Talking to Erica Kosemund about branding and sponsorships is a master class in gaming marketing, except you get to do it in person.
Kosemund, Chief Brand Officer for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, is a recognized industry leader whose introduction to work is pretty much unprecedented. Her early jobs provided a foundation that engrained a deep work ethic, which led to her rise to industrywide acclaim.
Renowned gaming leader
Kosemund has been recognized for industry achievement with the “40 Under 40” award from Oklahoma Magazine and Global Gaming Business Magazine and as one of the “Top 10 Women Rising in Gaming Under 40” by CDC Gaming. She also received the 2024 Next Wave award from the 10th District of the American Advertising Federation.
In 2023, the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association honored Kosemund with its “Modern Day Warrior” Award. In 2024, she was awarded “New Marketer of the Year” by the Asian American Advertising Federation. Kosemund also has served on the board of Global Gaming Women for six years.
Owned and operated by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma – the third-largest Indian Nation in the United States, with almost 230,000 tribal members and 13,000 employees – Choctaw Casinos & Resorts features a variety of gaming, hotel, and resort properties throughout southeastern Oklahoma. Choctaw Nation opened the 100-room luxury resort Choctaw Landing in Hochatown, OK in April 2024. They also manage 17 smaller casinos inside their travel plazas, known as Casino Too.
A career origin story to end all career origin stories
In a career origin story to end all career origin stories, Kosemund started her working life at age nine when her grandfather would drop her and her cousin off early summer mornings to pick blueberries.
“My grandpa would drop us off at 6 a.m., and we would pick blueberries until 11:30 a.m. We would pick a bucketful and turn in the bucket at the end of the morning, and they would pay us based on weight. In the summer, that’s what all the kids did. There’s not really a time I don’t remember working,” Kosemund said.
“During high school, I worked at the local Dairy Cream restaurant, where every Friday I’d probably fry about 250 pounds of catfish in addition to frying burgers and making shakes. During college, I worked as a restaurant hostess and eventually worked my way up to bartender. It was my senior year of college that I got my first casino job,” Kosemund said.
Family cattle farm
Kosemund grew up in Paris, Arkansas on her family’s cattle farm, where they ran about 200 head of cattle. There, she developed work habits that contributed to her becoming a renowned gaming industry leader.
“My hometown of about 3,000 residents was full of farmers, ranchers, and hardworking Americans,” she said. “I was very blessed to be part of this hardworking community and have such a good upbringing and childhood.”
Adopted through Catholic Charities when she was one month old, Kosemund considers her life a “dream scenario” and says she is fortunate to have been raised in that small town so close to her grandparents and close-knit family.
Kosemund credits her work ethic to her parents. In addition to managing the family farm, her dad served a long and decorated career in the military, receiving two Bronze Stars, and her mom worked as a surgery nurse.
Mentors
I asked Kosemund about the early mentors in her life.
“Definitely my parents. My mom was one of 11 children and has eight sisters. So I have very strong-minded, opinionated aunts. They were the matriarchs who set the tone and made the plans.
“Hands down, to this day, my dad is my biggest mentor and the hardest working man I’ve ever met. He could not attend a lot of my events growing up, because he was always gone for training in the military. And when he wasn’t gone for training, he would work 12-hour shifts and come home and tend to the animals and the farm. He was always committed to working hard and to doing what was best for our family and the community,” Kosemund said.
She did not want to do the job
Kosemund got her start in gaming when a college classmate, who was tribal, passed on an opportunity to work in the entertainment division of a local tribal casino. This friend encouraged Kosemund to take the job.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but knew I was interested in working in the entertainment industry,” Kosemund said. “I took the job as the entertainment coordinator for Thunderbird Casino in Norman my senior year of college.”
After graduation, Kosemund took a position at the Chickasaw Nation’s newest casino property, Riverwind, in Norman, Oklahoma, in 2006.
“At that time, Riverwind was the largest casino in the state with 2,500 slots, a few food venues, and a bar. There was no hotel,” she said. “The first few months we were open, we didn’t have a liquor license, because they hadn’t figured out how to serve drinks in casinos.”
