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After a 35+ year long advertising career, James Orsini just added a pretty historic accomplishment to his resume: becoming the first ever retiree from VaynerX. 

Originally trained as an accountant, James spent the early days of his career development deep in the finance game, auditing for major companies and crunching numbers on Wall Street. Marketing wasn’t exactly on the roadmap, but he recalls a specific meeting where for the first time, he was thinking “‘I could see myself in a place like this someday.’” 

And that he did. 

Over A Decade (!!!) Spent At Vayner 

Fast forward to 2015, James ended up at VaynerMedia as Chief Integration Officer, a move that would kick off more than a decade of impact across the company.

Despite not having the most traditional background for a marketing career, James understood how to make complex organizations flow. Pulling from his own operational rigor, financial discipline, and a sharp instinct for people and process, he had a rare talent for finding the right solutions, and the right teams to make things move.

And it’s this mindset that’s guided him in his various roles at Vayner for the past 11 years. A list that includes agency jobs like Chief Integration Officer and Chief Operating Officer of VaynerMedia, President of The Sasha Group, and his final role as President of Startup Operations for VaynerX, just to name a few! Fun fact, in James’ time as COO, he actually ran the studio for 6 months, and often says that he had 4 titles but played 5 different roles.

A Unique Approach = A World of Difference

Throughout his time here at Vayner, James has always led with a people-first approach. It’s something that anybody who’s had the pleasure of meeting, and working with him, knows. By finding a way to balance the practical with the personal, something that’s not easy for many people to do, James has helped us scale tremendously. In each role, he has found ways to push VaynerX’s evolution, and build it into the global independent agency that it is today. 

Simply put, James has been a true force at VaynerX, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have spent the last decade with him. His success and legacy is a testament that being yourself, and using the strengths and knowledge that you have, is always the best way to show up. No exceptions!

Farewell James!

Here’s to a truly magical retirement, James! ✨🥂

And! Be sure to read his  LBB editorial, and learn all about his journey before, during, and after Vayner. 

P.S. James, if you’re reading this, we’re always here for you! 💜

Were you able to try the viral Jimmy John’s Picklewich everyone’s been talking about? If you haven’t realized…it’s kind of a really big dill.

After causing a nationwide pickle frenzy across social media last year, the fan-favorite Picklewich returned to Jimmy John’s for a limited time. 

To make this comeback even juicier… In collaboration with VaynerX, Jimmy John’s teamed up with Demi Lovato for a pop-culture collab that’s as unexpected as it is unforgettable. Music, viral moments, memes, and mouthwatering sandwiches… It’s the kind of combo that could only happen on the internet (and in a Jimmy John’s kitchen).

Now, let’s unpack what made this campaign a viral hit. 👇

Pickles Meet Pop Power

We wanted to deliver a fun, relevant campaign that could top the original Picklewich, which was a huge success both creatively and the best selling LTO of all time.

Pop icon Demi Lovato is known for her obsession with pickles. She actually named her dog Pickle. And, as a fan of the brand, we wanted to center the creative around Demi’s organic connection back to this product, which felt like a home run.

Defining the Campaign Goals

This campaign was designed to live, breathe, and breakthrough in culture. Are people talking about it? Are people sharing it? Did it win the attention game on social media? 

The focus of the campaign was to show that the Picklewich was in the midst of a comeback, and Demi was too with the launch of her new album. The tie between the campaign and Demi, back to this global idea of the comeback, became the synergistic through line which inspired our creative production process.

Our partnership with Jimmy John’s reflects our social-first approach grounded in the idea that culture drives conversation. We wanted to create a visual representation of Demi’s most iconic meme-able moments and then write a script that would allow Demi to feel comfortable leaning into those moments.

From TikTok to Table

Social was the engine, but the campaign extended beyond it. The Picklewich made appearances at the PickleCon launch event, turning a sandwich into a full-blown cultural activation. Mainstream coverage, like Complex picking it up, only amplified the buzz.

Relevancy = Speed

With cultural moments, speed is everything. From ideation to execution to edit, the team moved in just two weeks.

Demi’s contributions, like the now-iconic “Demi knees” line, added the kind of shareable flair that makes campaigns memorable.

The Picklewich Buzz

With over 60 million+ organic views and counting for the campaign, fans responded immediately. TikTok duets, playful references to Demi’s ‘wink wink’ moments, and overwhelmingly positive social chatter proved the campaign hit the mark. The Picklewich became an instant cultural conversation starter.

Key Takeaways

Always bet on culture. The best campaigns are the ones that take cultural moments that people are already talking about and leverage that attention to win.

At VaynerMedia, we do this work on the front end. We never guess that the campaign is going to resonate with audiences because before it ever gets to production, it’s been tested through organic social at scale. Simply put, by the time I am tasked with bringing a concept to life, I have the assurance that the agency has market tested this idea and concept on social media, which helps ensure that our idea will resonate with audiences in the right way.

