OCCUPATION: ENTERTAINMENT VIDEO COORDINATOR

Name: Joe (Baja Joe) Ramirez

Company: National Sports Grill

Thumbs up: “I like making sure everyone who comes here has a good time. We have five satellite dishes, and I always try my best to find the sporting event that customers want to see. We have 45 color monitors, so if a party of five wants to watch a South American soccer match while another group is watching Canadian hockey games or a playoff, I can set that up and keep everyone happy. I also like putting on a show with all of the video and sound equipment that produces special effects and computerized graphics.”

Thumbs down: “It almost always seems like there’s never enough time to do everything I want to do.”

Next step: “I really like the restaurant business, and I would like to become more involved in management and marketing.”

Advice: “I was allowed to grow into this job and make it what it is. It really helps to have a good manager to teach you things and help you see beyond your present job to what your career could develop into. Our first general manager, Dan Daugherty, showed me how to relate to customers and taught me about marketing. Our new manager, Robert Sylvia, showed me how to work as a team with other employees, and I am learning from him some of the things it takes to be in management. But to do this job, you really have to like getting the crowd going and playing host.”

Hours: “I work five days a week. My actual hours vary according to sporting event schedules. Usually my hours are 2 to 10 p.m., and I work lots of weekends.”

Job description: “I coordinate all the sporting event broadcasts at the restaurant, making sure everything is operating correctly and that customers get to watch what they came to see. I play host and get the crowd going, especially during playoffs. I tape a lot of live events for future broadcasts and maintain our tape library. I am also involved in marketing for our happy hour parties, which I also host.”

Educational and training requirements: “I don’t think there is a set career path for this job. But I have some college background, which helps, and so does my previous experience in public relations, radio and several years spent working as a deejay. I also used to work at Disneyland marching as a character in the parades, and this taught me how to approach people and help them have a good time. I taught sixth grade for a while, and this taught me to be patient with the crowds of excited people we have here. It also helps to have a technical background to help you work all the equipment.”

Major employing industries: Restaurants and sports bars.

Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times