Meet Hannah Geeser.
Hannah’s sports journey didn’t really get started until her junior year at San Diego State. Up to that point, Hannah had the typical college story - majoring in marketing, involved with her sorority, and searching for that “aha” moment where she would figure out what she wanted to do with her future.
She was discussing said future with her dad one day, when he made the suggestion - why not work in sports? “You love sports, you know sports, you could work in sports.” Click.
She began searching for opportunities to get her feet wet, starting with finding an internship. She applied and interviewed for an internship with the World Series of Poker, but received the offer the week that COVID started and the event subsequently was postponed. After she was sent home from school due to COVID, she got connected with Marsha Blount, the CEO of the Women’s American Basketball Association, and was offered the opportunity to serve as a remote sports marketing intern for the league, focusing on creating social media and marketing content.
As she continued her studies and internships online, Hannah also used the time to build a presence on Pinterest (her favorite social platform at the time), challenging herself to learn the algorithm and figure out the keys to going viral on the platform. She figured it out in less than 30 days, with her page surging to nearly a million views.
Hannah’s Career Path
Her next step was to turn her newly developed expertise into an opportunity. Hannah had a friend at the time who was working for a local marketing agency, Eckis Marketing, who was not offering Pinterest services. She used the connection to pitch the agencies leadership on bringing her in to offer this service. She was brought on first as an intern, but quickly expanded her role as clients found success using her Pinterest strategy.
Hannah spent the next two years with the agency, advancing to the coordinator and senior coordinator levels, expanding beyond Pinterest to continue developing her skills in content creation and client management. While not in sports, the experience was incredibly valuable, helping her to develop the transferrable skills that would later help her succeed in the world of sports.
Taking a step back, while Hannah was building her role at Eckis, she also graduated with her bachelor’s degree from San Diego State. Her next step was to find a graduate program, something she always wanted to pursue, that would continue moving her closer to her career in sports. She landed on Georgetown University’s Sports Industry Management program (the same one I graduated from!), and thus set off for Washington D.C.
Working at Eckis (remotely) during the day and then going to class in the evening was not an easy schedule, but Hannah made the most of the experience. She was a standout in class, and prioritized developing strong relationships with her professors (remember that).
She kept that pace until her final semester, stepping away from the agency to focus on her thesis and plan her next move. She also started freelancing as a social media manager during this time. Between work, school, and freelancing, her schedule was tight, but it was worth it to build toward the life she wanted. After presenting her research on sports philanthropy, Hannah graduated from Georgetown and the job search was on.
What is Sports Social?
Social media is one of the fastest-growing disciplines in sports, and one of the most visible. Teams, leagues, athletes, and brands all rely on social professionals to craft their online presence and connect with fans in real time.
At its core, sports social blends creativity and strategy. Professionals in this space plan content calendars, produce and edit videos, design graphics, write copy, and analyze performance data. On the agency side, where Hannah’s role sits, that often means supporting multiple brands and athletes, helping them activate partnerships and tell their stories across platforms.
It’s a career path that rewards curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to make moments shareable.
Hannah landed her first role post-grad with the Washington Capitals. She was referred by a professor from Georgetown (told you to remember that), applied and interviewed for an open Social Media Manager role with the team and made it to the final round before ultimately being passed up for someone with more sports experience. However, the Capitals didn’t want to let her get away and offered her an interview for a full season digital media internship instead. Hannah spent the season supporting game-day coverage, producing social content and learning what creative production looked like from the team side of the industry.
She was a standout, and earned herself another referral, this time from a VP at the Capitals for a social media associate position with the neighboring Washington Nationals. The role overlapped with the Capitals postseason, but she took it anyways, managing both roles simultaneously for nearly two months (still haven’t figured out how she pulled that off). Hannah’s responsibilities were similar in the new position, but the opportunity to gain experience in another sport was invaluable.
When baseball season came to a close, Hannah was exhausted. Going from a full NHL season, directly into a full MLB season (not even mentioning the overlap!!) would have taken it out of anyone. She took some time to refill her cup and then kicked off the search for her next opportunity.
Funnily enough, the same professor who referred her to the Capitals came through with another opportunity (you really can’t beat a good connection). Hannah applied and interviewed to join Octagon as a Social Media Associate, supporting the agencies Talent & Property Division.
She was offered and accepted the position and now produces and edits short-form content for both Octagon’s brand pages and clients owned channels across baseball, football, and hockey. While slightly different from her previous work, Hannah gets to flex the skills she developed throughout her journey to drive storytelling, athlete content, and partnership deliverables for one of the industry’s largest agencies. Pretty damn cool.
Q&A: Landing a job in Sports Social with Hannah Geeser
Q. You developed a significant portion of your social skillset outside of sports. What would be your advice to others wondering how to leverage their non-sports experience to land a role within in sports?
A. Don't be afraid to start your career outside of sports - because from my experience, the work you do in a non-sports environment will end up translating to what you do when you're in the world of sports + help you stand out when interviewing. My advice is to get in where you can, challenge yourself to learn new skills and continue to build a portfolio of work. When you're ready to make the jump into sports like I was, find ways to compare what you've done with things a team or agency would experience - then bring it to the table with confidence.
Q. You’ve now worked on both the team and agency side of the sporting world. What have you found to be the biggest differences between working on the team and agency sides of the business?
A. One of the biggest differences is that on the team side, you're all-in on one brand. Everything I was creating for the teams was with a specific tone of voice and within a specific strategy. On the agency side, there's a lot more shapeshifting taking place. I'm working on a number of different accounts at one time that require me to adjust the approach, create different forms of content, and learn new voices - all in one days time.
Q. Freelance work has played an instrumental role in your career story. What have you gained from that experience and how would you recommend others get started?
A. With multiple clients counting on you at a time for different deliverables, the pressure and energy of freelancing naturally forced me to be a stronger communicator and better at personal accountability. If you're wanting to freelance, I'd recommend shooting your shot with brands you want to work with - but in a creative way. I started during the pandemic and things weren't as competitive as they are now, especially in the new age of content and marketing we live in. Create a website, do some pro-bono work to get a portfolio started and start reaching out to brands you think would be a good fit for your skills.
Q. What is your biggest piece of advice for someone who wants to work in brand consulting?
A. Burnout takes so many different forms and for me, I didn't realize I was in that spot until the end of the season. Taking a few months after the MLB season ended to travel and breathe was so beneficial. As much as I would have loved to jump in immediately to the next job, I needed to put myself first. Today, I do a lot of things to practice balance and ensure burnout doesn't happen at the level it did last year. Stepping away from my phone at night, doing crafts or reading, taking days-off, spending weekends outside - all of those things contribute to the healthy relationship I have with work right now.
Key Takeaways
1. Skills transfer.
Hannah’s path proves that what you learn outside of sports can set you apart once you are in it. Creative strategy, content production, client management, and storytelling all translate across industries when you know how to apply them.
2. Go the extra mile.
From staying after class to perfecting presentation decks, Hannah made a point to stand out through effort and detail. Going above and beyond builds your reputation, earns trust, and often leads to the next opportunity.
3. Fill your cup.
After balancing back-to-back seasons and long hours, Hannah learned that burnout is not a badge of honor. Protecting your energy and finding balance allows you to show up with creativity and purpose every day.
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Closing Thoughts
A heartfelt thank you for reading through this edition of So You Want to Work in Sports… It means the world to me.
If you have any feedback, a guest recommendation, would like to be featured yourself, or have any questions, please email me at [email protected].