Brian Levine: a Host Who Has Worked Every Link of the Industry

Brian Levine is a figure who has worked both the commercial and publishing sides of the American pipe and tobacco industry, best known in the community as the host of the weekly The Pipes Magazine Radio Show. Having worked nearly every link in the chain — from a shop counter to importer representation, from trade-association management to magazine publishing — makes him one of the few people who know the industry end to end.

Roles in the Industry

Levine's first job was managing the humidor at the Las Vegas and Beverly Hills branches of Dunhill stores. He then worked at Hollco Rohr, a distributor that brought a broad range of brands to America, including GBD, Comoy's, Jobey, Castello, and Peterson. This was followed by roughly six years as sales director at Peter Stokkebye International, named for the Danish tobacco man.

His next stop was sales and marketing director at the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America (today's PCA), the trade association for retailers. From 2009 to 2010 he served as general manager of Smokingpipes.com in South Carolina; he left this role when his family, unwilling to relocate, forced him to commute from Charlotte, North Carolina. He then took on American distribution for Brigham pipes and accessories, a role that eventually merged with a vice presidency of sales at the Sutliff tobacco company.

His last commercial role was at SpecComm International, publisher of Pipes and tobaccos magazine. The company's assets changed hands in early 2019; the magazine, which had begun publishing in winter 1996, closed with its spring 2019 issue. Levine only lasted about six months in this role. Records show he works today as an independent travel consultant.