Darin Perry

Darin Perry, an account director for Millsport in Los Angeles, joined TMA on October 1, 1995. A native of Washington state, Darin left the Pacific Northwest in search of a job, landing at The Marketing Arm, then a small three-person shop in North Dallas.

[Above is the actual letter Darin faxed to Jeff requesting a meeting. Click on image to enlarge.]

I was in Dallas interviewing for jobs. I interviewed with the Stars, Rangers, Cowboys, Host Communications, and several telecom companies.

I actually found TMA listed in the phone book. I called and talked with Jeff Chown, who I thought was a 40-year-old man when I talked to him on the phone. To my surprise, when I met him, he had to use a booster chair to see me over the desk.

As I pulled into the parking lot for my interview, I thought TMA had the whole building. As it turned out, we shared a floor of the building with three other companies -- an insurance guy and a couple of accountants.

I remember being interviewed in Ray’s office, which had the Jordan jersey front and center, and thinking, "This company is doing some great stuff."

Penman offered me a job, but when I came in the following Monday, I was sharing an office with two other people and didn’t have a desk or a phone.

At my first meeting, I was taking notes for Ray, Brad, Smitty and Chown as they took turns putting a golf ball into a plastic souvenir cup trying to figure out where our next piece of business was coming from. Ah, the glory days of sports marketing...

[At left is the follow-up letter Darin faxed to Jeff following his job interview. Click on image to enlarge.]

My first job assignment was to manage the inflation and deflation of a 25-foot penguin affixed to the roof of a building in downtown Dallas. Chris Smith gave me a weather radio and I made several trips downtown at 2 a.m. to deflate the penguin to prevent it from blowing off the building and onto the freeway during high winds and storms.

Supplies and office equipment were tight in 1995, but Chown and I negotiated with Ray for a new computer for the company. We drew up the contract on a cocktail napkin that Brad still has framed in his office. Clarkie has always been fair, but he was REALLY tough on us all back then.

The coolest event for me was the Scottie Pippen Casino Night. Here were 10 NBA "Dream Team" members, 50 elite Chicago models, and 37 blackjack tables. The night ended smoking cigars with Pip and Barkley as they sipped Courvoisier (did I mention there were models?).

Over 13 years, TMA has always been a company that fostered a culture of “work hard, play hard.” It not only promotes it, but lives it. There's no backstabbing; never anything unethical. We always let our work do the talking for us. This approach and philosophy is the primary reason I'm here today after more than a dozen years.

There have been other job opportunities along the way, but this company has a lot of integrity and it's what I'm most proud of.