Octagon Reflection Paper

Spring 2012 Senior Capstone
Personal Reflection Paper

Octagon, NYC: Athlete and Property Marketing Intern

Bryan M. Davidson

The great Vince

Bryan M. Davidson Senior Capstone Reflection Paper

Lombardi once said, "It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one

who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.” This statement was the essence of

Lombardi’s life, a man whose influence on the sporting world has never diminished. I can only

hope that one day I too will have the type of effect on the sport industry that Lombardi had. I

have done my best to keep Lombardi’s mantra in mind while completing my Senior Capstone at

Octagon, and while traveling on my journey to a career in the sports industry thus far. For me,

being able to attack challenges head on was a difficult task at first, where I struggled to be a

leader and not a follower. However, I am now confident that after my experience this past

semester, I am better prepared to be the ‘doer’ that Lombardi celebrated.

All my life, my biggest passion has been sports, and I knew that I would one day work in

this growing and fast-paced industry. Albeit, when I was much younger, I thought that I would

be able to play for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA. Fortunately enough, I quickly came to the

realization that this dream of mine would not be a reality. I quickly set a new goal for myself to

do whatever it takes to get into the business side of the industry, while following this passion of

mine. From the first day I stepped foot into my high school, I did everything in my power to put

myself on a path that would help get me into the college of my dreams, Syracuse University; all

while enhancing my learning experiences along the way. Before I got a chance to be a Sport

Management student at Syracuse, I took advantage of the opportunities given to me at high

school and within the community. Whether it was taking sports business and law classes,

interning for a local law firm, or being a four year member and senior president of my school’s

Mock Trial club, everything that I participated in during my four years of high school helped to

provide me with the structure I needed to enhance my skills and knowledge once I got to

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Syracuse. Once I arrived at Syracuse, I quickly followed that same path that I started on four

years earlier, helping me to get to where I am today.

While spending three and a half amazing years at Syracuse, where I challenged myself as

a student and as a person, I was once again able to take advantage of every experience and

opportunity that presented itself to me. Starting from day one, I dove into as many

extracurricular activities that I possibly could partake in; so that I could couple my classroom

learning’s with hands-on work as well. It all started with joining the Sport Management Club,

where I would spend three and a half years as a participating member, engaging in and

pursuing every opportunity that the club had to offer. For starters, during the early months of

my freshman year, I volunteered to be a worker for the NBA Preseason game between the

Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets that was held on campus. This was my first true hands-

on learning experience that I got to participate in at SU, and was one that really propelled me in

the right direction. Between marketing and promoting the game in the weeks leading up to tip-

off and helping to run the clinic for inner city kids (among other various tasks before, during,

and after the game itself), I was able to see just how much hard work is needed in order to

accomplish a task in the sporting world.

As my first semester at SU progressed, I continued to be an active member in the Sport

Management Club, where I helped with the marketing team for the first Charity Auction that I

participated in. Volunteering at the Sports Charity Auction for three years was one of the most

humbling events that I have ever been a part of. Not only did I learn key skills about what it

takes to prepare for, market, promote, sell, and run a major event like the auction, but I got to

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see just how important giving back to the community is, and how much the sports industry is

critical in helping to make other’s lives better. Besides the auction, everything else that the club

offered helped to educate me with unprecedented knowledge that most college students never

get the chance to receive. From the various sport executives who would come to the club and

give lectures, to the annual SPM board meeting where I get to network with huge players in the

industry, there was always something that I could take advantage of in order to help myself

learn the ways of the industry. This also included the immersion trip to Los Angeles during the

spring of my junior year; a trip that truly opened my eyes.

Once I heard about the potential club trip to LA, I knew that I would be part of it no

matter what. Spending my spring break in Los Angeles with fellow SPM students and faculty,

where we would meet with some of the most prominent sports executives in the industry, was

a no brainer for me. Once it became official, I quickly signed up for the trip, and prepared

myself for an experience that I knew would be life changing. The week that I spent in LA with

Sport Management was truly one of the most unique weeks of my life. The places we visited

and people we met with were things that I never could have dreamed of. Whether it was The

Coliseum, meeting Kobe Bryant at the Lakers practice facility and then seeing the Lakers play at

The Staples Center, or taking a trip to CAA and meeting with one of their top baseball agents,

every single minute spent on the immersion was meaningful. I was able to network myself to

numerous individuals, many of whom I am still in contact with today. I also was able to create

relationships with fellow SPM students who I did not previously know, and am now extremely

close with. All in all, between networking, listening, and site-seeing, as well as acting and

dressing professionally, the trip to Los Angeles was the ‘icing on the cake’ for my SPM Club

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experience, and a trip that I know helped to define me into the sports business professional I

am today.

