Brianna Gable ’15 knows before anyone else when Dollar Dog Night is at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. She’s made The Bigs in a new position as a graphic designer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I’m not going to lie, I have to pinch myself once in a while,” she said.
Gable was hired in January to help design all the signage and print materials for the team, including ads letting you know when you can get those dollar dogs.
“We work in tandem with Major League Baseball, so they handle a lot of the bigger things like team uniforms, but we handle pretty much anything else,” she said.
She recently worked with her design team to create the Pirates 2019 yearbook, as well as huge billboards that appeared around the city that counted down to opening day.
“Those are the two things I’m most proud of at the moment,” she said. “It’s really cool to design a billboard for the city’s team.”
THE CALL-UP
Gable describes herself as “really driven.”
“If I want something, I’m going to go after it 100 percent,” she said. Part of her strategy in getting the job with the Pirates was networking to get her resume into the right hands, but she said her confidence in herself really helped her land the position.
“In my interview, I was talking with the head of marketing and he said, ‘You’re unlike any designer I’ve ever met before. You’re very charismatic, talkative and very bold.’” Gable said those qualities made her potential future employer confident in her abilities, even though she had never done any previous sports marketing.
Showing some of her work from Moore was a plus, too.
“It helped show my critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and that I can creatively think on my own in addition to working with a team,” she said. Her advice to current Moore students is to “stretch yourself.”
“Being outgoing and charismatic with your attitude and personality will make you stand out,” she said. “You need to be able to communicate. I feel that is a big reason why I got my job here.”
LET’S GO BUCS
Gable, who grew up in Lancaster, is a lifelong Phillies fan.
“It’s ironic that I’m working here,” she said. “It’s been a little awkward being in Pirates territory. I’ve had to tone down my Philly pride here a little bit, but the Pirates are slowly becoming my number 2-loved team.”
While she likes sports and has attended Phillies, Eagles and college football games in Philadelphia, she’s had to brush up on baseball.
“I’m learning more and more, but I didn’t pay too much attention to baseball before,” she said. “Now that I’m working here, I’m paying a lot more attention!”
Perks of her job include a fantastic view of Pittsburgh from PNC Park, and running into players. Her favorites are catcher Francisco Cervelli and pitcher Steven Brault. “Francisco is a great person with a lot of passion in life, and Steven is funny and a cutie and he’s smiling all the time,” she said.
Gable recently went to her very first opening-day game.
“It’s really cool to be a part of it,” she said.
Listen to Gable’s podcast “Living Creative.” See more of her work here.
