Rather than just telling you what I can bring as Director of Marketing, I want to show you. With this letter, I’ve included a PCPA marketing portfolio featuring a brand redesign proposal, a style guide for your venues, campaign materials, and a live landing page with video content. Each piece was created specifically for this application to demonstrate my skills and vision for PCPA. The brand redesign and style guide are designed to increase your audience recognition and refresh PCPA’s visual identity, helping you stand out in a competitive arts market. The campaign materials and landing page aim to boost ticket sales, strengthen your digital presence, and deepen engagement with the Central Coast community. Together, these projects represent the kind of results-driven marketing I would bring to PCPA.

When I started at West Covina High School, the previous instructor quit, along with the senior members, so morale, experience, and overall numbers were low. By 2008, we won the ADLA Scholastic Open championship. The next year, we took silver in Scholastic World, and the year after that, gold. Over ten years, I managed staff, worked with parents and boosters, handled budgets, and led the program from unknown to champions. Building this program required a combination of vision, strategic planning, and the ability to rally a team toward a common goal—all skills that directly relate to leading successful marketing initiatives. Just as I developed and executed long-term strategies to grow and engage our ensemble, I approach marketing by setting ambitious goals, creating clear plans, and motivating teams to deliver impactful results.

At River Falls High School in Wisconsin, I worked as Front Ensemble Arranger and Sound Designer for eight seasons. The marching band won six WSMA Class AAA State Championships, and my sections earned Best Percussion five times. These results came from working closely with directors, students, and staff across the country, which shows the kind of remote teamwork this role needs.

At Telemundo Costa Central, I created marketing campaigns for local businesses. The campaigns achieved audience growth of up to 20 percent for several clients, and one campaign for a local restaurant resulted in a 30 percent increase in in-store visits over three months. I produced commercials, designed branded content, managed production schedules, and worked directly with clients on messaging and audience targeting. I did all of this in both English and Spanish, across different platforms, and always met deadlines. Before that, I managed social media for the 21-time Drum Corps International Champion Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps during their record-breaking 2014 DCI World Championship season, running accounts with over 50,000 followers and writing scripts for a weekly documentary series that culminated in the current highest score in DCI history. I also produced content for Winter Guard International for six years and spent nearly ten years in editorial at Skinnie Magazine, where I interviewed people like Steve Aoki and Kelly Slater.

I also have hands-on experience in theater. At Cuesta College, I was nominated for a KCACTF Irene Ryan Acting award for my first role as Renfield in Dracula. I designed sound for five productions and performed in three, including Refried Elvis, which won six Distinguished Awards at the 47th KCACTF in Oahu, including Distinguished Production of a New Work, Distinguished Director, two Distinguished Actor in a Musical awards, Distinguished Actress in a Musical, and Distinguished Performance and Production Ensemble. In 2019, I earned an Outstanding Sound Design award at the 50th National Kennedy Center Festival for Ghost Ship, and was part of the eight-person design team recognized for Outstanding Production Design. Cuesta College received ten national awards in total. I’ve taken part in workshops with Tony winners and Broadway professionals. At Allan Hancock College, I wrote, directed, and starred in two short films that won Best Narrative and Best Cinematography.

Right now at UC Santa Barbara, my professor chose me as Technical and Multimedia Director for four newsrooms in WRIT 152B Multiplatform Journalism, the final capstone of UCSB’s nationally recognized Professional Writing program. Because of my experience, she gave me a special leadership role. I lead masterclasses, review all dynamic media before publication, check for UX and accessibility, and mentor multimedia reporters across every team. I also work as a videographer in the Writing Department.

I grew up on the Central Coast and know Santa Maria, Solvang, and the communities PCPA serves. Being a non-traditional student is a big part of my story. My career spans more than twenty years. I returned to UC Santa Barbara to study Communication, focusing on Marketing Communication, Digital Consumer Behavior, Social Networks, and Research Methods. Before my first class, I had already spent ten years managing staff, twenty years creating content, and won a national award at the Kennedy Center. I have a 3.85 GPA and Dean’s Honors. I bring the same dedication to school as I do to my work. My experiences have taught me the value of accessibility, collaboration, and creative education—values that I know are central to PCPA’s mission to enrich and uplift our region through live theater. I am committed to supporting PCPA’s impact on the community by helping tell its stories and connecting even more people to the transformative power of the arts.

I would be glad to walk the committee through my portfolio. If it would be helpful, I am available to schedule a meeting or presentation to discuss my ideas and showcase my work in more detail. Please feel free to contact me at 805-503-7551 or jose_a_mendoza@ucsb.edu to arrange a time that works for you.