Although I was an active participant in the SPM Club for three and a half years, it was

not the only extracurricular activity that I was involved in. During the entire spring semester of

my freshman year, I interned for the Syracuse Crunch Hockey team. This was another defining

experience for me since it was my first true internship within the sport industry. I quickly had to

learn to be an efficient time manager, due to the fact that the internship took place during the

school year, and I had to properly balance my school work and studies with my obligations for

the Crunch. At first this was all very difficult for me, but I quickly was able to grasp everything

and do the best job that I possibly could. The responsibilities that I had at the Crunch, which

included working on the game night operations team, as well as doing sales, cold calling, and

marketing for the team during office hours, helped to show me what it is like to work in the

sport industry on a daily basis. The skills that I learned at the Crunch have stuck with me today,

and have truly helped me to succeed with the various tasks that I was assigned during my

capstone experience.

A third major activity that I participated in outside of the classroom was the University

Union Concert Committee. I spent two years as an executive advisor for the club, where it was

my responsibility to help research and book artists for on-campus concerts such as Block Party

and Juice Jam. It was also my responsibility to help market and promote the concerts, survey

the student body about their experiences, and find new and innovative ways for general

members to feel involved in the club. My experience while being on the concert board was truly

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a once in a lifetime one, and really helped me see that my passion goes deeper than just sports.

Not only was being a member a rewarding experience for me (selling over 50,000 tickets on

various shows while on the board), but it was an extremely valuable learning experience for me

as well. Working with the various artists, as well as helping to run the actual concerts, allowed

me to see just how similar the music and sports industries are, and provided me with the real-

world experience that I needed in order to hone my event planning and marketing skills. Being

a member of University Union, coupled with my membership of the Sport Management Club,

truly helped me to see the bigger picture of the sports and entertainment industry, and gave

me the foundation I needed for succeeding in the future.

Even though the activities that I was a part of outside the classroom helped to give me

the real-world skills that I need in order to succeed, I would not be where I am today if it

weren’t for the classes I took at Syracuse and the professors that taught them. I can truly say

that every class that I was part of during my four years at Syracuse helped to teach me a

specific skill set that I have used on a regular basis throughout my capstone. Whether it was my

Sports Sales class, where I learned how to make cold calls and sales presentations, or my Sports

Technology class, where I learned how to use all of the necessary computer tools in the

workplace, every class that I enrolled in provided me with the chance to learn skills and

knowledge that I had previously lacked, and provided me with the opportunity to succeed in

the long-run. Other classes like my Sports Career class, my Sports Marketing class, my

Entrepreneurship class, and my Presentation Speaking class all helped me to learn invaluable

skills ranging from how to act and look like a professional at all times to how to properly deliver

a presentation to a group of my peers. I can honestly say that without these classes, I would not

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be having the success that I am right now both in my capstone and in life as a whole.

As I look back at my college experiences, I cannot forget to talk about the summer

internships that I took part in. From day one, my various Sport Management professors and

advisors constantly talked about how vital it is to get as much out-of-the-classroom experience

as possibly. One can only learn so much from studying and being taught certain materials, but if

they are able to couple that with hands-on learning experiences in the field, then they will be

better prepared for a career in the sport industry. Taking the advice from my elders, I did

everything I could to find internships at as many diverse companies as possible. The first major

summer internship I was able to land was at a sports and entertainment law firm in NYC,

Hantman & Associates, ESQ. Although the firm was rather small, I was still able to learn an

immense amount of skills that I could not have learned in the classroom. My responsibilities at

the firm included legal and market research, organizing and filing cases, maintaining business

expenses, and keeping track of client information. Besides my daily tasks, I was fortunate

enough to have been able to make various courthouse appearances, attend business meetings

with the firm’s clients, and learn how to write-up various legal documents. Since it is my

ultimate ambition to be a sports agent, and a large part of that career has to do with contracts

and the legal field, this internship was a critical learning experience for me, where I was able to

take what I learned in the classroom and use those skills in the field.

