萝莉社

Originally from Moundridge, Kansas, Kellen Begnoche graduated from 萝莉社 in 2011 with a master's in education in Sport Management. Begnoche is currently the Director of Service & Activation for the Kansas City Chiefs.

What brought you to 萝莉社?
I had finished my undergrad degree at Kansas State, and was looking for a graduate school and program to continue my education. Having grown up in the greater Wichita area, I was familiar with 萝莉社, and they had the programs I was searching for.

What led you to the 萝莉社 Sport Management program?
I鈥檝e always had a passion for marketing, sports, and entertainment. I received my undergrad in Marketing鈥攖he economy and job market tanked a few months before I graduated鈥攕o I decided to continue my education and pursue my passion for all things business and sports. 萝莉社 had a master鈥檚 level program that looked to be exactly what I was searching for.

Did you do any internships as a student?
Definitely鈥攄uring my undergrad years I interned during the summers in marketing roles for major corporations. This allowed me to learn how they operate, while helping me realize I didn鈥檛 necessarily enjoy working for such a large company during that stage in my life. I wanted something a little smaller where I felt I could get more hands-on experience in a lot of different areas. While at 萝莉社, I interned and helped out wherever I could: NBC Baseball tournaments, 萝莉社 basketball games, a marketing role with the Houston Astros, etc. Anything that would allow me to gain experience, and further meet people and expand my network.

How did your internship and studies at 萝莉社 help to prepare you for your current role as Director of Service & Activation?
The program was a great mix of course work, group projects and discussions, and real world experiences from the internships. If anything, the experience you can gain as part of an internship is some of the most valuable you can obtain. You get an opportunity to work in the front office of a sports team, and have access to incredibly talented people in all departments. The perfect chance to network, learn about parts of the business you might not have otherwise known about, and get to see the inner workings of what it takes to put on a major sports event.

What does a Director of Service & Activation do?
In my current role, I oversee the corporate partnerships for the Chiefs. We manage the relationships, deliver the elements in the agreements, work to create value for our clients to help them achieve their business goals. The Chiefs are a powerful force in this market that captures a lot of eyeballs and attention. Our job is to help plug brands into the mix to help them tap into that fan affinity and avidity.

How does your role contribute to the Franchise?
We鈥檙e part of the revenue arm for the club, which drives financial results through our partnerships, but also allows us to work with strategic partners in the community to help enhance our own brand presence and fan experience.

When did you begin in your role and how did you get the job?
I鈥檓 just finishing my 11^th season with the Chiefs. I initially got the job by networking and applying for all kinds of jobs. I happened to know someone at the Chiefs at the time, I said I鈥檇 applied and they helped get my resume in front of the hiring manager. From there, I rarely said 鈥渘o鈥� to any assignment and just tried to take on as much as I could in an effort to learn, grow, and become a valuable asset to the organization.

What鈥檚 it been like to be a part of the franchise during this transformative time?
I鈥檝e grown up as a Chiefs fan and remember a lot of great seasons with some disappointing playoff experiences. When I started here, the team wasn鈥檛 great and we had a couple down years. But the ownership and leadership team remained committed to pursuing championships and we kept adding the right pieces and building. Having all of that culminate with the franchise鈥檚 second Super Bowl win in 2019 was truly magical. Our fans are the best in sports so it was really special for so many to win that championship, and continue to compete for more championships.

What advice do you have for current Sport Management students about landing a dream job?
Relentless pursuit. If you are serious about landing that 鈥榙ream job鈥� then you鈥檝e got to fully commit, make sacrifices, and keep grinding. If it鈥檚 your dream job, chances are good it鈥檚 also someone else鈥檚. You鈥檝e got to continue to out work the competition if you want it. The second piece of advice I鈥檇 have is that when you finally land that dream job, the work is just beginning. Continue to grow, learn, and get better every day.

Do you ever interact with the players? Do you know Patrick Mahomes!? 
In this role, we do work with a lot of partners who work with several of our players, Mahomes included. So we get an opportunity to help put together commercial shoots, production days, and community appearances with several members of our team.