Media

DeAnthony White
E16

Description: DeAnthony’s passion for running has led him to join the energetic and knowledgeable team at Charm City Run. DeAnthony’s background in business development and sports marketing stems from tenures with Under Armour, UNC-Chapel Hill Athletics, and a slew of other well-known companies.

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Director of CCR Mobile and Brand Partnerships, Charm City Running, Baltimore MD. Outside of work, DeAnthony enjoys exercising, attending music festivals, and trying out new foods & restaurants in the DC/Baltimore area. DeAnthony does a little of everything with CCR, from business development, brand awareness initiatives, events, and leading the CCR Mobile Van experience to a city near you!

Aswand Cruickshank
E15

Description: On this special Get in the Game edition of My First Job in Sports, we veered away from our usual storylines and look at how someone that s considering taking the entrepreneurial route as an option for their future career in sports. Aswand Cruikshank was able to detail his ups and downs as he navigated the process of finding out where he was likely to find his place in the sports business. My First Job in Sports is Presented by SBRnet.

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Aswand Cruickshank is a two-time author, who works with hiring managers to increase the productivity within their teams- 80m in Silve' Spring Maryland. Aswand voted captain Of multiple foot• bail teams that became nationally known programs. Aswand then went on to attend several colleges. in which he furthered his education an leadership, by not any being a member ofthe football team, but by also gaining experience in the workplace, es a front desk manager at a local health Club. Once Aswand Graduated from Stony University, he his but also became as certified college scout and spent multiple seasons as a High school football coach.

Jordan McGrigg
E14

Description: In this special Get in the Game edition of My First Job in Sports, Mark and Neil spoke to Jordan McGrigg. Jordan is a native of Jackson Mississippi, currently residing in Jersey City New Jersey. Jordan is currently working with the New York Jets as a Studio Assistant alongside Daily Digital Producer. I live by: “Be so different, people have to chose you”. Jordan discussed how his attitude, motivations and inspirations all combined to get him his current position with the NY Jets. He also detailed his journey and how he was able to leverage the mentor-mentee relationship with previous guest Philip Wilkerson to its fullest extent.

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He graduated from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications along with a concentration in Mass Media Production.

Philip Wilkerson
E13.5

Description: Philip L. Wilkerson III is a higher education professional with a passion for student development and diversity, equity, and inclusion. He has a strong track record of success in working with students, faculty, administrators, parents, and employers. Philip has a growing knowledge of well-being practices as well as a firm grasp on strengths-based coaching and mentoring.

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Philip is currently an Employer Engagement Consultant for Media, Arts, Design, Hospitality & Tourism, and Technology & Engineering at George Mason University Career Services in Fairfax, VA. In this role, he supports external employers looking to recruit Mason talent by promoting opportunities, organizing events, and sharing best practices with those looking to recruit at George Mason University

Jasmin Cunningham
E13

Description: In this special, Get in the Game edition of My First Job in Sports, Mark and Neil spoke with Jasmin Cunningham, Player Development Representative for Acushnet Brands, parent company of Titleist and Footjoy. During the show, Jasmin talked about how she got her start in golf as a member of the First Tee program in her hometown of Atlanta, GA.

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Jasmin enrolled in the Professional Golf Management program at Maryland Eastern Shore University.  It was there that Jasmin learned the important skills and obtained the tools necessary to build a career in golf.  She did a number of internships in golf before joining Acushnet as a Player Development Representative.   Jasmin is also paying it forward as she volunteers with the local First Tee program in Baltimore where she resides.

Russ Scibetti
E12

Description: For episode 12 of the My First Job in Sports Web Series, Mark and Neil spoke with Russ Scibetti, Vice-President, Strategy and Business Intelligence for the NY Football Giants. Russ is a self-described “data nerd,” who has parlayed his facility with numbers and love of sports into a career that began in grad school at Arizona State and since taken him to the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Jets and now on to his hometown Giants. Russ studied computer science, math and psychology in school but also began building his network through events and public speaking groups while in school. He shares his story, ideas and job searching tips in this extremely worthwhile episode.

