In this episode of the SBC Audio Experience, host Riley Sager sits down with #VSL alum Quinlan Corrigan, who has turned her Vegas Summer League experience into a thriving career in NBA communications. As the Communications Coordinator for the LA Clippers, Quinlan plays an integral role in managing media relations, coordinating press coverage, and helping share the stories that define the team. During the episode, Quinlan dives into:
- How her journey started at the Vegas Summer League and set her up for success in professional sports.
- The day-to-day responsibilities of working in NBA communications with the Clippers.
- The importance of building trust with players, media, and team personnel.
- Practical advice for aspiring sports professionals looking to enter the communications and PR side of the industry.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Sports are more than just a competition and a trophy.
Sports are a portal for everyday people to pursue their
wildest dreams on some of the world's largest stages. My
name is Riley Sager, and I'll be taking you along
with me as I hear from SBC and VSL alumni
who pursued a career in the business of sports. In
this series, I will sit down with guests to discuss
strategies for entering the sports world and what you can
(00:25):
do to differentiate yourself in the industry. From playing to
coaching to broadcasting. The common denominator for any.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Job in sports is the ability to push oneself to
become a master at their craft while connecting with others
who share that same passion to be great. Let's get
into it. Welcome back to another episode of the SBC
Audio Experience. Today we're diving into the world of NBA
communications with VSL alum Quinlan Corrigan. Quinlan is currently the
(00:55):
communications cordiner for the La Clippers, where she works behind
the scenes to manage media relations, press coverage, and share
the stories that bring an NBA team to life. Starting
her journey at the Vegas Summer League in twenty twenty one.
Quinlan has proven how passion, hard work, and building strong
relationships can open doors in the competitive sports industry. From
(01:16):
crafting game day narratives to supporting one of the league's
most exciting teams, Quinlan's story is one that aspiring professionals
will definitely want to hear. Let's get into it, Hi, Quinn,
Welcome to SBC Audio Experience. How are you.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I'm good, How are you good?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's good to see you. Last time we were in
Vegas and now I can't believe it's December already.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I know. I feel like it's like crazy to me,
Like Summer League is kind of like, okay, the last
season just wrapped up. You know, things are shirting to
get in motion for the upcoming season, and then suddenly, what,
We're a quarter of the way through the season. Now,
I'm like, what, how did it get here?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah? And obviously you in the middle of the season
with the Clippers doing communications through the coordinator, So a
lot to talk about with that. But first, let's go
back to when you first started working in sports. Even
before then, what initially sparked your interest to make that
your career.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, so I always knew I wanted to work in
either sports or entertainment. I grew up like an entertainer myself.
I was in theater throughout high school and even you know,
dating back before then, I also played a lot of sports.
I grew up around a lot of sports. A lot
of my family is involved, you know, in different sectors
(02:36):
of the sports industry, and so I really wanted to
find a way that I could merge my interest in
entertainment and sports, and I feel like PR kind of
like perfectly does that. It took me a minute to
kind of decide that I wanted to work in PR specifically,
Like going into college, I was a journalism major, because
(02:57):
you know, I was like, maybe I could pick up
sports broadcasting or you know, just like broadcasting in general,
or maybe production something like that. And it kind of
ended up being through VSL that I found out that
I wanted to work in PR. But I always kind
of knew like I needed to be in some type
of unconventional job, Like I was not going to be
the type that could sit at a nine to five
(03:19):
at my desk every single day, Like I wanted to
be moving. I wanted to be running around doing a
million things and so that's kind of like how it sparked.
It's kind of just always been like I need to
work in sports or entertainment.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah, so going into VSL, you had that I guess,
you know, a little incentive to combine both your passions.
So talk about your time as an alum as you
when you were a student at VSL or an in turn,
you know, what was that like for you getting that
kind of hands on experience. I mean you're surrounded by
(03:55):
all different kinds of professions in the industry. Yeah, you know,
well how'd you handle that?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I Mean I was terrified to start, Like, I'm such
a social person, such an outgoing person, but I was
like so scared because I'm like everybody in the league
comes to Summer League, right, like yeah, all the GMS,
heads of PR like and then even people who are
lower level positions at organizations, and so I was just
(04:22):
so set on, like I want to just talk to
as many people as I can and figure out, like
how do I fit into this industry? Like, like I
was saying, I was a journalism major. I always thought,
you know, I'll probably end up in production, probably end
up like broadcasting. But I wasn't like super passionate about
either one of them. I just kind of like it
was what I knew and so that was like a
(04:43):
huge focus for me. Was just kind of figuring out,
like what are different jobs with in this industry? How
do I see myself fitting? Do I see myself fitting Like, yes,
it's always what I wanted to do, but I didn't
know if it actually was like what I was meant
to do. So that was like a huge focus for me.
It was just connecting with a lot of people and
just trying new things, like you know, kind of your
(05:04):
first year is a lot of those you know, managerial
tasks like running elevator even like selling programs, but like,
I met so many people through that, so I just
kind of went in with such an open mind, like
I'm ready to do whatever I need to do, and
I'm ready to meet people and I'm ready to just
like have a good time.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
You know. Yeah, you said going into it, you didn't
know exactly what you wanted your role to be or
even if it was going to be in sports. So
we'll give you the confirmation that Okay, yeah, this is
what I want to do.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I always go back to the people that work in
sports like I feel like VSL really is a huge
testament to this. But like the people who work in
sports are so awesome, Like it's just like it's a family,
and you know, the whole idea behind sports, whether it's basketball, football, baseball,
is like community and like being together, Like you know,
(05:57):
all these people are so interested in the team. They
want to come to the game, and they want to
support the team on and off the court or on
and off the field. Like it's just such a community environment.
And I feel like it's like from one team to another,
from one fan to an employee, Like I just love
the overall energy that sports gives. And then obviously it's
just like who doesn't love a sports game? Right? Like
(06:18):
who doesn't love a basketball game? Who doesn't love a
college football game?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Right?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Like there is nothing better than going to a college
football game and like seeing how die hard those fans
are for that team and ash in from the four
year old kids to the six year old grandparents, right,
Like it is just so awesome, And like Summer League
is such a huge event where you really see that
come to life. Like a lot of these guys no
(06:43):
one knew who they were before the draft, right, And
I mean if you're a huge basketball fan, you know,
but like the average person probably doesn't know a lot
of them are. And now they're all over these billboards
and they're like, you know, tons of fans are lining
up outside of Thomas and Mack to come and like
see them play all day. So I think that was
like a huge thing for me where I was like,
(07:05):
I just love coming here erasing all day and I
love the energy, and I love the people I'm around,
Like I need to be working in sports immediately. It's
kind of what came after that.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Yeah, I mean sports is so unifying in every regard,
like you've said, the age difference of you know, college
football fans, any kind of fan, and then someer league.
It's just like a platform to bring everyone together. So
it's really fun. It's like all these crazy fans maybe
they're coming for the player, or they like a specific team,
or they're just going with their friends. Like I think
it's really unique all the different kinds of people that
(07:41):
go to summer League.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yeah, definitely, it's it's I don't know, it's just great.
It's so it's so universal, right, Like you can not
be a basketball fan. But I always think of like
players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, like who have interests
all the court. Like my mom is not a huge
basketball fan, but she loves Russell Westbrook because it was
(08:05):
fashion and I'm like, that's.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
So fun, Like you don't even have you be a
basketball fan, so like, you know, want to know more
about these athletes and like be connected to the sport
in some way, which I always think is like super
cool and that goes for you know, sports beyond basketball.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
But I always think about time.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Well, especially with social media, because now the players get
to share that side of themselves, they get to share
their stories. Yeah, definitely finishing up as an intern VSL
that first year, what was your headspace looking into the
career path?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Now? So, I my first year of VSL was going
into my senior year.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Of college, which is you know, obviously really stressful, and yeah,
it was like the year after COVID, so everything was
kind of like, you know, what's going on here?
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Like all right, all leagues were kind of adjusting accordingly,
and I mean we still had to wear masks like
my first year of VSLF, so it was like I
definitely was in a place where I was like I'm
still not one hundred percent sure what i want to do.
I know I want to work in sports, but I
don't want to like block off anything, right. I was
(09:17):
applying to a pretty wide variety of jobs, a lot
of social media jobs, PR jobs like production assistant jobs.
