Home is Nevada

Phylicia Middleton has carved out a career in the marketing world in Las Vegas. And she couldn’t be happier being in one place, particularly since she spent her childhood traveling the world as her father served in the U.S. Air Force. 

“I’ve lived in Las Vegas now for over 18 years, so it’s home to me,” Middleton says. 

While a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Middleton majored in marketing. “I find it’s the perfect blend of creativity and problem-solving,” she says. 

Middleton doesn’t mind being a small cog in a larger powerhouse machine, either. That machine was MGM Grand in 2009 while she was still a student. 

“I’ve been in the hospitality and gaming industry for much of my career, and I’m consistently inspired by this ever-changing business,” Middleton says. 

She worked in various marketing capacities and locations for the MGM empire in Las Vegas. From advertising for MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, she moved to marketing manager and senior marketing manager for leisure sales and marketing for MGM Resorts International. MGM promoted Middleton to senior marketing manager. Then, in 2016, she served as director of brand activation at Park MGM and NoMad. 

In July 2019, Middleton joined Grand Canyon Resort Corporation as director of marketing. Located in the Western rim just outside Las Vegas, the resort features the famous skywalk bridge partially extending over the canyon.  

“I learned a lot from that experience and loved working with the Hualapai Tribe and marketing a true wonder, but found that I missed the hospitality and gaming industry, so I joined the wonderful Galaxy Gaming team to lead their marketing efforts,” she says. 

That was in September 2020.

“At Galaxy Gaming, my team and I manage the marketing, public relations, and event activations for the brand. This encompasses everything from building new brands for game and technology launches to planning ICE London and G2E, to building assets to support our iGaming and land-based sales teams,” says Middleton, who enjoys hiking and spending time with her husband and dog. 

She joined Galaxy while the pandemic was just easing up enough for properties to reopen with changes to minimize the chance of infection.

“Covid-19 was a challenging time for all of us,” she says, “but I was thrilled to see how adaptable people and our industry could be.” 

In November, Middleton attended the Executive Development Program-Strategic Leadership in the Gaming Industry, a symposium hosted by UNLV and the University of Nevada, Reno. “It’s a remarkable learning experience. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a personal and professional growth experience,” she says. 

Which brings up Middleton’s words of wisdom for others mulling over a career in the casino world. “My advice is to find ways to stay inspired and maintain an ‘always learning’ attitude,” she says.