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Vice President, Strategy & Business Intelligence
New York Football Giants
 
In his role as Vice President of Strategy & Business Intelligence for the New York Giants, Russell oversees how the business-side of the organization leverages data and technology to drive ticketing, sponsorships and overall fan engagement. His team is directly responsible for such areas as CRM, lead scoring, predictive modeling, pricing, and reporting, while collaborating across all other departments for strategic planning and analysis. Russell came to the Giants from KORE Software, where as CMO and President of KORE Planning & Insights (KPI), he led the company’s marketing efforts while also running KORE’s consulting division that helped teams, leagues, venues, and providers take full advantage of emerging data and technology platforms. He spent his first three years at KORE as the Vice President of Product Strategy where he was responsible for the vision, planning, and development of KORE’s cloud-based CRM and data warehouse applications.
 
Prior to joining KORE, he was the Director of Relationship and Database Marketing for the New York Jets, where he managed a cross-departmental CRM initiative that connected ticketing, sales, service, and marketing to execute multi-channel sales and retention campaigns and provide detailed insights into the team’s corporate and consumer business efforts. He has also held analytics roles with the Arizona State University athletic department and Comcast-Spectacor for the Philadelphia Flyers.
 
In addition to his professional experience, Russell is an adjunct lecturer in the Sports Management program at Columbia University where he designed and teaches courses on business intelligence in sports.
 

Brandon Williams
E11

Description: Communication and networking were appropriate topics in our conversation with Brandon Williams, director global communications at Fanatics, who we met at a networking event. Brandon shares his career path from public relations agencies in New York City to his current role at the rapidly growing one-stop digital sports platform.

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Brandon Williams is the director of Global Communications for Fanatics, the licensed product company that has expanded into NFTs and other digital businesses surrounding the sports fan experience. Williams got his start in the agency business, working for Taylor Communications and then two larger global agencies: Edelman and Ketchum. He has a BS in Recreation, Park & Tourism Management from Penn State and is an alumni advisor to the school’s sports business conference.

JD Wood
E10

Description: On Episode 10 of My First Job in Sports, Mark Sullivan and Neil Schwartz spoke to J.D. Wood, Head of Business Development for the Dallas Sports Commission. Sports Commissions are an integral part of the Convention and Visitors Bureau’s that are responsible for bringing both fan-based and participation based sports events to local areas. Sports Travel is estimated to deliver just over 45 Billion dollars in total economic impact domestically. There are currently 850 Sports Commissions that serve as a great point of entry for those looking to get that all important first job in sports.

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J.D. Wood returned to Dallas in February 2020 to become the Director of Business Development for the Dallas Sports Commission where he will pursue strategic growth opportunities and partnership efforts for the DSC.

The native of Onalaska, Texas returns to Dallas after most recently working as the General Manager of the Panama City Beach (FL) Sports Complex / Sports Facility Management. There he was responsible for business development and overall supervision of the complex that included the event bidding process and contract negotiations. Wood served as the Sports Sales & Event Manager with the Dallas CVB Sports Marketing department (now the DSC) from 2012-13.

Wood received a bachelor's and master's degree in Sport Management from Texas A&M University. Since his graduation, he has had the privilege of working with some of the best in the sport tourism industry including stints with the City of College Station, Dallas CVB, National Senior Games and Texas A&M Athletics. J.D. has had the opportunity to work on events like the Games of Texas, NBA All-Star Game, Dallas Cup, Cotton Bowl Classic and the NFL Super Bowl. Additionally, Wood serves on many national sports tourism industry boards such as Sports ETA and Event Connects Sportology Conference and was an Assistant Lecturer for the Texas A&M Sports Management Department.

When he is not working or volunteering, J.D. enjoys spending time with his wife, Cherish, and their daughters, Kennedy, Everly and Sutton.

Lucie Kloak
E09

Description: Lucie Kloak, Manager of Brand Partnerships at Draft Kings stopped by to speak with Mark and Neil in this episode of My First Job in Sports. Lucie's love for sports started very early as a multi-sport athlete and let it grow from her participation on the Division 1 Rowing Team while at the University of North Carolina to her current role at Draft Kings. At Draft Kings Lucie brings brands to work with Draft King’s Vegas Stats and Information Network and working to grow their platform. Sports Gambling is a hot category at the moment and Lucie has some great words of wisdom for anyone that wants to get in that category.

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Lucie Kloak is a Brand Partnerships Manager at DraftKings based out of New York, NY. For the last 3 years, she has been a member of the Integrated Marketing team at DraftKings and recently moved over to the Brand Partnerships team and her new role at the end of July. Specifically, Lucie has been focusing on DraftKings’ new acquired company VSiN (Vegas Stats & Information Network) based out of Las Vegas, NV. Her role consists of bring brands and partnerships into VSiN for sponsorship opportunities and growing the DraftKing content platform.

