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Column: Secret Synergies Between Packaging and Entertainment

Where else but the characteristically multi-disciplinary field of packaging can skills gleaned hosting pub trivia make an impact on the design and engineering behind the look and feel of a product you see on the shelf?

Pub trivia hosts learn a lot about how people think by reading through contestants wildly disparate answers to seemingly simple questions. Chris O'Clair parlays that into packaging design.
Pub trivia hosts learn a lot about how people think by reading through contestants wildly disparate answers to seemingly simple questions. Chris O'Clair parlays that into packaging design.

Chris O'ClairChris O'ClairI’m often asked why I chose to study packaging and what exactly it is that we do as packaging professionals. Like many folks fresh out of high school, I went to college without a clear direction. I figured I wanted to do something engineering-related—maybe architecture, mechanical design, industrial design, or even something more abstract like computer science. When I discovered packaging as a potential career choice, I saw a confluence of many specialized disciplines and a unique opportunity to touch them all rather than pigeonhole my career into one thing.

Packaging is a melting pot where design, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, research and development, and logistics—just to name a few—converge to create a holistic product experience. From my first internship in a manufacturing facility to my second internship in an R&D center, I was able to experience two opposite ends of packaging. My first internship dealt with the practical and tangible—what currently is but shouldn’t be? My second internship dealt with the theoretical and conceptual—what currently isn’t but could be? Over the years my direct reporting line has been drawn and redrawn through restructurings, role changes, and job changes. Regardless of whether the solid line went to procurement, engineering, R&D, marketing, or logistics, dotted lines have always connected them all.

Keep an open mind

Beyond my professional endeavors, my decade-long experience as a trivia host has equipped me with valuable communication and interpersonal skills. These capabilities, although seemingly unrelated, have seamlessly intertwined with my work in the packaging industry, enhancing my ability to engage with diverse audiences and adapt to evolving circumstances. My career journey has highlighted the transformative power of keeping an open mind.

Leveraging the “what currently is but shouldn’t be?” experience from my first internship, one of my earliest projects involved a disruptive package redesign that spanned multiple brands and product lines. By embracing the diverse reach of packaging, I was able to anticipate and mitigate the range of impacts posed by the project. This led to higher efficiency, less waste, lower cost, more cohesive branding, more consistency in the warehouse, and improved overall package performance.

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE! New Tech for Life Sciences at PACK EXPO Southeast
The exciting new PACK EXPO Southeast 2025 unites all vertical markets in one dynamic hub, generating more innovative answers to packaging challenges for life sciences products. Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity for your business!
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LAST CHANCE TO SAVE! New Tech for Life Sciences at PACK EXPO Southeast