My second major internship that I was part of was at Deutsch Advertising, where I was

part of the Sports Account Management team. This internship was an amazing and fast paced

experience, where it was non-stop from the moment I arrived at the company. I got the

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pleasure of working on the DirecTV account, where I helped to create, design, present, edit,

produce and research different advertising campaigns for DirecTV. This was great for me

because a major part of being a sport agent is being able to come up with good marketing

partners and ideas for your clients, and working at Deutsch allowed me to see what it takes to

come up with these types of ideas, and how to differentiate good and bad marketing

opportunities. Another major part of the internship was my work on the DirecTV spoof ‘Football

Cops.’ Throughout my time spent at Deutsch, I helped to create, edit, and keep track of this

campaign, where we used clients Peyton & Eli Manning to create a fake TV show for DirecTV.

This was an unbelievable and extremely enjoyable project for me, where I was able to see what

it takes to create, work on, and see a major marketing campaign from start to finish. I once

again was able to use skills that I learned in the classroom, specifically my sports marketing and

sales classes, in order to help me create the best work I possibly could while at Deutsch.

I truly believe that everything that I have been a part of during my high school and

college career has helped me to get to where I am today. If it weren’t for every class,

extracurricular activity, and internship that I partook in, I believe I would not have gotten the

opportunity to complete my senior capstone at Octagon in New York City. However, even with

that being said, the process that lead up to landing this capstone was a long and grueling one,

where I spent a great deal of time networking, reaching out to contacts, and trying my best to

impress the recruiters. I know that everything happens for a reason, and for me, everything fell

into place when I needed it too, ultimately helping me land an opportunity at Octagon.

My connection with Octagon started at the end of my summer internship at Deutsch.

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During a company-wide event, I came to the realization that Deutsch was owned by Inter Public

Group, and the holding company happened to own a sports agency as well, known as Octagon.

As soon as I found this out, I talked to the woman who hired me at Deutsch, Ms. Felicia Geiger,

to see if she had any contacts at Octagon. Felicia put me in touch with one person she knew at

Octagon, and that was the start of the chain events that ultimately landed me an interview.

From my initial contact made at Octagon, I was then put in touch with a few other associates,

all of which recommended I speak to someone else who might be able to help me with what I

was looking for. I finally got in touch with the head of human resources for Octagon, Ms. Lydia

Ketkar, but she informed me that it was too early in the process and that I should reach out to

her again a couple of months later. I waited a couple of weeks, and decided that before I reach

out to her again, I should reach out to as many people as I possibly could, to see if I could create

any new connections.

Through this reaching out process, I ended up connecting with Andrew Abramson, a

former Syracuse Sport Management graduate, who now works in Octagon’s basketball division.

Andrew did his senior capstone with Octagon a few years back, and that internship ended up

landing him a full-time job at the company. I spoke to Andrew a few times over the next couple

of weeks, and let him know my desire to complete my capstone with Octagon, just as he did.

Andrew ultimately connected me with Ms. Jennifer Keene, who worked in the New York City

office, since that is where I wanted to conduct the internship. Thanks to Andrew’s introduction

and recommendation, I was given the chance to have a phone interview with Jennifer in

October. During the call, Jennifer and I spoke at length about my goals, my experiences, what I

could contribute to Octagon and about the sport industry in general. The interview itself was an

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amazing experience for me, and I ended the call feeling very confident about the chances of

landing a capstone with the company. Jennifer let me that I would hear from either her or Lydia

in the coming weeks about if there is an opportunity for me, and we would take it from there.

On October 17th, 2011, I received a phone call while I was leaving my sports law class.