I kind of just wanted to find a way to
get into the sports and still kind of in the
entertainment world as well. So I ended up kind of
taking on, I guess, kind of untraditional route. But I
(09:41):
ended up taking an internship coming out of college with
the Brooklyn Nets, and it was in partnership marketing, which
I did not know too much about. But I had
really great interviews and really liked the people that I
talked to, and I was like, Hey, this maybe this
is something I want to do. I I had a
sales background, had some business background, like through my minor,
(10:04):
so I was like, I'm just gonna try this out.
It's a four month internship and we'll see what happens.
And I ended up loving that. But what I did
also kind of throughout the internship was I connected with
a ton of people within the organization because I feel
like it's one thing to meet people who you know
just work in the industry, whether it's for like networks
(10:25):
or for the league. Then to also see it like
at a team and see exactly how a team operates,
although every team you know operates so differently. But it
was really really interesting to talk to their PR, their
social team, their community relations team, and just kind of
learn like a little bit more about how things were
done there. And I went back to VSL that summer
(10:49):
as well, and I was able to kind of really
focus on PR stuff, which was really really cool and
learning like a lot more about And then my job
ended up coming up, and I was like, I'm gonna
apply for this and we'll see what happens. But I
(11:09):
definitely have always just been kind of all over the place,
Like you know, they always ask you that question in
interviews where it's like what do you see yourself doing
in the next five years? Like that question for me,
like I cannot tell you, Like me out of college,
I was like, I have no idea, Like I just
know I want to be in an industry and be
in a job that excites me and be around people
(11:30):
that like support me and I can collaborate with, and
just I wanted to wake up and love what I
do every day, So I kind of was all over
the place even coming out of college. But I think
that's really important for people to just like understand, like, yes,
some people have like a set career, like they know
exactly what they want to do from the day they're
born till they get the job. But like you don't
(11:52):
have to be like that. It's like there's so many
jobs out there try you know.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah, I do think that's true for a lot of people,
especially in sports. Like you said that untraditional path. So
many people I don't know who are gms now wanted
to do radio or wanted to do this, and it's
just like one role or maybe just meeting one person
and your whole career.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Changes, exactly. I felt. There's just there's so many jobs
out there, right, Like you got work for a team,
you can work for an agency, you can work for
a foundation, like you can work for a network. There's
literally so many jobs out there that I feel like
some people sometimes people just get overwhelmed and they're like,
this is what I know, So I'm gonna go with it.
Not saying that's the wrong answer, but I just always
(12:35):
like encourage people to try different things, which is why
I always go back to VSL because you have the
opportunity to try so many different things, which I think
helped me a lot, like in defining and ending up
kind of where I am now.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Interning with the Nets and now working with the Clippers.
Do you remember your first day on the job with
the Clippers?
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Oh my god, I do remember. I We're staying the job.
So I had a very quick turnaround with this job.
I was accepted. It's like the offer six days before
Media Day, and you know how it kind of works
in the NBA, like once Media Day happens, like the
season is in full effect, like it is just go mode.
(13:20):
There's no break. Preseason starts a few days off, regular
season starts like it's just go, go go. So I
flew in the day before media Day and that was
like my first day on the job. So I went
into our practice facility. I saw how they kind of
set up everything for media day, met the whole team,
(13:40):
met our game night staff, who I kind of eventually
started managing throughout the year. Met you know, our NBA photographers,
met our community team, met some of our media. So
it definitely was like super super hectic. So that first
day was kind of like meeting everyone, and then the
next day was obviously like me day, which I guess
(14:01):
I kind of always reference as like my real first day,
first day, and it was crazy. I don't really remember
the day because I was just so like I can't
believe this is real, Like yeah, this is just the
start of like my career. Like that's when I really
felt like, oh my god, like I made it, like
I did this, you know. And so that it was
(14:25):
a long day. It was like I think we got
there at like five thirty or like six in the morning.
Oh and and the team had a flight to I
think it was Vegas for preseason like that night at
like four, and so I wasn't traveling with the team,
but I was still just like working until probably like
(14:45):
six o'clock that night or something like that. So it
was like it was a twelve hour day, but it
was just so awesome and I literally could not stop
smiling the whole entire day. It was just like a
very very surreal moment.
Speaker 6 (14:59):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, it's like summerly long days, but it's so rewarding. Yes,
not overstimulating, but there's so much going on. So what's
the role now like day to day, you know, either
in general or at this point in the season.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Yeah, So, as you said earlier, I'm a communications coordinator
for the Clippers, So my job mainly sits on the
basketball side, but I also help to lead a lot
of our corporate communications initiatives. So my days, like most
people work in sports, are very different. Like it really
(15:34):
just depends on the day, the month, the week, the hour, honestly,
like it's all chanting. So a game day for us,
it's also extra different this year because we're in a
new arena, so that's a whole added element. But a
game day usually starts like eleven ten thirty eleven ish,
(15:58):
and I kind of help and our visiting team shoot
arounds because obviously a lot of these teams have never
been to the building, so they don't really know how
anything works, don't know where stuff is. So I'll usually
come to their shoot around, show them around a little bit,
and then meet with their media to make sure that
they can, you know, get into the building, et cetera,
(16:20):
et cetera, and then I'll usually have like a little
bit of time in between that and when I start
doing some of my game day stuff. So helping you know,
set up and organize all of our media seats, our
media credentialing, just making sure everything you know, kind of
looks nice is working well. We're very like digitally focused
(16:42):
and tech focused at Into It Dome, so just kind
of making sure everything is ready to go for when
media arrives and then when it actually comes to you know,
game time. Essentially helping with the pregame media availabilities, so
you know, we let me the into locker room pregame
(17:02):
and then usually we have you know, some hip of
VIP guests or if we have like influencers around or
anything like that, you know, helping if we need to
get jerseys for them, if we need to kind of
coordinate like a player meeting greet with them, So helping
with that stuff pregame, during the game, it really just
depends like sometimes I'm running around, sometimes I'm just kind
(17:24):
of you know, watching, making sure again everything's going well.
The media spaces, our media doesn't need anything, so that
kind of like differs game to game, and then postgame
helping again with media availabilities. So we'll have players and
coach up to our press conference room, and then we'll
(17:45):
also have media in our locker room. But then we
also have you know, sometimes events and stuff after games.
So like last night, we had to meet the player
with Jordan Miller, so I helped you know, coordinate that
with our radio broadcaster and make sure we had our
TV partner there for cover and everything like that. So
that's kind of like a game day. So they you know,
usually end up being ten eleven hour days, but my
(18:09):
favorite because I love how hectic they are. It's kind
of like so fun. And then you know, you have
like a typical office day or like a community event
day like today, where we're doing a lot of you know,
managing our coverage, making sure we have all of our
archives of coverage, figuring out what new stories we want
(18:32):
to pitch. Obviously like All Star voting and stuff like
that's coming up, so you know, figuring out what we
need to do for that. And then it's the holiday season,
so we have a lot of player community events, team
community events, so making sure we're reaching out to media
about the ones we want them to cover and making
sure we have the right media covering them and kind
(18:53):
of figuring out all the scheduling for that. So it
really changes day to day, but I think that's why
I love it so much too as well. Is like
what I kind of said earlier, like I'm not i'd
only i'd be very good at like sitting at a
desk from nine to five every day. But I like
the unpredictable. I like how things are always changing, and
(19:15):
I think that's a super important thing for like anyone
who works in sports, like to know that every day
isn't going to look different. But that's kind of the
beauty of it. So yeah, it's kind of like a
game day versus a regular day. And then obviously I
travel a little bit with the team, so that kind
of changes when I'm traveling. But it's I don't know,
(19:37):
every day is just like it's so fun. It's a
new challenge.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Yeah, a lot of moving pieces, a lot of different projects. Yes,
how do you start your day, whether you're in the arena,
you're traveling, how do you start it? Mentally? Like, okay,
here we go.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Well, I'm a terrible gen Z person who gets on
my phone first thing when I wake up because I
can't not U but I always try, and you know,
give myself time in the morning. I think, especially like
the first few months of my job. I was so like,
I need to be working like the second I wake up,
(20:12):
when it's like no, like you you need to take
a second for yourself. Like, yes, obviously work is super
super important, but I think that's a super big thing,
just working in sports and really, you know, any industry
that is pretty time like demanding, is like making sure
that you are taking some time for yourself, whether it's
going for a walk or just having your morning coffee,
(20:34):
you know, for twenty minutes like that is definitely something
that I'm still working on. I don't think I'm the
best at it, but I usually try to find time
for myself, especially on like the game day and stuff
like that, whether it is you know, twenty minutes or
an hour or something like that, just to you know,
do something that you know, we'll get the day started
(20:55):
on the right foot.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yeah, I especially in sports, it doesn't. And then at
five o'clock and yeah, you know, anything could happen at
any point in the day, and especially when you're in
a role where you have to be on top of things,
you have to know what's going on twenty four to seven,
if there's breaking news, if something's happening, how do you
balance I know you said you're still working on it,
(21:18):
but how would you like to balance being one hundred
percent in your career but then also you know, enjoying
la enjoying your personal life.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I think it's just like taking advantage of the time
when you have it. Like I put this week as
like a great example. We played on Sunday yesterday, and
then we don't play again until Friday in Denver. So like, yes,
i have a lot of work to do this week,
but I'm also going to make sure that I'm taking
like a little bit of time for myself this week
(21:49):
because last week we had a game Sunday, we had
a back to back Tuesday Wednesday, then we were off
Thursday or off Thursday, and then I was working an
arena event on Friday, and a community event for a
player Saturday, and a game on Sunday. So it's like
when you have the ability to you know, hang out
with friends or like get your errands done, you know,
do all the annoying adult things like making sure that
(22:11):
they get advantage of that time. Because as important as
you know work is and your job is, you want
to make sure that you're still you know, having a
life outside of it right. And I'm fortunate enough where
I love a lot of the people that I work with,
so a lot of the times work doesn't feel like work,
(22:32):
which is why I think I struggle with sometimes to
be like, oh I should go maybe do something social. Yeah,
but I think that's just like a big thing. And
like the off season, right, like there's you have a
lot of time. Obviously we're doing a lot of planning
for like the upcoming season, but you have a lot
of time to you know, go I usually go home
(22:52):
during the off season, go see friends, stuff like that.
