Today we’d like to introduce you to Gema Tarango Deleon.
Gema, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story really starts when I moved to San Diego to attend San Diego State University in 2007. I began SDSU as a Criminal Justice Major because all my life I knew I wanted to work for the FBI. Long story short, my career interests shifted as I began to learn what my strengths and talents were that first years of college. I switched my major to Journalism with an emphasis in Media Studies (Minor in Television and Film) and haven’t looked back since!
I really enjoyed my time at SDSU but was super eager to graduate and start working. As I was discovering what the career possibilities were I started to take a real interest in sports as a career. I come from a very sports-centric family and played softball competitively my entire childhood so when I found out that people actually work in sports as their career I was excited. I was fortunate enough to have a family friend who worked in sports in San Diego. She offered me great advice and even allowed me to volunteer for some of her upcoming events. This is where I truly found my passion.
While attending SDSU I interned for the San Diego Hall of Champions/San Diego Sports Commission while also working part-time at Baby Gap (gotta pay the bills). After I graduated from SDSU, the Hall of Champions/Sports Commission offered me a real job. I was elated because that meant I could stay in San Diego and really try to make this working in sports thing happen. While working at the Hall of Champions/Sports Commision I got to work on some pretty cool projects including the Carrier Classic, Balboa Park December Nights, and US Police & Fire Championships.
After the Hall of Champions, I made a couple stops, first as a Marketing and Communications Manager for the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open (the first time around) and then as a Communications Manager for FOX Sports San Diego. I was fortunate enough to work on some pretty exciting projects at FOX Sports San Diego including the 2016 All-Star Game held at Petco Park. At FOX I really found my love for integrated marketing through social media and content. An opportunity arose back at the Farmers Insurance Open to lead their Marketing efforts and it was too great of a chance to pass up. I currently serve as the Sr. Manager, Marketing and PR for the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open held at Torrey Pines Golf Course.
In addition, in 2012, I joined a few other women to help launch a WISE (Women in Sports and Events) Chapter in San Diego. WISE is the leading voice and resource for professional women in the business of sports and events. I jumped on the opportunity to not only learn from other women in the industry but help launch a Chapter for a nationally-recognized organization that truly aligned with my passions. I now serve as the President of the San Diego Chapter which is an official 501 (c)(3) nonprofit and we just celebrated our 5-year anniversary this past year.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m not sure any road is really smooth but I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had great mentors and supporters to help guide me along my journey. I’d say there have probably been more “road bumps” then struggles and I’ve learned so much through them all.
Farmers Insurance Open / Century Club of San Diego – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Century Club of San Diego is a 501(c)(3) organization that plans and hosts San Diego’s PGA TOUR event, the Farmers Insurance Open. The Farmers Insurance Open, held annually at beautiful Torrey Pines, will be played next January 24-27, 2019.
I currently serve as the Sr. Manager, Marketing & PR for the organization. The first question people always ask is “you do that job year round?” and the answer is, yes! Our Tournament, which hosts more than 100,000 people, is worked on year-round by a full-time staff of 13 people in various departments. The moment the Tournament ends, we start right back up and work on the next year’s event. That’s what makes us unique and really what makes this job fun!
We really learn how to pre-plan and manage workflow before the Tournament nears and then we kick things into gear in the weeks leading up to the event. One thing that people probably don’t know is that we physically move our offices to the Golf Course in January. We have a full-time space in the La Jolla/UTC area but once the calendar flips to the new year we move all our operations to Torrey Pines Golf Course and this is where our staff truly bonds. It’s a full team operation and everyone really bands together to get the job done. We have a great staff of team players who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty!
My job specifically centers around all things Marketing, PR, and Social Media. In the pre-Tournament window, I’m working on our Advertising plan and budget working with various departments including sales to determine which products are important to promote in various time frames. I then build out marketing collateral, social content and creative signage for placement at the Tournament. During the Tournament, I get to really get hands-on and gather content for our social channels and help with sponsor fulfillment. I really enjoy the fact that my job allows me to be creative.
One additional project I work on is planning the Tournament’s Women’s Day event which hosts 300+ people and centers around empowerment and inspiration.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
That’s a tough question for me! I think what has made me the proudest in my career is seeing those that I’ve worked with, worked for or have worked for me to succeed. I am a huge believer in mentorship and again, have had some great mentors/supporters along the way, that when I get an opportunity to mentor others I take the job very seriously. I am the proudest when those interns or former employees have succeeded in accomplishing their goals.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9404 Genesee Ave., Suite 310, La Jolla, CA 92037
- Website: FarmersInsuranceOpen.com
- Phone: 858 886 4653
- Email: Tix@farmersinsuranceopen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmersinsopen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmersInsOpen/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarmersInsOpen
Image Credit:
Farmers Insurance Open
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