Mariah Rose was certain of her interest in pursuing a career in sports for as long as she can remember. It was during the pandemic though—where she immersed herself in the world of content creation and began uploading different videos on TikTok—that she discovered the space that allowed her to combine her passion for sports and digital media. She hasn't looked back since! From working with the Atlanta Hawks to collaborating with organizations such as Nike, Wave Sports + Entertainment, the WNBA, and Bleacher Report, Mariah has continued to build her personal brand in the industry. Along with this, she has also founded her own podcast called "Hoops for Hotties," and grown her TikTok community to over 355,000 followers. Through it all, there is a particular driving force that remains at the forefront of Mariah's mind when it comes to content: the opportunity to create a space that talks sports where everyone is welcome.
Diving into your journey early on, how was that transition from college into the world of sports media like for you?
It was interesting because I ended up getting a DM from Buckets on Instagram—they're a Wave Sports + Entertainment brand—, and they reached out to me to make content for them for their Instagram, TikTok pages, and their YouTube channel. I kind of got a “big girl job” while I was still in college, so by the time I graduated, I was used to working in the industry. When I graduated, it was interesting because I didn't know exactly how everything was going to go and how it was going to look because I was putting all my time into content creating; but the transition was a little easier because I had that opportunity while I was in college.
Throughout your time in the industry, you’ve worked with an array of organizations including Bleacher Report, Wave Sports + Entertainment, the WNBA, and the Atlanta Hawks. Could you share more with us about your work in the industry and some of those roles with each organization?
Yeah! There's a few different ways that I make money and have my job. The main one is obviously making videos on TikTok and then making money from the platform itself, but every once in a while, I'm lucky enough to get opportunities with brands like the ones you mentioned to do different sorts of projects. For Bleacher Report for example, I was covering March Madness. I went out to Alabama with them for the first round of games and I just did different interviews, went LIVE on their page, (etc). Then, there will be times—like with the NBA—where it’ll be maybe me promoting the In-Season Tournament. I'll do a “Hoops for Hotties” (video) explaining what that means. Or, with the WNBA, I was a social ambassador for All-Star Weekend so I went out to Vegas and I worked that event—it was an incredible experience, so much fun. It just depends on what the event offers. Every single day looks completely different, but it's kind of spread all over the place because I work with so many different brands. As far as my day-to-day, it's really just kind of keeping up with what's going on in the sports world and making sure I'm making fun new content that goes with those kinds of things.
Let’s talk branding! How did you get started building your personal brand in this space?