In the third instalment of the Fuse Stories series, Melissa provides insights into her journey from working in traditional marketing roles to a career in the sports and entertainment industry at Fuse.
10 Mins Read
Can you give our readers a bit of background on yourself and when your interest in sports began?
My name is Melissa, and I am originally from the Netherlands, where I grew up. My parents are from Suriname, South America, also known as Dutch Guyana; however, my ancestors originate from India. I identify as Dutch and feel closest to my South American and Caribbean roots. I recently did a MyHeritage ethnicity DNA test as I was curious to dig a bit deeper into my family history. The results came back with my genetic groups being Indians in Guyana, Japanese, Korean, and Jamaican. Interesting!
After studying marketing for seven years, I knew I wanted to work in Brand Communications. As I had recently graduated from university, finding the perfect role in marketing was quite challenging, so I started working in traditional public relations in fashion in New York and then in media relations for Shell until I found a Dutch-speaking digital role with Omnicom in London. So, I packed my bags and moved to London back in 2016. Here, I learned all about digital media and paid search. This job also gave me some core skills I still use today, such as working with multiple quick formulas in Excel and manipulating data.
Fast-forward to 2017. I knew digital marketing was not something I aspired to do or was particularly good at. I discovered I was better in other, more creative-focused roles. At the time, I worked on the same floor as Fuse and became inspired by their work. I learned more about the company and what they did, and boom, I was sold. I wanted to work at Fuse, and nothing and no one would stop me from getting hired there.
How did you land your role at Fuse?
It wasn’t easy to land a role here. I applied for the first time in 2017. However, Fuse is a popular place to work in the marketing industry, and I was not selected. I was offered a role with another agency, where I had the opportunity to learn everything about the Toyota and Olympics/Paralympics sponsorship and media planning landscape. This was the role where I learned about myself and the things I was good at. Even though I was good at this, it wasn’t the right side of the marketing platter I wanted to work on.
In 2018, I applied twice more to Fuse. I was not going to give up. The third time, I was lucky, and finally, I got my dream role at the company. I was welcomed with open arms and worked with many inspiring and talented people. I’ve learned a lot from them, and Fuse has given me many opportunities and exposure to brands, projects, and clients, which I am proud to say I have worked on.
What does your current role as a Senior Account Manager entail?
Currently, I work across two high-profile client accounts: the largest supermarket chain in Europe and one of the world’s biggest logistics providers. These brands sponsor some of the most well-known UEFA football competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Conference League.
I am part of the Rights Consultancy team. My role entails building, managing, and leading the client accounts together with the team, servicing our clients, and working closely with other Fuse specialist services such as Creative & Design, Digital Media, Events, PR, Measurement & Insight, providing a 360-degree approach to fulfilling our clients needs. Another aspect of my responsibilities includes ensuring that all rights contractually agreed upon between UEFA and the sponsor are successfully activated throughout the football season.
Can you take us through what a typical day looks like for you?
Whether working from home or in the office, I always start my day with a Red Bull! I then check my diary and schedule for the day and follow up on any emails and messages that have come in. Usually, I write out my schedule the day before so I am prepared the next morning and can focus first thing. When in the office, we benefit from a subsidy that can be spent in our company canteen on breakfast, lunch, drinks, coffee, or snacks. Our lovely HR team also always treats us to biscuits and candy – which always makes my day when I am low on sugar and need a boost in the PM!
In a nutshell, my days consist of a mix of the following: internal and external meetings, leading client projects, advising and consulting clients on brand and sponsorship topics, creating marketing and communication material for clients and UEFA, preparing and presenting processes, strategies, and creative work to clients, editing/reviewing creative assets, campaign material, documents, and contracts, collaborating with Fuse specialist teams, agencies, creative strategists, and editors, supporting the broader team across different projects or challenges, mentoring mentees and managing junior team members, and finally financial management.
You’ve worked with some amazing clients and projects. Which ones have been your favourites?
I can confidently say that there has not been one client project I have worked on that was not amazing. But if I had to choose, it would be the Broadcast Sponsorship Production project for one of our UEFA Champions League clients and the Rockstar x Stormzy project with the Fuse entertainment team.
