Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Benninghove

Hi Paul, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

My story starts with parents who were willing to let me be a nerd as a kid. Live in my bedroom, build computers, learn software, and design cool shit. I’m a self-taught interactive agency leader who has a side hustle apparel brand that I use as a creative outlet. My first job in design was as a marketing admin at a local mall where I spent my days helping on logistics for events and designing posters for in the mall. From there I got my first interactive design job by basically bullshitting my way through an interview and convincing the software company that I knew Macromedia Flash and could do motion work for them on a national fantasy sports website. Needless to say, I learned Flash in 2 weeks enough to be dangerous, and turned that job into a nice portfolio builder. From there I bounced to one or two other software companies until given an opportunity by Dave Hickethier at AndCulture to help build a regional digital agency, MudBrick Creative. I had no idea how to do it but found a path of least resistance as a partner for other agencies where we had a consistent pipeline of work and did a lot of great stuff.

Eventually, I would leave and move to a different state for a while working for a partner we had in Tattoo Projects. The owner Rudy Banny was kind of like my dad in personality and we did some very cool work together, he was a mentor in a lot of ways. It was great until it wasn’t. I left and moved back to my home state and started my own shop, Phalanx Digital. We basically did other agencies interactive work and killed a ton of projects with some of my best friendsand clients. For 7 years we did that until I made a huge mistake and let a larger agency group acquire us. From there it was 2 years of hell and an exit. Moving on to reconnect with Tattoo Projects and help them build their digital offering scaling it from 1 to 7 team members in about a year. That’s where I sit now, doing what I love to do and spending time on my apparel brand as it permits, Heaven Sent Hell Bent.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

It’s never a smooth road when it comes to life in general. The investment of time and effort in being a creative and what it takes to do it at a high level can be draining. I’m not talking about just draining for you but for those around you as well. I wound up with a divorce in my path, some heavy years of therapy and a new sense of who I was and how to be happy.

Other things they don’t teach you in school is that there is always going to be someone that doesn’t have your best interests at heart. You learn that trust is a dangerous thing and can lead to mistakes. Selling my agency was a disaster, You see the money and you think, “This will get me out of debt and help set my family up better”. You don’t see the long term effects on everyone and everything around you if it fails. The worst part was what it did to my team of work family. Watching everyone just get a bit more miserable every day working in a situation that was really churn and burn was rough. You learn from these types of mistakes. You trust a bit less and require proof a bit more.

Professional struggles seeping into your personal life is the hardest thing to avoid. Along the way you learn to take deep breaths and tell yourself that respect is everything and your not curing cancer, take it easy, relax and find a way.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

My work at Tattoo Projects revolves around helping the scale the agency digital offering. It’s overcoming obstacles related to reputation and process and crushing opportunities when they occur to build new relationships and elevate the brand. I’m known for doing this for multiple agencies at this point in my career. Being able to step into any situation and provide a path to improvement and fill the voids. Those voids can be related to issues with execution and creative development/direction or the process by which we do things. What sets me apart from the rest is knowledge gathered from 20 years of success in interactive agencies. Knowing how to open a design tool and design if I need to, knowing the strategy and what works and knowing how to manage and build teams. It’s really about being able to identify the issues, finding a solution, and executing it.

I would say I’m most proud of the growth in the team at Tattoo Projects. Going from a team of 1 to now 7 with a mix of designers, developers, PM’s and leadership on the digital side in about a year is significant. The improvements in the product we produce has national agencies working with us and brands taking Tattoo seriously on the digital side of the house.

How do you think about happiness?

My family and friends make me happy. Years ago my professional life and reputation made me happy but that was misguided. It’s the people around you that care about you, that do the things to support you and expect nothing in return that are important. Spending time with people who genuinely have your best interests at heart and root for you is a rare thing and something to be coveted. When I’m playing wiffle ball in the backyard at a cookout with all our family and friends and “Go Yard” with a bat flip and a beverage in my hand you see a smile that’s real. My wife and sons keep me grounded and at times tell me it’s ok to feel the way I do which makes it all easier in the end.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hshbgear.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixelfader/
• Other: https://www.tattooprojects.com