Jenna Morr

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! We are back again with another Friday Blog Feature! Today we are introducing Jenna Morr. If you don't know Jenna, well I suggest you take a seat and read all about this amazing woman! She has accomplished so much in our industry within a few years. Not to mention she is the Director of Social Media and content at Teton Ridge! What is that you ask? Well, let's just get to know Jenna some more and you will know by the end of this blog!

Jenna was born and raised in Ashley, Indiana and after high school she went off to college. She attended Michigan State University and graduated. She then went on to get her Master's from The University of Texas at Austin. (I won't tell her that we are a die hard Aggie family haha). 

Let’s hear all about her work life and how you she started doing what she is doing. "If you would have told me at any point in my life that I would end up in the western industry I would straight up laugh in your face. Not in a rude way. But definitely in a knee slapper type of way. Because there was no fiber in my body that would have believed you. But here we are. I grew up wanting to be an orthodontist because my orthodontist took my teeth from whack to wow. And I wanted to make a difference like that. Until I realized it was like 10 years of school and that changed real quickly. But then I ended up going to school for 6 years so that’s a mute point. I graduated college with every intention of working in sports marketing and social media. And I
did for quite awhile. Collegiate sports, pro sports (Go Broncos), sports academies and everything in between. I moved for almost every job and I realized after being in Florida for a bit that I wanted to be back in Colorado. So I took a job with PBR. No, not the beer. The sport. Professional Bull Riding. Which I had never even been to an event. Little did I know it would change my entire life. It started my western career. Although PBR is a bit different than other rodeo and western industry organizations because it’s part of the industry but doesn’t have as much crossover within the industry to allow for you to really meet people. I ended up leaving PBR after a few years to go to Cavender’s where I was able to really begin building a network and had the autonomy and trust from a great company to tell the story of athletes, the sport, a family brand and great products. And that’s what I did. My abilities in social media lead to doing more and more storytelling through video and photos. And that’s where I really found one of my passions. I had the opportunity to tell so many great stories. I also had the opportunity to work with athletes and building their brands which is something I still to this day love doing. And that eventually lead to where I am now which is Director of Social Media and Content at Teton Ridge. I handle social and content strategies for The American Rodeo, Teton Ridge and a variety of our other entities. As soon as I got involved in this industry, I was hooked. And honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to leave the western industry. In fact, I tried for a few days and ended up right back in it." 

Her journey has been truly amazing! To work with these different companies is so life changing. We know there are so many things to love about what Jenna does. So, I asked what was one thing she loved about her job. "It’s hard to pick one honestly. One of my favorite parts is having the opportunity to capture events, places, people and moments that most will never get to experience in person. It’s a lot of pressure to be honest. From being on stage with J.B. Mauney for a round win during the Gold
Buckle Ceremony at SouthPoint during the NFR, to being on the back chutes and capturing the moment that Kaique Pacheco realized he won $2.1 Million at The American Rodeo to celebrating with Hailey Kinsel when she won ANOTHER Gold Buckle. I have the unique job of capturing those moments and sharing those through social media in a way that makes people feel like they’re right next to me, in those moments, witnessing those unbelievable experiences. I don’t take that task lightly. If people can watch my content and feel even a little bit of the emotion or experience that is happening, then I’m doing alright. Another thing I love is storytelling. Telling the stories of those you may have never heard of, the dreamers, the record setters, the world champions and even the teacher who just won $100,000 doing what she loved on the dirt. Everyone has such a unique story in this industry and being able to gracefully and respectfully share their life and stories with the world is one of the coolest things for me. And then there are the people. Y’all the people I’ve gotten the chance to meet, work with, celebrate with and have late night life conversations with, is crazy. I love this industry so much for the people I’ve met and who I’m grateful to call friends. And to get to be part of so many athlete’s special moments is also something I hold close to my heart. Sometimes I have to pinch myself that I get to do this. It’s wild and completely badass, but I also know I’ve worked my ass off to get here." Ok, so we are going to have to revisit the J.B. stage moment, because you know all of us want to hear about that one! 

Hearing that you have met all of these amazing people what kind of friendships and connections have you built from your work? "At this point most of the relationships I’ve built in this industry I would call framily as opposed to friends. Many of us in this industry travel quite a bit to events and tradeshows for work and we are constantly together in different cities. It’s such a fun lifestyle to be able to explore and
experience such amazing moments with the people that love this industry as much as you do. This industry is by far built on authenticity and true blue people. So, it makes it easy to build friendships and real connections with people that just get you. The relationships I’ve built is probably one of the most meaningful parts of my job. I know that no matter where I’m at or what time it is, there is someone I can call that will pick up the phone to help in a heartbeat. You don’t get that in every job or industry in today’s world. And I think that is pretty damn awesome that our industry is filled with the good ole’."

