Black excellence isn’t limited to February. It’s 365 days a year. Reel 360 News’ Reel Black List is a commitment to recognizing the impact of Black voices in advertising, film, TV, music, radio, and media every single day of the year. In a time when DEI initiatives are being challenged and progress is at risk, it’s more important than ever to amplify the voices and contributions of Black creatives, leaders, and innovators who shape our industry. Today, we feature multifaceted Writer, Brand Architect, Content Creator and Entrepreneur, Pardé Bridgett.
As a Los Angeles-based Creative Executive with over 15 years of experience in consumer lifestyle communications and strategy, Pardé Bridgett specializes in transforming campaigns into cultural movements. By blending Marketing Communications with Connections Planning, Pardé crafts bold, culture-shaping brand experiences that cut through the noise.
With a keen ability to turn ideas into impact and brands into unstoppable forces, he is dedicated to driving meaningful engagement and lasting influence in the industry.
Let’s meet Pardé
What’s your Origin Story?
I’m just a South Side kid with a wild imagination and a knack for spinning stories into unforgettable tales of culture, connection, and creativity. A vessel? Nah—I’m a bridge. A megaphone? Tap tap… is this thing on?
What did you want to be as a kid?
Stevie Wonder. Dead a••. The man was a creative supernova—writing, producing, and storytelling like he was an oracle. His songs weren’t just the Keys of Life; they were portals—past, present, future—all woven together with a kind of wizardry that felt otherworldly.
His inner vision saw what we were all feeling, and when he put it to music, it didn’t just resonate—it shifted the culture. I wanted to do that, too.
How did you choose your career path?
I was deep in the Spoken Word scene after college—chasing rhythms, truth, and, let’s be real, giving PYTs every reason to find me and my dreadlocks mysterious, insatiable, and enlightened. One night at Lit X, some poet dropped a flex—“I’m gonna be a Copywriter.”
Boom. Light bulb. Get paid to write? To tell stories? To make words bend to my will on a bigger stage than a drafty café where the espresso machine had better projection than the mic? Say less.
Describe your creative process.
It starts with digging into where the brand has been, who’s dominating the category, and what’s already been said (sometimes way too much). Then comes the plot twist: flipping the strategy on its head, challenging the obvious, and finding the angle no one saw coming. You up? The goal?
To be surprising yet inevitable—smart, fresh, and effortlessly engaging. Because the best ideas don’t just grab you by the jewels – they also make sure to drop gems.
Who inspires you?
My wife and kids. No contest. They’re the sharpest minds I know—strategic, thoughtful, cunning, and just the right amount of reckless. They take risks like it’s a competitive sport, zig, when the world expects them to zag, and make the road less traveled, look like the express lane. Honestly, they make me question if I’m even keeping up.
The most unconventional risk you’ve taken in your career?
Jumping headfirst into a creative career with no roadmap, no parachute—just unbridled confidence and a deep trust that the path would reveal itself. Spoiler alert: Mission accomplished.
Give us a story that’s true but sounds like a lie.
I met my wife in valet parking, and six months later, we were married. A whirlwind romance—jet-setting, gallivanting, and letting fate take the wheel. It was the kind of certainty that makes rom-coms look like documentaries. Some people wait years for the one. I just had to wait for the whip appeal.
When faced with setbacks, what keeps you going?
I trust God’s plan – full stop.
Linus has his blanket for comfort, you have…
A beret—because creativity deserves a uniform.
What’s on tap for 2025?
International spotlight. Big moves. Dope-ish in full effect. Stay tuned.
Twilight Zone Moment – you have a chance to be magically transported into a Spike Lee Joint or a Jordan Peele film. Choose.
Bleek Gilleam from Mo’Betta blues
Favorite movie from 2024?
Nickel Boys, Brutalist, Blink Twice, and Maria.
Favorite album from 2024?
Chromokopia.
Let’s talk about Doechii?
Refreshing.
To see the up-to-date Reel Black List, click here.
REELated:
RBL celebrates: Aaron Marshall, Copywriter
