General 9/13/2022 2:21:00 PM Written By: Mallory Allen

JOE CARLSON - INTERN WITH THE BLIZZARD - "I can't believe I brought all these people together"

Throughout his five years working for the Blizzard, Joe Carlson wore countless hats. Beginning as an intern simply answering phone calls in the front office, Carlson's talent and hard work shined, quickly resulting in him earning bigger responsibilities and eventually, a full-time job. Although he's since moved on from Green Bay, Carlson says the Blizzard will always hold a special place in his heart. *Current Job Opportunities*

Early Days
Carlson began his journey with the Blizzard in 2015 after accepting an internship with the team during his senior year of college. "I just knew I wanted to be in sports at that time, so I started applying to a whole bunch of different sports teams. I ended up with the Blizzard and took full advantage of it," he said.

Working every other day, Carlson's first duties were humble ones: answering questions, directing phone calls, and other office work. But the Blizzard's Director of Sales, Ryan Hopson, could see all the potential in Carlson just waiting to be tapped. As a result, he gave him two fairly large projects to work on: Youth Camp and Scout Night.

"I said to myself, 'I'm going to do as much as I can to make sure these things get off the ground,'" Carlson recalled. He also got the chance to help run the Blizzard's on-field promotions, manage the team's social media accounts, and even go "on the mic" during games.

Joe getting the crowd hyped

The Next Step
After earning his degree in Marketing with an emphasis in Analytics from UW-Oshkosh, Blizzard team owners (the Treanklers) offered Carlson a position at one of their companies.

"Kathy and Larry said, 'We don't have a spot for you with the Blizzard, but you're a good worker and we want you to stick around.' So, they offered me a job at LMG [now called Trinks, Inc.] doing marketing, analytics, and social media work for them. I did that for about a year."

Carlson recalled during that time period, "I would also come into the Blizzard office after hours… and work on sales, phone calls, social media, and different projects, like setting up theme nights. It was fun; I'd caught the bug at that point, and I was like, 'Alright, I need to help figure out how we can get more fans in the building.'"

In 2017, Carlson began his full-time position with the Green Bay Blizzard, a job he held for several years and "loved a lot."

Lessons Learned
When asked what he took away from his Blizzard internship, Carlson said, "I learned a ton. It was my first internship coming out of college and I had no idea what to expect. There were so many little things that in the moment, I didn't really think about them."

First and foremost, Carlson quickly learned the #1 rule of the sports industry: things never go exactly according to plan. "I definitely learned how to pick stuff up on the fly," he said. "On game days, you're running around putting out fires and trying to help as many people as you can, which translates really well into any job you do. It makes you more comfortable under pressure."

Another lesson that Carlson took with him in his post-Blizzard career is the importance of treating people like people, not dollar signs. In other words, "Relationships with people matter."

Referencing his job with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves after leaving Green Bay, Carlson explained, "I had a sales role and a lot of my co-workers were very 'sales-y' – they didn't care about the fans, they were just trying to up their numbers. But by the end of my time there, I was outselling almost everyone on my team because I was building good relationships with important people within the schools and different youth groups I worked with."

Finally, Carlson said his time with the Blizzard taught him to take advantage of every opportunity that comes along. "Having the ability to throw yourself out there and help wherever you can is huge. In my current role, when an opportunity is offered and I can see some members of my team are hesitant to jump on it, I take it," he said. "That's turned into really good things for me – raises, bonuses – because I'm willing to take that extra step when other people aren't."

Moments & Memories
Carlson said his favorite moment from his time with the Blizzard was on Scout Night, when there were more than 1,500 Boy and Girl Scouts in the Resch Center for one of Green Bay's games. "I remember seeing all the scouts out there and thinking, 'Oh my goodness, I can't believe I brought all these people together,'" he recalled fondly, as Scout Night was his personal project. "Watching everyone enjoying themselves and having fun is definitely one of my best memories."

Another particularly special aspect of Carlson's journey is that his job with the Blizzard helped him meet his soon-to-be wife, Taylor Dagon. A fellow sports fanatic, she interned with the team in 2017 before landing another internship with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and then a full-time position with the Green Bay Booyah (now called the Rockers). Carlson and Dagon – both identical twins! – are set to be married next month, in September 2022.

Game days were Carlson's favorite part of working for the Blizzard, but he equally enjoyed his time spent in the Blizzard office as well. "One thing I liked about working in sports versus my job now is that every day was different and I was rarely doing the same thing. I loved how it always kept me on my toes."

Connections & Experience
Despite his internship with the Blizzard being unpaid, Carlson said taking the position was "100 percent worth it" because he "had a passion to be in sports, and this industry is very much a 'who you know' business. Networking is the number-one thing." In fact, in a roundabout way, the many relationships Carlson formed with various executives and sales leaders in the IFL is what helped him land NBA interviews and eventually, his job with the Timberwolves.

Carlson's advice for students considering taking an internship with the team is simple: "Take it, but not unless you're going to fully commit and try to learn as much as you can. We've had interns in the past who took an internship with the Blizzard saying, 'Oh, it's a sports team, that's awesome' but they don't truly go all in and try to get the most out of it."

Now in his late twenties, Carlson lives in Minnesota and does analytics work for a healthcare company. "I would still love to be in the sports realm, but I'm very happy in the position I'm in right now," he said.

Regardless of what his future holds, Carlson will always look back on his time in Green Bay with a fond smile and remember it as the place where he got his start as a starry-eyed unpaid intern. "I love and miss everybody in the organization and still cherish my time with the Blizzard very, very much."

- Written By: Mallory Allen

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JOE CARLSON - INTERN WITH THE BLIZZARD - "I can't believe I brought all these people together"

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