Hobby Musings: Panini’s Tracy Hackler at the NSCC – Interview
Hobby Musings: Panini’s Tracy Hackler at the NSCC – Interview Transcript
Editor’s note: Some text has been changed from original audio for grammar and clarity.
KS: Tracy, here at the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention at the Panini booth. As we sit here in August of 2024, where do you think stand with Panini?
TH: This is great man. We’re hitting on all cylinders, but things are from the WNBA and the unbelievable success that we’ve experienced with on the Panini Instant side, the excitement for the products like Origins or Prizm coming down the pike. That’s been really fun to watch. The NBA draft has happened. There’s always that new sense of excitement from collectors when they get the first rookie cards. Those are en route. The NFL season training camps are open starting. So all those rookies are going to start performing on the field. And, the 2024 NFL football lineup is loaded. We’re excited about it. So I think there’s just so much new season excitement in terms of the NBA in the NFL. But in the WNBA thing, you can’t understate how explosive that line has been for us this year. Overall, with that explosive rookie class in the WNBA.
KS: How do you feel like the products are going to perform compared to the previous releases?
TH: Probably comparable. There’ll be no comparison between the Origins and Prizm products we’ve seen before in the WNBA to what you see in 2024 is just night and day difference. And when you have Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese and they’re performing the way they are, they’re bringing eyeballs and collector interest and excitement to all the other girls in the league from those two star rookies. So, it’s going to be a night and day difference.
KS: Overall, what do you think is the biggest challenge the company is facing right now?
TH: Probably, finding time on the production end just to get things caught up production wise and to get things caught up in the new things in line. But I think from a product perspective and idea perspective, a leadership perspective, I think we’re really excited and very productive internally and looking forward to whatever ‘24, ‘25, ’26 and beyond hold. I think it’s just a lot of excitement. So, focusing on the rest of 2024, you highlight the WNBA in the new rookie classes.
KS: What are some of the other highlights or things you think collectors should be getting excited for from Panini?
TH: I think just innovation, continued innovation. I think, there’s a lot of new blood on the product development side. So, I think you’ll see a lot of new, ideas and concepts that that, maybe haven’t been done in the past in terms of, like, the product level and inserts, subset ideas. And then I’m partial to Panini Instant because I’m working a lot on that. So, I think you’ll see continue seeing, expansion on the Panini Instant side as well.
Hobby Musings: Panini’s Tracy Hackler at the NSCC
Kelsey’s ability to bring hobby coverage to the mainstream sports fan has been a true asset. GTS is happy to feature his thoughts on collecting in Hobby Musings. The opinions expressed are his and do not necessarily reflect those of GTS Distribution.
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