Women are rising up the ranks throughout professional football, earning positions of power in a space that for too long was ruled almost exclusively by men. We're seeing more and more women breaking barriers in the sport, but what are the stories beyond the headlines? Who are the women shaping and influencing the NFL today? Answering those questions is the aim of the Next Woman Up series. While the conversational Q&As are edited and condensed for clarity, this is a forum for impactful women to share experiences in their own words. Without further ado, we introduce:
Jaemin Cho, Los Angeles Chargers
Position: Senior Vertical Video Coordinator for Organic Social Media
How did you get your start in a career in sports?
I started with an internship with the Dallas Mavericks. I went to middle school and high school in Dallas, and then I went to college at Southern Methodist University. I saw the internship in the summer of 2021 and applied. I knew I liked doing social media -- I had been doing it for an organization on campus -- and I wanted to see if I could transfer that skill. To me at the time, I didn't think I would get the position with an NBA team as a sophomore in college. I interviewed well and connected with them, but I didn't know anything about sports or basketball. I only had heard of Dirk Nowitzki, but other than that, I had no idea. It ended up working out well, and I think to my benefit in some ways because I wasn't a super fan. I could capture other aspects. The Mavericks asked if I wanted to stay on for the rest of the season, and I was able to do that, with SMU's campus being in Dallas. I stayed there for about two years, and in my senior year, the position had grown into more of an assistant role rather than an internship, because I was putting in more hours.
Then, during my last year working with the Mavericks, in early April of 2023, Megan Julian (Chargers Senior Director, Digital and Social Media) reached out about a full-time position with the Los Angeles Chargers. Things lined up for me with graduation, and I was also ready to try something new. I joined the team in May of last year and have loved it. Again, football was a sport I didn't know much about coming in, and before working in sports, I didn't know this type of career existed.
Having not grown up a sports fan, what is it about working in this industry that is so compelling to you?
The team environment. Because we are all rooting for the same team, it's very much a family-like atmosphere. It was like that with the Mavericks and it's like that with the Chargers. We all have the goal of winning a Super Bowl and showcasing our players' personalities on and off the field. I think that aspect is what makes working in sports is so fun. It's been exciting to learn the players, the game and why people find football so addicting.
It definitely has that feel. Looking at your role specifically, what does it entail?
As senior vertical video coordinator, I primarily work on anything that's filmed on an iPhone basically, scheduling out all videos and content that are posted on our TikTok page. I also help out the rest of our social team with Instagram, Facebook and X.
OK, so what is your day-to-day like during training camp and on game days?
During training camp, I am out at practice with our team recording any of those highlights you see on social media -- crazy catches, deep passes or defensive plays. Those usually come from our team. Getting those highlights are my priority during camp, along with grabbing the players for fun videos after practice. Those show their personalities, which is the type of content that hits on TikTok. Our team will brainstorm ideas for those post-practice videos that allow us to showcase their personalities and things that aren't so football-centric. For example, we'll ask them funny questions or have them sing a song. During the season, we do a lot of the same during practice, and we get locker-room access during media time. It's a lot of brainstorming the idea, capturing it, editing and posting.
On game days, we rotate different duties, but for the most part, I'll start with arrivals and put some posts up of our players. During the game, I will post anything that has to do with a reel component. I'll work with our team to get approved copy and decide if the post will be a reel or if we'll do a carousel format with photos and videos. I will post the reel and someone else handles the carousels. So anything that is in the vertical video realm is my primary focus for game day.
What would you say is the most challenging part of your job?
TikTok and vertical video aren't a one-size fits all. Some of the football-centric videos don't always translate to the TikTok audience, and sometimes TikTok doesn't push our content to our followers, which is an interesting algorithm, so I have to constantly create content that is appealing to people who aren't necessarily football fans. That's where my background kind of helps. I am always thinking about content that can cater to different niches on TikTok. There are so many videos and influencers, so we have an opportunity to post content that isn't so football-focused, but it's also a challenge, because I can't use the photos our team takes on a daily basis. I am challenged to make new and fun content to engage with audiences who may not know who a player is or watch football.
I know you've only been in your role for a little over a year, but what is your favorite moment so far?
There is a video pinned on our TikTok page where we pranked our players. We said to them, "Someone said you sound like an owl." And then the guys responded, "Who?" I came across a video of someone doing this in a dental office, and I sent that video one morning to our senior director, Megan Julian, and she liked it. Later that day after practice, we executed the prank, and once it posted, it got 1 million views overnight. It was crazy. Now I think it's sitting at 12 million, which is the most I have ever gotten on a video. Before that, it was probably 3 or 4 million, which is still good, but with that prank video, I was getting text messages from friends who don't really follow football, and they loved it.
That was so rewarding, to execute an idea and receive immediate feedback, and knowing that I am good at my job without having to know everything there is to know about football. That video was in October, and it was a great moment for me to realize that I know want I'm doing and that I'm in the right space.
What a fun story, and how great to see your work resonate with fans. Do you have any mentors who have helped you along the way? If so, what advice have you received from them?
I have two mentors who I met at SMU. Meghan Perez was an advisor/leader of an organization I was in. She gave me the advice of, you're always going to regret the things you don't do rather than the things you take a chance on. So when it came to the decision to move out to Los Angeles, she asked me if I thought I would regret it down the line if I didn't take it. I thought I would, and I felt like I needed to take the job. All of my family and friends are back in Texas, so I have been navigating this new life in Los Angeles on my own. And I have loved it. It's that piece of advice that carries me through my day-to-day. At the Chargers, our social team just tries a lot of things. We're not scared to fail.
The second is Madison Mucci-Ferris. She has been someone I can always go to for career advice, and she taught me what it's like to be a leader when I was a resident assistant at SMU. I learned to be selfless, humble and represent myself well in that leadership position, along with how to handle some conflicts. It's been so great to have these two relationships.
And what advice do you have for other women looking to get into a career in football?
I definitely would go back to what Meghan Perez shared: Don't be afraid to fail, just try. Before going into the sports industry, I didn't really know what a job in this field would look like, but now that I'm here, I've learned so much and really like it. Before my internship with the Mavericks, I studied law and politics. I wouldn't have known this career path was available to me unless I had tried the internship in the NBA. My circumstance is a little different because I wasn't necessarily looking for a job in sports, but being willing to try is the biggest piece of advice I have. You never know where it will lead.
Lastly, what are you most proud of?
I definitely think it's my adaptability. I jumped into two sports -- basketball and football -- that I knew absolutely nothing about. I had the rosters saved on my wallpaper and would quiz myself. This year, I listened to a lot of football podcasts and took a deep dive into all the rules. Knowing social media is one thing, but knowing the sport definitely helps, so being able to learn the football culture, rules and fans is so important to making sure I'm well-equipped to represent our team and players. That's one thing I think I've done well in this past year.
