News / Aug 29, 2025

The Brand Leader Appoints Patricia (Patty) Gallardo as Vice President to Drive Growth, Scale Execution, and Elevate AI Enhanced Services

The Brand Leader

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Brand Leader®, the omnichannel creative agency that specializes in building unforgettable brands, announced today that Patricia (Patty) Gallardo has joined the company as Vice President. This strategic hire marks a significant move in TBL’s evolution as creative lead AI-interrupters. Gallardo brings senior leadership support, operational expertise, and proven authority in digital marketing to bolster the firm’s already robust capabilities across paid and earned media, web development, and AI-driven solutions.

Gallardo joins the team with more than a decade of experience scaling digital and integrated agencies, where she has led campaigns and cross-functional teams across every major touchpoint in the client lifecycle. She previously co-founded and scaled a marketing agency from the ground up, delivering measurable results for national brands such as NAPA Auto Parts, Trinchero Wines, and Your Pie Pizza chains.

Earlier in her career, Gallardo honed her creative and brand management expertise at Nickelodeon and Viacom in New York City, where she coordinated global product development, licensing initiatives, and large-scale creative campaigns for flagship properties. This experience positioned her as a trusted leader at the intersection of creativity, brand strategy, and operational excellence.

For the past two years, Gallardo has also worked extensively with AI-powered custom tools, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance marketing strategy, streamline operations, and optimize performance. She brings this expertise to The Brand Leader, where the agency is positioning itself as both a creative powerhouse and an AI interpreter—helping brands translate cutting-edge technology into meaningful business outcomes.

"Patty's one of those unicorns you rarely stumble across. She’s someone who actually gets both the strategic big picture and the nitty-gritty execution," said Kyle Duford, Partner and Executive Creative Director at The Brand Leader. "Six years at Nickelodeon plus her journey from account manager to partner? That's someone who's been in the trenches and knows what it takes to turn creative into measurable results. She can manage teams, yes, but she also rolls up her sleeves and digs in with them. That's the kind of leader who talks strategy and helps to make it happen."

In her role, Gallardo will work closely with senior leadership and department heads to tighten workflows, expand client delivery systems, and align cross-functional teams for more efficient execution. Her oversight will extend across TBL’s non-creative service offerings.

“This agency already has the bones of something remarkable, and the creative chops to back it up,” said Gallardo. “My role is to help the team operate more smoothly, scale the work more intelligently, and ensure our clients feel that power from strategy to execution.”

Geoff Wasserman, Founder and Partner, added: “Entering our 27th year, we believe the next several years will be the most challenging brands have ever faced, navigating rapid shifts in technology, culture, consumer segmentation, and expectations. Adding Patty is another significant step and investment in our agency’s evolution, strengthening both our leadership and our ability to guide clients through this complexity. She embodies the culture we value most: questioning assumptions, learning relentlessly, and leading with both strategy and care.”

With Patty Gallardo joining the team, The Brand Leader is poised to deliver even more of what clients have come to expect: brands that are Impossible to Forget™, executed with precision, passion, personality, and now, AI-driven performance optimization.

About The Brand Leader®
Founded in 1999, The Brand Leader is a digital-first creative agency specializing in strategy, branding, creative, web development, and digital marketing. Headquartered in Greenville, SC, with satellite offices in New York and staff across the U.S., TBL partners with brands of all sizes to build emotional connections and unforgettable experiences. Today, the agency is expanding its capabilities into AI-driven performance optimization, helping brands interpret and harness artificial intelligence to achieve greater impact. 

The Brand Leader