Kim Damron
Senior Vice President
Paciolan
CURRENT CITY: Newport Beach, Calif.
UNIVERSITY: University of Southern California
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR JOB: I started my career in the entertainment space at Paramount studios and then kind of moved into the entertainment internet space and was there for 10 years, then I was recruited to join Paciolan.
FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB: We work with the best clients in sports and entertainment.
ESCAPE FOR THE DAY: I’d probably go to the beach with my husband and four kids, although if I do escape for one day, it’s usually to Disneyland.
MUSIC: It’s all Jack Johnson and then a couple of kids songs on there. I’m a huge Jack Johnson fan.
SOMEONE IN HISTORY YOU’D LIKE TO MEET: In modern day it would probably be Sheryl Sandberg. Her book, “Lean In,” completely changed the way I view my career, and I don’t think I’ve ever said that about a book. It just gives you a really good perspective being a working mom, and it completely motivated me to look at my career differently.
SOMETHING PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN: I typically sing at weddings and parties, but I’m completely tone deaf.
BEST ADVICE: Never be afraid to hire someone smarter than you and surround yourself with the best team. And never turn down an opportunity to make a new connection. Truly, that’s what led me to Paciolan.
(949) 823-1636
Russell Gordon
SR. Director, Events & Venues Operations
Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
CURRENT CITY: Born and raised in Los Angeles.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR JOB: I had a friend at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park who said, why don’t you come and work with me this summer? So I started working with him and did special events for the theme park. From there I got more interested in the music side of the business and transferred to Universal Amphitheater. Then I thought for a minute that I wanted to be in marketing for an artist or label, so I transferred to Universal Music Group and did sales and marketing for the record labels. I realized very quickly that was not the place I wanted to be. So then I looked back over my last couple jobs and started putting my name out there and was hired for Nokia Theatre.
MENTORS: The obvious one is Lee Zeidman. Working for him I’ve learned quite a bit, good and bad. And Don Graham who’s my current boss. I spend a lot of time with him, and I’ve learned a lot. Rick Merrill, too. When I worked at the Gibson Amphitheatre I learned a lot from Rick and he and I still stay in touch.
PET PEEVE: People who think they know it all and don’t defer to the experts. The people who come in and say, you’re the expert, what do you recommend I do? I think those are the best ones to work with, because they’re smart about what their intentions are but they defer to the experts when it comes to how to make their event work in our space.
SPORTS FAN: I’m a huge USC Trojans fan. I was born and raised on USC. I’ve gone to football games since I was born. One of the earliest pictures of me is of me wearing a USC onesie.
(213) 763-6035
Alexander Haagen III
Owner
Empire Polo Club
CURRENT CITY: Los Angeles, Calif.
IN THE BEGINNING: My kids grew up on a ranch in San Diego, and then when we came out here because of horses, we built this place for polo and also had a rodeo arena with roping and Western things. So it started with the idea of horses and evolved into all these other things.
FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB: My favorite part is buying palm trees and special plants and landscaping and continuing to add to the grounds.
UNCONVENTIONAL COMMUTE: Right near our office is Santa Monica airport, and we have a helicopter there. What we do is fly down and land on the polo field, it takes us one hour, do our work and then fly back.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG: I always liked real estate. I went to night school, I was 18, and I got a real estate license.
FREE TIME: What I like to do is come down to the polo club and work on it. That’s what I get in trouble with my wife for sometimes. Basically I can’t draw or paint or sing, but what I can do is design facilities and landscaping. So when I can come out here and direct my people and we can build these projects, that’s what I like to do.
(760) 342-2762