Blog

I am a nerd.  I have blogged about that before, but the last few weeks have been no exception.  I can take something fun and make it practical.  Luckily, I can also make anything practical more fun so it's hard to tell when I'm working. That's a sign that I love my job. Often times I will be taking a vacation to visit friends or family, but no matter where I land, there is always a team or university nearby ... and  I just have to pop in to see my friends there. I'm thrilled that Erin Kraebber is now at Bradley because I get to see her whenever I go back to Kickapoo to see my family.  I love it when worlds collide!

But whenever I fly, it's confusing when they ask me if I'm traveling for business or pleasure. The fact that I am using notecards to plan out my trips makes me think I'm traveling for work, but when my plans include attending some of the best football games in the country without having to run any part of the gameday, I have to think that's pleasure. I was talking with Craig Pintens at LSU yesterday as I was trying to figure out when I was going to make it to Baton Rouge and he actually suggested that I have a separate calendar to compile my customized composite schedule so that made me feel a little less nerdy when I told him that I'm still putting all of the information on to my notecards.

I can tell by the bored look on the airline employee's face that he doesn't actually care if I'm traveling for business or pleasure, but I usually tell him anyway. I like to share because I've had so many amazing experiences.  I tagged along for Robert's video shoot with North Texas and was sitting in a room with Mean Joe Greene who was candidly talking about his playing days and beyond.  It was surreal.  Like everyone in the world, I wanted to ask him if he wanted a Coke, but I played it cool.

Sometimes I pop in on acquaintances or even complete strangers, but by the time I leave we are well on our way to being BFFs.  Like when I was asked to present at the NAIA Convention in April in Kansas City.  I got to hang out with my fellow NACMA Board peeps, Jeff Bain, John Phillips and Trip Durham, but I also wanted to check out the Sporting KC's offices.  I dropped a quick email to Andrew Steinberg who I had met when he was at Kansas awhile back and he was gracious enough to give me a tour and some really cool behind-the-scenes info about the new stadium they are playing in.  It was cool to talk to someone who had been on the college side and now runs the marketing for an MLS team.

Being able to sit down and brainstorm with some of the best minds in the business has made me grow leaps and bounds the last 1.5 years working at Old Hat.  I always leave the NACMA Convention and the National Sports Forum with so many great ideas after spending time with everyone.  In Orlando this year, people teased me for not being at the ridiculously-fun Old Hat booth as much as Robert, Zac and Dustin. but I used some of that time to sit down with people one-on-one to flush out their upcoming campaigns, which I thought was just as fun as taking photos and playing games with people at the booth.

Then, as the NACMA Advisor last year and again this year, I was invited to the summer meetings, which were in New Mexico this year.  We worked with Kurt Esser and his staff to chronicle the history of The Pit and then help them sell tickets to all evens that are held there so it was cool to go to the arena to see all of the amazing renovations.  It is an incredible facility!  And Kurt made it even more special by playing my "team intro song" (Ke$ha's "Blow", of course) as I ran out of the tunnel (in heels) for the NACMA Board starting lineups. Working in the sports industry has given me a lot of experiences that the normal fan will  never have so sometimes we forget how lucky we are to do them, but running out on that court with my headshot on the videoboard and the LED boards was one of the coolest things I've ever done.  Thank you, Kurt!

I traveled quite a bit my first year at Old Hatr, but this year so many more Old Hatters had the opportunity to visit client campuses as a combo of Dustin, Deb, Robert, Zac and Ashley have been involved in on-location shoots for North Texas, Kansas State, Utah, Texas A&M, Michigan, South Carolina, TCU, OKC Thunder to name a few. In fact, the crew is in South Bend right now filming thanks to Robert's heroics in retrieving the Old Hat luggage and video equipment that the airline left in Chicago. I guess the guy didn't believe Robert was traveling for business, but would you believe a face like this: http://zaclogsdon.com/post/8821905530/secret-to-success-employ-people-like-robert-smith

Then, yesterday we finalized our plans to head out to Montana to film the video intro for Christie Anderson and The Griz. When I was looking for flights, Christie mentioned that flying into Spokane would be less expensive so I immediately emailed Dennis Kalina and Matt Beckman to see if they were available for lunch while we were in town.  I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to share ideas, as well as visit their campus to get an even better feel for their community.  Plus,  Christie and Matt are the last people to have seen Lil Duey so I'm hoping to see him while I'm there as well!

