video distribution and accessibility. He then secured The Buddy Group’s content management solution, BUDeSYSTEM™ as one of only a few approved platforms to manage a brand’s custom channel on YouTube and helped to create the first interactive video solution for the ticketing space, Interactive Seat Buddy™. Direct Marketing News recognized Pete as a “Top 40 under 40” in 2013, and he is regularly featured in industry trade publications and on panels demonstrating and discussing the power of technology in marketing.

Prior to starting The Buddy Group, Pete held executive and management positions at VPI, Iconixx and Melanie Griffith’s One World Live and worked on Broadway with producers of Into The Woods (25th anniversary), at The Broadway League (co-presenters of The Tony Awards®) and as an investor of several Broadway shows. At those respected entertainment/media-focused organizations he led efforts on brands such as Harry Potter, AOL, News Corp., Hypnotic (Universal), the first online short film festival and Ashton Kutcher’s first web presence, AshtonKutcher.com. Pete also shaped the digital media landscape, playing a major role with pioneers across several ad/media formats including Eyeblaster, Pointroll and YouTube’s custom brand channels. Pete sits on the OCTANe Innovation Accelerator board of directors, TBG Adventure Capital board of directors and the Project Hope Alliance board. He is an investor in or advisor to several startups.

Pete holds a master’s degree from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University.

David drives The Buddy Group’s storydriven approach from the inside out. Drawing on his combined digital marketing and process-driven management experience, he oversees and stewards The Buddy Group’s brand & GTM strategies and content and experience production in service to storydriven adventures.

A British expat, David holds more than 15 years of digital marketing experience in project and production management in which he’s guided many large-scale projects and product launches across numerous technical mediums. His passion for digital marketing and online technology started in 2003 as an e-commerce web programmer at MAD Productions (located in the county of Hampshire, United Kingdom), before transitioning into the world of project management. In 2011, he joined Orange County, California-based, Affiliate Media before beginning his journey with The Buddy Group in 2013. Between Hampshire and Orange counties sits an ocean, most of the North American continent and a story he’s happy to share over a pint.

David is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) with the Scrum Alliance. He’s studied project management at the University of California Irvine. He earned a master’s degree (with merit) in Software Development from Coventry University (Coventry, United Kingdom) and a bachelor’s degree in British and American literature (with honors) from Warwick University (Coventry, United Kingdom).

Eli helms storydriven strategy at The Buddy Group. He also leads client-centric channel growth. In doing so, he leverages more than two decades of experience with product marketing, product management and sales with a particular focus on technology.

Prior to joining The Buddy Group, Eli was vice president of product at CNET Content Solutions, a ViacomCBS business. There he launched ContentCast, a software as a service (SaaS) platform that syndicates product content from brands to the websites of their retail partners. This syndicated content allows brands to tell their story and supports retailers by increasing conversion rates. Partners using the ContentCast platform included the likes of Microsoft, Sony, HP, and Dyson as well as retailers such as Walmart, Costco, French retailer cDiscount, and UK-based big box retailer Dixons. Eli owned and drove all aspects of ContentCast, including product vision, launch, operations, data production and sales.

Eli has practiced storydriven product development and marketing throughout his career by connecting the customer journey and pain points to real-world solutions, differentiators, features and messaging that delight the users and emotionally connect to their needs.

Eli earned a Juris Doctor from the University of California Hastings College of Law (San Francisco) and an MBA and bachelor’s degree from American Jewish University (Los Angeles).

Jonathan guides production of The Buddy Group’s storydriven video and film production and has operated at the forefront of the firm’s content approach since 2006.

Across his 25 years of experience, Jonathan has connected creative production and project management organization to maximize storydriven adventures. He is equally adept at content development, process & account management and established The Buddy Group’s video production unit while helping launch its YouTube sound stage. He’s developed storydriven content for companies such as AMEX, Google, Epson, Dell Software, Pentel, Michaels and Western Digital. Along the way he shored up the production efficiencies of the Irvine, California-based marketing firm Gigasavvy and brought video production expertise and augmented a highly skilled international product management team at Secure Channels, Inc. (Irvine, California).

Jonathan continues to develop better processes, communication and content organization artifacts to better align teams on a Single-Source-Of-Truth that maximizes opportunities for clients as their content journeys move from the early, mid- and late-funnel portions of the sell cycle. He’s always on the prowl for added efficiencies, better communications and keyboard shortcut.

Jonathan holds an MBA and a BFA in film production from Chapman University (Orange California).

Jon is The Buddy Group’s creative director and oversees storydriven identity-based, visual and experience design. Grounded in the idea that great design comes from understanding the human experience, his work is evolving the depth and connection of storydriven adventures.

For more than a decade, Jon’s design has touched nearly every industry. From entertainment, live events and gaming to professional sports, boutique clients and Fortune 500 brands within medicine, technology and beyond, his client base has always pursued a singular objective: connect with their audiences. He’s focused his career around this goal and executes from a core of the visual story for brands that include Disney, Marvel, Activision, Botox, Juvederm, The Special Olympics, Wizards of the Coast and the LA Galaxy.

Prior to the Buddy Group, Jonathan plied his talents at Pacific Communications (Irvine, California), SiteLines Productions (Costa Mesa, California) and Sleepy Giant (Newport Beach, California). He holds a BFA in graphic design from California State University-Long Beach.