Live It, Protect It, Explore It!

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: JAMIE OLIVER EXCELS AT GOPRO!

By Ari Kamp (RPTA '15), Staff Writer

Whereas most individuals enter college with a somewhat wide-eyed view on life and a vague idea of what they want out of a future career, Jamie Oliver (RPTA '2006) discovered her passion early in life in the midst of her involvement in all things related to recreation. Oliver was able to take her passion for recreation and turn it into a very exciting profession. At present, she's the senior global events manager at GoPro, an influential company whose mission is to create products that allow people to capture their life's most exciting moments and share them with others. Oliver positioned herself in the heart of the fast-paced recreation industry early in her professional career, and we in RPTA are excited to acknowledge such a positive reflection of the department and contribution to the field.

Oliver is a California girl that grew up in Cupertino and enjoyed spending her time outdoors in the sun. When she was in high school, Oliver worked at Cupertino's Park & Recreation Department and was a lifeguard, coordinated summer camps, supervised school programs and helped out at the local skate park. She got an early start in building practical knowledge and sought out Cal Poly as the place to continuing building that experience and knowledge.

Cal Poly's Learn By Doing philosophy is what ultimately prepared Oliver for her future career with GoPro. She was able to get involved in projects like Cal Poly's Homecoming, Mardi Gras, San Luis Obispo Parks & Recreation events, and more that allowed her to get what she calls "real-world experiences."

Oliver says that she admires all of the RPTA professors because they care so much about the unique subjects that they teach. She says that people like current Professors Bill Hendricks and Marni Goldenberg and former Professors Kendi Root, Cynthia Moyer, and Theresa Love really inspired her and were profoundly influential in her professional career.

When Oliver had the opportunity to join the GoPro team in 2011, not many people knew what the product was, but she knew that it was a brand that she wanted to support. It has been very rewarding for her to be part of a movement whose main mission is to allow people to capture their life's most exciting moments. GoPro's target market is comprised of outdoor enthusiasts, which positively reflects the campus at Cal Poly, the city of San Luis Obispo and all of the activities that the Central Coast offers to individuals as a whole. More specifically, GoPro's products are relevant for RPTA majors because this group of people is particularly excited about being active, exploring, and eventually applying those traits to their future careers. RPTA majors are also passionate about creating positive experiences for their communities, families, and friends. However, Oliver explains that you don't have to be a skilled surfer, mountain biker or scuba diver to have fun with a GoPro; they can be used by people of all ages, skill levels and interests.

As a senior global events manager at GoPro, Oliver is responsible for developing their event marketing strategy and deciding how to position the brand at key events to build awareness and increase the amount of cameras sold. Her team creates authentic interactive experiences at each event to speak to the audiences and get them excited about GoPro. Additionally, Oliver leads execution strategies, which includes all event logistics including travel, registration, food and beverage, audio/visual, creative design, marketing assets, and more.

Oliver's most rewarding experiences are being at an event, connecting with customers, and seeing how GoPro has helped them get more involved in the activities they love. She says that techniques she learned at Cal Poly have helped her establish best practices for areas such as planning, project management and budgeting.

GoPro stemmed from the experiences of the company's founder, Nick Woodman. After a few of his college friends went on a surf trip in 2003, they wanted to capture footage of themselves surfing, but there was no product they could buy to allow them to take the photos and record the videos they were hoping for. This is what ultimately sparked the idea for GoPro. Oliver says she is happy to be part of a company that is all about helping people capture and share their most meaningful experiences. If this all sounds familiar, perhaps it is because it is so closely tied with Cal Poly's Learn By Doing philosophy. More specifically, it also positively aligns with RPTA's tagline of "Live. Protect. Explore." Similar to RPTA, GoPro inspires people to get out into their natural environment and enables them to share all of the positive experiences the world has to offer. Just as RPTA promotes "Where in the world is RPTA?", GoPro has "Photo of the Day" and "Video of the Day" programs on their website to share memorable experiences with others.

Oliver recently went on a trip to Hawaii, where she took a helicopter ride over the waterfalls of the North Shore of Oahu, rode mopeds along the coast, hiked, snorkeled, swam with sea turtles, and went stand-up paddleboarding for the first time. The best part of her Hawaiian adventure? She can live it all again. Why? She "practiced what she preaches," as her GoPro captured everything!  

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