Few PR professionals find themselves making the leap from an internship to management without pausing for support-staff duties in the proverbial lower rungs. But there is
always an exception to the rules and in this case the exception is Jere Sisler, who hit the PR big leagues after completing a pair of internships.
Ironically, Sisler's big league entry is in the minors - as in Minor League Baseball. Sisler, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Sport Sciences degree from Ohio
University in 2004, recently landed a gig as the PR manager for the Columbus Catfish, the Georgia-based Class-A South Atlantic League affiliate of the Los
Angeles Dodgers (don't be fooled by the "manager" title, because in the minors that's the titular equivalent of vice president). Before that, he was a PR intern with
basketball's Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2003-04 season and a multimedia intern with the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds.
And that's it.
What was the secret for Sisler's leap from internship to PR management? "The position was posted on PBEO.com, the Official Employment Service of Minor League Baseball,"
he says. "I immediately contacted general manager Ken Clary and fortunately it worked out. It's a result of being passionate about working in sports and doing whatever it takes to
stay in the game."
Sisler does not believe his peers in the PR industry would view him with hostility, given his youth and job history. "Absolutely not," he says. "It's a youthful industry and
what might be perceived as a lack of experience often can be overcome by a willingness to learn and work hard."
As baseball fans know, the teams in this baseball league work hard in regard to PR, promotions and marketing; off-beat events and activities are typical of the PR happenings
here. But, Sisler acknowledges he does not possess 100% freedom to cook up whatever promotions he wants.
"We come up with the promotions and events that take place in Columbus," he explains. "Of course, as an affiliate of the Dodgers we must be consistent with the quality of
product expected by our fans and the parent club."
Coming up as the first big PR project for Sisler: a pair of Military Nights promotions to pay tribute to the men and women of Fort Benning, located down the road from
the Catfish stadium.
Contact: Jere Sisler, [email protected].