As Cesar Millan Inc.’s first official employee, George Gomez has seen the company flourish into the business that it is today. Initially working with fan emails, then segueing into the role of Web Director, George has come to learn how to be a true pack leader—both to his team and his pit bull mix Suzie. We recently sat down with him to discuss his role in the company and learn a little bit about how it all began.

You were, essentially, Cesar’s first employee. How did you get the job and what was your initial role at Cesar Millan Inc.?

I started in December of 2005. I was brought in to help out with organizing fan mail and emails that were coming in to this “person” who had a show on National Geographic. Basically, he had something to do with dogs, and I had no other idea about who he was. I applied to an anonymous job posting and got the job.

At the time, very few people knew who Cesar was. He had just started the first season of the show and was definitely not a household name. The CMI of today did not exist. I was the only employee.

The idea was to use my background in web and TV to help develop educational tools around Cesar’s philosophy. We started off with two products, one being Cesar’s Way the book and the “People training for Dogs” DVD. And even though at the beginning, I was just supposed to handle fan mail, it was more like, “how can we bring in someone to help us figure this all out.” I wasn’t about to answer emails one by one. I quickly realized that there was no possible way I could do that. He was getting hundreds of emails at a time and there was no way that one person could sit there and answer all of these questions. Basically, it came down to thinking of a way to communicate with fans via the internet. So within a few weeks, we decided to build a newsletter for the fans to keep them informed about what Cesar was up to. We started that in January of 2006 and it proved to be very successful.

What was your first impression of Cesar?

I met Cesar when I didn’t even know who he was, which was great because I came to understand him in a personal way. I was not star-struck when I met him on set, but it was one of those things that, because we are both from Latin backgrounds, we clicked right away. We spoke in Spanish and we got to know each other. So from day one, I knew that when he was speaking with you, he was paying attention and wanted to know who you are and where you are coming from. He was very accessible, which I appreciated.

What is your current role at CMI?

My official title here is Web Director. I take this role very seriously, and have helped build the web team over the past five years. The web team consists of both the content on the website and the technical functionality of the website itself. We tried to take those components and create a website that is both functionally friendly and that is a source for Cesar’s core philosophy online that people can find. The website has gone through several phases. It launched in January 2006 and has morphed since then. We have tried to improve upon it ever since. As we grow as a company it grows too.

What has been one thing you have learned since being here?

As far as my professional career goes, I have definitely learned to manage a large, fulltime website. Being able to concentrate on a website like this that communicates a message to a large audience, but also improves itself on a daily basis, has both been a challenge and a rewarding experience. On the more human level, I have learned a lot about my relationship with animals. I have also taken the philosophy that Cesar has about boundaries and leadership, and not exhibiting aggression, but being calm and assertive in everything that I do and have applied that to my daily life.

What is your favorite thing about working at CMI?

Definitely having dogs around! Having animals around the work place is a stress reliever. It creates an atmosphere that is hard to stay stressed in. Having animals around and having everyone relating to the animals brings this balance of calm and assertive energy. It is very hard to stay in tunnel vision when you have a dog sitting next to you.

In a single word, how would you define your time here at CMI?

Fascinating. There is so much to learn.

You often bring your Pit Bull mix Suzie to work. Tell us the story of how you two met.

I didn’t have a dog for the longest time. I worked here for four years before I got a dog. Being single and living in an apartment, I was hesitant to get a dog, especially knowing everything I knew about the importance of exercise and being able to fulfill your dog’s life. Then I got married, and my wife got an email about a dog that was going to be put down at a shelter here in LA. Originally, I thought I would get the dog for my parents. I went to go see the dog, and I found out that she was a pit/pointer mix, and she seemed very calm. But the second she was outside, she showed me exactly how much energy she had, and I realized there was no way my parents could handle her strength. But I didn’t want her to be put down, so I made the decision to adopt the dog for myself. I was really scared and wasn’t sure if I was ready, but the one thing that really convinced me was that I was able to bring my dog to work. Now that I have a dog, it has become even more apparent how my relationship with her reflects my relationships with everyone else.

When not at the office, what are you typically found doing?

Well my background is in film and video, so I do an independent film festival every summer, called the “Readymade Film Fest.” (http://www.readymadefilmfest.com/) I also do some writing of my own; and I produced a feature-length film that ran the festival circuit.

One of the things I also began doing when I first started to work here was meditation practice. Meditation practice from the Buddhist perspective shares many of the same philosophies as Cesar’s own philosophies. It is similar to the sense of creating balance and being aware of the present, not focusing on the past or the future. It is meant to be about living in the moment.