La Porte native inspires basketball fans as Pacers/Fever in-game host, keynote speaker
Olivia West is best known as the in-house hosting voice of the Indiana Fever and the Indiana Pacers, pumping up crowds with high energy and a dynamic persona.
West also is a cofounder of Drvn Content Marketing, which landed marketing contracts to cover the recent NFL draft and the Coca-Cola America 250 campaign. Plus, she’s powering up her keynote speaking business, at times speaking to more than 1,000 audience members a week.
But those successes started from much humbler beginnings in La Porte, showing horses and pictures in a 4-H club and serving as the chaplain for her Future Farmers of America chapter at La Porte High School.
“I think I benefit a lot out of not knowing how to do things,” said West, who often credits her belief in God and her mother’s work ethic with her success. “I really, really lead with curiosity.”
In early May, West was one of three speakers at the inaugural SPARK Youth Summit, organized by the Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest.
The event brought together 150 students and community leaders across Northwest Indiana to discuss the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Region, said Jason Williams, CEO of the Society of Innovators.
“(West) is a very engaging young leader,” Williams said, “and it’s just cool the work she does with her own marketing and branding firm, the work she’s done with the Indiana Pacers and Fever.
“She’s just a very dynamic personality. When I learned she was a graduate of La Porte High School, I knew she’s someone who would be a great fit when we finally had a chance to do an event like this.”
Like many entrepreneurs, West’s ascent to business success was anything but a straight line. In fact, she declined to consider what her future holds in five years, insisting she follows her faith and what she believes are God’s plans for her.
That doesn’t mean West hasn’t prepared for her opportunities. She graduated from Purdue University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics. West then worked for a Big Pharma company for five years, learning how to build and scale brands and how to take an idea from concept to cash flow.
“I remember sitting there at that company, and I was saying ‘If I know how to do this for these products and these brands, could I do the same thing for myself?’”
Watching her mother work as a nurse was also inspiring.
“As a young person, I saw my mother get up for work every single day very early to go to work,” she said. “She was so passionate about what she did. She was on time, attentive every single morning, and she’d still find a way to show up and support me at every game.”
West’s love of basketball started when she played in high school.
While attending an Indiana Fever game in 2022, West said she had a vision from God that she could play a part in the Fever’s story. She began asking questions, and a year later, West was the voice of both Indiana pro basketball teams.
West said her announcing work, the marketing company and her burgeoning speaking career are not easy to manage, but she works through it all with gratitude and focus.
“What I do is tough. It requires not just me, but a really, really good hearted, clear minded, great energy, funny, charismatic me,” West said. “And, having to be consistent in that means I have to have a very high standard for self-care, very strict boundaries for what I do and don’t do. I have learned the art of staying focused on the goal because I got to take care of me so I can continue to pour out. So, I can continue to add value to so many others.” •
Read more stories from the current issue of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.
Flexibility for working mothers
Heroic values on display
One-stop print shop
Power of collaboration
Avoid the unexpected
Childcare challenge
Beyond the prescription pad
New life for dormant buildings
Banks keep branching out
Professional advancement
