“Everything I’ve done in my career has been self-taught and instinctive. This is both a great thing and a challenge” – Patrick Jager, Your Pura Vida
Patrick Jager, founder of Your Pura Vida in Costa Rica
Patrick Jager was head of development for Fixer Upper, the hit HGTV show starring Chip and Joanna Gaines. In addition to HGTV, Jager has worked on projects for MTV, USA Network, Nickelodeon, Food Network, Travel Channel, Oxygen, Game Show Network, A&E, Discovery, TLC, and DIY (now Magnolia Network). Currently, he runs YourPuraVida.com, a membership site in Costa Rica that connects customers to design, renovation and other services.
However, Jager isn’t formally trained in design or TV production. He first worked in non-profit and made several career pivots before landing where he is today.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine: How did you get to a thriving career in TV production?
Patrick Jager: It´s a long story but I’ll truncate it here. I went to Trinity University as a Political Science major and worked for the chamber of commerce in school and right after in their international trade department. Then I moved to Austria after school for a romance.
When I moved back to the States it was to Laguna Beach where my dad lived and did odd jobs for a while but ended up in non-profit fundraising and management. From there I was recruited to be head of marketing for a health care company tied to the same issue I was working on with the charity.
A couple years later I was laid off in a merger and was trying to find my way, and I started temping in the entertainment industry (as one does when they live in LA). I was recruited to work on a project and found that I was very good at producing. This was at a time when cable was really growing fast and they needed bodies. My first series was A&E Biography and I won some recognition and from there was one of the early producers on VH1 Behind the Music.
I found that my niche was interviewing and lifestyle - things where it is about story over sizzle. And it wasn’t long before I was being asked to do work on HGTV series. That has been a huge part of my work since. I’ve taken over series, launched series, reworked series, developed talent, developed unique style and tone, and sold some really big projects, like Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines. (I was head of development and also developed the pilot and show style). But I’ve also loved diversity and have worked on projects for networks as broad as MTV, USA Network, Nickelodeon, Food Network, Travel Channel, Oxygen, Game Show Network, A&E, Discovery, TLC, DIY (rebranded now to be Magnolia Network), and HGTV.
“All throughout my career I’ve been able to stay relevant in other skills. I’ve worked in publicity and events in between projects, I’ve help build marketing and social media for brands, and I even had the opportunity to work on several political conventions.” – Patrick Jager
Ceniza-Levine: Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? How did you decide to launch YourPuraVida.com?
Jager: I left TV full time in 2015 to launch a media and content consulting company, CORE Innovation Group because I saw how much content was morphing from what we consider traditional outlets to a vast array of outlets, formats and viewing habits. I knew that to stay relevant I needed to refine my own brand and what I did for others, and more importantly I needed to LEARN more than just TV if my career was to grow. This has been a wonderful chapter and one that has solidified how much I love helping others solve problems and become more self-sufficient.
When my family decided to purchase in Costa Rica I really wanted to look for ways I could give back and participate in the country and do something interesting. Your Pura Vida started from personal needs and challenges finding support for an array of issues here. I commiserated with others who had that same challenge. I mentioned to a good friend and fellow expat (now my business partners) ¨what if there was an Angi-meets-Yelp-meets-community hub?¨ And after a lot of research into what IS available and why certain things have not been done this concept was born.
One of the key issues in building this was that it's not about getting cheap services. This service is designed not only to support internationals living in the country, but also to support local businesses that are truly doing good work. Also, our model is one where we don’t just take over your needs, rather we vet providers and then give you options so you can both make your own decisions, and you can grow more confident in your home and community.
Ceniza-Levine: What experiences or skills in your former jobs helped you with your latest venture?
Jager: I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to wear a lot of hats. My marketing and PR background is a given in this new venture, as is my understanding of content and messaging. But also as someone who started in fundraising and has made a living telling and getting people to buy into stories, running a membership community feels very similar.
Ceniza-Levine: What, if anything, wasn’t helpful or that you had to unlearn/ change?
