Name: Jeff Brody
Job: Internal Communications Manager for Hilton
Even though we both worked for the San Antonio Spurs at the same time frame (me, 1999 to 2002 and Jeff, 2000 to 2007), I never got the chance to officially meet him. A few years later and through mutual friends, we connected on social media (LinkedIn and Facebook).
How did you get the job with the Spurs?
After I got my masters in communications from Emerson College in Boston, I came back home to San Antonio and took a job with the San Antonio Sports Foundation, where I had some exposure to the Spurs. I was able to intern with the media relations department on game nights, assisting with press row (back then we used to print out the box score after every quarter and hand them out to the media – that was my job).
Years later I was working in the advertising department at AT&T (then called SBC). SBC had just signed a sponsorship deal with the Spurs as the name sponsor of the new arena, as the team was leaving the Alamodome.
It was the early days of the internet and the NBA wanted each team to have a website. So the Spurs reached out to SBC to see if they knew of anyone who could manage the new site, and I just so happened to work for the guy who handled the Spurs sponsorship, so he recommended me to the Spurs (talk about sacrificing for the team!).
So I was hired as the first Director of Internet and New Media in the history of the team, where I served from 2000-2007 and was proud to be a part of three NBA championships.
I got there the season after the first title in the lockout season of 1999. We won three championships during my time (2003, 2005, and 2007). I have three rings (directors and above got the same rings as the players and coaches) and I was part of the championship river parade each time.
What was your job and duties? What would a typical non game and game day look like?
As Director of Internet and New Media, I led a small but mighty team that managed spurs.com content and functionality. On game nights, our team would update the site throughout the game, interview the players and coaches, gather photos and video, and lead in-game chats. These duties would really kick in at the final buzzer and often take until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. Then on back-to-back game days, we would do the whole thing again the next day. Shout out to Daniel, John, and Ben who sacrificed a lot of personal and family time to keep the trains running!
As the organization spread into other ventures, my duties quickly expanded to include managing the sites for the Silver Stars, Rampage, AT&T Center, and a site for selling team merchandise. So there was never an “offseason” as we always had other sports or concerts in the building.
On non-game days, the days would consist of meetings with other department heads to work on promotions, calls with NBA officials, analyzing trends and reports to see what content resonated with fans, and building new features and functionality for the sites.
I am proud that despite being in one of the smallest media markets in the league, spurs.com finished in the top 5 of page views and user engagement.
Did you get tickets?
Because my time started when we were at the Alamodome when we only had about 70 employees, tickets were plentiful, and I received 4 lower level season tickets with parking, including playoffs.
When we moved to the SBC Center, there were fewer seats available and a growing staff of 200+ so they moved to a lottery system for new employees. However, old employees were grandfathered so I still had my 4 seats. I would mostly give my tickets to family and friends. Sometimes I was able to sit in the seats and enjoy the games as a fan, but usually I was working game nights.
Any memorable games stand out?
So many games, so many moments, it’s impossible to pick one.
The water cannon malfunction at the Alamodome.
Derek Fisher’s buzzer beater against us.
Big shot Rob knocking down a 3.
Lots of dominance by the Big 3 of Tim, Tony, Manu.
One of my biggest thrills was getting to interview Michael Jordan postgame in the locker room when he came out of retirement to play for the Wizards in 2002-2003, his last time to play against the Spurs.
On a daily basis, I think Manu Ginobili was a joy to work with. Back in the early days, Spurs owner Peter Holt would host an annual holiday party for the players and employees. Right after Manu got drafted, no one knew him, and I saw him sitting at a table by himself. I walked over and introduced myself and we sat and had a nice conversation. As a player, he was not only incredibly gifted but was never too busy to answer a question earnestly and thoughtfully, even if it was the 10th time he’d been asked. We hosted a blog written by Manu on spurs.com that was a big hit with fans.
We interacted with players and coaches regularly. I had good relationships with assistant GM Sam Presti, assistant coaches Joe Prunty and Lance Blanks, and we had regular content features with Manu and Matt Bonner, among others.
Why did you leave the Spurs?
It was an incredibly rewarding and challenging role, and I was always keenly aware how blessed I was to be one of only 30 people in the whole world with this job. Working for the Spurs opened a lot of doors for me. I got to have some incredible experiences including championship parades, and build my knowledge base. After seven years of that daily grind though and building a family with a toddler, I needed something with more regular hours, so I reluctantly took a job in internal communications at USAA where I stayed for the next 15 years.
How did you get into acting?
While at USAA, I was managing our intranet and we saw that our numbers were going down as employees began spending more time on other sites and apps. I had an idea to drive traffic back to our site: I would host a weekly humorous news show (a la Weekend Update or Jon Stewart) that would count down the top 5 things that happened at the company that week. It was a sketch comedy news show so some days I was at a news desk, sometimes I was interviewing employees on the street, or dressing up as a superhero.
For a military-style, buttoned down company, it made the execs very nervous. Humor was a foreign concept and they never knew what Jeff was going to do. But (probably for those very reasons) it was a HUGE hit with employees. I became a little celebrity in the company and people would stop me at HEB for pics and autographs.
But mainly, I wondered to myself if this acting thing was something I would enjoy. So, I started taking acting classes (with the only coach in San Antonio at the time), and then started booking things before I really knew what I was doing. First came Pitch Perfect 2, then My All American, and then lots of commercials. Before long, I got an agent (who I’ve been with since), and a little side hobby became a thing. I went to NYC to train, and then spent extended time in LA and have been working steadily since. I am now a SAG-AFTRA actor with over 40 film and TV credits, and I have agents in LA, Austin, Atlanta, and NYC. I came to it a little later in life, but I’m so glad I discovered my passion because there’s nothing better than turning words into art on screen.
What does Jeff do for fun?
I play a lot of tennis, travel as much as I can, and spend time with my kids. I am also a film and TV actor.
What are doing now?
I am an internal communications manager for Hilton. We have half a million employees worldwide and I manage the content they see on our intranet and employee apps.