The editorial team at PPAI Media has a refreshed look thanks to a promotion for its longest tenured staffer and the addition of another experienced industry reporter – both award winning journalists.

James Khattak, CAS, who originally joined PPAI in the role of news editor in 2011 and later took on the title of senior digital editor, has been promoted to deputy editor, overseeing the day-to-day operations of PPAI Media’s publishing efforts.

New team member John Corrigan has also joined the fold as a news editor, reporting the daily happenings of the industry and creating impactful, enterprising stories for PPAI Newslink and PPAI Magazine.

James Khattak

After studying at Texas A&M, Khattak worked as a writer for a research outlet for three years, then joined the non-profit world with a five-year stint at the International News Media Association. He worked as a proposal writer briefly before joining PPAI, where his duties have included reporting on the industry and preparing PPAI Newslink.

Khattak is a former winner of the American Society of Association Executives’ Gold Circle Award for e-newsletters and communications. In his new role, he will oversee the editorial calendar and production of PPAI’s newsletters, manage the production of PPAI Magazine and direct the editorial staff’s reporting.

“I’ve always enjoyed being part of the team and sharing what I know with colleagues, and now I can do more of that,” Khattak says. “Our team creates a lot of great stuff, and I am looking forward to help shape and guide our work. I’m also really enjoying the new, collaborative angle of this position. Working with teammates to solve problems, brainstorm ideas and make our work as valuable as possible for our audience is fulfilling.”

Khattak is the manager for a team of four, including Corrigan, and reports to PPAI publisher and editor-in-chief Josh Ellis.

“It helps that we’re a good, well-matched group,” he says. “Teamwork comes easy!”

An avid photographer for PPAI events and in his spare time, Khattak documents frequent road trips with his wife. The two have built a side business publishing coffee table-esque travel books that feature rural Texas and the surrounding states.

John Corrigan

Corrigan brings a decade’s worth of experience in journalism, from broadcast radio, to B2B and human resources coverage, to starting (and eventually selling) his own website.

A job offer two days before graduating from Temple University took him to Huntsville, Alabama, where he was a general assignment reporter. He returned to Pennsylvania, and soon made his introduction to the promo world, working for Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI) for nearly six years. Corrigan departed ASI in November 2021 to join Key Media Business Information, helping launch HRD America, a news outlet for human resources professionals.

He had begun a freelancing career when the opportunity to reenter the promo world presented itself.

“I realized how much I missed the industry,” Corrigan says. “The No. 1 objective is to make PPAI the go-to media destination for the promotional products industry. My new colleagues have already laid the groundwork, so I’m looking forward to contributing to their efforts.”

More than that, however, Corrigan hopes that he can bring his own unique experiences outside of promo to what PPAI Media offers members.

“While I’m quite familiar with the industry, I’d also like to bring some of the knowledge I’ve gained from my HR experience to focus on more workplace topics, such as recruitment and retention challenges, DEI and employment law.”

Corrigan has won honors from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and twice been a finalist for Jesse H. Neal Awards in B2B media, for best editorial use of data and best range of work by a single author.

Outside of work, Corrigan has been an avid professional wrestling fan for most of his life. He launched the website The Wrestling Estate, a media outlet dedicated to coverage of the squared circle. Willing to go above and beyond to understand his audience, he even stepped inside of the ring where a bruising villain pummeled him before adding insult to injury and shaving his head.