Drew Rauso Recap
On Tuesday, Sept. 25, the University of Maryland Sports Business Society welcomed Drew Rauso to campus. Rauso works as a Creative Producer at The Players’ Tribune.
Initially, Rauso was a general business major at the University of Maryland, but after a life-changing study abroad experience, he switched to journalism. Throughout his time in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, the various classes, internships and experiences, highlighted by a photography internship his junior year, helped shape his future success. After various professors’ advice to pursue a career as a reporter in the Midwest, Rauso decided he could make his own success as a journalist in sports and media.
Upon his graduation, Rauso spent the summer networking throughout New York City and landed a job in his home state of New Jersey. However, he quickly moved to Washington, D.C., after circumstances inside a NYC train station led to an interaction with a former classmate and a job offer with D.C. United.
At D.C. United, Rauso held various media-related roles. His initial position was as the singular handler of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter handles of D.C. United, which required constant overview of the social media platforms. Eventually, Rauso rose in leadership and began coordinating message groups and creating plans for advertising. He created branded content advertisements providing insight into a Tinder/D.C. United partnership and Mazda/D.C. United Partnership. Lastly, he mentioned his involvement with the new stadium rights which were granted to Audi.
“I loved being strategic and getting to craft a voice and a strategy for how we did things,” Rauso said.
After a few years with D.C. United, Rauso departed for The Players’ Tribune. Rauso continued to work on branded content but saw a unique opportunity to work directly with athletes. Rauso has collaborated on projects with former NBA players Carlos Boozer and Quentin Richardson, European soccer star Francesco Totti and NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Rauso highlighted the importance of finding the right athlete for each production the company created so they could emphasize the authenticity and fulfill their mission. He also referenced the challenges in infusing branded messages within the athlete’s stories.
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