Sonia Diaz
The Storyteller
I get excited about the possibilities of sharing something new with people, something that helps them do better, be better, or see the world differently.
I’m a Mexican-American, TV binge-watching, storytelling human, AND a marketing and communications professional, working on my goals and passions every day.
I’ve enjoyed a career in marketing for the performing arts. I’ve been a part of teams that have helped bring audiences together for Broadway-bound musical productions like, Escape to Margaritaville, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Redwood (Idina Menzel), as well as the nationally acclaimed Pasadena Playhouse West Coast production of Little Shop of Horrors.
I knew I loved storytelling since I was a child when my mom would wake my older sister and me up to watch Sailor Moon (if you know, you know) very early in the morning, because we all loved it. Different ages, different reasons for enjoying it, but it made us laugh all the same. Then came more. The Lion King, Tarzan, Shrek, How to Train your Dragon, all stories that transcend our differences.
Yes, I do love animation. And TV series. They harness the power of storytelling.
So I decided that it would be my part of my career.
Why? It’s how we communicate and how we connect. It’s every time you meet someone or have a conversation. The TV show that we woke to on Saturday mornings, the movies we watched and rated as a family, the songs we sing on road trips, the catching up with friends and family, the books we read, and the journals we keep.
How? I graduated with a degree in film making and a degree in marketing. I learned how to make a living telling stories: stories that when told well, have the transformative power of connecting people from different cultures, generations, and parts of the world.
“Take every opportunity that excites you.”
— Inspired by Amy Lanasa, my college professor.
The Marketing Strategist
Where I've worked and a memorable project (or 2). If you like what you read, I have more stories to tell!
La Jolla Playhouse
Associate Director of Sales and Marketing
- Strategizing and implementing the Media strategy to increase reach and awareness, and drive conversions across traditional and digital channels.
- One of my favorite parts of the job is the community relationship building, vendor management, and media buy negotiation.
- Collaborating with a small but mighty team to market the next hit shows at San Diego’s premier and world-renowned theatre.
- Managing budgets for subscription and show campaigns.
- Team management: Marketing Manager, Marketing Assistant
- Briefing in creative content direction for ads.
Marketing Specialist
- I created and implemented a successful design request process for marketing assets across the institution.
- I helped track and grow a military outreach effort introducing many military couples and families to theater.
- Once we put our marketing strategy together, we got to work on cool projects, like this video for a social campaign. I was involved in the concept development, shot some of the footage, and provided notes in the editing process.
Pasadena Playhouse
Marketing and Membership Manager
- I created reports that tracked membership campaign results in detail in order to have accessible comparative year-over-year data. I helped streamline and develop the membership cultivation process and marketing strategy.
- I wrote email campaigns that delivered high sales numbers and resonated with our audience. A particular email impacted a patron so much that they reached out to the Producing Artistic Director to give us kudos and let us know that they were not planning on buying tickets to the show but were convinced by the entertaining content and effective email copy. That was a good day!
City of Santa Fe TOURISM
- I had the opportunity to work with multiple organizations and provided support in executing the marketing department’s Google Trekker project. (Enjoy a picture of me carrying a Google Trekker 360 camera.)
Actors Theater of Louisville
- I assisted in project managing the content and copy of the 2016 Humana Festival of New American Plays app (Guidebook). This included bios, play descriptions, photos, etc.
