Justin Baum from ZZZ Bears is this week’s guest on the Life of Dad After Show
On the Show
Justin Baum talks with us about starting up his company ZZZ Bears that honors and helps out our men and women in the United States military. Justin explains why he wanted to start up this company and the impact it has had so far. Justin also shares his thoughts on fatherhood and how he balances work and family.
About Justin and ZZZ Bears
Justin Baum and ZZZ Bears
Justin never put on a uniform, never picked up a weapon or never stood a post. But for seven years, he worked for the Marine Corps’ long time advertising agency JWT. He was the Creative Director, the guy who comes up with the ideas for the recruiting campaigns.
Prior to that, he worked on advertising for brands like Coke, Ford, FedEx Office, Secret and the Miami Marlins. But working with the Marines was different, it was meaningful.
He spent time with poolees, recruits, Colonels and Commandants. He travelled the country for three months with the Silent Drill Platoon. He went to OCS, Parris Island, the Pentagon and more Marine Corps Birthday Balls than most Marines. He met some of the finest people on the planet – the men and women who serve and their families.
Even though he would say “thank you for your service” from time to time especially when meeting a Marine Corps Veteran it felt trite though. A bit of a throwaway. It was meant with the best intention but it always fell a bit… short.
ZZZ Bears
That’s why he created ZZZ Bears.
A “thank you” covered in fur, wrapped in the same camouflage that mom or dad wears, designed specifically to ease the nighttime anxiety of military children. What he is most proud of is ZZZ Bears partnership with TAPS to provide Sgt. Sleeptight teddy bears to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.
Before they made their first dollar, they made a donation. That’s because they are committed to giving back to our nation’s heroes and their families. Today, they partner with the Fisher House Foundation and donate ZZZ Bears monthly to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty through TAPS.
Today, ZZZ Bears are sold on military bases all around the world. For more information on the ZZZ Bears go to the website at www.zzzbears.com
About The Life of Dad After Show
If you are looking for more of these types of podcasts check out the rest of the Life of Dad After Show podcasts.
We are pleased to have another podcast here at Life of Dad, and we focus the show on dad bloggers. Each week, hosts Art Eddy and Ryan Hamilton showcase a father in the dad blogging community. The topics range from sports to movies to comics to video games to technology to parenthood to anything that comes up, really. Absolutely nothing is off-limits at The Life of Dad After Show…Enjoy! Find us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher Radio and iHeartRadio.