Meet Simon Romero, a 16-year-old Marketing Specialist Intern at Iridium Sports Agency. Romero hails from Welland, Ontario Canada and is an amateur boxer. His brother, Anthony “The Genius” Romero (9-1), is a professional MMA fighter. In this article, Simon gives us a peak behind the curtain of Iridium Sports Agency, how he got into the business and what is required of an intern at a Sports Agency.
The Beginning
Romero began his experience in kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu at the age of 5-years-old. He discovered a love for boxing in his teenage years and became a Golden Gloves Provincial Champion in the sport. Drawing from his personal experience in sport, at the young age of 14, he began an MMA webpage, You Tube channel and podcast called Behind the Grind. Romero began reaching out to professional and amateur MMA fighters and others in the business for interviews. The teen interviewed many notables in the industry including Adrian Yanez, Loopy Godinez, Vicente Luque and Eryk Anders.
Interest in the Industry
More and more, from his discussions with the high-level athletes he interviewed, his own boxing experience and his brother’s experience in the MMA business, Romero became interested in the behind-the-scenes management aspect of MMA. Appearing in many of his online interviews in a dress shirt and tie, Romero said he loves the business side of the sport. “I love sports. Working in the sports management industry is something I’ve wanted to do since I was very young”. He recalled dressing up for Halloween one year as a sports agent. “I carried around a business card that read CEO, Knockout Sports Agency, carried a brief case and dressed in a suit and a tie. I guess this path was meant to be”.
Wanting to learn more about working in the industry, Romero reached out to Jason House, CEO at Iridium Sports Industry. House quickly welcomed Romero’s request and connected him with Jacob Parga, Chief Marketing Officer at the agency. He’s now been interning at the company for almost a year.
When Tales From Sport spoke with House about the young intern he stated, “Simon has been a great addition to our team here at the agency. I’m so impressed with his attention to detail and his passion for our clients. I truly feel he’s going to be one of the top agents in this business in the years to come”.
Parga also had great things to say about the intern. “As one of the youngest to ever join our team, Simon has been an absolute pleasure to work with. His drive and passion for combat sports is incredible. Many clients have come to speak great things about Simon, and we look forward to watching him grow with our agency”.
Duties as an Intern
Some of Romero’s duties as an intern include marketing, collaborating with athletes, travelling to events to support fighters and finding sponsorship opportunities for them. Romero has worked on sponsorship deals with many companies including Greens Plus, Craftd London, Geno Palate and Plant of Life.
Experience with Iridium Sports
Speaking about his experience as an intern so far the young businessman stated, “It’s been great working for the best sports management agency in the market. I wouldn’t want to have this experience anywhere else. Everyone has welcomed me with open arms and all the athletes have treated me as a professional. I am very thankful to Jason, Jacob and all my fellow colleagues at Iridium. I am excited to see what the future holds for ‘The Darkside’”.