Lucie is from New Jersey and a proud Carolina Tar Heel alumni, having graduated UNC Chapel Hill in 2016. Lucie has been based out of New York City since graduation first starting her career at PVH (Phillip Van Huesen) on the Sports Marketing Sponsorship team. Lucie was a member of the Division 1 Rowing Team at Carolina and graduated from the Journalism School with a focus in PR and Business. Lucie is an avid sports fan, having played ice-hockey and lacrosse growing up. In her free time, Lucie is a CorePower Yoga Sculpt instructor and active football tailgating fan!

Tim Foster
E08

Description: On Episode 8 of the My first Job in Sports Web Series, Mark and I spoke with Timari, (Tim), Foster. Tim is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado where she obtained her certificate in Sports Business. Tim has recently joined Farrell Sports, the sports marketing firm headed by Matt Farrell. If you are looking for that first job, sports marketing agencies represent a great place to obtain the skills you need.

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Timari, (Tim) is a recent graduate of University of Colorado-Boulder in Integrative Physiology with a certificate in the Business of Sports. Currently serving as Marketing Coordinator for Farrell Sports. Her previous work includes street team member for the Anaheim Ducks, student coordinator for the CU Business of Sports program, and social media manager for The California Olive.

Jeff Hall
E07

Description:

Episode 7 of the My First Job in Sports web series took us to the Golf Business. Our interview with Jeff Hall, PGA Professional, focused on how he has able to turn his passion for the game of golf into his chosen career. Jeff discussed the importance of building a great team and ensuring that everyone is aligned with the overall goals for the program. Jeff also detailed the many different types of jobs that the golf business offers and how to go about getting them.

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Jeff Hall was born and raised in Dutchess County, NY. He attended Canterbury Prep School in New Milford, CT where he lettered in 3 Varsity Sports. Jeff knew he wanted to be a Golf Professional at a young age therefore he attended Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC. Jeff started his professional career at Branton Woods, now Trump National Hudson Valley, where he learned about the golf business. Deciding he wanted to be a Golf Professional all year around he moved down to South Florida where he was an Assistant Golf Professional at The Polo Club of Boca Raton for 5 years. At The Polo Club he received his PGA Class A Certification and Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certification. Most recently he has been the PGA Head Golf Professional at Westchester Country Club in Boynton Beach, FL. Jeff prides himself on being a complete Golf Professional, but has a passion for teaching the game and truly enjoys making every golfer as good as they can be.

Scott Kaufman Ross
E06

Description: Scott Kaufman Ross, Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures at National Basketball Association, offers some unconventional advice on breaking into the sports business and shares his story of how he moved from the financial world to a senior role at the NBA. His top tips for skill development? Learn how to organize your thoughts and present them in a concise orderly fashion. Writing great e-mails and understanding how to tell a story in your writing and presentations will help you succeed!

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Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures National Basketball Association

As Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures for the NBA, Scott Kaufman-Ross manages all initiatives related to the league’s commercial endeavors in the fantasy sports & sports betting landscape and oversees the league’s efforts to explore new sports business revenue opportunities. Scott led the NBA’s partnerships with MGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Yahoo, FOXBET, William Hill, Unibet, bet365, BetEasy, Tabcorp and Dream11 and served as the NBA’s Board Observer to FanDuel for three years. Before taking on his current role, Scott spent four years on the NBA’s Global Strategy Team evaluating the league’s strategic approach to new business areas such as daily fantasy sports, sports betting, esports, and venture investing. Prior to joining the NBA, Scott spent four years at Goldman Sachs in the Global Investment Research division.

Peter Copp
E05

Description: The show is titled: My First Job in Sports and we interviewed Peter Copp who is actually on his first job in sports. Peter is a graduate of the Sports Marketing and Management program at Indiana who landed his first job in the data business at Stats Perform.

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Peter Copp is a recent graduate of Indiana University, where he majored in Sports Marketing & Management with a double minor in the Kelley School of Business.  Peter is a native of San Diego who now lives in Chicago, IL – where he is employed by one of the global leaders in sports data and technology, Stats Perform, serving as a Business Development Representative (BDR).

Prior to Stats Perform, Peter held internships in a sales capacity for companies such as Big 5 Sporting Goods, VAVi Sport & Social Club, and GripRx.  These past internships gave Peter a better sense of how to approach life after college and navigate his way into the professional world.

