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How Ross Pomerantz Built His 'Corporate Bro' Brand Into a Workplace Comedy Destination
You can just call him 'Corp'
Ross Pomerantz plays not just any corporate bro but the “Corporate Bro” on social media, satirizing the absurdities and everyday realities of office life.
Pomerantz is both funny and believable in the role because he actually knows what it’s like to be a corporate play-ah. He spent a decade in enterprise tech sales at companies like Oracle and Glassdoor and earned an MBA from Stanford before becoming a full-time content creator.
“Corporate Bro” is massively popular on Instagram and TikTok. Off social, Pomerantz has also worked with Salesforce, Arctic Wolf and StrataScale, creating custom content, giving keynotes, emceeing shows and consulting on branding.
He recently brought his character, aka “Corp,” to NYC for Cayman Jack’s “EOD Escape,” appearing at the opening of the premium malt beverage brand’s margarita salt cave, encouraging attendees to leave the workday behind and relax.
Here, Pomerantz discusses how playing Corp evolved from a hobby to a full-time endeavor, why workplace comedy is so popular and how brands can best collaborate with him:
MUSE: You started making ‘Corporate Bro’ videos in 2013. How often were you posting back then? What was your content like in the early days?
Ross Pomerantz: “Corporate Bro” actually started on the late social platform Vine. If you’re a millennial or older, you remember that those videos could only be a max of 6 seconds. Therefore, it was all about how many jokes can smash into a quick little video. In terms of posting cadence, back then it was just a hobby… And I had a real quota to hit in my sales job. So, videos were planned at home and shot only after my work was done.
I assume it has evolved along with the corporate world.
The workplace is always changing, as are the social platforms, so the material changes with it. When I created “Corporate Bro,” the character was always referred to in the third person. He was supposed to represent “Joe Anybody.” It wasn’t until years later that I decided to start referring to him as “I.” That made the character more three dimensional, which meant I could touch any aspect of life while still maintaining the corporate lens.
I’ve gone through startup culture, remote work, AI and now return-to-office. But what hasn’t changed is the approach. Everything I do is inspired by some little human truth. My partnership with Cayman Jack is a great example of that, because so much of my content taps into the humor behind corporate life and how the workplace has a habit of making things feel more stressful than they need to be. Anyone who has checked their calendar at 3 p.m. and noticed four more meetings have suddenly popped up, or referred to something as a “fire drill” despite no literal fires, knows exactly what I mean.
Why do you enjoy playing ‘Corporate Bro’?
Because everything starts with human truth. If people can watch a video, laugh and immediately think, “I’ve worked with that person,” or send it to a coworker because it reminds them of someone on their team, then I’m doing my job.
Your content is popular now, but you were not an overnight success. What has kept you working at content creation all these years, and when did you feel like you had made it/were successful?
Building “Corporate Bro” has been about consistently creating content that people relate to because it’s grounded in my experience—the corporate/tech/sales experience. Over time, that consistency helped me build a community and now a business that extends far beyond social media. For me, success has been creating something sustainable that continues to connect with people, grow and evolve.
Who are your followers? And why do you think your workplace content connects with them?
My audience is made up of people who recognize the realities of corporate life. Mostly people with a 9-to-5 job. A lot of them work in sales or corporate environments, but over the last couple years I’ve had teachers, firefighters, lawyers, stop me on the street. It is so humbling, and I always ask why or how they discovered me. The usual answer is they know someone living the life I depict, or they used to live it themselves. But whether it’s office politics, workplace personalities, or trying to balance work and life, everyone has experienced some version of those moments. I think the content connects because it starts with something people genuinely relate to.
How can brands best work with you?
The best partnerships start with a shared idea that naturally fits both the creator and the brand. I always look for longer-term partnerships—opportunities to get to know the brand, the people and the strategy. My favorite partnerships are the ones that stretch beyond the individual social media post and involve appearances, activations and TV commercials. I’ve been working with some of the same brands for over four years now—that’s the best. My audience buys in when they see the consistency.
I also look for opportunities that embrace humor. A tutorial or “get ready with me” just aren’t my style and my audience knows that. My audience already lives in the world of workplace humor. So when Cayman Jack approached me with the insight that return-to-office is back but happy hour hasn’t fully returned with it, it was pretty much a no brainer. The campaign isn’t about manufacturing relatability. It’s about building on something people were already feeling. That’s when branded content feels the most authentic and resonates best.
Do you have a background in improv, humor writing or performing ?
Growing up my value-add to the friend group was always “the funny guy.” Probably because I was insecure and self-deprecation was the easiest remedy. I was never pushed toward creative education, though I did get admitted to Second City Film School—chose business school because I just assumed after I graduated undergrad that I’d just “go into business.” But when I look back on my childhood the signs were there. I’d make home movies on a camcorder. I’d write short stories on airplanes. I’d make comics for my high school class and had a comedy column for my school newspaper. Outside of that though, improving is just my default setting.
How have you grown the character and brand?
I’ve always seen “Corporate Bro” as bigger than short-form content. I raised money and shot an 8-episode web series several years ago called “S.A.D. (Sales Are Dope),” which got recut into a movie that is now on Amazon.
But the goal is to keep expanding into new properties, formats and experiences while staying true to what got me here in the first place: telling stories rooted in real workplace experiences. Relatability is key in content.
This year, I’ve really expanded the character’s story. I’m now creating content that shares a fuller story. I’m a dad now, hence the Corporate Dad content. I’ve started sharing some of that experience with my audience. It seems like the more “human” I make the character, the broader the audience we can draw in.
