Episode 24: Eliminating the borders on fandom with Katrina Palanca
Katrina Palanca is the Vice President of Global Partnerships for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, where she oversees international sponsorships for the San Antonio Spurs and the AT&T Center. Originally from Guam, Katrina has paved a path for herself in sponsorship, having held roles at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders and Twitch before landing her current role. Katrina brings a unique perspective to her work… and, she is one of the few women I’ve spoken to who has broken into the management suite… AND won awards for her work… before the age of 30…
In this episode, Katrina and I discuss the idea of eliminating boundaries on fandom, literally and figuratively. She shares the incredible story about her decision to leave her parents home to build the life that she wanted… which ultimately led her to New York City where she got her start in the business. We discuss the importance of investing time and energy into your personal brand…. Katrina is walking the walk. She has a blog and a weekly newsletter coaching women up on how to be unapologetic. Her personal mission? Katrina says that by sharing her stories, she wants to help other young women believe in their greatness.
“I don’t believe in this 150 mile radius that the NBA puts on us. And I think it’s crazy that we still have it. And I think that will have to change very fast, in order for any sports league to survive, because that’s not how the world works anymore. And there are ways to start laying the foundation for that. And one of those is to start to enter new territories.”