Introducing a new series: Promo Man
I guess you could call me a recovering packrat. I’ve gotten much better since moving five times over the last decade but I’ve never been able to resist stockpiling free video game junk. As a kid I would load up on pamphlets at stores and write letters to publishers who would reply with promotional goods. Back then I had aspirations towards marketing so I needed extra copies of the Sega Seal of Quality to paste onto all my fake ads. I had a folder dedicated to each platform that was part inspiration board and part historical archive.
So you shouldn’t be surprised that I still have duplicate copies of the Summer ‘93 issue of Sega Visions from when I raided CES. Naturally, I packed empty luggage to bring back maximum swag when I finally made it to E3. That’s how I wound up with a few plastic crates that I couldn’t lift on my own. Paper, it gets so heavy so fast.
In 2008 I began to work on a project I dreamed up to capitalize on this obsession. I started scanning and canning all the one-sheets, press releases, torn out magazine articles and hand typed letters. I wanted to start a subscription based website where people could peruse a vast catalog of this stuff… but web development is really hard. I wound up dumping a bunch of it on flickr and making a few posts on GameLuv before giving up on the endeavor.
Just some of the upcoming stuff
Today I’ve still got plenty of unscanned material and a 750gb hard drive that’s half full of files I’ve never put online. If I start sharing it again I’ll eventually run out of material and have to get back to work. The internet wins more airbrushed ads from the 90’s and I win more free space to collect actual games. That’s Promo Man. That, and Proto Man turned into an ad man.
I’ll be queuing up at least one new post a week featuring high res scans presented in WordPress’ slick new lightbox where you can pop up full size versions, comment and navigate with arrow keys (my favorite). Of course, I’ll ramble a little with each post, maybe tell a story or relate it to something from my past. Feel free to do the same in the comments and I hope you all enjoy the nostalgia soaked offerings to come!
