I grew up in the small town of McMinnville, Oregon, with a deep passion for sports and a genuine knack for connecting with people. If I wasn’t playing sports, I was watching them, and when I wasn’t watching them, I’d spend hours on end discussing them with people the next day.
Upon graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in advertising and a specialization in social media, I was left pondering the age-old question… "What's next?" This uncertainty was likely due to my double-secret Hannah Montana lifestyle that I’d lived while attending the University of Oregon and being one of the biggest figures in all of collegiate athletics… the Oregon Duck mascot.
Embracing the opportunity as the Duck propelled me into a career in sports entertainment and social media that I never imagined possible. Eventually leading me to the freezing Midwest in Minnesota, serving as the Mascot Coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. Working in a professional mascot role taught me that the job involved far more than just embodying a silly human-sized Muppet charater. But that it demanded constant creativity and collaboration, enabling me to adapt to new daily challenges on the fly and refine my skills in social media, experiential marketing, and establishing a brand.
After two amazing years of experiences in the NFL through Viktor the Viking, a unique and new opportunity presented itself to head back to the West Coast for my hometown NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers to help create a new mascot character for the organization.
So to sum it up, my career journey with different mascot costumes has been an enduring adventure, to say the least. I’m sure you have questions, so go ahead and hit me up and ask! And yes, to answer your first burning questions – it was indeed scorching hot in those costumes, and as for the sweat, well, let's just say it’s a rather disgusting badge of honor!