Amiel "Happy" Mercado

After graduating from Texas State University-San Marcos and completing a marketing internship with Sweet Leaf Tea Company, I created a full-time position as their first Field Marketing Manager and jumped head-first into the world of event marketing: managing national and regional events and sponsorship, event strategy & execution, field marketing team on-boarding and management, and running the internship program. The company was in rapid-growth mode, eventually being sold to Nestle Waters Company, which allowed me to learn and wear several marketing hats.

Three years later, my dear friends at Tito's Handmade Vodka poached me to help jump-start their national event marketing program. Also in rapid-growth mode to eventually becoming one of the best-selling vodka brands in the nation, I was challenged with making a big impact on target markets with limited budgets. My priority was to spread the word of Tito's Handmade Vodka through meaningful brand experiences, including national and regional event sponsorships, charity donations, trade marketing events, brand partnerships, and social media content.

In 2012, I was invited to join the ACL Live team to take over the beverage category sponsorship accounts at the venue as well as festival partner sponsorships consultation in a new hybrid role of sponsorship sales and account management. Now with Tito's Handmade Vodka as my client among several other national brands such as Anheuser-Busch, Red Bull, and Brown Forman (Jack Daniel's Whiskey), I am tasked with managing and maintaining existing accounts as well as prospecting for new business by building mutually beneficial marketing platforms for brands.

With a passion for bringing people together with creativity, leadership, and excellent organization, I am a problem solver with great people-skills. I love a good challenge and am a firm believer in the "get it done" team mentality.