Nick Holmes
E04

Description: Sales are a create point of entry for new graduates looking to get into the sports business. In this episode, we spoke to Nick Holmes. Nick was a collegiate runner who helped pay his way through school working at running stores. He now heads up run specialty sales at Under Armour.

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Nick Holmes grew up in Bartonville, IL and started his journey in the sports world in Cross Country and Track in high school. At that same time he worked at the local running store(Running Central) and fell in love with Run Specialty and knew “I wanted to stay in the industry somehow.”

He continued his education and athletic career at the University of Iowa graduating in 2013 with a major in Psychology and minor in Human Relations. While attending and competing for the University,he worked at their local running shop, Running Wild until 2015. From there he moved to Naperville, ILto join Naperville Running Company, regarded as one of the best run specialty stores in the country.

He worked my way up to become a manager and was there for 3 years and also competed at the Olympic Trials in the marathon in 2016. In 2018 he joined In-Gear and independent sales rep firm and handled Under Armour, CEP, Clif Bar, Camelbak, Thule and others managing four different states.

At the end of that year a position of Sales Manager for Run Specialty opened up at Under Armour and Nick joined the team at UA. He has been there since January of 2019 with official title of Manager, Run Specialty Sales. Along the way he married Stephanie Holmes, who also works in the run space at Hoka and had a an awesome background in Cross Country/Track and Field.

They lived in Baltimore for 2 years and are currently in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin with our two pups Hank and Hershey.

Noah Rubin
E03

Description: In this Episode , Mark and I spoke to Noah Rubin. Noah used his family network to get started with a job at a sports trade association and moved on to a job at The San Jose Sharks. He just landed a major job in client services with the Washington Nationals.

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Noah Rubin originally comes from Northern Virginia, and grew up with a major passion for sports, specifically hockey and baseball. Attending the University of Delaware, and participating on the Division 2 hockey team, Noah found his passion for sports on the business side of things as he majored in Sport Management and Marketing. During his college years, he used his summers to participate in internships to learn more about the sport industry.

Noah spent time as an equipment manager for the UD Football Team, working with the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, Alliance Sport Marketing, and the Philadelphia Eagles, and eventually entering into the professional world working as a Ticket Sales Associate for the New Jersey Devils. After taking a jump to San Jose to work in Inside Sales, he was able to pursue his passion of customer service by working in the Client Development and Retention side of the Sharks organization. From there, Noah worked to continue to progress in his career to earn a position at the Washington Nationals as an Inside Service Manager."

Alex Hickey
E02

Description: Sports Gambling is a very hot topic at the moment and in this episode Mark and I spoke to Alex Hickey. Alex started with a sports marketing agency and networked her way to a job with Major League Soccer. She recently landed a job with Sports Bet in one of the hottest sectors in the business.

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Alexandra Hickey is a marketing professional with experience in sports and entertainment sponsorship and activation.She currently serves as marketing manager at PointsBet, an up-and-coming sports betting company, where she works to build overall brand awareness and increase customer acquisition by leveraging strategic media partnerships.  Prior to joining PointsBet, Alex spent close to three years at Major League Soccer, in Partnership Marketing. She managed, activated, and fulfilled key strategic partnerships with brands including adidas, Audi, BODYARMOR, Johnson&Johnson and MGM.

Alex began her career at a boutique Sponsorship Marketing and Activation agency in Manhattan, planning and executing activation strategies for brands including New York Life Insurance, Under Armour and Labatt Blue on local and national levels.Alex is a graduate from American University where she studied Strategic Communications and Marketing. She's a San Francisco Bay Area native and an avid sports fan.

Sean Wallis
E01

Description: In our inaugural episode we spoke to Sean Wallis. Sean left a first job in the financial sector to move into sports and has never looked back. He is now VP Corporate Sponsorships at Notre Dame.

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Based in Chicago, Sean oversees all partnership development and new business as a member of the Notre Dame Global Partnerships team.

Prior to joining Notre Dame Global Partnerships Sean was with W Partners, a boutique sales and marketing agency that secured over $500M in partnership revenue on behalf of the Cubs and Ricketts family as part of the restoration of historic Wrigley Field and its mixed retail and entertainment district development. In addition, Sean helped lead work securing large scale corporate partnerships on behalf of other client properties across the sports, entertainment, and culinary industries.Previously Sean spent time at The Marketing Arm in its sponsorship consulting group and at The Cambridge Group in strategy consulting.Sean earned both his Masters in Finance and Bachelors in Business Administration degrees from Washington University in St. Louis where he won two NCAA Division III basketball national championships.