Our Team
Our collective ethos is exploring culture and growing community, and we’re dedicated to sharing that with the world one sip at a time.
Nick can typically be found watching the sunset and sipping on sotol palomas in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, surrounded by friends and family. He is a seasoned finance, operations, and startup professional with over 20 years of experience managing deals, valuing companies, forecasting trends, launching ventures, improving efficiencies, and scaling businesses. He has spent the last 14 years in the alcohol beverage industry, where he notably launched his own brand and headed the mergers and acquisitions team for Pernod Ricard USA before launching New Brand Ventures for Pernod Ricard. Most recently, Nick served as the CEO of Castle Brands, a $100 million spirits portfolio. Throughout his career, Nick has deployed over $700 million into small and emerging alcohol beverage brands. Before entering the alcohol beverage industry, Nick spent six years in investment banking. He is a graduate of Columbia Business School, where he received his MBA in value investing and entrepreneurship, and a graduate of Harvard University. Nick's passion lies in the intersection of beverages, culture, and community.
Nick Papanicolaou - Founder & CEO
David can typically be found enjoying tequila or mezcal margaritas with less sugar… less lime juice… less ice… neat. He is a passionate advocate for entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses in the alcohol beverage industry. He is a seasoned corporate development and mergers and acquisitions professional and also serves as an investor, board advisor, and fractional CFO for various emerging CPG brands. Prior to his entrepreneurial ventures, David worked as an investment banker at Deutsche Bank and Nomura. David has a diverse background — he was born in South Korea, raised in Argentina, and has lived in the United States for over 20 years. David is a graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, where he majored in finance and international business.
David No – CFO & CIO
Charlie Rodman – CMO
Charlie won’t ever say no to sotol, but can typically be found sipping single malt scotch bottled straight from the cask — maybe even from one of his own casks. He has spent the last decade researching consumer behavior and translating uncovered insights into growth for spirits brands. He fell into the industry after a consulting engagement for Diageo unlocked an unrelenting passion for spirits and redirected his career. He has since worked with both big and small brands. At Pernod Ricard USA, Charlie led the transition to consumer-centric marketing, while also heading consumer insights for their $130 million portfolio of premium whiskies. At Total Beverage Solution, he redeveloped the market strategies for midsized international brands like Edradour, Gozio Amaretto, and Ron Centenario. With Bevridge, he launched e-commerce sampling solutions tied to digital storytelling and education that let brands virtually connect directly with their end consumer.
Laura Papa - Sales Director, Texas
Laura’s go-to drink is an underrated classic: Blood and Sand. A New Orleans native, she started her drinks career bartending in the Big Easy before transitioning to the corporate side of the industry in 2015. That shift brought her to Texas, working for Delegat USA as a Retail Sales Manager, and she has been growing brands in the Texas market ever since. Her next move was to Portfolio Manager for Sazerac’s Bond and Royal Division, where she worked for five years collaborating with Brand Owners and Ambassadors to grow this specialty craft portfolio. Having caught the itch to work with smaller brands, she joined Austin’s upstart Fierce Whiskers Distillery as Director of Sales, where she established, then led the brand’s sales strategy. Laura joined No Sleep Beverage in 2024, bringing her industry experience and passion for the craft to elevate the No Sleep Beverage’s presence in the Texas market.
Scott Clifford - Sales Manager, Florida
Scott has strong opinions on frozen drinks, such as that the world’s three best frozen Irish coffees are made at Hey Love in Portland, The Skip in Detroit, and Mary Ellen’s in Key West. Beyond his opinions on frozen libations, Scott just loves bars. Whether sipping a world-renowned mixologist’s concoction or relishing a local dive, bellied up to a bar is where Scott feels most comfortable. That’s probably because it’s where he started his career, working behind the bar in Portland, San Francisco, and South Florida, before switching to the distributor side with Breakthru Beverage. Over his five years at Breakthru, Scott performed multiple roles, mainly leading the Brown-Forman portfolio. He joined No Sleep Beverage in 2024, applying his enthusiasm for all things spirits to grow our portfolio of transcendent brands.
Kelley Spillane – Commercial Brand Advisor
Kelley can typically be found enjoying a Goslings and soda in Bermuda. He is a 30-year veteran in the alcohol beverage industry, currently serving as senior vice president of sales at Castle Brands. He manages some of the most iconic brands, including Goslings Rum, Goslings Ginger Beer and ready-to-drink cocktails, as well as Ramazzotti. Kelley's leadership helped Goslings Stormy Ginger Beer become the No. 1 selling brand in the category within 10 years. He also managed several other premier brands, including Jefferson's Bourbon, before Pernod Ricard's acquisition of Castle Brands. Before joining Castle Brands, Kelley worked at Seagram’s and Crillon Importers (Absolut Vodka).