Melanie Duval’s decade of service with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment has seen her rise from an intern to the Director of Advertising & Promotions in her time with the company.
Duval began her career at KSE as an intern with the Rapids followed by being on the Avs promotional team but quickly was brought on full time as a sales coordinator for all three teams at Ball Arena. When a marketing position opened on the Nuggets side, Duval was hesitant to apply, not having a marketing background, but decided to take a chance.
Duval had attended the University of Colorado, Boulder double majoring in Economics & Psychology. When asked about how a background in those diverse subjects landed her in the Marketing department, Duval joked that she “quite honestly has no idea! Marketing just found me, and I have loved every minute of it!”
Duval admits she was very lucky to have the right people around her to help steer her career in the right direction and who pushed her to apply for a job in marketing she would have at first been hesitant to consider.
While much has transformed over Duval’s ten years with the company, that is exactly what keeps her coming back for more. One thing she finds challenging but fun about her department is that no year is the same, an aspect pointed out by a previous boss.
“If you’re not busy in marketing, you won’t be in marketing for long,” Duval quipped. “Every year, there are new challenges, new jerseys, new pieces of technology, and new players. It keeps our motivation high, and things fresh and exciting.”
A major part of Duval’s job as director includes the constant evolution of the Nuggets brand and keeping its marketing consistent with those changes. One of the projects she is most proud to have worked on is the Nuggets rebrand in 2016 which involved the creation of a new logo suite, color palate, and uniforms to match.
“I was truly able to see that project through from beginning to end. From high-level brand ideation to auditing every single piece of signage at Ball Arena. The PR behind it was fun too! I truly felt like I was a part of Nuggets history.”
Honoring the history of the organization is something that Duval cherishes. She enjoys getting to connect with the plethora of Nuggets Alumni that are still very active in the organization over the years, including Fat Lever, Alex English, and their families.
“It’s so much fun hearing their old stories and going through their old footage,” Duval said of Nuggets Alumni. “They have taught me what it means to be a part of the Nuggets family and they truly wear the Nuggets brand as a badge of honor. They make it so much fun to do my job and understand our roots.”
Duval has roots of her own attached to the Nuggets organization, being a Denver native and one of the few lucky people in the sports industry that gets to work for her hometown team.
“Denver is where I grew up. It’s my home,” she said. “I feel a unique sense of contribution to the landscape of the city. I love connecting our brand with Denver.”
Another part of the Denver landscape Duval loves to connect with is the local art districts, musical acts, and the fashion scene, aspects she believes brings the heartbeat of a city to life. She knows that when you bring all these things and basketball together, the possibilities for growing exciting partnerships remain endless.
Duval also embraces getting to connect with the NBA on a larger scale to bring league initiatives to life in the Mile High City.
“I specifically love working with the NBA because you have access to so many resources and have the opportunity to apply best practices in our market,” she said. “I remain hungry to grow and learn in my space and the NBA has allowed me to do so on many levels.”
While Duval looks forward to continuing her growth with the Nuggets and NBA organizations, she acknowledges how fortunate she is to have a strong support system of coworkers who push her to succeed. In return, she tries to pay it forward in that regard by helping others develop in their career paths.
“I feel passionate about growing and developing members of our marketing team,” Duval said. “Whether it’s helping them find their niche or advance their careers, I’m just very proud to watch their transformation.”
Looking back on her 10 years at KSE, she had this advice to give not only to women but to anyone pursuing sports as a career.
“Work hard and know your worth. Identify good people that will lift you up and do the same for them. Be yourself, and most importantly, have fun!”