Pinyon told XBiz he formerly stepped down as president on Jan. 1, adding that during the previous six months, he’s been turning more of his duties over to Zechinato, who has been with Badpuppy and Dog Gone Video since 1996. Zechinato is a longtime friend of Pinyon’s and has acted as his right-hand man for several years.
“It’s been a progession,” Pinyon told XBiz. “Basically, Max is responsible now for the day-to-day operations and daily decisions. If he has any questions, he can come to me. He knows the operations inside and out [and] his managing Badpuppy is allowing me to take a break, since I’ve been going at this full blast for 12 years.”
Pinyon told XBiz he’s currently taking classes Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon in order to obtain his pilot’s license, which will take about three months. He plans on purchasing a Piper Aerostar to fly once he graduates.
But Pinyon said he won’t be spending all his time flying. He’s still coming into the Badpuppy office at 6 a.m. every morning and still is involved with marketing and various other aspects of the company, as CEO.
“I can’t stay away because I love what I’m doing,” Pinyon told XBiz.
Pinyon and Zechinato go back many years prior to working together at Badpuppy. Both were working for Nasa at the Kennedy Space Center when Pinyon decided to leave his position and venture into the gay adult Internet business niche during the early 1990s. In 1996, Zechinato left NASA as well, joining Pinyon at Badpuppy.
“Everything’s going fine,” Zechinato told XBiz of the transition into his new position as president. “The transition really isn’t bad at all. Bill and I have worked together right since the very beginning and I’ve been handling more things for several months now.”
Zechinato said his new position isn’t much more work on a daily basis than his duties as general manager/CFO required. But does the company have anything new in the works?
“Nothing major,” Zechinato told XBiz. “We’re looking the whole business plan over, trying to make sure everything is as efficient as possible.”