Our annual picks of the industry’s rising stars – a brave, bold group that’s trailblazing a unique path to success.

Andy Thorne

Outstanding Branding (asi/288519)

If there was ever an embodiment of the saying, “there’s a thin line between genius and bat-crap crazy” it’s Andy Thorne. His official title at Outstanding Branding (asi/288519), the fast-growing U.K.-based distributor that recently opened an outpost in NYC, is sales and marketing director, but it’s just as accurate to say Creator of All Things Badass. The driving force behind the company’s slick, tongue-in-cheek self-promo videos (go ahead and Google “Outstanding Branding” and “We Will Rock You”, or just watch this!), Thorne has been in the promo space for 17 years and loved every minute of it.

“Most people don’t choose to come into the industry but I did because I’d always loved receiving freebies at exhibitions – so I applied for an account manager job at a distributor in the U.K. The rest is history,” he says. He considers his dogged determination to be one of his greatest strengths, and has turned a profound fear of failure into an ability to adapt – whether to new technologies or trends – on a dime. “I need to remember to slow down and breathe so I’m able to keep giving something back.” Indeed, because if you ever have the good fortune of being at a dinner with Thorne, know that he’s a raconteur of the first order and always empties the tank.

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