Months before NBCUniversal’s new streaming service releases a major TV show or movie to the public, Irving Corzo ’14, MBA ’17 knows about it.
Marketing new entertainment through links and clicks is part of his job as SEO manager for Peacock, where he guides the service’s global search optimization strategy to ensure the site is easy to access and ranks well online.
It’s an exciting time to be at the service, he said. Since its 2020 launch, Peacock has gained an impressive number of subscribers and is expanding its content.
“We’re fairly new to the streaming space, but there’s a lot of potential with the platform,” he said.
The job builds on his business and marketing background. The son of immigrants and the first in his family to attend college, Corzo began his academic career at Willamette University despite his selection for the Gates Millennium Scholarship, which would have financially guaranteed his spot at any institution nationwide. Staying close to home in Salem was important to him, he said, so he pursued an international studies and Spanish double major then remained at Willamette for his MBA.
After developing an understanding of SEO strategies, marketing plans and leadership through internships and the MBA’s Practical Applications for Careers and Enterprises (PACE) program, Corzo landed his first job at Bend-based Merkle in 2016.
For the next five years, he grew from an SEO analyst to associate manager at the customer experience management company, eventually overseeing the SEO program for a portfolio of Fortune 500 companies with a gross value of more than $1.5 billion in revenue. In 2021, he continued SEO work at visual media company Getty Images. When an opportunity at NBCUniversal opened up the following year, he couldn’t turn it down.
The role combines his talent for online marketing and passion for entertainment, but it also holds some sentimental meaning for him, too. He was raised watching a lot of entertainment under the NBC umbrella — its broadcast of “Jurassic Park” in particular — and he’s excited the company is releasing “Jurassic World,” the sixth installment of the franchise.
“I’m excited for what the future holds as we navigate this highly competitive landscape,” he said.