With Picklewich x Demi Lovato, Jimmy John’s created a blueprint for breaking through in culture while keeping the brand front and center.

Want to partner together? Drop us a line 

It’s that time of year where the sunsets are at 5 pm, there’s a slight chill in the air (maybe more than slight), and the Q4 deadlines are rapidly approaching.

But, despite that hectic race to the EOY finish line, there’s also the promise of holiday festivities, and, for those who have been at VaynerX a while, it also signifies the start to #VaynerThanks.

What is VaynerThanks, you may ask? Is this another acronym I need to memorize? Not quite! It’s more of a glimpse into the past (over a decade old at this point!) and created by some true Vayner OGs.

Wait, So What is It?

The lore of VaynerThanks goes back to the early days of Vayner and is a tradition we still do as a company today. Employees are encouraged to share a #VaynerThanks to our coworkers, highlighting the special people who we see everyday and make coming to work so special. It’s a moment of reflection, admiration, and most of all, gratitude. And this year, we’re giving a nod to the past by looking back at the lore of what it means to give VaynerThanks.

What Does VaynerThanks Mean to You? 

To Tyler Schmitt, VP of Core Relationships, VaynerThanks is more than just a few kind words. It’s a reminder of how Vayner brings people together.

“In a world that is more noisy and bifurcated by the day, VaynerThanks was always a time where you were reminded how together we were, how much impact your co-workers had on your day-to-day life, and how important being part of this company was. And, how every individual really made an impact on the whole of what we were doing.”

Or, for Marcus Krzastek, our VM International President, it became a tradition alongside his usual Thanksgiving plans.

“Every year, one of the highlights in the early days of VM was taking the bus back to my parents for Thanksgiving and dropping in all my VaynerThanks during the ride home. It’s been a great way to reflect on the year and show appreciation for everyone who’s helped and impacted you along the way.”

And here’s some of those VT shoutouts from Marcus’ train ride back home – going as far back as 2012!

Favorite VaynerThanks Memory?

Longtime Vayner employee Nick Dio, VP of Core Relationships, looked back on one of his favorite memories, aka the moment where #VaynerThanks really made it big. 

“Back in the day, we used to flood Twitter (now known as X) with #VaynerThanks. Employees would share things that they were grateful for about other employees and one year, we got to the national trending page the day before Thanksgiving.”

See what happens when we all come together? Pretty impressive if you ask me! 

In the wise words of Claude Silver, our very own Chief Heart Officer, “recognition doesn’t have to mean huge milestones. It’s about the small, everyday moments that make this place so special.” 

In our VaynerThanks Slack channel, there lives hundreds upon thousands of #vaynerthanks messages, dating back to the early 2010’s. Each shoutout is a reminder of those small moments, where we’ve lifted each other up, and given our flowers to the people who make Vayner the community it is today.

A very happy Thanksgiving and #VaynerThanks to all of you for reading! 🦃💌 

From the screen to your feed, HBO Max is showing up where fandom lives…online, every day. (Cue the theme music! 🎶) That’s why they’ve tapped us, naming VaynerMedia Australia as its lead social agency.

Since launching HBO Max in Australia just seven months ago, the brand has built one of the most passionate online fandom communities out there. As Ashleigh Bruton, Head of Social for HBO Max Australia, put it, “We’ve cultivated a highly engaged social community of the most incredible fans.”

Now, we’re partnering up to take that energy to the next level…blending culture and community conversations to create social-first moments that fans can’t help but talk about.

Building the Future of Fandom Together

Entertainment offers a unique opportunity to bring communities deeper and closer together with the power of social media. Our VaynerMedia Australia Country Manager, Karen Coleman, said it best, “Our partnership with the brilliant team at HBO Max is a dynamic collision of creativity and culture. The entertainment world is the ultimate stage for consumer connection, and we’re ready to redefine how stories are told, shared, and experienced on social, bringing fandoms deeper than ever into the worlds and characters they adore.”

Together, we’ll create social-first content as dynamic and fast-moving as the culture around us. Analyzing, ideating, and making content that resonates with beloved fandoms in real time time across platforms. Every scroll, share, comment, and post is a chance to make an impact for deeper storytelling and we’re here to make it count.

A Glimpse Into What’s Next 👀

We’ve already had the chance to support the much-awaited launch of Welcome to Derry, an incredible glimpse into HBO’s world-class storytelling and how they bring major tentpoles to life across every touchpoint.

And that’s just the beginning. We’re already in planning for some highly anticipated series next year, where we’ll get to flex our social-first thinking to bring fandoms even closer to the stories, worlds, and characters they can’t get enough of.

While we can’t say much (yet 😉), what’s ahead is something we can’t wait to share.

Thank you to our amazing partners for the trust – here’s to building relevance & fandom together, the social-first way! 💪