The call was from Ms. Lydia Ketkar, the head of Human Resources for Octagon. On the call, she

wanted to complement me on the job that I did during the interview I had with Jennifer the

week prior. After catching up briefly, Lydia informed me that she and Jennifer decided that they

would like to extend an opportunity to me to complete my capstone at Octagon’s NYC office,

starting in January. I was almost speechless when I heard the news, and immediately accepted

the offer. From there, Lydia sent me all the paperwork that needed to be signed in order to

make the internship acceptance and offer official. I stayed in touch with her and Jennifer in the

following weeks in order to come up with my exact starting date. After going back and forth on

a date due to the moving of offices that Octagon was going to have to endure, we decided that

the first day of my senior capstone will be Tuesday, January 17th. Although it was still months

away, I recall being extremely eager to get to work. For the remainder of the semester, I did my

best to research and learn as much about the company as possible, so that I could come into

my first day feeling like an experienced employee.

The interesting thing about accepting Octagon’s offer as soon as I got it was that I had to

decline other offers that I ended up receiving as well. During my search for a capstone, I

reached out to numerous different sport agencies and marketing companies, in hopes of

something sticking. The same week that I accepted Octagon’s offer, I found out that I had been

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offered an opportunity to complete my capstone at IMG, and an opportunity to interview with

Wasserman Media Group as well. Although I now had multiple options, I knew right away that

Octagon was the best fit for me. Octagon is a very well-rounded company, specializing in

marketing and representation of athletes and entertainers alike. Also, the capstone was set to

be in New York City, which is where I needed to be in terms of living. The other two

opportunities were not in NYC, and I felt that they did not offer the potential for growth like

Octagon did. All in all, I knew I had to make a decision on which one I wanted to accept (even

though I committed to Octagon at first), and I was very satisfied in the end with the route that I

decided to take.

Passion. Engagement. Results. Those three words are what everyone at Octagon abides

by at all times. Not only do those words define the general mission of the company, but they

act as a guideline for every employee to follow when conducting their daily business. As a

global sports, entertainment, and music conglomerate, with over 25 years of success, Octagon

has become the world’s largest sponsorship consulting and talent representation agency. The

company manages and influences over three billion dollars’ worth of annual worldwide

sponsorship fess and branded entertainment initiatives, while operating with over 800

employees globally. Thanks to all of the great work that each member of the Octagon team

completes, the company was awarded the top sports agency honor by the Sports Business

Journal in 2008, and was named the inaugural Sports Agency of the Year. However, even with

all of the accolades that Octagon has received as a whole, it is truly the individuals from the top

to the bottom that make the company what it is.

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From my first day at Octagon, it was evident that everyone worked as a team in order to

accomplish their goals. By following the company’s general mission, they are able to come

together as one and complete any task that comes their way. It all starts with the President and

CEO of Octagon, Mr. Rick Dudley. Although I never got the chance to formally meet Mr. Dudley,

I understood his desire for results every day that I came to work. He passed his mission down

from person to person throughout the company, and it quickly resonated with me. In terms of

structure under Mr. Dudley, Octagon is made up of Phil de Picciotto, who is the President of the

Athletes & Personalities division, Nancy Morton, who is the CFO of Athletes & Personalities, Jeff

Shifrin, who is the President of Octagon Marketing, and Lisa Murray, who is the Executive VP,

CMO of Octagon. From there, Octagon is composed of various agents, including Jeff Austin

(basketball), Mile Sullivan (football), Alan Nero (baseball), and John Ferriter (entertainment).

Other key personnel at the company include Julie Kennedy, who is the VP of Talent for the

Athletes & Personalities division, Bill Hart, who is the VP of Athlete & Property Marketing, David

Schwab, who is the founder of Octagon First Call, and my boss Jennifer Keene, who is the Senior

Director of the Athlete & Property Marketing division, and the company’s official Literary Agent.

In one way or another, I was fortunate enough to interact with various higher ups throughout

Octagon, helping to make my experience extremely informative.

Since the New York City office that I completed my capstone in was not Octagon

headquarters, there were not as many key personnel in the office on a regular basis compared

to the main office in McLean, VA. As I stated earlier, my site supervisor was Ms. Jennifer Keene,

and I directly worked for her throughout the entire length of my capstone. It was my job to help

Octagon continue to succeed and grow its business by using the skills I developed during my

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past experiences. Jennifer provided me with daily tasks and assignments, as well as with major

lengthy projects. She had me participate in her conference calls with clients, sponsors, and

other Octagon employees, and granted me access to everything that she was working on.