This position led to Kosemund’s rise in gaming and job promotions within the Chickasaw Nation’s gaming division.
“One of my general managers at Chickasaw Nation, Jack Parkinson, pushed me to spend a year working in database management. He said I needed to learn systems and reinvestment to fully understand business operations and marketing,” Kosemund said. “That experience help propel me and gave me the opportunity to move to the Chickasaw Nation headquarters to run marketing, advertising, and creative for all their properties. I still thank Jack today for pushing me in that direction.”
She worked for the Chickasaw Nation for over 10 years before joining the Choctaw Nation in 2016.
Never transactional
Kosemund’s current responsibilities for Choctaw Casinos & Resorts are brand strategy and activation, partners and sponsorships, and innovative fan engagement. She has become a driving force behind the Nation’s efforts to expand its brand, grow its reach in regional and markets beyond Oklahoma, and deepen connections via meaningful partnerships.
I asked Kosemund about her relationship-based approach to branding and partnerships. “All relationships hold potential, even if it isn’t immediately obvious. It’s essential to nurture these relationships,” she said.
As an example of relationship-based partnership, Kosemund related this story:
“We have a campaign called ‘Where the Players Play’ where we have multiyear partnership agreements with Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, and Pudge Rodriguez. Those are multifaceted, layered agreements, and we use their images and likenesses to promote our properties and build VIP experiences.
“We host meet-and-greets and private dinners, and we help create a community connection on causes the athletes care about. We never want anything to be transactional. We always want it to be relational and multilayered, so that everybody feels like the partnership is delivering for them.
“We are several years into the partnership and just finished a new campaign, featuring all four athletes in one commercial spot,” Kosemund said. “There is so much synergy and respect among these athletes that they requested to be in a commercial spot together, so we took their cue and created a commercial that highlights their personalities and our property. We are proud they have chosen Choctaw to be their partner.”
Mega mix of entertainment options
Kosemund oversees 19 major partnerships with superstar organizations like the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and Texas Rangers. Choctaw also has relationships with non-sports companies like Coca-Cola, Klyde Warren Park, Moody Center, Dickies Arena, and more.
“We want to align ourselves as a great community partner. Our campaigns are multifaceted, so we can adapt to the partnership and find creative ways to engage the consumer.”
“Over the past 20 years, I’ve seen gaming evolve to focus more on the property as an entertainment destination with a focus on hospitality. With this movement, we have leaned into different, more creative, ways to engage with the customer,” Kosemund said.
Unique opportunities
I asked Kosemund to describe some brands she has worked with.
“Our partnerships cross many different industries, from sports to fashion to outdoor recreation and entertainment venues,” she said. “Through these partnerships, we can feature best-in-class relationships and creative activations.”
A close partnership with Coca-Cola has resulted in the soda brand using Choctaw’s cross-collaborations in brand studies and campaigns. The two brands have partnered for activations on and off the property.
Choctaw Casinos & Resorts has a wide range of sponsorships and partnerships to engage customers. I asked Kosemund what she thought was particularly successful.
“We look for opportunities where we can bring the Choctaw look and feel to life. We are in the entertainment business and want to curate experiences that are our own,” she said. “A prime example of how we created an off-property experience that our guests enjoy is our Choctaw Club.”
Choctaw Club is an elevated ticketed experience that guests can enjoy at golf and tennis tournaments that the resort property sponsors. It offers a high-end food and beverage experience featuring the Club’s signature drink, the Choctaw Crush; free-to-play table games; DJ entertainment; and more.
“We negotiate those, and then tickets go on sale, open to the public, and we create the enhanced experience inside those clubs. There are so many dimensions to building a Choctaw Club that gives guests an opportunity to experience the fun and vibe of the casino outside of the casino. These clubs take on lives of their own and often sell out.”
“We see the increased activity when we have total ownership and can bring our ideas to life. We see the biggest results online, and even in engagement on and off the property,” Kosemund said.
Incredibly fast changes
Recently, the casino and hospitality industries experienced the most change since the Covid-19 pandemic. I asked Kosemund what changes she has experienced in partnerships and sponsorships.
