Meet Zach Pardes | Zach Pardes / Chief Marketing Officer / Blk Vlly Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zach Pardes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zach, how do you think about risk?
Everything you do in life is a risk. Any belief to the contrary is illusory. Whether we’re talking about approaching someone at a bar to ask for a first date or capital investment in a business, there is absolutely nothing in life that doesn’t involve a degree of risk. Once you wrap your head around that, you quickly realize that it’s far more efficient to embrace risk than to try and avoid it. It simply can’t be avoided, and trying to do so is a fool’s errand.

I live both my personal and professional life with this understanding. The key is to mitigate risk by educating yourself as best you can. Know what risks offer what kind of payouts. If you’re going to win, know how much is to be gained. And if you’re going to lose, know what’s at stake. Everyone’s sweet spot is a little bit different depending on their appetite and tolerance. Understand what your balance is – and then aggressively pursue anything that ticks the box.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
You can think of the Blk Vlly collective as a special operations unit in a world of convention. The idea behind the collective was to find the best of the best operators – in marketing, creative, development, production, public relations, and brand – and pull them into special projects quickly and nimbly. We predominantly work with two kinds of clients/brands: disruptors/instigators/agitators who are trying to turn the preconceived notions of an industry or business on its head. And big, well-established brands that get tunnel visioned on the day-to-day and need a team to come in with fresh eyes, ideas, and concepts.

It most certainly wasn’t easy to win the types of business we’ve become accustomed to winning. A snowball effect is probably how I’d describe it. We started out like how I’d imagine a lot of bands start out – trying to find their style, their sound. But once we found our stride and started doing incredible work, it just picked up steam from there.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would have no plan at all. The best experiences tend to coalesce when you live in the present and see where the trip takes you.

But if I did make a plan, I would stick to only those experiences that can’t even come close to being replicated in a digital environment. A baseball game on TV is nothing compared to a seat at Yankee Stadium with a $14 beer and an overpriced, mystery meat hotdog. And if you haven’t seen Metallica in concert, you’ve never really heard Metallica play. No virtual reality headset replaces a 10-mile ruck through the woods with leaves crunching beneath your feet and the smell of fresh pine.

I’d look for any excuse to get a friend off of their phone. Better yet, to make them forget to even check their phone. Those are the kinds of experiences that are exciting – the ones that can’t be had viewing it through a screen.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife, 100% without a doubt. She’s done more to support my career, my health, and my passions than just about anyone. She’s moved across the country, encouraged me to tackle new challenges, and, perhaps most importantly, reminded me when I need to dial it back and take a break. I think I can honestly say without her, I’d have already been lying on the floor of an NYC subway car from a stress-induced health crisis!

Website: https://blkvlly.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zpardes/