Get To Know: The Senior Director Of Digital Media For The Boston Celtics
Last week, we launched our new “Get To Know” series with the Director of Digital Global Marketing and Social Media for one of America’s favorite brands, Adam Kmiec of The Campbell Soup Company. Today we’re delivering a one-on-one with the guy in charge of all digital, social and mobile marketing for the Boston Celtics. As the […]
Last week, we launched our new “Get To Know” series with the Director of Digital Global Marketing and Social Media for one of America’s favorite brands, Adam Kmiec of The Campbell Soup Company. Today we’re delivering a one-on-one with the guy in charge of all digital, social and mobile marketing for the Boston Celtics.
As the team’s Senior Director of Digital Media, Peter Stringer crafts the strategy for all digital, social, mobile and video content platforms behind one of the most iconic professional sports organizations in the world.
Joining the Boston Celtics in November of 2005 as the team’s Internet Operations Manager, Stringer went on to launch and cultivate the Celtics’ digital and social media channels. He is responsible for building an audience of more than 7.1 million “Likes” on Facebook – currently, the fourth-largest audience among North American professional sports teams – and over one million followers on Twitter.
A life-long Celtics fan, Stringer regularly serves as an expert panelist and presenter at digital marketing conferences around the United States as well as abroad. He also writes content for the team’s digital channels and fan magazine. A 1998 graduate of Boston University with a Bachelor’s degree in print journalism, Stringer resides in Boston, MA.
Not only was Peter kind enough to let us interview him for our Get To Know series, he will be leading the keynote presentation at this week’s SMX Social Media Marketing Conference in Las Vegas. If you’re in the neighborhood, don’t miss his conversation with Marketing Land’s Matt McGee, discussing the challenges that come with delivering engaging and relevant content to one of the biggest fan bases in the world.
Peter Stringer
Boston Celtics
Senior Director of Digital Media
- Age: 37
- HQ: Boston, MA
- Apple or Android? Apple
- Hobby: Photography
- First Job: Sporting good clerk at Kmart
- First Car: 2000 Nissan Maxima SE
What mobile device can you not live without?
I’m an iPhone guy, but I’ve been making a more conscious effort to turn it off, put it away and leave it behind when I can get away with doing so.
Can we take a peek at your iPhone’s home screen?
What app do you use most often for work?
Is email a cop out? Twitter, for sure. Twitter’s how I keep in touch with the world and know what’s going on.
What social media network or website do you frequent most when you’re not working?
Twitter, again. I’m not into Facebook really, but Twitter keeps me connected to the world.
What’s the first thing you check on your phone in the morning?
I actually gravitate toward Instagram in the morning. Not sure why. But then it’s on to Twitter.
What work challenge keeps you up at night?
Working on launching our new live video pregame show on our Celtics mobile app. It’s been a huge undertaking and I spent most of my offseason working on it with a lot of help from people around the organization.
What has been the most exciting work development this year?
The live show would have to be the answer. It’s been a challenge, and we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m proud of what my team has been able to accomplish with the show so far. I don’t really have a TV background, but I’m learning quite a bit about it.
How many miles have you traveled this year?
Not quite sure, maybe 40k miles? I’ve probably been cross-country at least six or seven times (LA, SF, SD, Vegas, Portland, etc.) this year, and made multiple trips to Chicago and NYC as well. I love traveling in the US, but I also need to do more international travel.
What other career would you like to try?
I always wanted to be the guy who interviews C-list celebrities for the magazines in the seat backs of planes and trains. I think it would be fun to interview random semi-famous people about their lives, ask them if they believe in fate or free will, hang out with their dogs, etc. That seems like a fun job, and I could start writing again.
What does your desk look like right now?
Well, I’ve got 3 monitors…the one behind me stays on Twitter, following all players, media and team related accounts so I’m always up to speed about what’s happening with our team. The other two are for work.
As for the walls of my office, I recently moved down the hall and have yet to decorate. Outside of that, my Celtics content calendar is always handy. And I just dropped my old U2 iPod on my desk for the photo just so Matt McGee would get a laugh. We’re both U2 junkies.
What is the last business book you read?
It’s not really a business book, but I recently read the “VJ” book, which is an oral history of the start of MTV. It was fascinating and really relevant for anyone who works in digital. They were basically making it up as they went along, which in the digital space, should be a familiar feeling.
Outside of your company’s efforts, what ad campaign or video caught your eye recently?
The “Call of Duty” video game commercials where they show gamers running around a war-torn Las Vegas, heading into outer space etc. The special effects are wild, and it really conveys the fantasy experience that the game is trying to create. Pretty neat stuff.
Also, the iPad commercial showed at Apple’s recent keynote event, highlighting all the crazy places people use iPads (the side of a mountain, the operating table, etc.) was phenomenal. That’s some pretty awesome — and expensive — storytelling.
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