Jennifer was truly the most influential boss I have had thus far in my short career. She trusted

me to be able to complete difficult and critical tasks, while also giving me the freedom to work

on some of my own projects. Every day coming to work with Jennifer was a true learning

experience, where she taught me key skills such has reading and writing contracts, speaking

professionally, and thinking critically. All in all, Jennifer treated me as an equal, experienced

colleague, and not as an entry-level intern.

Under Jennifer, I truly was never kept out of the loop, and always knew what was going

on across the company. Even though there were not many of us in the NYC office, thanks to

Jennifer’s candidness with me, from the moment I got to Octagon I felt like I was part of a

global family. Although I worked directly for Jennifer on a regular basis, I was still able to create

a connection and interact significantly with other Octagon employees and interns throughout

the company. A few key executives that I was able to work on projects with included Teddy

Bloch (Manager, A&P Marketing in McLean), Alyssa Romano (Marketing & Communications

Coordinator, McLean), Devin Lacerte (Athlete Marketing Manager, McLean), and Bill Hart (VP of

A&P Marketing, McLean). I also interacted with Sivan Fernandez (A&P Marketing Intern,

McLean), Sarah Grace (Events, NYC), and Marisol Perez (Events Intern, NYC) more frequently

since they were interns and entry-level employees like me. Every person that I connected with,

whether it was once or more frequently like the list above, truly made me feel like I was right at

home, and made working with them easy and rewarding.

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The higher-ups that I worked with throughout my internship all impacted me in different

ways. Teddy helped me get accustomed to the ‘Octagon way’ from the beginning of my

capstone. He helped me to learn the ropes of doing certain assignments, and was there for me

to reach out to whenever I had any question or needed advice. Alyssa was very beneficial for

me to work with because she helped me learn about the communications and PR side of the

business. Whenever I was working on a project and needed more information about a specific

client, Alyssa was the one who provided me with those details. Devin was great to work with

because he was more part of the athletes themselves. He was my liaison for the Stephen Curry

cold calls, and really helped me to feel more comfortable making those calls. He was able to

explain to me the proper ways of reaching out to targets, and how to act professionally while

doing so; true skills I could only learn in the field. Lastly, it was great getting to network with

Bill, since he is well known and connected throughout the industry. I was able to pick up many

key tricks to the trade by sitting in on meetings when he came to the NYC office, and I also was

fortunate enough to pick his brain a few times as well. I know that every person I interacted

with throughout my stay at Octagon helped to shape me into the worker I need to be in order

to ultimately achieve success.

During my time at Octagon, my daily and weekly responsibilities often varied. On any

given day I could be responsible for intern tasks like research assignments, contact information

look ups, cold calling and emailing, as well as other office related tasks. On the other hand, my

days sometime consisted of major projects like creating marketing campaigns for clients,

attending business meetings, sitting in and participating in conference calls, and coming up with

sponsor targets for major client events. The diversity of the tasks that were assigned to me is

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what made the capstone so intriguing for me, and what kept me eager to come to work every

morning. I always had to be on my feet and ready for the next task that would be presented to

me. Being a good time manager was critical in order to get everything done when they needed

to be completed, and thanks to my rigorous schedule that I maintained at Syracuse, I was

extremely prepared to do so.

As I said earlier, the projects and tasks that I was responsible for during my capstone

varied greatly. Some of the major assignments that I worked on included creating a culinary

camp plan and outline for client Monica Bhide, creating a marketing campaign utilizing client

Jimmer Fredette and DJ Kaskade, cold calling sponsor targets for the Stephen Curry Charity Golf

Tournament and the Justin Tuck Celebrity Billiards Tournament, working on different sales

decks for clients Nancy Lieberman, Emmitt Smith, Monica Bhide, Justin Tuck, and Jimmer

Fredette, and creating lists of licensing and sponsorship targets for various clients and events.

Some of the more minor, yet just as important tasks that I worked on throughout my stay

included helping out my boss with her expenses, creating lead sheets for new contacts, various

research assignments about individuals and companies, writing thank you notes on behalf of

my boss and clients, and basic intern duties. I can honestly say that there was not a single task

that I did not enjoy working on and that did not help me to learn something valuable. Every

single assignment that I was given helped make my overall experience at Octagon one that was

truly educational and beneficial for me, helping to sharpen the skills that I will need as I travel

on the road to success.

