Digital Hospitality

Digital Hospitality


Turn Your Career Into A Vacation | Jay Jay Maniquis (Jaycation) | DH113

September 09, 2021

How would you like to turn your career into a vacation? Jay Jay Maniquis did just that becoming a digital content creator.
Imagine spending the bulk of your 20s with the San Diego Chargers only to become an on-air personality. Such a second act trajectory has proven true for Pro Bowlers LaDanian Tomlinson and Shawne Merriman.

It’s also coming to fruition for Jay Jay.

Having worked for the Southern California football franchise for 11 seasons, the San Diego State grad (and our podcast guest) had been capturing content for his home team for over a decade but had his eyes set on a bigger prize.

“I wanted to be in front of the camera from the start,” admits Jay Jay Maniquis on this episode of Digital Hospitality.
“My whole goal working in the NFL was to eventually become a website reporter, sideline reporter, or pivot to be a local news anchor.”
In 2013, fate intervened with Jay Jay's path.

https://youtu.be/bopaSeVcVSE

Hear stories and learn lessons from Jay Jay Maniquis' journey of making a job into a vacation on this episode of Digital Hospitality, a Cali BBQ Media podcast.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Let's talk! podcast@calibbq.media

Follow Jay Jay Maniquis and Jaycation Online —
https://youtu.be/mrwVnaITw5M

 

➤ Subscribe on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/c/Jaycation
➤ @jaycationtv on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/jaycation
➤ @jaycationtv on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/jaycationtv/
➤ Jay Jay Maniquis on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-jay-maniquis-5b77107
➤ Jay Jay Maniquis on Sided — https://sided.co/jaycation

In 2013, fate intervened with Jay Jay's path. Back in 2013, the Chargers were beginning the end of an era, soon ready to bolt from San Diego to nearby Los Angeles. While on vacation in Spain, Jay Jay suddenly realized it was time for him to make a move as well.
“I was going on a morning run in Barcelona watching the sunrise,” Jay Jay recalls. “I wanted to share my travel adventures with the world.”
At that moment, an idea was born. @JayCationTV would serve as the passion project to put Jay Jay in front of the camera and show the world what travel meant to him. He had found his calling, now all he needed was a good plan to pursue it.

“I ended up going to Barcelona to teach English,” Jay Jay looks back. “But the real reason why I did that was because I wanted an excuse to start my YouTube channel. I thought, what better way than to start my YouTube channel then move halfway around the world and learn these new experiences and put them on my YouTube channel?”

A risky move, but with high risk comes high reward.

 
Taking a Jaycation —
From that sunrise sprint in Spain, Jay Jay created his own vision for content with the birth of a YouTube channel. Despite all his experience behind the camera and longing to be in front of it, the transition took time.

“It takes a while to build that confidence,” says Jay Jay on being on camera. “That confidence I have now? I did not have that back then. It was a marathon and I was in it for the love from the start.”

After returning from Spain, the path to produce content continued for Jay Jay. Oddly enough, his desire to show San Diego the world came fu...