So you know, just be strategic and making sure that
you're you're not wasting you know, your free time just
to you know, catch up on sleep or whatever.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah, especially with schedule working in sports, it's not easy.
There's a lot of challenges to it. Is there something specifically?
Maybe you know one day that you're like, wow, just
like the hardest day on the job I've had so far, I.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Feel like it's not really like it was the hardest day,
but it was just like a crazy day. And I
actually was talking about this with my boss yesterday. Last year,
in January, we officially announced that we were going to
be hosting all start in twenty twenty six and the
event was at into it it was still pretty much
(23:40):
a construction site. Like it was like, yeah, you still
had to have hard hat on, you know, vest boots,
goggles or sunglasses, everything. And I think we got here
at like super super early, like six in the morning
or something, and we had a game that night as well,
so the event ran from like like ten to maybe
(24:02):
like two and last year at this time, I was
an associate, so I was like still printing and making
all of our credentials, making our seating cards, like a
lot of you know, administrative tasks that do a lot
of time to do. And I we wrapped our event
here and I quickly like had to rush to our
(24:22):
downtown office get everything prep through the game and then
it was like a seven thirty game and I think
we were out of the arena by like twelve. And honestly,
it's like one of my favorite days. But it was
just like looking back on it, I'm like, I don't
really know how I did that. It was absolutely crazy,
But I think there were definitely some points throughout it
(24:44):
that I was like, oh my god, like I can't
believe we still have like a whole game to do
after this. But again it goes back to like the
people that I work with, Like we all were in
it together, right, and we were like, this is gonna
be a crazy day, but we're gonna get through it
and we're gonna have a great event and we're gonna
have great game, and you know, we ended up doing it.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
So that just makes the job because I mean I
asked it was the most challenging day, and you told me.
But then you were like, oh, that's also one of
my favorites. You know, it's your favorite day. Isn't going
to be something where you have a lot of downtime
and you're just sitting around, it's your journaline the excitement.
Is there another project you were especially excited to work on.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Yeah, It's really really hard for me to target like
one project. I think, especially because of the time that
I came into this organization, Like they broke round on
into a dome September twenty twenty one and I started
working here September twenty twenty two, so it was like,
(25:43):
you know, kind of one year into the construction of
this building, Like we still had so much ahead of
us before we were getting here. It was really exciting
on the team side as well. So I think just
all of the cool events and stories I've got to
like help and pitch throughout this time, like and just
(26:05):
seeing the progression like of into it dome, like when
I I think it was, yeah, the spring of when
I first came in, Like we had our steel topping
out event, which was such a cool event, Like we
had our whole roster here, like Steve was here, the
mayor was here, there were so many people here, and
I was like, oh my god, this is insane, Like
(26:25):
we're going to be playing in this arena and you know,
like a little over a year, so it was March
at that time, and just kind of like seeing all
that happen, and then also being able to learn a
lot on the corporate side and on the kind of
arena side as well. So kind of throughout all of it,
(26:46):
I've helped with a lot of our corporate communication stuff.
And then now that we've opened into a dome, like
helping with concerts and you know, I was helping with
jingle Ball last Friday, Like that's a super cool thing
to me. And being able to are in more than
just like the basketball side of PR like sometimes it
feels like I have three jobs in one and I'm like,
this is so cool that I get to do all
(27:08):
of this. So I feel like it's there's just so many,
so many different things. But I definitely think like that
All Star event obviously, like opening night was literally insane.
We had a red carpet, we had a whole ribbon
cutting ceremony, and Bruno Morris came in and then we
did so that was our like grin opening in August,
(27:30):
and then we had opening night for the Clippers in October,
so that was a whole event as well. And just
like being able to say, like I helped open this
building and yeah I was for the first concert in
the first basketball game. Like if you had told me
I was going to be doing that, like literally even
two years ago when I heard THEE I would be like,
(27:51):
what are you talking about. So there's just literally so
many moments in projects that I'm super super proud of
and just it's so surreal that I got to work
on them.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
That is crazy to you know, not only be there,
but to help put that together the rest of your life.
You be like, yeah, I was there opening day.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Yeah, it's crazy, Like I just can't believe it. And
it's like now seeing it too, Like hearing about people
who are traveling to like come and see into a
dome and come to like a concert here game here,
I'm like, oh my god. And I get to come
here every single day for work, Like what, Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
There's a lot of hidden things in the arena. I
mean they have like the high school basketball, all the jerseys, yes,
even the technology, like I went there for one of
the preseason games and yeah on the jumbo tron, the
games that they would play with the seats and the
colors and just very interactive things. Do you have a
(28:51):
favorite part of the arena?
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Oh, this is really hard.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
I think.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
My favorite thing though, that I always go back to
is the plaza. So, like, the majority of our fans
will park in our West garage and they can walk
across the pedestrian bridge and right when you walk across it,
there's this huge, eighty six thousand square foot plaza that
has a full regulation NBA court. It has a bar,
a restaurant, our merchandise store is out there, and on
(29:18):
a game day there are so many people out there,
Like we have basketballs on the court and fans are
just shooting around, pregame, post game, they're hanging out, they're
shopping at the store, and it's just like to me,
it's like this is.
Speaker 6 (29:32):
How a basketball arena should be, like people should want
to be, Like I'm getting to this game three hours early,
so i can go put shots up on the community
court and then go shop at the store.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Now I can go get food. Like it's just it's
such a community gathering space and it's pregame posting, like
even on a random Monday like today, Like it's open
to the public. Fans can come in there, they can shock,
they can shoot around, and I see them like when
I'm walking into work, walking out of work. So I
(30:03):
think that's definitely like one of my favorite things. But
there are a lot of really really cool things here
for sure.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
From the inside perspective, What do you think the arena
lean into a dome like you said the plaza. What
does that do for the culture? I mean for the fans,
but then also everyone working for the organization.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Yeah, I think just like having our own space, It's
it's really awesome, Like our offices are here, our practice
facilities here, our arenas obviously here, like we're all inside
one space, and I'm sure some people have seen, but
there are five basketball courts within here too, so we
have like the court and the plaza, a court off
(30:43):
the concourse, the main court, and then our two practice
facility courts. So I think it just provides like a
lot of opportunity for us, and it allows us to
you know, kind of be a little bit more creative.
And you know, we're our building. We're in charge of
everything that goes on in here. So I think whether
it's a player or you know, us on the pr side,
(31:03):
like there's a lot of opportunity for collaboration and just
a lot of new exciting things. Like what I love
is throughout all of this, like I have just learned
so much. Like, like I said, never did I think
I would be helping open that one of the most
high tech sports arenas ever.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
Like it.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
They're so insane and there's so much learning. But it's
just it's really cool to see the difference of when
your team owns and completely operates everything out of one building.