If you are wanting to go into this line of work Jenna has some great advice for you! Write it down! "Work your ass off. Be present. Say yes to every opportunity that gives you a chance to be at events, special meetings, cool jobs, etc. Internships, volunteering, low pay introductory jobs for a great opportunity, having to move, etc. are all opportunities. Make the most of them. Dedicate your time to diving head first and completely immersing yourself in the culture and environment. The one thing you’ll hear from anyone that knows me is “Jenna knows everyone”. This industry
isn’t something I was born into. I haven’t been raised a cowgirl or in the western world. In fact, I’ve only been in the industry for less than five years. People have TONS of years of experience on me at the same age. Hell some of more experience and are 10 years younger than me in this industry. So how did I do it? I went to every event I could. I spent my free time going to events. I talked to everyone. I kept in touch with everyone. And consistently would go out of my way to go visit with people if I knew they were at the event I was. It’s a lot of dedication and time. But if you want to make it, that’s the sacrifices you make. Who you know truly can take you so far.
Don’t get me wrong. There is more you have to know. You have to be willing to be a student, understand your audience, who your followers are and tactical things. But many of these can be learned along the way."

We know there is something inside all of us that inspires us to do what we do. What inspires Jenna? "I’ve always loved sports. When I was in graduate school is around the time that social media started becoming a marketing platform and not just a personal platform. I was intrigued. So I started testing things and getting more involved in bringing marketing to life through social. Events and experiences have always been some of my favorite things and as soon as I got my first job opportunity to showcase events through social, I was hooked. Now I get to experience some of the greatest moments with the greatest athletes and have a front row seat for it all. And it’s one helluva adventure I wouldn't trade for the world."

Since Jenna travels a lot. I asked her some of the places she has gone, fun things she has done. I also asked her what places she recommends for an amazing girls trip! "I have traveled quite a bit for work and personally. I did my first international trip my freshman year in high school to Germany, Austria and Switzerland with some of my best friends through a school program. This small town girl was HOOKED. I’ve gotten to visit Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Canada, various places in Mexico, I’ve visited the United Kingdom where I saw Elton John in concert and I’ve been all over the United States. Last summer I sold practically all of my furniture and home furnishings and was a digital nomad for six months. No, I didn’t live out of a van down by the river or airstream or RV. I stored my things in a storage unit and flew everywhere and stayed in AirBnB’s. I visited 21 states to be exact. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and saw some of the most beautiful places of my life. I absolutely recommend it. It’s scary. It’s a lot of planning. It’s wild. But you will never forget it.

Some of my favorite places….
Internationally: Costa Rica (I’m obsessed), Cabo
Domestically: Palm Springs, CA; Nashville, TN; Siesta Key/St. Pete Beach, FL; Stowe, VT;
Boise, ID; Portland, ME, Fredericksburg, TX

Just for fun. What makes you laugh until you cry? Honestly, I’m not a big comedian person or dry humor. But give me movies like “House Bunny”
and “Bridesmaids” and I’ll laugh for days. I have a ton of friends who make me laugh until my belly hurts and I could probably pull up 100 videos right now that would have me crying. I love me some "Bridesmaids", 'help me I'm poor!' hahaha!! Classic!

You know this wouldn't be a Wranglin' Mama Blog without asking for a drink recipe! So what cha got for us Jenna? " I’m so basic with my drinking it’s not funny. I’m a vodka soda, dirty shirley, Paloma type of girl. But one not many have tried is Deep Eddy’s Grapefruit vodka with a splash of soda water. It’s simple but the vodka is so great without a bunch of added juice." I'm a sucker for grapefruit. So, I'm making this drink at noon, cause it's 5 o'clock somewhere, right?

Jenna leaves us with this additional advice. " Stay true to yourself. Work your ass off. Even when you don’t think people are watching. Don’t get bogged down on other people’s timelines. Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy to. But I went through most of my 20’s feeling behind. I couldn’t find a job right out of grad school while all my other friends were. I was doubting myself and my abilities. But I continued to push through. To take opportunities and experiences and give myself a chance to be great. And guess what, eventually it all clicked. I found my spot. I started being noticed for the work I had done and was doing. If things aren’t where you want them…don’t stop…don’t dwell…don’t get yourself down. It’ll all come out. You may find yourself doing things you never imagined and end up right where you belong. I’m a testament of that. Say yes to opportunities. Tackle things that are uncomfortable. Make the move even if it feels scary and uncertain. Oh…and don’t be an asshole. The world is tough enough to navigate. Don’t make it more difficult by being a jerk to people." That last line there! Those are words to live by!

 

Thanks for joining us on this wonderful Friday! If you want to follow along Jenna's journey and see all of the amazing things she is doing! You can give her a follow on Instagram @Jenna_ann24