The most rewarding aspect of my capstone at Octagon was the fact that every

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experience that I partook in had some form of learning implications for me. Each assignment,

project, task, meeting, and phone call that I was a part of helped me to better understand sport

management as a profession and not just an educational subject. For me, learning things such

as how to properly conduct cold calls to potential sponsors, how to act while on a business

meeting with a client, how to write more professionally and with business savvy, and how to

perfect presentations that will be given to clients, showed me that there is more to the industry

then just being knowledgeable about sports. Thanks to the help of my boss Jennifer, I quickly

learned that I needed to be able to think critically and ‘outside of the box’ at all times, and not

be afraid to use my instincts. As time passed, I saw myself growing from an intern into a true

sports industry employee. This transformation without a doubt came from the knowledge that I

gained each and every day by interacting with my peers, and working on the various projects

that I was given. Both personally and professionally, I saw myself become more confident,

outgoing, and independent; traits that needed to be strengthened in order for me to sustain

success.

Although I did not specifically work on the agency side of Octagon, I was fortunate

enough to have been able to interact with some of the company’s various agents, including Jeff

Austin, Chris Emens, and Lane Young, all who represent various NBA players. It is my ultimate

ambition to become a sports agent, and I have done my best to prepare myself for achieving

that goal. Although I worked in the marketing division of Octagon, and did not work for any of

these agents on a regular basis, I was still able to learn a great deal about the career path that I

will need to take in order to one day become an agent. I did my best to take advantage of any

chance I got to interact with these various Octagon agents. Whether it was working with them

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to come up with sponsorship lists for future endorsement deals for clients, or work with them

to create marketing and sales decks, I got to see firsthand the type of work successful agents

complete. Also, Jennifer did her best to teach me as many things as she possibly could in

relation to the agency side of the business. She went over various contracts with me, taught me

about patents, shared documents with me pertaining to recruiting clients, and allowed me to

sit in on meetings and calls where she was discussing taking on literary clients. Unlike my past

experiences, working at Octagon truly gave me the best understanding that I have had thus far

about what it means to be an agent, and how there is a lot more to the position then just

negotiating contracts for clients.

I truly believe that if it weren’t for the specific courses that I took will attending

Syracuse, I would not have been as academically and personally prepared for my time spent at

Octagon. Starting with Sport Management, classes such as Principles of Sales in Sport,

Technology in Sport, Sport Communications, Sport Marketing Management, and the Careers

course all gave me the tools necessary to work for a major sport marketing company. Whether

it was teaching me how to try and sell myself or a client to a sponsor, making cold calls, using

the various Microsoft and Adobe programs, or creating marketing campaigns and conducting

various research assignments, every last task that I worked on in the Syracuse classroom helped

give me the foundation needed to build on while at Octagon. My other, non-SPM classes which

deemed to be invaluable included Presentation Speaking, Strategic Management, Managing in

a Global Setting, and Communications and Society. These classes taught me key skills such as

presentation giving, eye contact, working with colleagues across a company, and proper time

management, all things that I ultimately ended up needing to have a background in while at

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Octagon. Thanks to the help of my advisors, professors, and peers, I am confident that during

the time I spent at Syracuse, I took all of the right courses I needed to, and that there are no

other courses that could have better prepared me for my time at Octagon.

There is no question that everything that I partook in leading up to my capstone

experience at Octagon prepared me by teaching me the skills I needed to know in order to find

some success in the sport industry. However, at the completion of my work for Octagon, I was

able to walk away with an even larger skill-set that I know has helped to enhance my abilities to

perform at a high level. Thanks to the help of my boss Jennifer, the projects I completed, and

my daily interactions with my Octagon peers, I was able to develop these new skills and fine-

tune older ones. I learned how to act professionally at all times, including in meetings, on

phone calls, and when creating and presenting documents to clients. I was able to change my

writing style from that of a college student into what a successful businessman’s should look

like (detailed but brief, no usage of slang, gets to the point quickly). I saw just how important

time is, and that I needed to use my time management skills in order to make sure I get my

tasks done as quickly but efficiently as possible.