Because you know, we used to be in like a
practicality imply Vista played at Crypto and then had an
office in downtown so everything was like kind of a
little spread out. So I think it just allows for
(31:46):
a lot more like collaboration and integration between you know,
the arena side and the team side, because obviously, like
we all fall under the same umbrella. So being able
to like truly truly elaborate and and you know, pass
each other in the halls every day, Like, it's just
it's really really cool.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah, I've only been one so far, but I can't
wait to go back. I mean, everybody has a great
time the wall. Thoughts on the wall it is.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
It is honestly like so cool to see it in action.
And I don't have the exact stat but we've pulled
some like really crazy stats about it about how you know,
opposing teams are shooting at the free throw line. I
guess it's so it's it's doing its job. It's good
it's supposed to do. But I think that's just a
super big thing throughout all the building is like Steve
(32:40):
really wanted this to be a place for the fan,
and you can just really tell when you're here for
a game this building was built for basketball fans, like
and the basketball fans that come to it are obsessed
with it, so it's really cool to see them. Like
my favorite thing. We've had to bring so many media
and you know, and just different groups in on tours,
(33:02):
And my favorite thing is when you walk into the
bowl with a tour and they see the halo board
and they're like, oh my gosh. And then you're like,
and that's the wall and they're like what this place
is crazy? Like getting that reaction. It literally never gets
old to me, because I even remember the first thing
I walked out there and I saw it like fully
(33:23):
like seats fully in halo board on.
Speaker 7 (33:25):
And I was like, oh my god, like it looks
like the pictures but even better. Like yeah, it's just
it's so surreal seeing it in action. And I love
seeing other people experience it as well.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
A lot of hidden gems and surprise at the into
it dome. But looking back on your time with the Clippers,
something that surprised you or something that you've grown as
a skill that you can't expect to.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
I feel like it's kind of something that I don't
really know if like surprise me is the best thing.
But I just love how even those like goes outside
of the Clippers. But I just love how like connected
the sports world is like from team to team, and
like even from like to sport, Like I feel like,
(34:14):
especially being in LA We're in such a big market,
so there's a lot of sports teams here, so like
being able to collaborate with different teams and being able
to collaborate with you know, NFL teams and MLB teams
and colleges, Like it's just I just love how connected
it is, Like even though we're in two completely different industries, right, Like,
there's still a lot of connection amongst all of us,
(34:36):
and then even like between us and other teams, like
you know, teams in the Eastern Conference and you know,
some of our own competitors over here in the West.
Like I think it's just I didn't even I saw
it obviously at Summer League, but really like experiencing it,
and you know, really being able to connect with people
at different teams, whether they're in PR or they're in
(34:58):
social or they're in marketing or I even have like
friends who work for the Chargers and the Rams and
stuff like that. So I think, just like the how
connected everybody is is like it's just really cool to
actually be a part of it and be a part
of like this LA and just like total you know,
(35:18):
all over the country sports network now.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Especially LA with all the professional teams, even colleges. I
have to you know, promote USC exactly. Yeah, I no,
LA is definitely a sports team. It's kind of like,
why wouldn't you want to work in sports?
Speaker 3 (35:38):
You know? No, I don't. I don't like especially not
really being in it. I'm like, I'm not only sure
why anybody's working at any other industry. What are y'all doing?
Get over here?
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Yeah, for anyone looking at you and they're like, oh
my gosh, I want Quinn's job. Like, I just love
all of the values that you know, your team, your
community has that looks like such a fun day to
day the unexpected. What's your advice to those people?
Speaker 3 (36:04):
I really think it's like so cliche and kind of
like annoying. But take every opportunity that comes your way.
Like obviously I say this, take every opportunity, but you
know you all have to take like actually every single opportunity,
like the ones that make sense. But I think like
it's so important to just try different things and you know,
(36:25):
really put yourself out there, like, don't be afraid to
reach out to people like, I'm like so honored. Honestly
when people reach out to me, I'm like, oh my god,
they picked me out of all the people out across
every team, every league, every organization. They were like, let
me reach out to her. And you know, I'm sure
I'm not the only person they're reaching out to. But like,
I love to talk to people about my job, and
(36:47):
I love to you know, share insight and you know,
help advise people on you know, kind of their next step.
So don't be afraid to reach out to people, and
also don't be afraid to try for position that you're
not share or like if you're the best fit for.
There are so many different entry level positions when it
comes to the sports industry, and like especially now being
(37:10):
on the other side of it, like and having to
hire people for those positions. Like a huge thing I
was looking for was like I want someone who's gonna
come in here and they're gonna work hard, right, Like
like Sergio always says, I literally live by his quote
of like just be a dog in your role, Like
whatever you're given, just do it to your best ability,
Like put your best foot forward, whether it's you know
(37:34):
you're packaging up you know, gifts to send out to someone,
or you're pulling players for an interview with ESPN, like
do what you gotta do, get your work done. And
I think that's just a super important thing to think
about in any role. And I really think it's something
that like sometimes those small, you know, kind of admin
(37:55):
type tasks, you're like, oh, I don't really want to
do this, but you being a star and doing what
you got to do in that role is going to
make you the people above you and the other people
you work with like it's going to help make their
life easier and help you know the team's overall success.
So I think that's just super beneficial in any type
of position. But I think it helps a lot when
(38:16):
you're kind of looking at different roles and taking different
roles to always keep that in mind.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
What are your personal strategies for being a star in
year role? I think for.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
Me, it's like I I'm just someone who like I
don't like doing something if I can't do it to
my full potential. So I think that's also a super
important thing. Is like when you are on a team,
understanding like you can't do everything right, Like as much
as we all want to do everything and be like
I did this, this, this, this, this this. That's why
(38:46):
you have a team. You have a team, you all
can do different things to make sure the team is successful.
So that's something I've really had to like learn a lot.
I think throughout my time here is like especially coming
in as an Assi see it, like I wanted to
prove myself right. I wanted to be like I can
do anything you throw at me. But there was some
stuff where I was like, I have no idea what
(39:07):
I'm doing, but I'm gonna figure it out. Yeah, And
then you know sometimes when I was like, hey, I
need help. I really don't know what I'm doing. So
I think it's like understanding when there are things that
you can just take them and run, and then when
there are things when you're like, you know what, I'm
going to connect with some people and you know, work
with my team and work with you know, my manager
(39:29):
and be like, hey, how can we be the most
successful to get this done like quickly, efficiently and like
to you know, our highest potential. So I think kind
of understanding that has helped me a lot. And again
I'm still not perfect at it, but I think that's
really really helped me be successful in my role and
will hopefully help me in future roles as well.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
Any upcoming projects that you and your team are especially
excited for, oh, you know, other than all start in
a few years.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Yeah, all started. Definitely super We're exciting. But I think
it's just like this season, like just continuing this season,
it's so fun, like I said, like bringing in new
teams into this building every single game, and we still
have a ton of teams we haven't played yet. So
being able to you know, come in and see their
players' reactions and their staff's reactions and talking with their
(40:19):
broadcast about it. Like, it's just it's super fun, and
it's it's also cool to just figure out new elements
of the arena myself. Like obviously I've been here for
two years, but there's a lot of different, really cool
and unique elements about the arena that I kind of
forgot about and I kind of like didn't really think
(40:39):
of until now they're like in full effect. So yeah,
I think just that seeing everything else the building has
to offer, and just continuing to connect with our fans
and our new you know city that we're in, it's
it's it's really cool.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
It's really exciting a lot of exciting things, not just
for you but for the organization. So thank you for
taking the time to share some of that and obviously
your career experience, your intern internship experience. It is great
to talk to you again since Summer League, but definitely
have to come back and visit into it.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
Though, yes, definitely I need everyone to come.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
But so fun.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
I literally like I love, like I said, I literally
love bringing people here, Like it is so fun. There's
so many unique things that go beyond just like watching
a game here, like I was saying, the plaza, and
we have like you know, community like events, spaces, we
have our terrorst level is so cool. We have this
thing shoot three sixty, which is like an even cooler
(41:41):
version of paper shot with like digital screens, and like
you can really challenge your basketball skills up there. So
there's so many, so many unique elements and I'm just
excited to keep growing and learning more about you know,
the arena side and obviously the basketball side of it
all as well.
Speaker 2 (41:59):
Well. Well, good luck in your role and then also
on the rest of the season.
