Marquee Matchup

Episode 6: Marquee Search talks with Alton Byrd, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment VP of Growth Properties (NBA G League Long Island Nets, Nets NBA 2K franchise) to gain leadership insights and inspiration. 0:18​ - Intro 1:05​ - Alton's fascinating sports background 3:45​ - Transition from the hardwood to the boardroom 6:08​ - Basketball in the (United) Kingdom while working full-time 8:29​ - A courageous career trail blazer, which prepared him for life after basketball 10:20​ - What does Alton do for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment? 12:52​ - Evolution of BSE - new ownership and leadership, and Alton's keys to survival 14:54​ - G League team's contribution to the success of the Brooklyn Nets 17:46​ - Differences between working across various sports leagues 20:05​ - How Alton has determined when to move on in his career 22:20​ - What legacy will the pandemic have long-term on the sports industry? 25:32​ - The "pandemic wall" - how does Alton keep his edge? 28:24​ - What are you looking forward to the most post-pandemic? 32:05​ - If Alton didn't work in sports, what would he be doing? 33:58​ - Best career advice Alton's received #sportsbiz​ #sportsjobs

Episode 5: Marquee Search sits down with Jessica Smith, Head of Corporate Partnerships with Angel City FC to gain leadership insights and inspiration. 1:28 - Intro 3:20 - Pandemic parenting experience and advice 5:05 - How Jess made the decision to make a career move during a pandemic 7:12 - How she got on her professional path starting in MiLB, MLB, MBA, NHL, MLS and now NWSL startup 8:32 - What's it like being part of a startup/team launch? 9:02 - What it means to be purpose-driven at Angel City FC 10:50 - Standing out in a crowded marketplace thru purpose and impact 12:36 - 2022 First Kick! 13:17 - What does the calendar look like for a new team not playing until 2022? 14:02 - Jess' story of how and why she pivoted from ticket sales to corporate partnerships. What was the learning curve like? 16:33 - How she's approached partnerships 18:26 - The difference between working in various leagues and sports 21:11 - How did she decide to pursue her MBA? 24:30 - What are the consequences of COVID in 2021 and beyond? Silver linings and benefits she's taking from this time. 27:39 - What she's most looking forward to on the other side of COVID. 29:12 - If not sports, what Jess would be doing professionally 30:02 - Jess' favorite career advice #sportsbiz #sportsjobs

Marquee Search sits down with Christa Stout, VP, Innovation and Impact, Portland Trail Blazers to gain leadership insights and inspiration. 1:28 - Intro 2:51 - Work/life balance as a top industry pro who is also a parent of young children 3:38 - "We're all going through something" 4:08 - VP, Innovation and Impact at the Blazers - what do you do? 6:10 - Does Christa have a favorite initiative while working at the Trail Blazers? - CSR + Innovation - shout out Natalie! 8:29 - How did she get to where she is now? Christa's professional path 10:58 - How did she get into sports? 13:00 - What gives Christa energy? 14:06 - How she ended up working more with corporate partnerships than community, in her efforts to drive good 14:35 - Christa's view of the power and responsibility of professional sports organizations in their communities 16:20 - 150 days into pandemic, what the Trail Blazers response has been as an employer 19:28 - Convergence of innovation and impact during COVID 21:09 - Work from home 21:52 - COVID impact on adoption of technology 23:09 - Christa's secret to keeping her edge 25:14 - Are we more real in a 2 dimensional world? 26:10 - Sports or foreign intelligence? 27:35 - Energized by life coaching 28:06 - Personality testing! 28:34 - You do better when you lean into your strengths (specialization) 30:36 - Enneagram - who I am is OK 31:10 - Why building a deck with no prior planning is a good idea 32:11 - Best career advice ever given 32:42 - "Make decisions based on courage not fear" 34:13 - Jim Carey's influence on Christa's life 35:06 - How embarrassing herself built the confidence she needed to get where she is now #sportsjobs #sportsbiz

