RIP Bruce Bigelow

It's been just over three years since I moved away from San Diego, and yet, between friends and business interests, I still keep tabs on things. But I'll admit, I missed the news about Bruce Bigelow passing away.

Bruce was not a close friend, but he was in the world I'm in, a colleague of sorts. I would occasionally have a story idea about a San Diego client and run it past him, more as a smoke test to see if it had legs. More importantly, from time to time Bruce would send me an email or call me up about a story he was working on, or an angle he was pursuing, and just as I ran my ideas or thoughts past him, he would do the same.

Over the years I was in San Diego, I rarely took on San Diego clients. Our first of note was Mitek, and that was when I got to know Bruce casually. Our interaction grew when Interdigital became a client and blossomed when Josh Baylin, Jeff Belk and I launched Velocity Growth in 2014.

Bruce was all class, professional and collegial. As someone who grew up in the era of journalism as a copy boy, reporter and a marketing communications agency owner I knew from the start that not only would I like Bruce, I could trust him.  Bruce was human, friendly and compassionate, as much as he was passionate about his profession.

 

His departure is more than a loss for our profession. It is a loss for all mankind.