A Conversation with Bradley Carbone

Former Complex editor turned adidas Originals Trend Marketing Manager, Bradley Carbone, has enjoyed an interesting transition. Moving from publishing to marketing, the often jovial character discusses his time at both Complex and his new role and ambitions at adidas Originals. In addition to his new, so-called “9 to 5,” he’s also an integral part of poster-sized lifestyle magazine SNEEZE, which offers a further creative outlet.

I grew up… in a beach town outside of New York, so the city was always the goal and the challenge for me. I live in NYC now, and not much about the mindset has changed – I wake up every day and try to figure it out. The beach allowed me to grow up surfing, and in the winter my parents taught skiing up in Vermont, so I spent a lot of time at Okemo. New York can break you, and surfing and snowboarding help me keep it together.

My time at Complex… was great. It’s one of the innovative companies in publishing right now and the crew is untouchable when it comes to coming up with and executing new ideas.

Making the move from publishing to marketing… made sense for me. I’ve always been into the creation of products and the way companies make them relevant.

The skills between the two are… essentially the same. For me. I was overseeing the product editorial for Complex, which was the process of de- and reconstructing the product and marketing programs that brands put together. With adidas, I’m on the other side, and am tasked with finding cool stuff and aligning the brand with people who are affecting culture. The adidas job just has a little more accountability for what I claim is cool.

What I miss the most about a magazine environment… anything I lost in leaving Complex I’ve been able to make up in working with Nic on SNEEZE. But I do miss the people I got to work with and having access to fast cars.

SNEEZE gives me the opportunity to… stay one step ahead.

Trends are… awesome. But so fast. Oye. I just wear the same jeans and try to find restaurants that aren’t on Open Table yet.

adidas has… a ton of sick products that not a lot of people know about. Hopefully I can help shine some light on the cool stuff and get more people psyched on the company, particularly in New York and the US. The brand gives me an opportunity to bring artists, promoters, locations and other brands into the light, so that will hopefully open doors for both me and for the brand.

For 2012… I’ll do my best to make sure things continue to get better.

Photography: Stephen Wordie