Marquee Search sits down with Jarrod Dillon, Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer for Vinik Sports Group (Tampa Bay Lightning and more) to gain leadership insights and inspiration. 0:17 - Welcome Jarrod Dillon 0:39 – Being a father is Jarrod's most important job 3:01 – Career background 4:31 – His decision-making filter for career moves 6:05 – Moving his family across the country to work for the Tampa Bay Lightning 8:50 – Expansion of the Lightning to Vinik Sports Group today 12:42 – Vinik Sports Group vision going forward 13:53 – The unique role of a Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer 16:39 – Transition from ticket sales leader to corporate partnerships and what he's learned about CP 20:59 – Difference in the pace of working in ticket sales and corporate partnerships 24:00 – Working for 3 of the Big 4 leagues, perception of differences among them 25:55 – People + Process = Results 26:56 – Any plans to round out experience with the NBA? 29:12 – Importance of who he's working for in his career decisions 31:37 – Divining culture from video interviews 34:25 – Keeping his team's edge while working remotely - real talk from a leader 36:33 – “What do you want your Corona story to be?” 39:02 – Vulnerable leadership; leading with integrity 41:19 – Taking care of younger staffs' mental health and wellbeing

Marquee Search sits down with Matt Farrell, a top sports marketer in the Olympic movement currently working in the golf industry, to gain leadership insights and inspiration. 0:38– Introduction 2:17 – How a 20 year career in the Olympic movement is born 3:36 – What does the Executive Director of World Long Drive and General Manager of Alternative Golf for the Golf Channel do? 6:12 – Impact of global economy on the Golf Channel's long term plans for Alternative Golf 6:38 – Real talk about the differences of working at a National Governing Body vs. an entrepreneurial division of a global media company 9:07 – “Stealth bomber” idea around creating new events and programming 10:23 – Building relationships and selling ideas internally at matrixed organization vs just telling a subordinate what to do 11:02 – Matt's 6th sense of when to shift career gears on three separate occasions 12:00 – How a sports information guy taught himself new skills to drive his career forward 13:43 – How Matt realized the value of having revenue driving skills 15:31 – The importance of culture for leaders at the Golf Channel to navigate the global health crisis 17:40 – How Matt felt about work from home before the pandemic 19:14 – How Matt is keeping his edge during the pandemic in such a competitive industry 21:15 – How Matt misses the structure of the sports schedule 23:43 – What Matt is consuming these days 25:45 – What would Matt be doing if he wasn't working in sports 26:52 – The career advice Matt received on the golf course from his mentor that inspires him to this day 28:55 – How his former boss modeled how to handle disagreement #sportsbiz

Episode 1: Marquee Search sits down with Alan Ledford, top Minor League Baseball executive, to gain leadership insights and inspiration. 0:44 – Introduction – A leader you can follow in a pandemic 4:03 – Celebrating 6 years since opening pitch 5:28 – MountainStar Sports Group ownership's overriding objective: “Improve the quality of life and promote economic development in the region.” 7:36 – Major League vs. Minor League sports 11:09 – The benefits of working in minor league baseball 15:51 – No playbook for the pandemic. Alan talks leadership during this time. 18:33 – “I didn't know” is not an excuse 19:46 – Focus on mental health of his people 20:50 – Keeping staff engaged through technology. 23:34 – Pandemic as innovation. 27:11 – 1989 World Series Earthquake Game 28:37 – The “sports is recession proof” fallacy prior to 2008 29:35 – “Good things will come out of this” 31:44 – What Alan misses the most about sports? 34:05 – Best career advice he gives 35:57 – His meticulous method for tracking his contacts 36:34 – Advice for young people wanting to get into the industry 37:35 – Like gardening, networking is not a one-time event 39:45 – “Be persistent just this side of being annoying” 41:08 – “Learn how to write in a business setting” 41:45 – Self improvement recommendations he's made to his staff 42:24 – Advice to people dealing with a recession for the first time

Excited to introduce Marquee Matchup, an interview series with sports and entertainment business leaders designed to inform and inspire. #SportsBiz