Speaker 7 (42:03):
Thank you, It is so great to talk with you.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
You too. Thank you for tuning in to our VSL
Talent Alumni series featuring BSL alum Quinlan Corgan. We hope
you enjoyed learning about her journey into the NBA and
gained valuable insights on breaking into the sports industry, like
subscribe and leave a review on social media and tag
us on your Instagram story at Sports Business Classroom. This
(42:30):
episode is also brought to you by hall Pass Media,
a full service marketing agency that specializes in brand consulting,
event management, digital marketing, and creative design. For more information
on hall Passmedia, go to hallpassnetwork dot com. See you
next time,
Sports are more than just a competition and a trophy.
Sports are a portal for everyday people to pursue their
wildest dreams on some of the world's largest stages. My
name is Riley Sager, and I'll be taking you along
with me as I hear from SBC and VSL alumni
who pursued a career in the business of sports. In
this series, I will sit down with guests to discuss
strategies for entering the sports world and what you can
(00:25):
do to differentiate yourself in the industry. From playing to
coaching to broadcasting. The common denominator for any.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Job in sports is the ability to push oneself to
become a master at their craft while connecting with others
who share that same passion to be great. Let's get
into it. Welcome back to another episode of the SBC
Audio Experience. Today we're diving into the world of NBA
communications with VSL alum Quinlan Corrigan. Quinlan is currently the
(00:55):
communications cordiner for the La Clippers, where she works behind
the scenes to manage media relations, press coverage, and share
the stories that bring an NBA team to life. Starting
her journey at the Vegas Summer League in twenty twenty one.
Quinlan has proven how passion, hard work, and building strong
relationships can open doors in the competitive sports industry. From
(01:16):
crafting game day narratives to supporting one of the league's
most exciting teams, Quinlan's story is one that aspiring professionals
will definitely want to hear. Let's get into it, Hi, Quinn,
Welcome to SBC Audio Experience. How are you.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I'm good, How are you good?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's good to see you. Last time we were in
Vegas and now I can't believe it's December already.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I know. I feel like it's like crazy to me,
Like Summer League is kind of like, okay, the last
season just wrapped up. You know, things are shirting to
get in motion for the upcoming season, and then suddenly, what,
We're a quarter of the way through the season. Now,
I'm like, what, how did it get here?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah? And obviously you in the middle of the season
with the Clippers doing communications through the coordinator, So a
lot to talk about with that. But first, let's go
back to when you first started working in sports. Even
before then, what initially sparked your interest to make that
your career.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, so I always knew I wanted to work in
either sports or entertainment. I grew up like an entertainer myself.
I was in theater throughout high school and even you know,
dating back before then, I also played a lot of sports.
I grew up around a lot of sports. A lot
of my family is involved, you know, in different sectors
(02:36):
of the sports industry, and so I really wanted to
find a way that I could merge my interest in
entertainment and sports, and I feel like PR kind of
like perfectly does that. It took me a minute to
kind of decide that I wanted to work in PR specifically,
Like going into college, I was a journalism major, because
(02:57):
you know, I was like, maybe I could pick up
sports broadcasting or you know, just like broadcasting in general,
or maybe production something like that. And it kind of
ended up being through VSL that I found out that
I wanted to work in PR. But I always kind
of knew like I needed to be in some type
of unconventional job, Like I was not going to be
the type that could sit at a nine to five
(03:19):
at my desk every single day, Like I wanted to
be moving. I wanted to be running around doing a
million things and so that's kind of like how it sparked.
It's kind of just always been like I need to
work in sports or entertainment.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah, so going into VSL, you had that I guess,
you know, a little incentive to combine both your passions.
So talk about your time as an alum as you
when you were a student at VSL or an in turn,
you know, what was that like for you getting that
kind of hands on experience. I mean you're surrounded by
(03:55):
all different kinds of professions in the industry. Yeah, you know,
well how'd you handle that?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I Mean I was terrified to start, Like, I'm such
a social person, such an outgoing person, but I was
like so scared because I'm like everybody in the league
comes to Summer League, right, like yeah, all the GMS,
heads of PR like and then even people who are
lower level positions at organizations, and so I was just
(04:22):
so set on, like I want to just talk to
as many people as I can and figure out, like
how do I fit into this industry? Like, like I
was saying, I was a journalism major. I always thought,
you know, I'll probably end up in production, probably end
up like broadcasting. But I wasn't like super passionate about
either one of them. I just kind of like it
was what I knew and so that was like a
(04:43):
huge focus for me. Was just kind of figuring out,
like what are different jobs with in this industry? How
do I see myself fitting? Do I see myself fitting Like, yes,
it's always what I wanted to do, but I didn't
know if it actually was like what I was meant
to do. So that was like a huge focus for me.
It was just connecting with a lot of people and
just trying new things, like you know, kind of your
(05:04):
first year is a lot of those you know, managerial
tasks like running elevator even like selling programs, but like,
I met so many people through that, so I just
kind of went in with such an open mind, like
I'm ready to do whatever I need to do, and
I'm ready to meet people and I'm ready to just
like have a good time.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
You know. Yeah, you said going into it, you didn't
know exactly what you wanted your role to be or
even if it was going to be in sports. So
we'll give you the confirmation that Okay, yeah, this is
what I want to do.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I always go back to the people that work in
sports like I feel like VSL really is a huge
testament to this. But like the people who work in
sports are so awesome, Like it's just like it's a family,
and you know, the whole idea behind sports, whether it's basketball, football, baseball,
is like community and like being together, Like you know,
(05:57):
all these people are so interested in the team. They
want to come to the game, and they want to
support the team on and off the court or on
and off the field. Like it's just such a community environment.
And I feel like it's like from one team to another,
from one fan to an employee, Like I just love
the overall energy that sports gives. And then obviously it's
just like who doesn't love a sports game? Right? Like
(06:18):
who doesn't love a basketball game? Who doesn't love a
college football game?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Right?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Like there is nothing better than going to a college
football game and like seeing how die hard those fans
are for that team and ash in from the four
year old kids to the six year old grandparents, right,
Like it is just so awesome, And like Summer League
is such a huge event where you really see that
come to life. Like a lot of these guys no
(06:43):
one knew who they were before the draft, right, And
I mean if you're a huge basketball fan, you know,
but like the average person probably doesn't know a lot
of them are. And now they're all over these billboards
and they're like, you know, tons of fans are lining
up outside of Thomas and Mack to come and like
see them play all day. So I think that was
like a huge thing for me where I was like,
(07:05):
I just love coming here erasing all day and I
love the energy, and I love the people I'm around,
Like I need to be working in sports immediately. It's
kind of what came after that.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Yeah, I mean sports is so unifying in every regard,
like you've said, the age difference of you know, college
football fans, any kind of fan, and then someer league.
It's just like a platform to bring everyone together. So
it's really fun. It's like all these crazy fans maybe
they're coming for the player, or they like a specific team,
or they're just going with their friends. Like I think
it's really unique all the different kinds of people that
(07:41):
go to summer League.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yeah, definitely, it's it's I don't know, it's just great.
It's so it's so universal, right, Like you can not
be a basketball fan. But I always think of like
players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, like who have interests
all the court. Like my mom is not a huge
basketball fan, but she loves Russell Westbrook because it was
(08:05):
fashion and I'm like, that's.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
So fun, Like you don't even have you be a
basketball fan, so like, you know, want to know more
about these athletes and like be connected to the sport
in some way, which I always think is like super
cool and that goes for you know, sports beyond basketball.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
But I always think about time.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Well, especially with social media, because now the players get
to share that side of themselves, they get to share
their stories. Yeah, definitely finishing up as an intern VSL
that first year, what was your headspace looking into the
career path?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Now? So, I my first year of VSL was going
into my senior year.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Of college, which is you know, obviously really stressful, and yeah,
it was like the year after COVID, so everything was
kind of like, you know, what's going on here?
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Like all right, all leagues were kind of adjusting accordingly,
and I mean we still had to wear masks like
my first year of VSLF, so it was like I
definitely was in a place where I was like I'm
still not one hundred percent sure what i want to do.
I know I want to work in sports, but I
don't want to like block off anything, right. I was
(09:17):
applying to a pretty wide variety of jobs, a lot
of social media jobs, PR jobs like production assistant jobs.
I kind of just wanted to find a way to
get into the sports and still kind of in the
entertainment world as well. So I ended up kind of
taking on, I guess, kind of untraditional route. But I
(09:41):
ended up taking an internship coming out of college with
the Brooklyn Nets, and it was in partnership marketing, which
I did not know too much about. But I had
really great interviews and really liked the people that I
talked to, and I was like, Hey, this maybe this
is something I want to do. I I had a
sales background, had some business background, like through my minor,
(10:04):
so I was like, I'm just gonna try this out.
