From UC Berkeley To Turner Sports — How Kelsey Warma Is Making The Most Of Her Career

Kelsey Warma has demonstrated ongoing passion for working in the sports industry, and exudes professionalism, creativity, and integrity in all her endeavors. From graduating with a degree in political science from UC Berkeley, to her current sponsorship role with Turner Sports on their Capital One partnership, Kelsey has consistently been someone people love to work with.

In November 2017, Turner hosted an “Open House” where all internal departments could learn from each other and share ideas cross-functionally. Kelsey seized the opportunity to present her department’s portfolio, broader narrative, and future goals (alongside her manager), resulting in an incredible career highlight.

Recently, the Sponsorship Space had the opportunity to discuss industry roles, organizational culture, career advice for current students, and much more with Kelsey. For more on Kelsey, please see her LinkedIn profile here.

1) Tell us about your journey — what excites you most about working in the sports industry (specifically live events)?

My journey in the sports industry began with a work-study job for the Cal Athletics Department. I loved being a part of the department and having an operations role at home football games, but I expected my involvement in sports would end there. Through a boss’s former colleague, I was connected with the live events team at Turner Sports and was able to work the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. After having an opportunity to experience an event of that scale, I realized the aspects I deeply enjoyed about my job with the athletics department were applicable to sports and live events broadly.

The people are the best part of the sports industry, and specifically live events. I have been fortunate to work with an extremely eclectic group of people from a range of personal and professional backgrounds, but who share a real passion for their work.

2) Can you describe the organizational culture of Turner Sports?

Turner is an extremely special place for several reasons; one of the clearest examples is every quarterly meeting in which I have participated, there is at least one individual recognized for their 20+ years at Turner. Employees genuinely believe in Turner’s longstanding corporate values and culture. Something I deeply appreciate as a young professional is the value Turner places on diversity and actively seeking out opinions from across the spectrum. In my meetings with members of the company’s senior leadership, they have consistently been candid, engaging and explicit in their interest to invest in my career and my professional development.

3) In terms of job responsibilities, what are your favorite aspects?

The ability work on vastly different projects for varying properties has been hands down the most personally rewarding aspect of my role. I have learned so much from ideating around new ventures for events ranging from the NBA All Star Game to College World Series and Upfront, and it allows me to be constantly engaged.

4) How has your role evolved over the last couple years?

I went from working broadly on all our accounts and events to focusing almost exclusively on Turner’s Capital One partnership. Having the ability to deep-dive into one major client has allowed me to broaden my skill sets and further develop professionally.

5) What are your favorite resources & publications to stay current on industry trends?

SportsBusiness Journal, BizBash and Event Marketer are my top three.

6) For students looking to break into the industry, what would be your top 3 pieces of advice?

1. Always be a value add, whether it’s a piece of gum or a pointed question — have something to offer

2. Truly know your strengths and how to apply them

3. The idea that “Nobody is better than you but you’re better than nobody” is engrained in the industry, but there is no limit to where hard work can take you.

7) Have you had any mentors help you in your career endeavors?

I’ve been fortunate enough to have mentors at virtually every step of my career. My two older brothers have always been incredible sounding boards for me and have no shame telling me I’m completely off base when needed. Both my former bosses have also been huge assets as well. They’ve helped me identify my strengths and how to use them to navigate the sports / entertainment landscape.

8) Outside of work, what are some of your favorite things to do?

Aside from being a huge sports fan, shocker, I love hanging out with my siblings, photography, reading and traveling.