PulsePoint’s Trader Hall of Fame recognizes individuals shaping the future of programmatic healthcare advertising. Our inductees are skilled and dedicated traders who demonstrate their expertise in using the PulsePoint platform. Ultimately, with their skills they ensure that lifesaving treatments reach healthcare professionals and patients precisely at the right moments to drive meaningful outcomes.
This month, PulsePoint is excited to induct Pete Pascarelli, Associate Director of Programmatic at KINESSO, to the Trader Hall of Fame.
In this feature article, you’ll learn a bit more about Pete, including how he ended up in programmatic, his hobbies, and the advice that changed his career trajectory.
Pete’s path to programmatic healthcare marketing
For Pete, programmatic was a second career. Before navigating digital campaigns, he spent his early twenties as a sign hanger with Local 137 Sheet Metal Workers, putting up everything from storefront signs to LED screens that now power digital out-of-home advertising.
"While I did that in my early twenties, I also decided I didn't want to do it for the rest of my life," Pete said, prompting a return to school at Baruch College to earn a degree in advertising.
Even then, the door to media buying didn't open immediately. Pete worked at several healthcare companies before he finally landed a role in programmatic on the AstraZeneca team at what was then Matterkind. The breakthrough came down to a personal connection with the person who interviewed him, who had also entered the field later in life.
"We connected on that, and I think that's the big reason they hired me," Pete said. It proved to be a fortunate landing spot. "I broke into programmatic on what I feel like is the best team… I haven't left and I love the people I work with."
Pete’s favorite parts of programmatic buying
For Pete, the appeal of programmatic lies in its immediacy and constant evolution. Programmatic allows for real-time adjustments, shifting budgets, swapping inventory, or tweaking DSP settings with results visible almost instantly. That feedback loop is what keeps the work energizing.
"Within the month I can make a change and see that the changes I made worked," Pete said.
Another aspect of programmatic that Pete is drawn to is that it is always changing, rewards curiosity, and keeps him engaged.
“There's always more to learn, new partners, new ways to target, new ways to break out data," Pete said.
The advice that changed Pete’s career
When asked for the best advice he's ever received, Pete pointed to a phrase he heard when he was leaving his old job, heading back to school and moving back in with his parents. Pete said the advice was essentially, there will never be a time you regret so long as you gave it 100% effort. It ended up being a mantra that quietly shaped his outlook and helped fuel the career pivot that followed.
“I didn't read that and decide I was going to start trying hard. It was just that I heard it at exactly the right moment," Pete said.
On the professional side, he also swears by a simple but effective framework for evaluating any job: make sure you're either learning or earning.
"If a job doesn't offer any professional growth but they're paying you a lot of money, maybe stay there," Pete said. "Or if a job is underpaying you a little bit but you're learning a lot, you possibly stay there." Ideally, he adds, it's both but one of the two is non-negotiable.
Pete’s suggestions for newcomers to programmatic
Pete offers a sound piece of advice for those looking to break into the industry: get on LinkedIn and reach out.
"People in this industry are honestly so nice. If you just add people and message them, they'll probably answer and try to help you," Pete said.
Once your foot is in the door, his advice shifts to mindset to be effective in the role. Pete explains that the best thing you can do is to treat the job like school, put in extra time to study the craft.
"Just because school is over, it doesn't mean you're not a student anymore," Pete said. "Treat it like it's school, at least at the beginning.”
Pete’s experience working with PulsePoint
When it comes to working with PulsePoint, Pete points to two standouts: the people and the platform. On the people side, he highlights the responsiveness of his day-to-day contacts, including account and product managers. He said that the team always comes through for him, especially when he’s working on tight deadlines.
"If I need a little bit of help meeting a deadline with a short turnaround, they'll respond very fast and help me get that done," Pete said.
As for the platform itself, Pete appreciates both PulsePoint’s continuous improvements and its efficiency. From bulk editing tools to newly introduced features like weather targeting, he finds PulsePoint consistently adding value.
"You can get anywhere on the platform in two clicks," he said. "It's efficient to use when running a campaign."
Pete’s hobbies and interests outside of work
Away from the desk, Pete keeps busy with woodworking and staying active, though he's quick to add some context.
"The truth is I have two kids under two, so that's pretty much all I do," he said with a laugh. The woodworking hobby is still in its early stages in which he is making boxes and picture frames, but he sees it as building toward bigger things.
"99% of other things you make are just bigger versions of boxes… tables, dressers, etc.," he noted.
Pete picked up the craft as a practical alternative to his longtime love of golf and is learning by himself using online tutorials.
"With two kids, I can't get out for eight hours on a Saturday," he said. Instead, he's carved out a small shop in his basement where he can build when time allows. While he's keeping expectations measured for now, he's not ruling out where it could lead.
"Maybe I'll get good at it and start selling stuff, but I’m just trying to learn for now," Pete said.
Please join me in extending the biggest congratulations to Pete, the May 2026 inductee into the PulsePoint Trader Hall of Fame.
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