MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – For Jaelyn Birch, joining MacEwan University Athletics as the department's new marketing consultant feels like a journey coming full circle.
A little more than a decade ago, she was recruited to join the Griffins women's basketball team only to choose to become a varsity swimming athlete at the University of Lethbridge instead.
Birch, who grew up in Canmore participating in basketball, cross-country skiing and swimming, relishes the opportunity to get back to her university athletic roots and work promoting MacEwan's 16 teams.
"There are very few jobs out there where I can combine everything I like to do – the strategic, the creative and the sport," she said. "This is the job that allows me to do all three.
"That's why this opportunity is so appealing to me. I really do get to play in all three of the things that interest me most."
As a Canada West swimmer from 2007 to 2011 with the Pronghorns, Birch primarily competed in the sprinting events – the 50 free, 100 free and 50 fly. As a student, she took an interest in marketing and TV production.
"I was always torn between marketing and media production," she said. "Then I realized to be successful in this industry, you needed to understand about the strategic and the creative.
"So, I focused on both of those in university, gaining experience in marketing. I did Canada's Next Top Ad Exec and I placed in the top 25 in the country."
That led to a variety of opportunities, including stints with CTV Lethbridge, a production company in Toronto where she worked on the 2000 Nike Olympic commercial with Spike Jonze and with MTV and Viacom in Santa Monica, Calif.
"There I got to work on shows like Workaholics, Inside Amy Schumer, Key and Peele and Hot in Cleveland."
She then landed a job with an L.A. ad agency (Grupo United), really diving into analytics, data and strategic marketing plans.
"The minds down there were unbelievable," she said. "My main accounts were Valvoline, Got Milk and JC Penney. I worked a lot with those companies on brand strategy, brand development and online platforms."
When her visa expired, Birch returned to Canada, finding work with the government developing interactive technology for schools. She also stayed involved with TV production, producing hunting shows for Wild TV, Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel before the allure of university athletics brought her to MacEwan.
Birch joined the MacEwan Athletics department last month and is already diving into her marketing, sponsorship and game day roles.
MacEwan Director of Athletics Ken Schildroth is pleased to add Birch to the team.
"We're excited to welcome Jaelyn to the department," he said. "She brings a wide variety of experiences that will help her be successful in the role. We look forward to her using her creativity and vision to enhance MacEwan Athletics."
