World News – CA – The fired Sherwin Williams paint enthusiast and TikTok star join rival firm to develop new colors

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Sorry, Sherwin-Williams. Florida Paints is now the new supplier of products included in the popular TikTok @tonesterpaints account for mixing paint, followed by 1. 4 million people.

Less than a week after news broke that Sherwin-Williams had fired part-time college student Tony Piloseno for managing his TikTok account with his paints, he was hired by a smaller competitor, Florida Paints to come on board full time and develop his own line.

The Ohio University senior, 22, says he received an offer from nearly every national paint company last week after being laid off from the 154-year-old brand, including Behr, Benjamin Moore, and PPG. However, Piloseno chose smaller competitor Florida Paints, which operates 25 paint stores across Florida, because of its family-like culture after visiting the paint maker over the weekend.

While details of the role are still being ironed out, Piloseno will work full time in the company’s sales and operations department, with his own laboratory to develop a range of @tonesterpaints colors.

« I’ve met with a number of companies, » says Piloseno. “The difference between them and Florida Paints is that I’ve been trying to break away from the corporate culture of things. « He says Don Strube, founder of Florida Paints, » was probably the only one who understood and appreciated his passion for paint « . « We both see it as an art form, » he says.

Strube says he first came across Piloseno’s « mesmerizing and calming » TikTok account about a year ago thanks to his four daughters who use the platform.

« He’s a really impressive young man, » says Strube. “I want him to have all the tools he can to express his art. « Strube adds that Piloseno’s TikTok art blends perfectly with Florida’s Paints’ existing slogan: » Paint a brighter day. ”

« Color and color are things that can change moods and brighten a community, and that’s what we’re all about, » says Strube.

The company has already set up space for Piloseno, and the soon-to-be graduate student will be moving from Ohio to Florida in the coming weeks to start work while taking online classes. Piloseno set up a GoFundMe page to help make up for the loss of income and has almost 2 already. $ 500 raised.

Piloseno says the upcoming lacquer range will be the only lacquer items featured on his popular TikTok account, and that the line will likely feature paints made from natural dyes. In one of the most popular posts, he used blueberries to dye paint.

This week, Sherwin-Williams found itself in a social media crisis after a BuzzFeed article broke news that Sherwin-Williams fired Piloseno after discovering he was posting his paint mixing techniques on TikTok while on duty would have. Piloseno revised the BuzzFeed article again, stating that he was fired for « gross misconduct, » including the fact that the company accused him of « wasting » the company’s product when he bought the paint himself to manufacture its TikToks, and “seriously embarrassed the company or its products. ”

This came after Piloseno got the company to use his TikTok account to target Gen Zers.

« You sent a loud and unintentional signal that employees who do what they’re told are more valuable than those who think outside the box, » said Andrew Cross, senior vice president of public relations at the Walker Sand PR agency. “You unintentionally suppressed the ingenuity of the staff. ”

The BuzzFeed article states that Sherwin-Williams says that a customer complaint about Piloseno’s TikToks resulted in Piloseno’s termination. Sherwin-Williams did not respond to a request for comment in time for this story.

The fact that Sherwin-Williams fired the young man does not appear to have influenced Strube’s decision to hire Piloseno. Rather, Strube points to the large corporate structure of Sherwin-Williams as the main reason for the dismissal of Piloseno. « Sherwin-Williams is a good company and you have to set boundaries in any large organization, and I think it’s probably just that you have so many things on your desk every day and you have to have company policies, » says Strube. “We tend to have a family-oriented corporate style. ”

People came out on social media to express their frustration with Sherwin-Williams’ decision to fire Piloseno. In some cases, Sherwin-Williams is directly compared to Ocean Spray, which was lauded for partnering with influencer Dogface about a month ago after its juice was featured in one of its viral videos.

Firing the Sherwin Williams is like ocean spray giving the skateboard guy a cease and desist.

Most commentators had a similar reaction: when you encounter such creative talent, don’t fire them, but instead embrace the creativity and hire them for a bigger role.

If anyone can make viral videos about PAINT they should be celebrated and given a senior marketing role. . Instead, @SherwinWilliams fires the guy. https: // t. co / GnazazQLVm

You literally blew out a 3: 1 lead, this kid made something for you worth * thousands and thousands * and you threw it away

Sherwin-Williams, TikTok, Viral Video