Also, throughout my time at Octagon, I was able to conquer one of my work-related

fears, cold calling, and actually become an expert on the subject. Thanks to the help of my boss

and colleagues like Devin, I was given the confidence I needed to pick up the phone and not be

afraid to sell myself and our clients, in hopes of making a deal. Whether it was for the Stephen

Curry charity golf tournament or the Justin Tuck billiards tournament, I had an immense

amount of cold call practice while at Octagon, which will help me to be better prepared for

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future interviews, sales, and business networking. Although I was able to develop new skills,

such as professionalism, time management, and selling while at Octagon, I still need to make

improvements in certain areas as I continue to gain work experience. Things that I feel that I

still need to improve on include being more independent in finding my own work, being more

open to criticism, and being able to not get too flustered in stressful situations. Obviously no

one is perfect, but if I want to be the best sports industry executive that I can be, I need to be

able to overcome some of my deficiencies, and use my experiences to fine-tune the skills I need

to find success.

Unfortunately, the areas in which I still need improvement in where also some of the

areas that lead to challenges that I faced while at Octagon. For starters, on days when my boss

was not in the office or when she did not have a ton of work for me to complete, I was forced

to try and figure out how to keep busy. It was very challenging for me at first because I did not

want to overstep my boundaries, and work on projects that I didn’t have any business doing.

After some time, I was able to get the courage I needed to use my own ideas that I have, and

turn them into tangible information so that I could present them to Jennifer. I was proud that I

was able to overcome this type of challenge, and I was extremely satisfied with the work that I

completed as a result. Another major challenge that I had to overcome had to deal with the

constructive criticism that Jennifer gave me daily. Whenever I did something that she deemed

not professional or had a strong opinion about, she would inform me of my mistake and make

suggestions for the future. Although I am used to getting advice, this was different because I did

my best to impress her every day, and I always wanted everything that I completed to be

perfect. After some time, I came to the realization that she was trying to help me and make me

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into the best worker I could be, and I now truly cherish all of the pointers and tips she shared

with me throughout the capstone. I know that she truly helped put me on the right path to

sport industry stardom.

Working at Octagon for 14 weeks helped to teach me a lot about myself both personally

and professionally within the sport industry. On a personal level, my five month capstone

experience helped me to become more social, outgoing, and independent all at the same time.

Thanks to my constant interaction with my boss, my co-workers, clients, and different company

targets, I was able to strengthen my people skills, and learn how to react in certain situations. I

saw myself grow into a confident worker from an entry-level intern and student, while keeping

a humble attitude at the same time. I learned just how vital it is to be on the same page with

those you work with on a regular basis, and to not create any enemies within the industry. I

also learned that I had a long ways to go professionally before I will reach the success that I

dream to have one day. I have a lot more knowledge to gain, and I believe that my growth at

Octagon has given me the chance to head into my next opportunity with a more open mind for

what my career will ultimately be. Lastly, working at Octagon opened my eyes to the sport

industry as a whole, and allowed me to see that there is more to the industry then just being an

athlete or agent.

As I mentioned earlier, it has always been a goal of mine to have a career in sports.

From an early age, I knew that I wanted to work with athletes, and ultimately be a sport agent.

Working at Octagon gave me the chance to see that there are hundreds of other ways that I

could make an impact within the industry then just being an agent. As time went on during my

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capstone, I sometimes found myself questioning whether or not being an agent is still my

ultimate goal, and if I could see myself going a different route. However, at the end of the day, I

still plan on being a major contributor to the sport industry by being one of the most innovative

and successful sport agents and marketers of all time. I believe that I can offer the business of

sports a unique skill-set that includes determination, hard work, perseverance, eagerness, and a

true care for those within the industry, which will help me to reach my goals. I can see myself

gaining more valuable working experience, and then ultimately being able to open my own one-

stop-shop agency, where all of an athlete’s needs would be met. I look forward to the

challenge of coming up with a way to make a positive contribution to the sport industry,

similarly to how I feel I helped out at Octagon.

