My First Job In Sports Neil Schwartz and Mark Sullivan

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.  

 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. 

In 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 localareas. 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.

Guest Bio:

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, 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.

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.  

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 been 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.

Guest Bio:

Jeff Hall was born and raised in DutchessCounty, NY. He attended Canterbury Prep School in NewMilford, 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 round 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.