TOMS Marketer Will Promote Santa Monica Pier

New leadership for the is now fully in tact with the hiring of a Chief Administrator Officer, S. Jay Farrand—the former marketing director for the popular shoe brand, TOMS.

Farrand was hired by the freshly reconstituted Santa Monica Pier Corp. Board of Directors, and will oversee the nonprofit's five-member staff. The Pier Corp. was formerly named the Pier Restoration Corp. and has recently taken on different direction and oversight .

"We know he will be an innovative force for truly ensuring the Pier is as relevant and exciting to the community and region today and tomorrow as it has been in the past—only far more so," Judy Abdo, Chairwoman of the corporation's Board of Directors said in a statement.

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Farrand spent the past 2 ½ years building the Santa Monica-based TOMS brand and developing all of the company's marketing campaigns and outreach. He holds a master's from Columbia University and a bachelor's in creative writing from the University of California, San Diego. For several years prior to TOMS, he worked in New York with media companies such as VISA and HBO.

As the pier's top administrator, Farrand is now responsible for overseeing private and public events and film shoots, securing sponsorships and developing marketing and fundraising campaigns. 

He will also work with the new board members as they look to open a museum and carousel gift shop and visitor center and develop a web app for tourists.

City staffers have absorbed former Pier Restoration Corp. responsibilities such as infrastructure, maintenance, custodial, parking, tenant selection, lease approvals and tenant and property management. The coordination of such functions have been rolled into the city's newly-formed Office of Pier Management, led by one-time airport administrator, Rod Merl.

"When I learned about the plans and resources committed to enhancing the pier area, I thought 'Of Course!,'" Farrand said in a statement. "Everything should be better on the pier: eating, listening to music, watching whales or movies, almost anything. It's the perfect platform for amazing content and I'm really excited to help curate that experience."