Peter Murane, BrandJuice Founder & CEO, is the spotlight of our June employee profile. We sat down for a Q&A to deep dive into his refreshing way of thinking and insightful vision that drives our team every day.
Tell us about where you grew up?
I grew up in Denver, so I’m one of those dreaded Colorado locals
What brand is your personality most aligned with?
Patagonia. I love how the brand embodies form, function and sustainability.
What led you to choosing this profession?
I wanted to learn general management, so I first went into Brand Management. Part of my job responsibilities when I worked for Clorox included brand positioning development and new product innovation. Those kinds of bigger picture challenges were super fun for me, so I decided to completely focus my career in that direction by moving over to the agency side. Now that I am entrepreneur, I get to touch many facets of business, so the initial general management training I received comes in handy.
Who inspires you? Who do you aspire to be like?
Who do you aspire to be like? I am inspired by artists and people I would put in the category of great thinkers and creatives. So from history I’m inspired by the “greats” like Shakespeare. Leonardo Da Vinci and Abraham Lincoln. And in art by innovators like Alberto Giacommeti.
What’s your most irrational fear?
Not being able to tell the people I love that I love them before I die… so I tell them along the way
If you could keep only 5 possessions, what would they be?
Well since one can’t “possess” children I guess my answer can’t be my three kids. So I’ll go with my Winston fly rod, yoga mat, complete works of Williams Shakespeare, mac computer and late Grandmother’s bingo card.
What are you drinking come five o’clock?
A baby or super Tuscan red.
Best restaurant in Denver?
Luca
What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?
Best book this year is A Slant of Light. Ever is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
When you’re in need of creative inspiration, where do you go? What do you do?
I read pretty much anything I can get my hands on. And I love attending conferences like SXSW where I can feed my brain by hearing interesting people. I’ve also cultivated a wonderful network of entrepreneurs and these people never cease to amaze and inspire me.
What was the last picture you took with your phone?
My oldest son catching a 20″ rainbow trout on the North Platte River up in Casper Wyoming. We drove 700 miles in two days this weekend to get in some fishing together before he goes off to work this summer at a camp and then enrolls at Colorado College in the fall. It’s a strange time to be a parent when you can measure time with a child in hours versus years. So that photo I took is a “keeper” and we let the fish go instead.
If you could give your younger self any advice, what would it be?
I would tell myself to enjoy life and follow your intuition. And also to take risks because when opportunity knocks you have to answer.
What’s the best part about working at BrandJuice?
Well this place packs a wallop in terms of work quality. So I’d say I’m continuously blown away by the quality of the work we do and the passion by which we do it. I’m also a big fan of our creative culture that encourages an appreciation of design, risk taking and fearlessness.
Follow along on our social media over the coming weeks to find out more about what Peter’s life is like when he’s not cultivating creative genius at BrandJuice.