Utah Jazz Dream Team - April 2024 Winner: Marcus Augenstein

Congratulations, Marcus Augenstein.

Augenstein was named the Utah Jazz Dream Team winner for April 2024 for all his hard work throughout his time with the Jazz. The Dream Team was created to recognize individuals who go above and beyond their duties and exemplify the Utah Jazz's values daily.

“Over a year ago Marcus went to Mark Powell and told him he wanted to be heavily involved in the NCAA tournament,” the Jazz said in a statement. “Mark welcomed his enthusiasm and passion for this event - knowing this event would be the biggest event we would do all year and the eyes of our community as well as a national television audience would be on us. Though Marcus is rather new to the events team everybody on the team felt confident in Marcus's ability to lead out and orchestrate this event. From the moment Marcus was asked to lead out on this event he hit the ground running. Over the past year Marcus has been involved in countless planning meetings with the University of Utah and the NCAA gathering details and representing the Utah Jazz and Delta Center. Marcus was in charge of gathering all information and disseminating it to all departments at Delta Center and Utah Jazz. Last week’s NCAA Tournament was a huge success. We received comments from both the U of U and the NCAA tournament manager praising Marcus and our entire arena on our excellent planning and preparedness. The NCAA tournament on site manager said "this has been the easiest best prepared site he has ever been to" He told me Marcus is a "Rockstar.” Marcus showed all of our values and exceeded all expectations making the state of Utah and Delta Center shine for March Madness.”

Read more to get to know Augenstein, his journey with the Jazz, and any advice he has for those wanting to join the organization.

Question: What was your reaction when you found out you’d won??

Augenstein: I felt very surprised to be selected for the Dream team. This is such a large organization and I know so many people do great work across all of the different departments. I felt incredibly grateful for all the people who supported me and were also a part of making sure that last month’s March Madness went smoothly and was successful.

Question: How was the last month different when compared to your other months with the Jazz?

Augenstein: Last month was one of the busiest but most rewarding months during my time with the organization. March Madness was an event that we spent almost an entire calendar year planning and we wanted to make sure we were prepared for any situation. It was amazing to see all of the plans we made come to reality and it was a very cool opportunity for me to sit at the scorer's table and be a part of a tournament I grew up watching from that position.?

Question: How did you get your start with the organization? What has that journey been like?

Augenstein: I feel like I had a very unique start to my time with the Jazz and Delta Center. I originally applied for an internship with Jr Jazz after completing my masters just to get my foot in the door and thanks to Nate Martinez and some of our People and Culture staff, it was suggested that I interview for the open events department position at the time. After sitting down in my interview with Mark Powell I was incredibly excited to learn about the events department. I have slowly been able to learn so much about running live events and all the work that goes into making sure that all our guests have great experiences when they come to the arena. My biggest takeaway is that nobody is above an internship and for me, it opened up an entirely new career path I never expected.

Question: If asked, how would you describe your role to someone who didn’t know?

Augenstein: I would describe my role as a connector. We are very fortunate in our roles to work with so many different departments and to be able to interact with people from all over the company. From working alongside the operations and tech service teams on show days to working with our premium and corporate partnership team for other events, we get to know so many people. A large element of our role is we serve as the main point of contact for all things related to that event and we help to quickly resolve any issues or concerns that come up during events.

Question: What is the best part of your role? What is the toughest part?

Augenstein: The best part of my role is being part of an event from start to finish. To witness something that starts at the brainstorming stage all the way through to a large-scale event is something that is very rewarding. Very similar to sports it feels like we are on a team who works together to accomplish something a lot bigger than ourselves and it has been incredibly fulfilling to see all our hard work come together.?

The toughest part of this role is probably the hours. There is nothing standard about events and each event is incredibly different in terms of the time and hours required. I have been here at the arena at 3 AM for events many times both concluding and starting events so it's a job that requires a lot of energy and stamina.

Question: What is the best part of being with the organization?

Augenstein: The best part of being with the organization has to be the perks! It's an incredible opportunity to be involved with the team that I grew up supporting and it's fun that all my friends and family are so interested in what I do. There are not many places with such a recognizable brand and as large of a social impact as what we have and it's very unique to be a part of. Also as a huge music fan, I love seeing all the different shows that we bring in and being able to listen to incredible live music so often.?

Question: Is this your dream job? If not, what is?

Augenstein: I didn't think that this would be my dream job when I started in this position but I would say it has become that. My main passions in life are sports, music, and travel and the fact that I get to professionally engage with 2 of those things for me has been amazing. I also feel that this job provides me with great opportunities to grow personally and I love that I am also able to travel outside of work. I also think that working with the right people makes your job so much easier and more gratifying and I definitely enjoy my job a lot more because of my team.

Question: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? Augenstein: In 5-10 years I’d love to be doing more within the organization from the events/arena side. With the recent announcement of NHL Hockey coming to Utah and the upcoming plans to renovate the arena, there seem to be so many opportunities for growth in the organization and within the state where I grew up. It’s exciting to see Utah slowly change and become a focal point for sports and entertainment. It would also be an amazing opportunity to possibly work at the 2034 Olympics. Having attended the games as a kid in 2002 it would be a very full-circle moment for me to be a part of such a huge worldwide sporting event.

Question: Any advice/inspiration you’d give to someone looking to join the Jazz organization?

Augenstein: I would advise anyone who wants to join the Jazz to look for open doors wherever they are. Like I mentioned I only landed here because I applied for an internship and then I found my passion in a totally different area. Be willing to learn and try to remain open to opportunities even if they may not feel like something you fully understand or have considered before. I think the most important professional skill people should develop to be successful is effective communication. Learning to communicate constructively is one of the skills I am constantly striving to improve and has proven to be the most beneficial skill to my personal life and professional career.