6 Comments
Mar 9·edited Mar 9Liked by Johto Times

Being from Europe, the Pokémon Center stores have always remained locations of almost mythical status to me. I'm happy to have learned more about how the one in New York operated.

This was another excellently conducted interview with a person with a strong connection to Pokémon. Please don't stop conducting these important interviews, they are not only fun to read but will remain a valuable historical resource long into the future.

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Sanqui, your message is highly appreciated, thank you so much! I agree, these kinds of interviews are super important, and documenting the thoughts and feelings of people from this era is highly vital.

Please be sure to share what we do with everyone you know, and help us reach as many fans as possible!

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Mar 8Liked by Johto Times

What a cool interview! I got to visit the pokemon center New York when I was a kid and it was an incredible experience. I bought a ho-oh poke doll there that I still have today.

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That's very cool Taliax, thank you for your message! I am happy to hear you hav such positive memories of PCNY! I'd love to hear more about it, could you please email me to discuss it? You can find our email under the "Mailbag" section of the website.

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Mar 8Liked by Johto Times

It's both incredible and heartwarming to hear about a person with such a industry role disclosing on how genuinely close they are with the brand.

Usually, we imagine marketing and management folks to be "suit-and-tie" type of guys completely detatched from the target they are supposed to connect with, but instead Hillenbrand talked about their familiarity with Pokemon, even deciding to hire Pokefans as employees to have the best atmosphere available in store. The last bit with him sharing his love for Japan and still being interested in gaming with Pokemon GO is really remarkable.

Goes to show how much this role was perfect for him and how much the Pokemon Center benefitted from his supervision.

Once again, another wonderful interview and insight to the golden age of Pokemania!

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Thank you very much! I'm happy that you enjoyed the interview.

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