Jager: Wow, how long do you have? I have to be honest, my degree is in Political Science - not business, not marketing, not finance, not communications, not journalism. Everything I’ve done in my career has been self-taught and instinctive. This is both a great thing and a challenge, especially because as I’ve been successful at things, it is easy to say ¨this is how you do it.¨
What has been humbling and rewarding along the way is realizing that I know very little. I hope one of my skills as a leader is surrounding myself with colleagues who excel in areas I do not, and giving them the rope they need to swing high. This is particularly true when it comes to marketing roles I’ve held. Every day I see changes that make my head hurt. Keeping up with it all requires trust that others are hired and can not only do a great job at their role/s, but can also help me learn up to their level where possible. It has also been a source of frustration and why I am building my own thing.
When I lost a lot of work during the pandemic I tried to go in-house. Often I’ve been told I didn’t get a role I applied to because while I know a lot about a lot, I don’t have X years of experience in one facet that is really important to that organization. I get it. So I have focused on building businesses where I know I can make a difference.
Ceniza-Levine: You were able to break into competitive fields like design without formal training. How did you convince people to hire you? What advice would you give for aspiring candidates looking to break into competitive fields?
Jager: Design is a passion. I do not claim to be a licensed, credentialed interior designer. But after hundreds of hours of shows very specific to an audience who cannot always see past a home to what it could be, I know I can help people rethink vision. So when realtor friends in Costa Rica shared challenges both buyers and sellers were having seeing potential and knowing what makes sense for them to do, I offered to help those clients. I know this is a special skill I've honed over many years and if that can support people trying to buy and sell in my adopted new home, great!
My advice for anyone, not just in design, is to truly understand what you know and can contribute on, and what you don’t. Do not try to inflate your skills to get a job you’re not qualified for. Rather look for how your niche might play into a larger piece of the pie. In my case with design, I’m not going after design clients who would turn to me to redesign and oversee a full gut and remodel. But I can help them with a special niche need, and can then help get them the right next support.
But also, as you go through this, know that you have to be ok with limited success as you build your personal brand. You have to crawl before you can walk, let alone run. The same holds true for Your Pura Vida. I’m not doing this on my own, I know where I add value, and I know where others can do much more than me. And I also know what should not be part of our strategy because it’s not core to the concept. It’s taken my time, but I very much know I don’t need to be all things to all people.
Ceniza-Levine: You’re running your own business in a beautiful tropical location – what many would say is living the dream. What advice would you give to others who are thinking about a similar move? What resources do you recommend? What do you know now that you wished someone told you when you started?
Jager: This is still relatively new so maybe this is a question for a year from now. But part of this is to really set true expectations, fully research and vet your ideas, and not assume anything based off norms where you’re coming from.
I write blogs about expats in Costa Rica and one recurring theme is you need to adjust to the norms of the country you are setting up shop and not try to change their system. Are some of the incorporation, banking and legal issues frustrating and cumbersome? Yes. But that’s why you do extensive prep and not try and rush the process and why you NEVER try to tell the system it’s wrong. It works just fine without your great ideas, so learn to work within it. I’ve factored a great deal more time into the building of the product than I might in the States, as an example.
Best resource is having a trusted advisor in the field in country. We have three business partners on Your Pura Vida besides my US expat partner. Two are Europeans who have made lives and careers in Costa Rica in real estate and property management - so they bring skills on the vendor side that round us out, and the other is a Costa Rican attorney - who brings skills in all things business which rounds us out even more fully. So I’m surrounded by a team of invested partners who augment my skills with ones that are critical, and where we all have the same goals for success.
Ceniza-Levine: What is the best way for people to learn more about your business and stay in touch?
Jager: We are open to having meetings with anyone interested in membership in Your Pura Vida, and we are also developing a side service for those that are truly in the exploration/dreamer stage. On the TV and entertainment side, I’m working closely with several key people in the country to develop some TV and film projects that celebrate Costa Rica. Reach out and connect at hola@yourpuravida.com!
