A free moment is hard to come by this time of year for Panini America VP/Marketing JASON HOWARTH, as he and his team are doing lots of planning and preparation for an extended run of events early next year beginning with the CFP title game and going through the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte. With the NFL season in full-swing and basketball just getting started, Howarth is also on top of all the upcoming releases for the over 100 different trading card products Panini produces to ensure everything rolls out smoothly. Howarth recently caught up with THE DAILY to explain how he manages his jam-packed days during the winter months.
5:45am: I’ll get up and head over to the Crossfit gym that I work out at four or five times a week, unless it’s Tuesday. Those days tend to get a little hectic, so I’ll get up and go at 4:50am. I’ve made that a consistent piece of the morning routine for the last two years, so whether I’m at home or traveling, I find a gym wherever I am.
7:00-9:15am: I’ll shower and check in on social media. Twitter and Instagram really are the big drivers for me from a social perspective just to see what’s happening. I’ll also check my email in the morning just to make sure nothing is on fire. The commute to work is about 24 miles, so I make sure I’m still getting in my Boston love by listening to TOM BRADY talk on WEEI about the game from the day before, even though I'm in Texas now. Usually if I’m grabbing breakfast on the way to the office, I’ll make a stop at Chick-fil-A and get an egg white grill with just the chicken filet and egg white, no bread or cheese.
9:15-10:15am: We have TRENT DILFER this year coming out with a weekly video that he posts across his social platforms highlighting key performances of players, so after getting into the office, we’re wrapping up some conversations we had Sunday night on what we’re going to do so Trent can shoot his video. Then we move into our standing meeting with our PR agency. We have a product called Panini Instant, which are on-demand trading cards based on performances that happen the night before. On the NFL front, our team has already sent us the list of the players who are going to be featured for Panini Instant for that week, and then we roll those out throughout the following days.
10:15-11:30am: We have a marketing meeting where we talk about our upcoming releases and make sure we have our marketing collateral to support it, highlight it and push it out. Panini produces over 100 different trading card products across soccer, NFL, NBA, MLBPA, NASCAR and college, so there’s on average two product releases a week. Our business is predicated on success of players and teams, so if a player has a breakout game you don’t really expect, like PATRICK MAHOMES this year, it works out well for us.
11:30am-1:30pm: This time of year we’re kind of gearing up for what takes place in January. It starts off with the CFP and we go from there to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. We’re also planning for what our Super Bowl activation looks like, from both a league and players’ association standpoint, and then what we are doing from a community standpoint. Just on the heels of the Super Bowl, we take a breath for a minute and then we're off to the NBA All-Star Game in February.
Howarth said his oldest daughter leaving for college has been a difficult transition for his tight-knit familyJASON HOWARTH
1:30-2:00pm: Usually I look up and it’s already 1:30 and I haven’t eaten lunch yet. I’ll either sometimes bring in food from home or I’m running out and grabbing El Pollo Loco near the office real quick, usually an order of chicken with double broccoli.
2:00-6:30pm: There are meetings that pop up all the time. Just earlier last week, I got a message from our sales team saying they wanted me to meet with a retailer because we had an opportunity we were working through, so I jumped into the meeting and talked about what we can do and how we can bring our product to life within their store. Also the planning and preparation we’re doing is huge right now. After NBA All-Star weekend, two weeks later we’re at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
7:15-8:30pm: We do a lot of juggling for dinner, but usually during the week we’re eating at home. Wednesdays are a mix of craziness between my wife LEEANN going to her Bible group and my daughter MIA either working or at her church group, so it’s boys night between me and my son TYLER. We usually go out and grab something to eat and chill out, and that could be anywhere from our favorite Thai restaurant Sea Siam to Chick-fil-A to a taco place called Tacos & Avocados.
8:30-11:00pm: After dinner, I’m usually multitasking between watching whatever game is on and looking at Twitter. If there’s not a game on, I’m trying to catch up on my shows. I get heavy into Netflix during the summer in terms of catching up and I’m also streaming shows like “CHICAGO P.D.,” “CHICAGO FIRE,” “THE BLACKLIST” and “SHOOTER.” My quiet addiction right now is the new “MAGNUM P.I.,” I grew up watching TOM SELLECK in the original, so I’ve got to give this one a shot.
11:00-11:30pm: Right before I go to bed I’ll walk the dog and Facetime my oldest daughter MADYSON, who’s in school in Arizona and is 2 hours behind us. Then I’ll just make sure I have my pre-workout stuff ready for the morning and my clothes laid out, and check my email one more time.
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