It's a four month internship and we'll see what happens.
And I ended up loving that. But what I did
also kind of throughout the internship was I connected with
a ton of people within the organization because I feel
like it's one thing to meet people who you know
just work in the industry, whether it's for like networks
(10:25):
or for the league. Then to also see it like
at a team and see exactly how a team operates,
although every team you know operates so differently. But it
was really really interesting to talk to their PR, their
social team, their community relations team, and just kind of
learn like a little bit more about how things were
done there. And I went back to VSL that summer
(10:49):
as well, and I was able to kind of really
focus on PR stuff, which was really really cool and
learning like a lot more about And then my job
ended up coming up, and I was like, I'm gonna
apply for this and we'll see what happens. But I
(11:09):
definitely have always just been kind of all over the place,
Like you know, they always ask you that question in
interviews where it's like what do you see yourself doing
in the next five years? Like that question for me,
like I cannot tell you, Like me out of college,
I was like, I have no idea, Like I just
know I want to be in an industry and be
in a job that excites me and be around people
(11:30):
that like support me and I can collaborate with, and
just I wanted to wake up and love what I
do every day, So I kind of was all over
the place even coming out of college. But I think
that's really important for people to just like understand, like, yes,
some people have like a set career, like they know
exactly what they want to do from the day they're
born till they get the job. But like you don't
(11:52):
have to be like that. It's like there's so many
jobs out there try you know.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah, I do think that's true for a lot of people,
especially in sports. Like you said that untraditional path. So
many people I don't know who are gms now wanted
to do radio or wanted to do this, and it's
just like one role or maybe just meeting one person
and your whole career.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Changes, exactly. I felt. There's just there's so many jobs
out there, right, Like you got work for a team,
you can work for an agency, you can work for
a foundation, like you can work for a network. There's
literally so many jobs out there that I feel like
some people sometimes people just get overwhelmed and they're like,
this is what I know, So I'm gonna go with it.
Not saying that's the wrong answer, but I just always
(12:35):
like encourage people to try different things, which is why
I always go back to VSL because you have the
opportunity to try so many different things, which I think
helped me a lot, like in defining and ending up
kind of where I am now.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Interning with the Nets and now working with the Clippers.
Do you remember your first day on the job with
the Clippers?
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Oh my god, I do remember. I We're staying the job.
So I had a very quick turnaround with this job.
I was accepted. It's like the offer six days before
Media Day, and you know how it kind of works
in the NBA, like once Media Day happens, like the
season is in full effect, like it is just go mode.
(13:20):
There's no break. Preseason starts a few days off, regular
season starts like it's just go, go go. So I
flew in the day before media Day and that was
like my first day on the job. So I went
into our practice facility. I saw how they kind of
set up everything for media day, met the whole team,
(13:40):
met our game night staff, who I kind of eventually
started managing throughout the year. Met you know, our NBA photographers,
met our community team, met some of our media. So
it definitely was like super super hectic. So that first
day was kind of like meeting everyone, and then the
next day was obviously like me day, which I guess
(14:01):
I kind of always reference as like my real first day,
first day, and it was crazy. I don't really remember
the day because I was just so like I can't
believe this is real, Like yeah, this is just the
start of like my career. Like that's when I really
felt like, oh my god, like I made it, like
I did this, you know. And so that it was
(14:25):
a long day. It was like I think we got
there at like five thirty or like six in the morning.
Oh and and the team had a flight to I
think it was Vegas for preseason like that night at
like four, and so I wasn't traveling with the team,
but I was still just like working until probably like
(14:45):
six o'clock that night or something like that. So it
was like it was a twelve hour day, but it
was just so awesome and I literally could not stop
smiling the whole entire day. It was just like a
very very surreal moment.
Speaker 6 (14:59):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, it's like summerly long days, but it's so rewarding. Yes,
not overstimulating, but there's so much going on. So what's
the role now like day to day, you know, either
in general or at this point in the season.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Yeah, So, as you said earlier, I'm a communications coordinator
for the Clippers, So my job mainly sits on the
basketball side, but I also help to lead a lot
of our corporate communications initiatives. So my days, like most
people work in sports, are very different. Like it really
(15:34):
just depends on the day, the month, the week, the hour, honestly,
like it's all chanting. So a game day for us,
it's also extra different this year because we're in a
new arena, so that's a whole added element. But a
game day usually starts like eleven ten thirty eleven ish,
(15:58):
and I kind of help and our visiting team shoot
arounds because obviously a lot of these teams have never
been to the building, so they don't really know how
anything works, don't know where stuff is. So I'll usually
come to their shoot around, show them around a little bit,
and then meet with their media to make sure that
they can, you know, get into the building, et cetera,
(16:20):
et cetera, and then I'll usually have like a little
bit of time in between that and when I start
doing some of my game day stuff. So helping you know,
set up and organize all of our media seats, our
media credentialing, just making sure everything you know, kind of
looks nice is working well. We're very like digitally focused
(16:42):
and tech focused at Into It Dome, so just kind
of making sure everything is ready to go for when
media arrives and then when it actually comes to you know,
game time. Essentially helping with the pregame media availabilities, so
you know, we let me the into locker room pregame
(17:02):
and then usually we have you know, some hip of
VIP guests or if we have like influencers around or
anything like that, you know, helping if we need to
get jerseys for them, if we need to kind of
coordinate like a player meeting greet with them, So helping
with that stuff pregame, during the game, it really just
depends like sometimes I'm running around, sometimes I'm just kind
(17:24):
of you know, watching, making sure again everything's going well.
The media spaces, our media doesn't need anything, so that
kind of like differs game to game, and then postgame
helping again with media availabilities. So we'll have players and
coach up to our press conference room, and then we'll
(17:45):
also have media in our locker room. But then we
also have you know, sometimes events and stuff after games.
So like last night, we had to meet the player
with Jordan Miller, so I helped you know, coordinate that
with our radio broadcaster and make sure we had our
TV partner there for cover and everything like that. So
that's kind of like a game day. So they you know,
usually end up being ten eleven hour days, but my
(18:09):
favorite because I love how hectic they are. It's kind
of like so fun. And then you know, you have
like a typical office day or like a community event
day like today, where we're doing a lot of you know,
managing our coverage, making sure we have all of our
archives of coverage, figuring out what new stories we want
(18:32):
to pitch. Obviously like All Star voting and stuff like
that's coming up, so you know, figuring out what we
need to do for that. And then it's the holiday season,
so we have a lot of player community events, team
community events, so making sure we're reaching out to media
about the ones we want them to cover and making
sure we have the right media covering them and kind
(18:53):
of figuring out all the scheduling for that. So it
really changes day to day, but I think that's why
I love it so much too as well. Is like
what I kind of said earlier, like I'm not i'd
only i'd be very good at like sitting at a
desk from nine to five every day. But I like
the unpredictable. I like how things are always changing, and
(19:15):
I think that's a super important thing for like anyone
who works in sports, like to know that every day
isn't going to look different. But that's kind of the
beauty of it. So yeah, it's kind of like a
game day versus a regular day. And then obviously I
travel a little bit with the team, so that kind
of changes when I'm traveling. But it's I don't know,
(19:37):
every day is just like it's so fun. It's a
new challenge.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Yeah, a lot of moving pieces, a lot of different projects. Yes,
how do you start your day, whether you're in the arena,
you're traveling, how do you start it? Mentally? Like, okay,
here we go.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Well, I'm a terrible gen Z person who gets on
my phone first thing when I wake up because I
can't not U but I always try, and you know,
give myself time in the morning. I think, especially like
the first few months of my job. I was so like,
I need to be working like the second I wake up,
(20:12):
when it's like no, like you you need to take
a second for yourself. Like, yes, obviously work is super
super important, but I think that's a super big thing,
just working in sports and really, you know, any industry
that is pretty time like demanding, is like making sure
that you are taking some time for yourself, whether it's
going for a walk or just having your morning coffee,
(20:34):
you know, for twenty minutes like that is definitely something
that I'm still working on. I don't think I'm the
best at it, but I usually try to find time
for myself, especially on like the game day and stuff
like that, whether it is you know, twenty minutes or
an hour or something like that, just to you know,
do something that you know, we'll get the day started
(20:55):
on the right foot.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yeah, I especially in sports, it doesn't. And then at
five o'clock and yeah, you know, anything could happen at
any point in the day, and especially when you're in
a role where you have to be on top of things,
you have to know what's going on twenty four to seven,
if there's breaking news, if something's happening, how do you
balance I know you said you're still working on it,
(21:18):
but how would you like to balance being one hundred
percent in your career but then also you know, enjoying
la enjoying your personal life.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I think it's just like taking advantage of the time
when you have it. Like I put this week as
like a great example. We played on Sunday yesterday, and
then we don't play again until Friday in Denver. So like, yes,
i have a lot of work to do this week,
but I'm also going to make sure that I'm taking
like a little bit of time for myself this week
(21:49):
because last week we had a game Sunday, we had
a back to back Tuesday Wednesday, then we were off
Thursday or off Thursday, and then I was working an
arena event on Friday, and a community event for a
player Saturday, and a game on Sunday. So it's like
when you have the ability to you know, hang out
with friends or like get your errands done, you know,
do all the annoying adult things like making sure that
(22:11):
they get advantage of that time. Because as important as
you know work is and your job is, you want
to make sure that you're still you know, having a
life outside of it right. And I'm fortunate enough where
I love a lot of the people that I work with,
so a lot of the times work doesn't feel like work,
(22:32):
which is why I think I struggle with sometimes to
be like, oh I should go maybe do something social. Yeah,
but I think that's just like a big thing. And
like the off season, right, like there's you have a
lot of time. Obviously we're doing a lot of planning
for like the upcoming season, but you have a lot
of time to you know, go I usually go home
(22:52):
during the off season, go see friends, stuff like that.
