Ian Ford
Agoura Hills,CA
Summary
More awesome special skills and excellent references available upon request!
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Team Manager, BMX -
Straye Footwear
Los Angeles, CA
10.2022 - Current
- Completely created the Straye freestyle BMX team from scratch from my own personal relationships and exposure in the BMX and action sports scene.
- Built up the social media presence in a grassroots campaign, gaining popularity and respect within the BMX community while maintaining an authentic and desirable image.
- Secured top level professional and amateur BMX riders to join the Straye BMX team, some of whom were riding for other shoe brands at the time.
- Managed athlete needs, and put in orders for packages of shoes, softgoods, and accessories for them, and arranged shipment to the athletes.
- Maintained a strong social media presence by identifying which riders should be featured on the Straye instagram page, and which posts and stories would have the most impact within the BMX community.
- Worked with ownership to sponsor BMX events, and get product and swag sent out to contest locations ahead of time to have the most impact and best possible representation for the brand.
- I also worked with some social media influencers with millions of followers to get Straye packages out to them, and had them feature the brand in social media campaigns, furthering the brand's reach and exposure.
Operating Partner,
The Bourbon Room
Hollywood, CA
07.2022 - 12.2023
- Designed sales and service strategies to improve revenue and retention.
- Brought in over $500k in A-list events through my own personal contacts and relationships in my first year on the job.
- Turned around a venue that was flailing financially, and transformed it into a profitable, relevant, and thriving venue.
- Greatly improved morale among all staff and ownership; created a new culture of positivity, relevancy, and success in the venue.
- Creatively managed social media campaigns, improving engagement and reach, and utilized metrics to increase campaign performance.
- Managed entire budget and oversaw all departments, controlling costs and maximizing revenue and profits.
- Created and coordinated marketing campaigns, monitoring accuracy, execution and follow-up.
- [www.bourbonroomhollywood.com]
Director of Operations,
Houston Hospitality
Los Angeles, CA
02.2015 - 06.2022
- Responsible for overseeing and directing all GMs & managers from all 10 nightlife venues, holding weekly operations meetings with ownership & management for financial analysis, programming, marketing, and operational objectives.
- Worked directly with owners to maximize current projects, as well as cultivate, plan, & open new immersive experiential venues.
- Break Room 86, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang & The Speek Suites General Manager; Line Hotel Executive Committee - Led Grand Opening Team; performed all pre-opening operations, staffing, and business operations in their entirety.
- Created and managed all marketing, SOPs, entertainment programming, and social media campaigns & accounts, making BR86 the most successful venue in the Houston Hospitality portfolio
- Created innovative and unique branded goods
- Responsible for all P&L and financial aspects of the venue, including budgeting and forecasting
- Department head and liaison between Houston Hospitality and Sydell Group
- The success I created at Break Room 86 led to a new venue deal with MGM Las Vegas (On The Record LV)
- [www.houstonhospitalityla.com]
Operations Manager,
Targa Trophy Automotive Lifestyle Brand
12.2013 - 10.2020
- Organized and produced all aspects of high-end VIP sports car events, including pre-rally sendoff festivals, road rallies, track days, after parties, and hotel bookings. This included securing talent, participant signups, and event sponsorships as well.
- High end experiential event marketing position, driven by customer experience and key event details. I was responsible for creating many of the events, from concept inception, to seeking and securing sponsorship funding, to seeking and securing paying participants, to event promotion, execution, hosting, and post-event financials.
- Aided in creative direction of merchandise/clothing line design and production.
- Video content creation for both YouTube and social media promotions. This included writing scripts and hosting several videos as on-screen talent
- Creative director for all social media marketing strategies and campaigns
- [www.targatrophy.com]
Director of Operations,
Fairmont Miramar Hotel, The Bungalow Santa Monica
Santa Monica, CA
11.2013 - 02.2015
- Fairmont Hotel Executive Committee member
- In charge of all operations of the Bungalow Santa Monica
- Worked directly with Brent Bolthouse, Jen Rosero, and MSD executives on operations, restructuring, and creative elements and programming of the venue
- Division head and responsible for all financial and executive committee responsibilities
- [www.thebungalowsm.com]
General Manager,
SBE, Hyde Lounge Hollywood
Hollywood, CA
07.2011 - 10.2013
- Opening GM; performed all pre-opening operations, staffing, and business operations in their entirety until the venue closed for remodel
- Responsible for all P&L and financial aspects of the venue, as well as promotions and promotions
- Worked closely with SBE restaurant, hotel, and events divisions on special events and programming
- [www.sbe.com/hydesunset]
General Manager,
Ecco Ultra Lounge
Hollywood, CA
10.2008 - 07.2011
- Opening GM; performed all pre-opening operations, staffing, and current business operations in their entirety
- Responsible for all P&L and financial aspects of the venue, as well as programming and promotions
- [www.eccohollywood.com]
Education
Bachelor of Science - Marketing
The University of Arizona
Tucson, AZSkills
- Excellent problem solving skills
- Strong leadership qualities
- Dedicated
- Reliable
- Hard working
- Great with people and teams
- Leadership & management training
- Problem anticipation and resolution
- Calm under pressure
- Great at multitasking
- Creative marketing ideas
- Eye for detail and perfection
- Revenue forecasting
- Performance evaluation and monitoring
- Great communication skills
- Creative direction for graphic designs, imagery, social media posts
- Event planning, production, and execution
- Innovative ideas to draw people and crowds to events
- Live event and on-camera hosting
Additional Information
- Sponsored freestyle BMX athlete
- Competitive road cyclist (Cat 3; placed 2nd in California State Championship road race)
- Played varsity football for the University of Arizona Wildcats (wide receiver)
Websites
Timeline
Team Manager, BMX -
Straye Footwear
10.2022 - Current
Operating Partner,
The Bourbon Room
07.2022 - 12.2023
Director of Operations,
Houston Hospitality
02.2015 - 06.2022
Operations Manager,
Targa Trophy Automotive Lifestyle Brand
12.2013 - 10.2020
Director of Operations,
Fairmont Miramar Hotel, The Bungalow Santa Monica
11.2013 - 02.2015
General Manager,
SBE, Hyde Lounge Hollywood
07.2011 - 10.2013
General Manager,
Ecco Ultra Lounge
10.2008 - 07.2011
Bachelor of Science - Marketing
The University of Arizona
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