I was already excited about the possibility of going to Montana, but then I randomly hung out with Ryan Leaf on Wednesday and he couldn't say enough great things about the state of Montana.  He's been through a lot, admitted his mistakes and is now a motivational speaker and author who is hoping that by telling his story, he will keep people from making similar mistakes. I went to the event thinking "It would be cool to meet someone with such a dynamic past." I left the event with a unique ottlook on my life personally and professionally that I doubt I would've ever come to on my own. Another example of opportunities that I cherish in this business.

I was invited to the event by Meaghan Brooks (pictured to the left of me), who is a friend, but I also work with her on marketing materials for OU Basketball.  I can't even tell you how awesome it is to work with the University that is only four blocks from our offices.  Obviously we all love OU because we work in Norman and it's an incredible school so being able to be part of their markeitng team is fantastic .  We pop over for meetings and they stop by our offices.  The brainstorming never really stops. In fact, Dave Haskin was just here on Wednesday to walk through the rough draft of the design with those involved in the project, which was another chance to build on the idea we are working on.  It's a unique experience to be so close to our clients.

Even if we're not in the same town, the technology these days makes it possible for us to feel like we are right next door.  I've flown out to Buffalo for meetings to help them with their marketing plans and to get a feel for their campus and their fans.  Constant communication with their team has helped us to provide them with some ideas that will enhance what they have done in the past.  We created the "Made in Buffalo" slogan for them this year that is being used in all of the traditional ways, but they have added a "Made in Buffalo Day" promotion for their game against Akron in November.  That game is highlighted on my travel notecards because there is no way I'm missing the chance to see this slogan in action.

In addition to brainstorming with our clients throughout the year, I am fortunate to interact with experts in web, video, branding, photography, marketing and design everyday in the office.  Having an understanding of all of these things has made me a more effective marketer for Old Hat and for our clients.  When I was at Northwestern I didn't have time to research all of the latest technology, but now I have the time, as well as a crew of people who not only tell me about it, but they explain it to me in a way that I will understand.  It's like learning a foreign language with some of the best teachers in the country.  And these guys understand how this technology can be used to help sports organizations so now they are talking my language too!  Being able to sift through so much new information and present it to our clients is something I know they value because it's what I needed when I was on campus.

Because of the amazing people who work at Old Hat, I am even more excited for the National Sports Forum and the NACMA Conventions next year.  NSF is being held right here in Oklahoma City so our entire staff will have the opportunity to meet everyone throughout the week.  Then, the NACMA Convention is being held in Dallas, which is just three short hours away so we will also be able to have them in town to meet more people that week.  I know some people remember what it was like the last time the convention was in Dallas and Old Hat threw a party.  I was working at Northwestern at the time and I was one of the people enjoying the legendary Sweet Suite Party (see photo below of the NU Marketing staff with Zac and Robert), You can probably figure out why it got shutdown by hotel security!  I'm looking forward to being part of the planning for next year's party. I have my notecards ready!

When I left NU, a lot of people asked me if I was nervous to take such a risk. They thought that if I didn't like being a "vendor" I might not be able to get a job back on a campus because of my time away.  I've been telling them that it doesn't feel like I ever left the campus setting because I am part of the marketing team for dozens of universities across the country.  And I definitely have way more experience because I am exposed to different challenges and strategies with each of our clients so thank you to everyone who has welcomed me to their team.  I am blessed that Zac believed in me to be part of his team too so that I can truly say, "I love my job."