So you know, just be strategic and making sure that
you're you're not wasting you know, your free time just
to you know, catch up on sleep or whatever.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah, especially with schedule working in sports, it's not easy.
There's a lot of challenges to it. Is there something specifically?
Maybe you know one day that you're like, wow, just
like the hardest day on the job I've had so far, I.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Feel like it's not really like it was the hardest day,
but it was just like a crazy day. And I
actually was talking about this with my boss yesterday. Last year,
in January, we officially announced that we were going to
be hosting all start in twenty twenty six and the
event was at into it it was still pretty much
(23:40):
a construction site. Like it was like, yeah, you still
had to have hard hat on, you know, vest boots,
goggles or sunglasses, everything. And I think we got here
at like super super early, like six in the morning
or something, and we had a game that night as well,
so the event ran from like like ten to maybe
(24:02):
like two and last year at this time, I was
an associate, so I was like still printing and making
all of our credentials, making our seating cards, like a
lot of you know, administrative tasks that do a lot
of time to do. And I we wrapped our event
here and I quickly like had to rush to our
(24:22):
downtown office get everything prep through the game and then
it was like a seven thirty game and I think
we were out of the arena by like twelve. And honestly,
it's like one of my favorite days. But it was
just like looking back on it, I'm like, I don't
really know how I did that. It was absolutely crazy,
But I think there were definitely some points throughout it
(24:44):
that I was like, oh my god, like I can't
believe we still have like a whole game to do
after this. But again it goes back to like the
people that I work with, Like we all were in
it together, right, and we were like, this is gonna
be a crazy day, but we're gonna get through it
and we're gonna have a great event and we're gonna
have great game, and you know, we ended up doing it.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
So that just makes the job because I mean I
asked it was the most challenging day, and you told me.
But then you were like, oh, that's also one of
my favorites. You know, it's your favorite day. Isn't going
to be something where you have a lot of downtime
and you're just sitting around, it's your journaline the excitement.
Is there another project you were especially excited to work on.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Yeah, It's really really hard for me to target like
one project. I think, especially because of the time that
I came into this organization, Like they broke round on
into a dome September twenty twenty one and I started
working here September twenty twenty two, so it was like,
(25:43):
you know, kind of one year into the construction of
this building, Like we still had so much ahead of
us before we were getting here. It was really exciting
on the team side as well. So I think just
all of the cool events and stories I've got to
like help and pitch throughout this time, like and just
(26:05):
seeing the progression like of into it dome, like when
I I think it was, yeah, the spring of when
I first came in, Like we had our steel topping
out event, which was such a cool event, Like we
had our whole roster here, like Steve was here, the
mayor was here, there were so many people here, and
I was like, oh my god, this is insane, Like
(26:25):
we're going to be playing in this arena and you know,
like a little over a year, so it was March
at that time, and just kind of like seeing all
that happen, and then also being able to learn a
lot on the corporate side and on the kind of
arena side as well. So kind of throughout all of it,
(26:46):
I've helped with a lot of our corporate communication stuff.
And then now that we've opened into a dome, like
helping with concerts and you know, I was helping with
jingle Ball last Friday, Like that's a super cool thing
to me. And being able to are in more than
just like the basketball side of PR like sometimes it
feels like I have three jobs in one and I'm like,
this is so cool that I get to do all
(27:08):
of this. So I feel like it's there's just so many,
so many different things. But I definitely think like that
All Star event obviously, like opening night was literally insane.
We had a red carpet, we had a whole ribbon
cutting ceremony, and Bruno Morris came in and then we
did so that was our like grin opening in August,
(27:30):
and then we had opening night for the Clippers in October,
so that was a whole event as well. And just
like being able to say, like I helped open this
building and yeah I was for the first concert in
the first basketball game. Like if you had told me
I was going to be doing that, like literally even
two years ago when I heard THEE I would be like,
(27:51):
what are you talking about. So there's just literally so
many moments in projects that I'm super super proud of
and just it's so surreal that I got to work
on them.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
That is crazy to you know, not only be there,
but to help put that together the rest of your life.
You be like, yeah, I was there opening day.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Yeah, it's crazy, Like I just can't believe it. And
it's like now seeing it too, Like hearing about people
who are traveling to like come and see into a
dome and come to like a concert here game here,
I'm like, oh my god. And I get to come
here every single day for work, Like what, Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
There's a lot of hidden things in the arena. I
mean they have like the high school basketball, all the jerseys, yes,
even the technology, like I went there for one of
the preseason games and yeah on the jumbo tron, the
games that they would play with the seats and the
colors and just very interactive things. Do you have a
(28:51):
favorite part of the arena?
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Oh, this is really hard.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
I think.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
My favorite thing though, that I always go back to
is the plaza. So, like, the majority of our fans
will park in our West garage and they can walk
across the pedestrian bridge and right when you walk across it,
there's this huge, eighty six thousand square foot plaza that
has a full regulation NBA court. It has a bar,
a restaurant, our merchandise store is out there, and on
(29:18):
a game day there are so many people out there,
Like we have basketballs on the court and fans are
just shooting around, pregame, post game, they're hanging out, they're
shopping at the store, and it's just like to me,
it's like this is.
Speaker 6 (29:32):
How a basketball arena should be, like people should want
to be, Like I'm getting to this game three hours early,
so i can go put shots up on the community
court and then go shop at the store.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Now I can go get food. Like it's just it's
such a community gathering space and it's pregame posting, like
even on a random Monday like today, Like it's open
to the public. Fans can come in there, they can shock,
they can shoot around, and I see them like when
I'm walking into work, walking out of work. So I
(30:03):
think that's definitely like one of my favorite things. But
there are a lot of really really cool things here
for sure.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
From the inside perspective, What do you think the arena
lean into a dome like you said the plaza. What
does that do for the culture? I mean for the fans,
but then also everyone working for the organization.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Yeah, I think just like having our own space, It's
it's really awesome, Like our offices are here, our practice
facilities here, our arenas obviously here, like we're all inside
one space, and I'm sure some people have seen, but
there are five basketball courts within here too, so we
have like the court and the plaza, a court off
(30:43):
the concourse, the main court, and then our two practice
facility courts. So I think it just provides like a
lot of opportunity for us, and it allows us to
you know, kind of be a little bit more creative.
And you know, we're our building. We're in charge of
everything that goes on in here. So I think whether
it's a player or you know, us on the pr side,
(31:03):
like there's a lot of opportunity for collaboration and just
a lot of new exciting things. Like what I love
is throughout all of this, like I have just learned
so much. Like, like I said, never did I think
I would be helping open that one of the most
high tech sports arenas ever.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
Like it.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
They're so insane and there's so much learning. But it's
just it's really cool to see the difference of when
your team owns and completely operates everything out of one building.
Because you know, we used to be in like a
practicality imply Vista played at Crypto and then had an
office in downtown so everything was like kind of a
little spread out. So I think it just allows for
(31:46):
a lot more like collaboration and integration between you know,
the arena side and the team side, because obviously, like
we all fall under the same umbrella. So being able
to like truly truly elaborate and and you know, pass
each other in the halls every day, Like, it's just
it's really really cool.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah, I've only been one so far, but I can't
wait to go back. I mean, everybody has a great
time the wall. Thoughts on the wall it is.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
It is honestly like so cool to see it in action.
