Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations

Rob Pero’s Gift for Entrepreneurship, Media, and Marketing

Native Lights

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

On today’s show, we’re speaking with entrepreneur Rob Pero (Bad River Tribe), CEO and creative director of the Indigenous-led marketing firm Perodigm. He’s also the voice behind Minnesota’s statewide “Your Call MN” campaign raising awareness about sex trafficking.Rob explains the many turns his career path took: first engineering school, the Navy, working in sales, and then back to school again to study design. Now Rob leads his own media company in Wisconsin, which specializes in design, marketing, and media production, working with clients across the country. 

Rob shares how his grandmother instilled his Indigenous identity, and how as an adult, he prioritized learning about his tribe. It’s terrific to hear Rob’s enthusiasm for so many projects, including a documentary film called “Bad Indian,” about the life of his father who died when Rob was just a baby.

Rob’s passion for amplifying Indigenous voices and supporting Native economic development organizations is woven into all his entrepreneurial pursuits. 

Check out Rob Pero’s media company here: https://www.perodigm.com/

Learn more about raising awareness about sex trafficking and the “Your Call MN” campaign here: https://yourcallmn.org/resources/#toolkit

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.

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