Peter McCutcheon’s niche expertise made him the perfect fit for business development at Harper + Scott (asi/220052).

The Virginia native, who relocated to New York City after college to pursue a career in music management, wound up in experiential marketing for major adult beverage brands for nearly 10 years. In 2016, he happened to cross paths with Harper + Scott co-founders Michael Scott Cohen and Jon Alagem, who were working to build up their small company at the heart of one of the world’s biggest cities. McCutcheon’s experience with high-profile marketing projects as well as purchasing promo products made him an ideal fit for their ambitious and team.

“I understand how the clients think, how they spend their money, what their pain points are,” he says. “As I’ve helped Harper + Scott grow, I’ve really tried to instill that mindset into every team within the organization to try and be a really valuable asset to our clients and deliver an elevated experience.”

And it’s certainly paid off. Between 2020 and 2021, McCutcheon, now vice president of business development, increased his sales by more than 250% and hit an impressive eight figures. He leveraged his years of experiential marketing prowess into collaborations with a number of major entities, including Restaurant Brands International (RBI), Angel’s Envy, Twitter, Diageo, The Estée Lauder Companies and The Boston Beer Company.

In this episode of Promo Insiders, McCutcheon speaks with Sara Lavenduski, ASI Media executive editor of digital content, about moving over to Harper + Scott after almost a decade in experiential marketing, how he faced COVID challenges this year to continue to service clients and his goals for 2022.

“It all comes down to transparency,” he says, about dealing every day with inventory shortages, delivery delays and a host of other issues this past year. “Obviously, everybody watches the news, they see the challenges that are happening, they’re not limited to the promo industry. … It’s about having an open conversation.”

This year, he’s eager for the return of live events and the plethora of branding opportunities they present. “That’s where I spent my whole last job,” he says. “I traveled around, getting that face-to-face brand engagement. … Just being able to see it pick back up, I’m excited to go out and see it myself.”