This is your 25th NFL season with the Chargers, but let’s go back to the beginning. How did you get your start in a career in football?
I studied international business at San Diego State University to eventually become a lawyer. When I graduated, I decided to take a year off, and before making that commitment of going to law school, I wanted to see if there was anything else I really had a passion for. A good friend of mine suggested public relations because I like talking to people and am outgoing. I ended up getting a job at a small boutique PR firm, where I learned the X’s and O’s of public relations. It was very grassroots in terms of PR, and it was in the biotech field. It was a great experience, and I realized I loved the creativity of PR and brainstorming with others. I felt like I wanted to pursue that career path, but I didn’t realize it was something I could do in sports. My friend told me there was an internship at the Chargers, so I applied. In the actual interview, I found out it was for a full-time job — not an internship. I actually think that helped me, because I wasn’t as nervous as I might have been knowing it was for a full-time role. I got the position as a PR assistant in June 2001.
And how has your role expanded over the years?
It’s leaps and bounds different now than when I started. I was very green in the PR field, and I felt like I had bit off a little more than I could chew. At the time, the Chargers’ PR department was in charge of doing a lot of different things. We organized the media events — set up speakers and did the messaging — but we also had to film and write for the website. It was a lot that year, because I hadn’t really learned those things as an international business major. I loved the challenge, though. I wanted to become really great in that role and become someone people could rely on and thought of as a great writer. That’s how it started. As I moved up the ladder, I kept getting more on my plate and new challenges. There’s so much variety, so I never got comfortable.
So what does your current role entail?
I oversee a team whose focus is promoting team initiatives in the community, lifestyle and corporate space. We cultivate that through our influencer program, which began in 2017 when we moved to Los Angeles. I remember googling what an influencer was, but it’s all about how can we expand and promote our brand to new audiences. We have Charger fans. We have sports fans. So our team meets on a regular basis to look at other areas, such as beauty, fashion, culinary or business. We work with influencers to reach a group of people our brand might never touch, and being in Los Angeles is amazing, as well, because there is so much opportunity with entertainment. For example, our fullback, Scott Matlock, did a fun promo spot with actress Kathy Bates for the CBS show Matlock last year. We’re always looking for those opportunities. We have so many personalities on our team, and we want to help our players build their brands as well, because that in turn helps our brand.
I also oversee all media operations and community and corporate communications. We have a team that handles those last two areas, making sure our community and partnerships are being promoted in the right light.
Separately, we have our alumni program. Our department’s responsibility is to communicate with our former players. We want to make sure they are privy to all the benefits the NFL has to offer and be a resource for them, as well as honor them. They are the foundation of the team. We have a legends weekend. This year was special for us, having Antonio Gates enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. My team worked on getting our organization ready for the Hall of Fame Game and his enshrinement. Then, our media operations also had the Brazil game in São Paulo.