Coming into my senior capstone, I had extremely high expectations for what my

Octagon experience would be like. Before I arrived to the office on my first day, I established

my SMART Goals and created a mental list of what I wanted to come out of this experience

with. For me, it was critical to get as much hands-on experience at Octagon as I possibly could

because I had never interned for an agency like it before. I expected to come to work every

single day, and be challenged with difficult and intriguing projects. I planned on being able to

use free time to work on some of my own ideas, in hope of presenting them to my boss at the

end. I also hoped that I would be able to network with various executives throughout the

company, and participate in numerous meetings with clients as well. Overall, I anticipated that

my time spent at Octagon would be very valuable and helpful in creating the foundation that I

need in order to find future success in the sport industry. As it turns out, my perspective did not

really change as I came to work each day, since for the most part, I was able to reach and even

21


surpass my original expectations.

With the high expectations that I had coming into my capstone experience at Octagon,

there was a great chance for a letdown. Fortunately for me, I am proud to say that that was not

the case whatsoever. Almost everything that I hoped would happen for me while at Octagon

actually did, and I was even able to do more than I ever could have hoped. Every task that I was

assigned was not only interesting, but forced me to think critically and outside of the box. On a

regular basis, I was challenged to use my knowledge and skills in order to complete tasks that I

had never worked on before. These projects, ranging from marketing campaigns and sales

decks to cold calling and in-depth research, gave me the chance to learn what it is like being in

the sports business and what my end results need to look like in order to find success. Also,

there wasn’t a week that went by where I didn’t interact with someone new. Whether it was an

Octagon client, employee, or potential business partner, I was able to meet intriguing

individuals throughout my time at Octagon, who showed me how to succeed in this industry.

Looking back at my experience, my only regrets are that I did not use my free time as

well as I could have (where I could have used my ideas more to create opportunities for clients),

and that I was unable to complete a large sale for one of the events that I worked on. Although

I was able to come up with a large marketing plan for client Jimmer Fredette and then present

it to Jennifer, I would have loved to have been able to complete something independently and

see it come to fruition. However, even with those let-downs, I am confident that every minute

spent during this experience was worth the while, and that I am better off because of it, both

personally and professionally.

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There is no question that I would recommend Octagon to Sport Management students

looking for a place to complete their capstone at. There is no such thing as an intern at

Octagon, and everyone is considered to be part of an extended family that is treated with

respect at all times. I never felt like I was an inferior to anyone I interacted or worked with, and

because of the way I was treated, I was able to find success much easier than at other places I

worked at. I have no doubts that anyone from our Sport Management program would excel

greatly completing their capstone at Octagon. I would advise these future students to make

sure that they are very organized and prepared before arriving to their capstone location. They

need to have goals and expectations for what they want to get out of the experience, and know

as much about the company as they possibly can, so they do not come in and feel

overwhelmed. Also, I would advise them to network constantly with as many people as possible

because you never know where your next job might come from. They must be prepared to

work as hard as possible, and always show that they want to do more.

Now that I have completed my capstone at Octagon, I have to figure out where to go

and what to do next. After I graduate from Syracuse in May, it is my plan to go back to Octagon

for a significant part of the summer to help out and work on some things that I started during

my capstone. I will be working at an Octagon run Justin Tuck charity event in late May as well,

which will be an amazing learning experience for me. From there, I have a few interviews lined

up with companies such as CAA and Wasserman Media Group for potential full-time jobs.

However, I have also been accepted to Syracuse University College of Law starting in August of

2012. As of now, it is my plan to attend law school for the next three years and get my law

degree upon graduation. Since it is my ultimate ambition to become a sports agent, I figured

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that law school would be another great tool to use to help me reach this goal. The only thing

that would stop me from completing my JD studies would be an offer from a company like CAA

that I just could not refuse. It is nice to have these options, and I am confident that I will

ultimately make the right decision.

I truly believe that my time spent at Syracuse in the Sport Management program has

helped to make me into the person that I am today, both on a personal and professional level.

The program helped to turn me from a wide-eyed college freshman to a confident sports

industry executive. Every student, professor, and administrator that I interacted with while at

Syracuse helped to guide me to the path that I am on right now, and I know that I would not be

here if it was not for them. Lastly, I am very happy with my decision to complete my senior

capstone at Octagon, where I spent 14 of the best weeks of my life thus far. The memories,

experiences, and friendships that I had and made while working at Octagon will be things that I

will never forget as long as I live. My spring 2012 Senior Capstone was the ultimate cherry on

top of my amazing college career.

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Octagon Reflection Paper

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