Blazers.com wants you to meet the people behind the team. These people come to work full of dedication for their job and passion for the game. The next personality profile in our series is a combined look at the Blazers Director and Assistant Director of Special Events.

Blazers.com: Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us guys. We thought it might be fun to do your interviews together. (You never know what will happen when these guys get together!)


Blazers.com: Now Jerry, your official title is Director of Special Events, and Todd you are the Assistant Director of Game Operations and Special Events?
Jerry and Todd: That's right.


Blazers.com: How long have you been doing this?
Jerry: I've been in the event management business about 15 years. This will be my sixth season with the Blazers.
Todd: Three years this February.


Blazers.com: What type of training did you need for this job?
Jerry: That's an easy one... you have to know how to have fun!
Todd: Good Question! You have to be good with computers and have great people skills, but more than that you have to be a little odd. You know -- be a bit of a knucklehead. (Side note, we can attest that Todd is a knucklehead).


Blazers.com: What are you responsible for with the Blazers?
Jerry: We set up and deliver FUN through basketball camps, Hoops 101, pre-game festivities, rallies, and other events.
Todd: Let's break it down by Game Ops Responsibilities and Special Events Responsibilities:

When it comes to game operations, we create and manage the game calendar that breaks down all of our games. We fill it in with sponsored promotions and other things that happen during the game so we know what we are going to do during each time-out. Other responsibilities include serving as floor manager and in-arena Emcee at all Blazers home games, implementing promotions, supervising game-night staff and serving as liaison with entertainers. We also assist with the development and implementation of new music and video ideas for game use, the organization and management of the Blazers Stunt and Dance teams, construction of individual game formats and announcement scripts for all games.

Special events can be looked on as anything that happens that isn't a basketball game. While wearing our Special Events hat, the majority of our time is spent acting as Camp Director for the Blazers kids basketball camps and creating information to be included in our Kids Club Newsletter. We also run all of the Playoff Rallies and have created and appeared in features on "Jammin' With the Blazers" -our monthly kids show.


Blazers.com: Do other teams in the league have someone in your position?
Jerry: They can only wish they did!


Blazers.com: What is a typical game day like for you?
Todd: One word - CRAZY!! We get into the office in the morning and start plowing through E-Mails with changes and additions to sponsor promotions. We incorporate those into our game day script that includes everything our announcer says from the beginning welcome to the close (except for in-game action of course). So for every game we put together a 30 page document containing all that will go on during the course of the game. That takes most of the morning and then we take a quick break for lunch.

After lunch we go to the arena and load the streamer cannons that fire confetti after every Blazer victory. We then put the final touches on the game script and hand them into Post-Up Productions so they can prepare what will be shown on the big screens during the the game. Then we talk to our anthem singers and halftime performers and set up times to do sound checks and arrange locker rooms for them. We create a one page quick sheet for our game-night staff which outlines what will happen during each time-out. Then we get all documents ready for the game - including passes for Courtside Kids (the kids on floor who high five the players as they enter the court), meal tickets for game night staff, and waivers for all on-court contestants to fill out. We then put everything into a packet including game scripts, the quick sheet, meal tickets, waivers, prizes to be given out and dropped from the Blimp, and a schedule for the score table signage. This usually takes us up to the time where we meet my anthem singers and do a sound check.

After that we grab a quick bite and have a Game Operations meeting where all our game night staff come together to go over all that will happen during the game. After the meeting we begin finding contestants for the evening contests. Then it's GAME TIME!!

We follow the schedule and hopefully the game goes well. After the game, we're on the floor to meet whoever the Post Game guest is, hand him T-Shirts to give to whoever asks a question (one fan is selected to ask a question to the post game guest) and to throw into the crowd when the interview is over. After this we go back to our desks and clean up and are usually out the door anywhere from 10:30 to 11:00pm.


Blazers.com: How much prep time is included for a single game?
Jerry: It's never the same. The playoffs really get wild.
Todd: We would like to have a day or two, but sometimes we only get the day of the game to prepare.


Blazers.com: What is the most difficult task you have?
Jerry: Not being able to do everything.
Todd: Creativity. We want our fans to have the best time possible regardless of the outcome of the game. To do so we constantly have to try and recreate the wheel so to speak in that we try to make our sponsors happy by getting their name out there at the same time as keeping our fans happy in providing entertainment while the game isn't going on.


Blazers.com: What do you love most about your job?
Jerry: I work with great people. I work in a great city. I love to talk about the Blazers to anyone anywhere, anytime. (Trust us, we know!)
Todd: Everything!! I'm a sports junkie, so I look forward to getting up in the morning and going to work. My job is so much fun, and I get to meet great people. Plus, I get to work with some of the best people in the world!!


Blazers.com: What does it take to be successful in this business?
Jerry: You absolutely, positively, must know now how to have FUN. That doesn't mean just add water and poof, you have fun. You must understand HOW to have FUN. Everyone likes to have FUN. Everyone!
Todd: Drive - It isn't easy to get into this line of work but once you get inside, it is definitely worth all the work. Once you're here you have to be personable and be able to multi-task. If you can't juggle many different things at one time, you can't do this job. Then again, it doesn't hurt to be a knucklehead either!


Blazers.com: Thanks you guys! Portland fans are in for a treat every time they enter the arena, and we thank you for that.

Blazers.com will continue to provide these inside interviews with the people that make our organization successful.

Check out other personality profiles