See it and Sell it First at ASI Show Orlando – January 4-6, 2025.   Register Now.

2018 Hot List

Meet the new stars shaking up the promo market with their ambition, empathy and passion to be the very best.

Bold, brash and beautiful, this year’s Hot Listers represent an exclusive club of 20 top performers who are elevating the industry with new ideas and the guts to act on them. The Hot List is also, for the first-time ever, a measure of true up-and-coming talent – the 2018 group only includes people who’ve been in the promo industry for five years or less.

Let it be known, by the way, that this isn’t just a bunch of suave salespeople that are good at scoring orders. Our list features lawyers, marketing execs, product designers and second-career standouts, too. It’s made up of people who are idealists at heart, but pragmatists in purpose, with the uncommon will to eschew the way things have always been done in the promo world. To that, we say kudos.

>>See last year's Hot List

No doubt, with our 2018 criteria, it makes sense that our Hot Listers skew young and hip. It also makes sense that there’s some international flair to our bloody awesome group, eh. We looked far and wide, north and south, and across the pond to identify deserving winners.

Taken as a whole, this year’s Hot List is meant to offer a glimpse at our industry’s potential. Paced by these prodigies, the present and future of promo is looking bright.

Sean Kurtzman

Midnite Snax (asi/71685)
Learn more about Sean here!


Eric Simsolo

Next Level Apparel (asi/73867)
Learn more about Eric here!


Katelyn Aumock

IDProductsource (asi/62088)
Learn more about Katelyn here!


Chris Arvay

Proforma (asi/300094)
Learn more about Chris here!


Bjorn Rheborg

Gemline (asi/56070)
Learn more about Bjorn here!


Emily Delmarco

City Paper Company (asi/162267)
Learn more about Emily here!


Meghan Falkner

Sunrise Identity (asi/339206)
Learn more about Meghan here!


Rory Young

Pop! Promos (asi/45657)
Learn more about Rory here!


Elli Chemel

AT Designs (asi/30239)
Learn more about Elli here!


Jessica Ibsen

Fully Promoted (asi/384000)
Learn more about Jessica here!


Kevin Mullaney

Brandito (asi/325944)
Learn more about Kevin here!


Mason Linn

Raining Rose (asi/80489)
Learn more about Mason here!


James Przybyszewski

Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125)
Learn more about James here!


Joshua White

BAMKO (asi/131431)
Learn more about Joshua here!


Jacques Marais

Creative Marketing Concepts (asi/170631)
Learn more about Jacques here!


Ryan Conant

TravelChair Company (asi/91916)
Learn more about Ryan here!


Dane Negrey

Brand Aid (asi/145193)
Learn more about Dane here!


Alex Webb

McCabe Promotional Products (asi/264901)
Learn more about Alex here!


Emma Reynolds

Outstanding Branding (asi/288519)
Learn more about Emma here!


Grant Mayan

The Promo Addict (asi/302225)
Learn more about Grant here!