And I don't have the exact stat but we've pulled
some like really crazy stats about it about how you know,
opposing teams are shooting at the free throw line. I
guess it's so it's it's doing its job. It's good
it's supposed to do. But I think that's just a
super big thing throughout all the building is like Steve
(32:40):
really wanted this to be a place for the fan,
and you can just really tell when you're here for
a game this building was built for basketball fans, like
and the basketball fans that come to it are obsessed
with it, so it's really cool to see them. Like
my favorite thing. We've had to bring so many media
and you know, and just different groups in on tours,
(33:02):
And my favorite thing is when you walk into the
bowl with a tour and they see the halo board
and they're like, oh my gosh. And then you're like,
and that's the wall and they're like what this place
is crazy? Like getting that reaction. It literally never gets
old to me, because I even remember the first thing
I walked out there and I saw it like fully
(33:23):
like seats fully in halo board on.
Speaker 7 (33:25):
And I was like, oh my god, like it looks
like the pictures but even better. Like yeah, it's just
it's so surreal seeing it in action. And I love
seeing other people experience it as well.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
A lot of hidden gems and surprise at the into
it dome. But looking back on your time with the Clippers,
something that surprised you or something that you've grown as
a skill that you can't expect to.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
I feel like it's kind of something that I don't
really know if like surprise me is the best thing.
But I just love how even those like goes outside
of the Clippers. But I just love how like connected
the sports world is like from team to team, and
like even from like to sport, Like I feel like,
(34:14):
especially being in LA We're in such a big market,
so there's a lot of sports teams here, so like
being able to collaborate with different teams and being able
to collaborate with you know, NFL teams and MLB teams
and colleges, Like it's just I just love how connected
it is, Like even though we're in two completely different industries, right, Like,
there's still a lot of connection amongst all of us,
(34:36):
and then even like between us and other teams, like
you know, teams in the Eastern Conference and you know,
some of our own competitors over here in the West.
Like I think it's just I didn't even I saw
it obviously at Summer League, but really like experiencing it,
and you know, really being able to connect with people
at different teams, whether they're in PR or they're in
(34:58):
social or they're in marketing or I even have like
friends who work for the Chargers and the Rams and
stuff like that. So I think, just like the how
connected everybody is is like it's just really cool to
actually be a part of it and be a part
of like this LA and just like total you know,
(35:18):
all over the country sports network now.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Especially LA with all the professional teams, even colleges. I
have to you know, promote USC exactly. Yeah, I no,
LA is definitely a sports team. It's kind of like,
why wouldn't you want to work in sports?
Speaker 3 (35:38):
You know? No, I don't. I don't like especially not
really being in it. I'm like, I'm not only sure
why anybody's working at any other industry. What are y'all doing?
Get over here?
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Yeah, for anyone looking at you and they're like, oh
my gosh, I want Quinn's job. Like, I just love
all of the values that you know, your team, your
community has that looks like such a fun day to
day the unexpected. What's your advice to those people?
Speaker 3 (36:04):
I really think it's like so cliche and kind of
like annoying. But take every opportunity that comes your way.
Like obviously I say this, take every opportunity, but you
know you all have to take like actually every single opportunity,
like the ones that make sense. But I think like
it's so important to just try different things and you know,
(36:25):
really put yourself out there, like, don't be afraid to
reach out to people like, I'm like so honored. Honestly
when people reach out to me, I'm like, oh my god,
they picked me out of all the people out across
every team, every league, every organization. They were like, let
me reach out to her. And you know, I'm sure
I'm not the only person they're reaching out to. But like,
I love to talk to people about my job, and
(36:47):
I love to you know, share insight and you know,
help advise people on you know, kind of their next step.
So don't be afraid to reach out to people, and
also don't be afraid to try for position that you're
not share or like if you're the best fit for.
There are so many different entry level positions when it
comes to the sports industry, and like especially now being
(37:10):
on the other side of it, like and having to
hire people for those positions. Like a huge thing I
was looking for was like I want someone who's gonna
come in here and they're gonna work hard, right, Like
like Sergio always says, I literally live by his quote
of like just be a dog in your role, Like
whatever you're given, just do it to your best ability,
Like put your best foot forward, whether it's you know
(37:34):
you're packaging up you know, gifts to send out to someone,
or you're pulling players for an interview with ESPN, like
do what you gotta do, get your work done. And
I think that's just a super important thing to think
about in any role. And I really think it's something
that like sometimes those small, you know, kind of admin
(37:55):
type tasks, you're like, oh, I don't really want to
do this, but you being a star and doing what
you got to do in that role is going to
make you the people above you and the other people
you work with like it's going to help make their
life easier and help you know the team's overall success.
So I think that's just super beneficial in any type
of position. But I think it helps a lot when
(38:16):
you're kind of looking at different roles and taking different
roles to always keep that in mind.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
What are your personal strategies for being a star in
year role? I think for.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
Me, it's like I I'm just someone who like I
don't like doing something if I can't do it to
my full potential. So I think that's also a super
important thing. Is like when you are on a team,
understanding like you can't do everything right, Like as much
as we all want to do everything and be like
I did this, this, this, this, this this. That's why
(38:46):
you have a team. You have a team, you all
can do different things to make sure the team is successful.
So that's something I've really had to like learn a lot.
I think throughout my time here is like especially coming
in as an Assi see it, like I wanted to
prove myself right. I wanted to be like I can
do anything you throw at me. But there was some
stuff where I was like, I have no idea what
(39:07):
I'm doing, but I'm gonna figure it out. Yeah, And
then you know sometimes when I was like, hey, I
need help. I really don't know what I'm doing. So
I think it's like understanding when there are things that
you can just take them and run, and then when
there are things when you're like, you know what, I'm
going to connect with some people and you know, work
with my team and work with you know, my manager
(39:29):
and be like, hey, how can we be the most
successful to get this done like quickly, efficiently and like
to you know, our highest potential. So I think kind
of understanding that has helped me a lot. And again
I'm still not perfect at it, but I think that's
really really helped me be successful in my role and
will hopefully help me in future roles as well.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
Any upcoming projects that you and your team are especially
excited for, oh, you know, other than all start in
a few years.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Yeah, all started. Definitely super We're exciting. But I think
it's just like this season, like just continuing this season,
it's so fun, like I said, like bringing in new
teams into this building every single game, and we still
have a ton of teams we haven't played yet. So
being able to you know, come in and see their
players' reactions and their staff's reactions and talking with their
(40:19):
broadcast about it. Like, it's just it's super fun, and
it's it's also cool to just figure out new elements
of the arena myself. Like obviously I've been here for
two years, but there's a lot of different, really cool
and unique elements about the arena that I kind of
forgot about and I kind of like didn't really think
(40:39):
of until now they're like in full effect. So yeah,
I think just that seeing everything else the building has
to offer, and just continuing to connect with our fans
and our new you know city that we're in, it's
it's it's really cool.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
It's really exciting a lot of exciting things, not just
for you but for the organization. So thank you for
taking the time to share some of that and obviously
your career experience, your intern internship experience. It is great
to talk to you again since Summer League, but definitely
have to come back and visit into it.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
Though, yes, definitely I need everyone to come.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
But so fun.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
I literally like I love, like I said, I literally
love bringing people here, Like it is so fun. There's
so many unique things that go beyond just like watching
a game here, like I was saying, the plaza, and
we have like you know, community like events, spaces, we
have our terrorst level is so cool. We have this
thing shoot three sixty, which is like an even cooler
(41:41):
version of paper shot with like digital screens, and like
you can really challenge your basketball skills up there. So
there's so many, so many unique elements and I'm just
excited to keep growing and learning more about you know,
the arena side and obviously the basketball side of it
all as well.
Speaker 2 (41:59):
Well. Well, good luck in your role and then also
on the rest of the season.
Speaker 7 (42:03):
Thank you, It is so great to talk with you.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
You too. Thank you for tuning in to our VSL
Talent Alumni series featuring BSL alum Quinlan Corgan. We hope
you enjoyed learning about her journey into the NBA and
gained valuable insights on breaking into the sports industry, like
subscribe and leave a review on social media and tag
us on your Instagram story at Sports Business Classroom. This
(42:30):
episode is also brought to you by hall Pass Media,
a full service marketing agency that specializes in brand consulting,
event management, digital marketing, and creative design. For more information
on hall Passmedia, go to hallpassnetwork dot com. See you
next time,
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