UCL Broadcast Sponsorship (BSP): This was a 12-month project where we worked with the Creative Director and Producer to develop a creative strategy and concept for a new UCL TV advertisement that our client launched in its second cycle of sponsoring the UCL. In partnership with the Fuse Measurement & Insight team, we tested creative concepts amongst a target audience and eventually produced the most popular execution. We managed the whole project with a production company, from location, talent, music, wardrobe, and branding selections to shooting across three days at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Rockstar x Stormzy: Rockstar Energy Drink repositioned its brand by launching a new platform called ‘Press Play’ to engage and energise music fans. We managed the partnership between Rockstar and Stormzy through Universal Music Group. We supported in building a digital experience for fans where Stormzy performed in ‘video game format’ across five different worlds. The digital concert was also further amplified on Spotify, the first of its kind globally! This was one of the most complex projects I have worked on, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was an honour working with Stormzy’s stylist, Melissa. The project won three awards at the UK Sponsorship Awards for Branded Content, Sponsorship Innovation of The Year, and Highly Commended: Celebrity & Influencer Endorsement.
What are some of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?
The job can sometimes be challenging when navigating certain situations internally and externally. As we are at the forefront and between client relationships and UEFA, sometimes things don’t go as planned, and we must provide solutions that work for both partners. Clients sometimes push requests, and we help make it happen. However, we must also be realistic and respectful and adhere to UEFA’s requests and the contract. In these situations, we sometimes need to make clients aware that some things are not possible, which is not always easy.
However, it is worth it because, in the end, we will have successfully supported our clients with their sponsorship and delivered a project we can be proud of. The most rewarding for me is when we get feedback from clients expressing how happy they are with us and when our work wins industry awards! I am very proud to have won Campaign Magazine x Hearst’s 30UnderThirty award and MMG’s Global Rising Star award in 2020, which would not have been possible without Fuse.
What skills are the most crucial to your role?
Within the Rights Consultancy teams, there are talented people with many different backgrounds and skills. What they all have in common is their passion for sport, the company, and the core skill of being committed to the job. You will juggle many plates in my role, so organisation and dedication are key to balancing this.
You’ve been a Fuser over 5 years, what is your favourite thing about working there?
I am very proud to say that I work at Fuse. The people here have allowed me to learn, develop, and grow while maintaining an entrepreneurial mindset and being unapologetically myself throughout my journey. I love the trust we are given to constantly evolve and take on some of the coolest client projects. It has also allowed me to work with and meet new people who have become a little family to me. Fuse also has a great company culture and some of the best social events for internal staff. I absolutely could not do without the annual summer and Christmas parties!
What more do you think needs to be done to make the industry more accessible?
It is known that the sports & entertainment industry attracts people from non-ethnic backgrounds, and I wish this would change. Being in the industry, I have seen a lot of talent across various diverse and ethnic backgrounds. Sometimes, all it takes is for that individual to recognise their different aspects. As I progress in my career, I am proactively trying to pave the way for diverse and ethnic minorities to be part of our industry by being transparent and speaking up. If we don’t address this, nothing will change for the next generation, and organisations within our industry will always question why they are not attracting diverse talent.
It is crucial to have people from diverse backgrounds at the top of organisations to recognise and relate to ethnic and diverse talent and ensure organisations are pushed to their limits to become game-changers in Sports and Entertainment. To all diverse talent from underrepresented backgrounds, I see you!
What is one piece of advice you would give to a young person who is looking to enter the sports and entertainment industry?
As you have read, I didn’t start my career in sports and entertainment immediately. When I graduated, I worked in PR, media relations, digital marketing, and media planning, which resulted in an interesting skillset that was directly transferable to a role within brand sponsorship and sports. There are many ways to successfully land a role within the industry, whether directly from College, University or, in my situation, after exploring more generic areas of marketing first that will benefit when starting to specialise in one specific area further in your career. Whatever that path is for you, the key thing to take away from my story is that I wanted my dream job so badly and got knocked down twice, but the third time was the right time. Six years later, I’m thriving.