Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Agajanian
Hi Jordan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Sure! Long story short, I grew up in a family where the Indy 500 was our Superbowl. I am the only girl of four, with three brothers who are all car-obsessed. So anything that was on 2 or 4 wheels- we were game. That’s what sparked my interest in the motorsports industry- specifically IndyCar racing. I was always creative growing up- my brothers and I were making movies from the time were were 8 years old and were always involved in the theater program at school. I eventually studied marketing at Texas Christian University, mostly because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do yet and it was broad enough of a subject I could sort of figure things out later.
I didn’t even realize I wanted to do motorsports marketing until I went to a race once and saw people doing it. Instagram was kind of just getting off the ground in terms of it’s marketing potential, and I saw social media managers running around the track. When I saw that I thought, this is what I want to do. I just had to figure out how to get there, and it definitely was not an overnight process. Out of college, I tried to apply to teams and motorsports series but had no luck. AFter tons of applications and cold emails, I had to start working elsewhere. My first job out of college was at one of those rental-scooter companies, and I was doing customer service. I took the 5 AM shift to beat traffic, because I couldn’t afford to move out of my parents’ place on the East Side. They were gracious enough to let me live there and commute daily to the West Side.
After that I had a few other jobs, none of which had to do with motorsports. But I was always interested in it. Always trying to figure out how to somehow bring it into what I was doing. There had to be a way, I just wasn’t ready to abandon it. I always stayed knowledgable and always kept networking, always learned as much as I could in all my jobs even if they weren’t exactly what I wanted to be doing. That’s when I got the job at C4 Energy. The position had nothing to do with racing, but the company had just signed a driver. I remember I told my boss- “I’m very interested in this partnership. I know a lot about this field, and am happy to help in any way I can.” It started with submitting invoices and creating reports. Then it turned into being on-site for photoshoots as an extra pair of hands. Then it turned into owning the relationship with the talent. And it grew from there until we entered multiple areas of racing, including NASCAR.
I began traveling very often to races with our drivers. There, I met a TON of people and began growing my own Instagram. Drivers began to ask for my help with their own marketing, so I started to take on clients. I tried to balance both (the clients and C4 Energy) for a bit, but it became to much and something had to give. I owed it to both entities to give them my 100%. So, I ensured everything was in a good place at C4 Energy and I decided to make the leap and start my own creative agency. Here we are!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh gosh, no. In fact, the road wasn’t even paved most of the time in the beginning. It was a dead end, so to speak. I think some of the biggest struggles are pretty standard- mostly rejection. The amount of job applications and cold emails alone that went unanswered would be enough to make anybody feel pretty hopeless. But when the road ends, that’s where I see opportunity to keep going. I actually prefer a dead end- it gives me the opportunity to pave something completely new that is according to my rules, and I don’t have to walk on a path someone else paved.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently own an agency that provides creative consulting in motorsports. So any type of creative needs a driver or team needs- that’s us- me, my brother, and my business partner. My older brother Jake has been a God send, helping me with all the backend and business management things haha. I’m more of the creative and he’s more business-savvy. So whether a client feels they are lacking on social media and need support there, or they have a major brand campaign that they need production efforts for. I’ve been lucky enough to work in the creative side of motorsports for the past 2 years and have fostered a vast network of incredibly talented individuals whom I can tap at any time for a number of projects. I always tell my clients- everyone has a story, let’s figure out what font you want to tell yours in. I want them to feel they have as big of a piece in the creative process as they like.
I feel what sets me apart from others is a few things. First, growing up in this sport provides me an understanding and a nostalgic flare that I try to intertwine into every project I take on. Yes I love the fast cars and roar of the engine- but even more, I am obsessed with the lore and backstory of IndyCar and NASCAR. I want to tap into those roots as much as possible and showcase what makes these series so special. I feel like they don’t always get enough attention, especially IndyCar, compared to Formula 1.
Second that sets me apart is my understanding of the brand-side of sponsorship. Having worked at a major brand that sponsored multiple drivers in multiple series over the past 2 years, I am very knowledgable in contractual obligations, negotiations, and delivering both of those. Having experience on both the driver side and brand side give me an alternate perspective that I feel not many people in this sport have.
At the moment, I am most proud of bringing the C4 Energy x Jesse Love Xfinity car to life. That is something we’ve been working on for a while and it was truly surreal to get to see something so special absolutely rock the Nashville Superspeedway. Jesse and his team have been incredible and it was a true delight to everyone on the C4 team to see the project come to fruition. Having lead that partnership head on since day 1, I am certainly most proud of my efforts there.
This whole thing can’t go without saying that I am hugely inspired by my cousin, who started something very similar and does an incredible job. He has made waves in the industry and motivated me to do something similar.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I saw a quote the other day that I am now obsessed with that absolutely has changed my perspective and definitely sums up the past 6 months for me- “Nobody knows what they’re doing, but some people do it anyway.” Man, talk about a game changer. Just go for it. What stopped me for a long time was the fear of what other people thought. If I kept caring about that, I would have never grown my social media. I would have never had the confidence to start the agency I’ve been dreaming about for 10 years. Thank god I conquered that fear.
People always say they want to “work in motorsports.” Step 1- define that. Get as specific as you can. Working as an engineer requires much different qualifications than working as a social media admin. Get. Specific. From there, you can begin to understand the requirements for the job you want. I would literally look at job listing for my dream position and say, “okay, this is what I need to do. Let’s get started.” It’s “one day,” or “day one,” the choice is up to you.
My biggest advice to someone just starting out in the motorsports world- just start somewhere. Chances are, your first job isn’t going to be with F1. It might be, and that’s amazing. But think about it in terms of drivers- almost all start out go-karting. They can’t drive a Formula 1 car before they make their way through the ranks. Same thing here. Smash your ego- there is no job you are “too good” for. I was literally submitting invoices, answering phones, and building powerpoints in the beginning. But it was something. Keep knocking on the door. Eventually, someone will answer!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aagencymedia.com
- Instagram: jordanagajanian
Image Credits
Ryan Butler
Devon Tessler
Austin Miles
