About Us
Hello PartyPoppers! We wanted to take a little time to introduce the ever growing PartyPop team that has dedicated their lives to making your popcorn dreams come true.
Without further adieu, meet the men and women of the PartyPop All-Star roster:
Introducing Mr. Jim Meyerott.
This beautiful SOB is our fearless leader, CEO, and Founder, without whom, all of our popcorn dreams would be exactly that, just dreams. Jim's journey through the pop-game has been a long one (6 years as of this April). Jim or "Chief Cheddar" as his fans call him, graduated from SDSU in 2014, worked in Solar sales shortly thereafter and soon left his corporate sales job at the age of just 23 to set out on the road to a better and more flavorful future. Boy, are we thankful that he did. The picture above is sure to find itself framed in the popcorn hall of fame one day as it shows us the birth of something beautiful. Before labels, before packaging, before the team, hell, even before a proper kitchen, Jim was creating delicious popcorn to share with his friends and family. Little did we know at the time that these flavors would become known far and wide throughout the nation. A 6 year journey may seem like a long one to someone like me, but if you ask Jim, we have only just crossed the threshold of the starting line.
The Lord King Pope of Pop himself, Mr. Bret Schuman.
Born and raised in America's Finest City, Bret met Jim at the ripe age of 13 when Jim decided to kidnap him following a summer football practice. It was then that a very important Stockholm Syndrome like friendship was born. In subsequent years, Bret would move to Louisiana, attend LSU, return to San Diego, become and EMT, move to Ohio, and return to San Diego again to fine his way to the world of pop. Bret's arrival on the PartyPop team is a special one, for it came at a time most desperate. Covid-19 came about and brought the world (and PartyPop) to a halt and after more than 4 years of business, it seemed that we would be starting over from square 1. It began with Bret in the PartyPop kitchen and grew to the office, sales force, event coordination and, well, think of it this way; if PartyPop was involved, so was Bret. Working two other jobs, Bret spent what should have been his spare time helping lay the bricks for what he knew would one day be a popcorn empire. As of August 2021, Bret became the first full-time employee here at PartyPop and has assumed the mantle of "VP of Poperations". With Bret and Jim at the helm, the PartyPop flagship will surely sail beyond the horizon to bright new places. When Bret isn't popping corn, you can usually find him playing softball or searching for his wife on Hinge (so build your profiles, ladies).
The man, the myth, the majestic, Mr. Erik "The notorious R-I-K" Ortleib
Erik comes in at a height of 6ft 4in, a weight of at least 50lbs, and has recently completed his 20th cycle around the sun, making him both the tallest and youngest of the PartyPop crew, bringing with him a necessary and spirited vigour to our small and busy business. It is no exaggeration to say that without the aid of "Mr. Rik" PartyPop would have been hard pressed to start anew following the pandemic. Erik might be what you call a utility man of sorts. Do we need help in the kitchen? Erik is there. Need a man to run your event? Erik is there. Need a salesman? Erik is there. Go braindead and forget how to run a business? Erik is there. Need a man with a mustache? Well, Erik is only 20, so he's not quite there, but we believe in him. Erik is a full-time student at San Diego Mesa Community College and still musters the energy to do all that needs being done within the realm of PartyPop. Through his journey here with us, he became a founding member of the official PartyPop Board of Operations and remains a spear head upon the PartyPop Trident that will one day pierce the sun and let popcorn rain across the world.
Giovanni (bad Italian accent) Garbella.
Gio has been in and around the pop-game for quite some time. He began his journey as an extra hand in the PartyPop kitchen, but soon enough held the title of "Chief of Sales". One look at our "Wholesale" page, you quickly notice that much of our business revolves around supplying Local San Diego breweries with our delicious popcorn. Unfortunately for us, as well as all San Diegans, many of our local tasting rooms shut down during the pandemic of 2020. This brought PartyPop to a near standstill as our client list quickly dropped to just four local breweries. However, once Gio returned home from Italy after the completion of what was yet another stellar baseball season (did I forget to mention that Gio plays professional baseball in Italy...? oops) he promptly joined our sales team and in just a couple months helped turn that client list from just 4 to what you currently see today. Gio continues his baseball career in Australia while still managing his many brewery clients. We wish him the best of luck and can't wait to celebrate his return next summer.
PartyPop Team Photo Gallery
(Jim and Bret at Mammoth's Bluesapalooza 2022)
(The Pop Squad at Arizona Strong BeerFest 2023)
(The PartyPop Bandits Softball Team. Active 2015 - Present.)
(PartyPop Bandits in wedding mode 2023)
(Jim and Bret at SD BeerFest 2022)
(Jim and Erik Training day 2022)
(Bret and Ellis SD Renaissance Fair 2022)
(Jim, Bret, and Johnny SD Brewers Guild 2022)