Cameron Hall Wagner

In the days when Cameron Hall Wagner acted in the annual high school play, her drama teacher often reminded her: “Never break your character.”

It’s a lesson Wagner took with her to the business world, which has included stints at IMG and more recently at GMR Marketing, where she is vice president, client services.

Wagner primarily oversees the Procter & Gamble business, which includes everything from the Gillette Young Guns in NASCAR to the handful of brands that activated around the Winter Olympics.

“In business, you find yourself in high-pressure situations and you can’t afford to lose your cool,” said Wagner, whose credits included playing Corie in “Barefoot in the Park.”

“You’ve got to maintain your head and get through it. ‘Never break your character’ has really served me well.”

Wagner grew up in the heart of NASCAR country, in Charlotte, but she never envisioned herself working in the sport. After college, she moved to Atlanta and began the search for a job in public relations. Pretty soon she was handling PR for a fan and sponsor event in Daytona called “NASCAR World.” She read everything about the sport she could get her hands on.

That led to a nine-year stint at IMG, where she studied under Max Muhleman and worked on the Coca-Cola business with Coke executive Bea Perez. She eventually landed at GMR’s Charlotte office in 2007.

Wagner was originally hired to manage GMR’s Alltel business, but things changed when Alltel was acquired by Verizon. She then was put on the P&G account, which includes Old Spice on Tony Stewart’s No. 14 car, Gillette’s NASCAR sponsorship and general sports consulting, including the Olympics and NFL.

“When I was younger, I never wanted to be anything other than an actress,” Wagner said. “I never had any idea I’d be working in sports.”