“What we’ve seen change the most is the digital impact and how people consume media. Partnerships have changed incredibly fast in the last 36 months, and more people are consuming media in small clips through social media.”
“Right now, people are trying a lot of different things. They are taking fan engagement outside of the ballpark, rink, and arena and moving those into more of a community and lifestyle-driven experience.
“When you look around the country, venues aren’t stand-alone anymore. They have entertainment districts attached to them. You no longer just attend a game. It’s a day or weekend experience. So we are trying to capture all those touchpoints leading up to the game and creating a feeling of continued excitement after the game.” The runway of exposure is much longer than just the few hours of a ball game, Kosemund said.
Holistic approach
Beyond partnerships with athletes, professional sports teams, and entertainment venues, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts has embraced social media influencers in their marketing strategy.
“We have a very big influencer program, and I help partner and oversee that and bring that vision to life. We pride ourselves on being one of the top influencer partners in our region. From a gaming standpoint, we probably have one of the best-developed partnerships and campaigns around the country. I oversee all the media creation and creative execution throughout the brand. We don’t focus solely on gaming and table games content creators but partner with many different content creators to highlight all aspects of the property, bringing a more holistic approach to the brand,” Kosemund said.
It was a grind
Kosemund credits her dedication to building relationships to her six years on the Global Gaming Women board, where she met mentors like Patricia Becker and attended the W conference and other leadership development events offered. She said her coworkers and leaders made a difference in her approach to relationship marketing. “I work with many strong, trailblazing women who motivate me daily. Strong leaders at Choctaw, such as Janie Dillard, who recently retired from gaming, Heidi Grant, and Tammye Gwin inspire me to continue pushing forward,” Kosemund said.
I asked Kosemund what she would say to young women thinking about starting their careers in gaming.
“One thing I’m most proud of is to mentor Choctaw women, and we talk about this a lot. If you’ve been asked to have a seat at the table, it’s because you have something to say, and it’s okay to raise your voice, your hand, and speak up.
“All the things I was doing and saying yes to were not curated, and it wasn’t beautiful. It was a grind. But I said yes to a lot of the things that other people didn’t want to do. At the end of the day, you have to decide what’s important to you – and if it’s not important to you, it is okay to say no. You have to be willing to learn, listen, and work hard; and then you will navigate your way through. And you’ll find people who want to help you because you’ve said yes. People will see things in you that you don’t see in yourself, which is endearing, and something that a lot of young people need because they don’t have the confidence or that lens to look introspectively into themselves. One thing I love is to spend time with college graduates who are entering the workforce. They have new and fresh ideas and have a different perspective on innovation and communication,” she said. “They take in information differently than I do, and we need to learn from them and listen. Their voice matters.”
Two ears and one mouth
When I asked Kosemund the secret to her success, she said it’s complicated.
“At my core, I want to be good to people, and I want to work with people who want to be good to each other. I don’t like to work with people who have big egos and have a lot to say and not a lot to hear. Someone told me long ago that you have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
“One thing that’s sometimes surprising to people is that I’m not a tribal member. However, it is such an honor to be able to work for tribes that are telling generations of stories. I’m telling a story that their ancestors couldn’t tell and that they’ve entrusted me to be able to tell. That is empowering and emotional.
“I think being good to people, finding people who will be good to you and be good to others. Doing more than what’s expected of you, even if you’re not going to get anything in return. It always pays off in the end, even though you don’t see it in the moment. So be good to people, listen to your gut, and say yes.
“I have a strong support system at home. My husband and kids support my career and encourage me to take steps that feel right. My husband has always said, ‘If it feels right, do it, and we will figure it out.’ Also, becoming a mother changed my perspective and my why. As a mom to a girl, I want her eyes open to all possibilities,” Kosemund said.
Oracle
Kosemund personifies a modern brand and partnership executive – especially within the tribal world. With a relationship focus, vision, and strategic execution, she helped raise the Choctaw Nation’s gaming brand. Her work shows how thoughtful partnerships, cultural awareness, and a long-term mindset can move a brand forward.
Throughout the last 20 years, Kosemund has become known for her purposeful approach and willingness to provide real-world examples of strategies that work. She provides mentorship and uses her success as a teachable moment.
