Core Careers: Shelley Sheppard, Sr. Director of Marketing/Agency at La Jolla Group

Today in our ongoing Core Careers series, we learn about the career path of Shelley Sheppard, Senior Director of Marketing/Agency for the La Jolla Group.

Shelley cut her teeth in television and at Vans, and now oversees a very busy in-house marketing agency at the La Jolla Group that supports seven brands.

Did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up as a kid?

I knew that I wanted to work in either sports or fashion. I’m lucky that I get to do a combination of both.

What was your background before getting into action sports? 

I started my professional career in marketing at Turner Sports in Atlanta, Georgia. I worked on all the sporting events that were broadcast on TNT and TBS (NBA, PGA, NASCAR, MLB). It was a job that allowed me to travel and see the world, and exposed me to so many different people and cultures. It was extremely fast paced, I had to think on my feet, make quick decisions and put in long hours. I loved it and learned that if you are passionate about what you do, everything will fall into place.

How did you get started in the industry? What was your first action sports job and what did you do? 

I worked in marketing and public relations for Vans.

Growing up on the east coast, I always wanted to live in California. Vans was a brand I grew up with, and when I saw that a position in marketing opened up, I jumped on it. I flew out to interview and six weeks later, I moved across the country.

It was a busy time at the company and I jumped right in. Vans had recently gone public and was launching the Vans Warped Tour, Dog Town and the Vans Triple Crown. I worked for several years in marketing and PR, moved up to oversee Girls marketing and eventually merged over to the product team, where I oversaw the Vans girls footwear business for two years. To be involved in so many different facets of the business was an amazing experience; and I reflect on the lessons learned from my time there frequently in my current role at the La Jolla Group.

Will you please explain what you do now?

I’m the Senior Director of Marketing/Agency for LJG. I run our in-house integrated marketing agency (“The Agency”) that provides marketing services for LJG. The department is made up of a state of the art photo studio, traffic department, in-store/POP, tradeshow, events, advertising and media buying, public relations and creative. We work with all seven brands (O’Neill, Rusty, Metal Mulisha, The Berrics, FMF, In God’s Hands, True Love & False Idols), and there is always a ton of work coming in and out of the department each day.

See Page 2 for more, including three key lessons Shelley has learned in her career