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| Megan Julian checks her work phone Photo by Taylor Shelgren |
By Taylor Shelgren
Megan Julian has two phones with her at all times. One of them is her personal phone and the other is for her job, where all the social media accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat, for the San Antonio Spurs are hooked up.
Julian, a San Antonio native and Trinity graduate in 2013, is the Social Media Coordinator for the Spurs Sports and Entertainment, a job she has held since October 2014. The 25-year-old is also the first person to ever work this position for this company, thanks to the social media boom in recent years.
“It is crucial for sport teams at the professional level to have social media accounts,” says Julian, especially when considering the potentially endless audience that social media can reach all over the world. Ten years ago, Julian’s job wouldn’t have even existed. Today, social media have become a huge part of branding, marketing, and connecting with the public, and Julian is the social media voice of her company.
Her work phone ringer is always set at loud to make sure she will not miss any important breaking news. When she receives news about the Spurs and other teams of the company, she must turn that information into Facebook posts or tweets or Instagram photos that will connect with the audience, including fans, athletes, coaches, sponsors, and the Spurs Corporation. “I’m the voice for it all and I can’t offend any of those parties. Have to think of what everyone will think,” she says.
One of the challenges of her job is figuring out what and how to tailor the message for each social media platform. “What I put on Facebook is totally different from what I put on Instagram because of the audience and platform,” she says. “Twitter is every five minutes and Snapchat has totally changed the ball game. Everything is in real time.”
So far her most popular post on all social media platforms is from the February 6 game, which saw the attendance of singer and actor Selena Gomez, also a San Antonio native. Julian took photos and videos of Gomez watching the game, and to this day, those photos and videos are still getting shares.
Working closely with the digital, marketing, and public relations departments as well as reporting directly to the broadcast director, Julian usually works the typical 9 to 5 schedule. However, when there is a game, she is at the arena two hours before the game and two hours after, posting on social media. “It is an 18-hour day,” she says.
The toughest part of her job is missing her weekend nights or holidays with her family. “It is a huge sacrifice,” she adds. But she loves her job. Her favorable part? “It’s the Spurs!” She says with great excitement. “I took something that I enjoyed and loved watching and now it is my job. I would tweet about the Spurs anyway and now I make money for it.”
Julian was a Communication major at Trinity and a member of Chi Beta Epsilon sorority. She was also the managing editor of the Trinitonian. While working for the student newspaper, she gave up many college weekend nights and often worked until 2 a.m., which coincidentally prepared her for the Spurs job. Upon graduation, she applied for over a hundred jobs and received many no’s. She finally got a yes from the Spurs and it was her dream job!
"Megan Julian has one of the greatest jobs! I am so jealous of what she gets to do," says Matt Prendergast, 24, Julian’s friend and fellow Communication major from Trinity. "Megan is extremely hard working and I loved interning with her at the Spurs when I was a junior."
Indeed hardworking, Julian has the determination to excel in her career and will not allow anything to get in her way.
“It is crucial for sport teams at the professional level to have social media accounts,” says Julian, especially when considering the potentially endless audience that social media can reach all over the world. Ten years ago, Julian’s job wouldn’t have even existed. Today, social media have become a huge part of branding, marketing, and connecting with the public, and Julian is the social media voice of her company.
Her work phone ringer is always set at loud to make sure she will not miss any important breaking news. When she receives news about the Spurs and other teams of the company, she must turn that information into Facebook posts or tweets or Instagram photos that will connect with the audience, including fans, athletes, coaches, sponsors, and the Spurs Corporation. “I’m the voice for it all and I can’t offend any of those parties. Have to think of what everyone will think,” she says.
One of the challenges of her job is figuring out what and how to tailor the message for each social media platform. “What I put on Facebook is totally different from what I put on Instagram because of the audience and platform,” she says. “Twitter is every five minutes and Snapchat has totally changed the ball game. Everything is in real time.”
So far her most popular post on all social media platforms is from the February 6 game, which saw the attendance of singer and actor Selena Gomez, also a San Antonio native. Julian took photos and videos of Gomez watching the game, and to this day, those photos and videos are still getting shares.
Working closely with the digital, marketing, and public relations departments as well as reporting directly to the broadcast director, Julian usually works the typical 9 to 5 schedule. However, when there is a game, she is at the arena two hours before the game and two hours after, posting on social media. “It is an 18-hour day,” she says.
The toughest part of her job is missing her weekend nights or holidays with her family. “It is a huge sacrifice,” she adds. But she loves her job. Her favorable part? “It’s the Spurs!” She says with great excitement. “I took something that I enjoyed and loved watching and now it is my job. I would tweet about the Spurs anyway and now I make money for it.”
Julian was a Communication major at Trinity and a member of Chi Beta Epsilon sorority. She was also the managing editor of the Trinitonian. While working for the student newspaper, she gave up many college weekend nights and often worked until 2 a.m., which coincidentally prepared her for the Spurs job. Upon graduation, she applied for over a hundred jobs and received many no’s. She finally got a yes from the Spurs and it was her dream job!
"Megan Julian has one of the greatest jobs! I am so jealous of what she gets to do," says Matt Prendergast, 24, Julian’s friend and fellow Communication major from Trinity. "Megan is extremely hard working and I loved interning with her at the Spurs when I was a junior."
Indeed hardworking, Julian has the determination to excel in her career and will not allow anything to get in her way.
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