In that sense, Kosemund is a true oracle of branding and partnerships for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Entries in the Faces of Gaming series:
- Erica Kosemund, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – The oracle of branding and partnerships (now reading)
- Bill Miller, CEO American Gaming Association – From a family of lawyers comes a political optimist
- Steve Neely – Casino career lessons built on a frame of life
- Circa owner Derek Stevens – A sports-specific brand with a downtown Vegas vibe
- Phil Satre – Chairman of the Boards
- Michael Kaplan – Writing the book on advantage players, for gambling and for life
- Andrew Cardno — Data Scientist, Dyslexic, Taekwondo Master, Author, Futurist, A Modern Renaissance Man Who Really Should be Dead
- Dr. Katherine Spilde – There’s no place like home
- Mattress Mack – Furniture mogul, marketing genius, sports betting champ
- Jeff Connor, owner of Lockdogs – A better mousetrap
- Antonio Perez – An optimistic realist
- Kara Napolitano – Human rights advocate and trafficking expert
- Next Gaming CEO and skill-based slots evangelist Mike Darley
- Dennis Conrad – Executive, founder, creator, speaker, author, columnist, and innovator
- Adam Wiesberg – A journey from sign salesman to dealer to El Cortez GM
- Gary Ellis – Las Vegas entrepreneur
- Alan Feldman – From Mirage and MGM to responsible gaming expert
- John Acres – the Thomas Edison of gaming
- Alex Alvarado — Vice President, Casino Operations at MGM National Harbor and Casino Aficionado
- Lauren Bates — A successful VP at Konami and Chair of Global Gaming Women, all before her 40th birthday
- TJ Tejeda and EZ Baccarat – Reimagining a centuries-old game
- Chris Andrews — Don’t cry for the bookmaker
- Wes Ehrecke — From gasohol and pork chops to president of the Iowa Gaming Association
- Steve Browne – Casino philosopher, master gaming instructor and father of a rocket scientist
- Noah Acres – Shaking up the industry one player record at a time
- Kate Chambers – ICE queen, casino exhibition maven and keeper of fairy dust
- Joe Asher — From the newsstand and racetrack to sports-betting icon
- Paul Speirs-Hernandez — Randomness, chance, reward, and luck
- Ainsworth’s Deron Hunsberger — From finance and sales to president
- Roger Gros — Chronicler of the gaming industry for four decades and counting
- Debi Nutton — Everi board member, gaming trailblazer
- Cache Creek’s Kari Stout-Smith — Dancing backwards in high heels
- Andrew Economon — Making downtown Las Vegas cool again
- Richard Marcus — From the wrong side of the casino tables to the right
- Willy Allison — From New Zealand bloke to world game-protection leader
- Tom Jingoli — From gaming enforcement agent to COO of Konami Gaming
- Tino Magnatta — Interviewing the interviewer, 3,000 and counting since COVID
- Deana and Brady Scott — Still talking shop with the owners of Raving Consulting
- Kevin Parker — “Putting everything into everything I do”
- Laura Penney — Putting in the Work as CEO of Coeur d’Alene Casino
- Andre Carrier — Paying it forward
- Jean Scott — The original casino influencer, still frugal gambling after all these years
- Anika Howard — From Harrah’s First Interactive Employee to CEO of Wondr Nation
- Anthony Curtis — Gambling Guru, Las Vegas Expert, Customer Advocate with Street Cred
- Mark Wayman — An executive recruiter with a brand and something to say
- Melonie Johnson — From rural Louisiana to resort-casino leadership
- Brian Christopher — From actor, Uber driver, and cater waiter to slot celebrity
- Allan Solomon — From accountant and tax lawyer to pioneering casino owner
- Kenny Epstein — A Niche from Nostalgia
Tom Osiecki is a casino consultant who writes an occasional column for CDC Gaming called Faces of Gaming, about interesting and engaging people in the gaming industry.
Tom Osiecki is a marketing and management consultant for Raving Consulting and can be reached for consulting engagements at 775-329-7864.
If you know of a fascinating personality in the gaming industry you would like to see profiled, please send Tom Osiecki an email at tosiecki@cdcgaming.com