Industry Profile: O’Neill Director of Marketing Cedar Carter

Job Title: Director of Marketing
Employer: O’Neill
Years on snow: Around 20
Days on snow: Not enough!
Currently Riding: one of the new BTX boards from Mervin Manufacturing
Currently I am: wishing I wasn’t sitting at my desk

Shay: Tell us a little bit about yourself
Cedar: I grew up in Washington and went to college about 45 min from Mt Baker so I definitely had a lot of snow in my life! I started as a skier and switched to snowboarding at some point during college. Now I’m in southern California so I don’t see as much snow as I’d like, but I try to sneak off for a snowcat trip here and there and make the trek to Mammoth as often as possible.

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Shay: How has snowboarding changed your life?
Cedar: I’ve met so many great people through snowboarding! Making deep powder turns with just a handful of friends can change your life for sure.

Shay: How did you get your start in the industry, who or what opened up more opportunities for you?
Cedar: Good old fashioned hard work! I did a bunch of internships in college and just worked my way on up. There were a lot of people who helped me along the way, but really a positive attitude and a lot of hard work goes a long way. I think being truly passionate about the industry you are in helps a lot. I love to snowboard and surf so it makes working in this industry fun.

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Shay: How has your previous education or work experience helped you in your current job?
Cedar: Every job I’ve ever had has helped me in my current job. I have a marketing degree and that was definitely a good start, then internships taught me about different areas and helped guide me to where I am now. I spent a lot of time managing events which was a great way to be on the ground and really see who was wearing the products I was marketing. I planned some huge snowboarding contests in Park City and Mammoth when I was with Roxy, and that was a great experience!

Shay: Tell us about your role at O’Neill and a description of the work you do?
Cedar: At O’Neill I’m responsible for all the marketing and public relations for the women’s side of the brand. Everything from photoshoots to events to advertising and much more. It’s a pretty broad role, which is great because I’m involved in a lot of different things and every day is different.

Shay: What’s an average day like at work for you?
Cedar: There is definitely no average day. Tomorrow morning I’m meeting one of our surfers in the water for a quick surf before work, then off to a few meetings, but really every day is different which is why I love it. I could be traveling to a tropical location for a photoshoot or at my desk looking at a budget spreadsheet…I prefer the first one!

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Shay: What are some memorable experiences from working in the industry?
Cedar: I got to work a lot with Torah Bright and Todd Richards when I was running snowboarding events and that was pretty amazing. Torah is a very inspiring person. I’ve also traveled to beautiful locations such as Turks & Caicos and Tahiti for photoshoots, which is always memorable. I’ll also never forget the first time I had to do an interview on camera. It was for Fuel TV and I was so nervous! Now that I’m used to it it’s not so bad, but that first one is tough!

Shay: What do you think are the biggest challenges that the snowboard industry faces and what changes would you like to see for the future?
Cedar: In general I think the economy the past few years has been tough on all of us. The challenge is to stay relevant and keep our products valuable and innovative so people continue to buy. Innovation is always great to see. Snowboarding has come a long way in a pretty short time and I can only imagine what’s in store!

Shay: Education vs Experience…which do you think is more important?
Cedar: It depends on what your end goal is, but I think a combination of both is pretty necessary for most jobs these days.

Shay: What advice would you give to people wanting to work in the industry?
Cedar: Get an internship and work your butt off! Network like crazy and have a good attitude. It goes a long way.

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