School to Career - New York Knicks - Manager Field Marketing


		Groove Truck
		Community Education

The Director of Community Relations & Field Marketing is responsible for producing and directing interactive events that attract and retain fans throughout the New York Metropolitan area.

Dan Gladstone holds this important, and fun, position. Special appearances by current Knicks, team alumni and Knicks City Dancers bring the team and fans together for fun activities. The Knicks Groove Truck leads the way, with music, games and excitement. Dan is responsible for making these gatherings of players, dancers and fans, take place. He also organizes basketball tournaments, clinics and other community relations projects. In addition, Dan works with the Knicks Summer Camps, keeping the program fresh each year to generate new attendees.

The idea of community and field relations is to help build a larger fan base and drive revenue for the team through ticket sales, paid appearances and special events. To do all of this, Dan heads up a couple of busy "off the court" teams, the Knicks Street Team and the Marketing and Promotional Team.

Know About Basketball & New York

Along with strong verbal, computer and written communications skills, Dan finds that a strong knowledge of professional basketball and of the New York Metropolitan area are very helpful for this position.

Determined to be a success in the sports entertainment field, Dan earned his Masters Degree in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts after graduating with a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Colgate University, where he also played college basketball. Business, English and sociology courses are among those he credits with helping him in his career. An internship in the public relations field provided additional educational opportunities. In addition, Dan also worked as a development assistant, helping in the area of fundraising for college sports.

Be A People Person

Dan says that the personal qualities most important to him in this job include a commitment to excellence, strong follow through, paying attention to details and the ability to relate to a diverse group of people. "Being a people person helps significantly in this type of career," he adds.

He also advises that you read books about your desired field, talk to various people in the business, find a mentor if possible and go to graduate school. Dan followed his own advice and it is paying off in his position with the New York Knicks.