The Fan Engagement Podcast

Jasmine McCrawford is Director of Brand & Strategic Initiatives at the Jacksonville Jaguars. One of the NFL's youngest teams, the Jaguars are executing a bold strategy to reach and engage fresh audiences in ways other teams haven't yet dared.

The most-travelled NFL team, with a decade of international games at Wembley Stadium in London, the Jags puts equal focus on maximising engagement on home turf, battling against powerhouse...

Stuart Wareman is Global SVP Experiences, Events & Sponsorship at Accor. Accor is one of the world’s largest hotel groups – made up of a global network of over 50 brands, including Ibis, Sofitel, Novotel, Orient Express and Mercure.

Accor has cultivated brand partnerships with some of the most prestigious names in sport, including the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup, PSG, the America’s Cup, Tour de France, Roland Garros and Kyl...

Marcus Mellor is Head of Commercial at Burnley Football Club, who play in the English Football League (EFL) Championship.

One of England’s oldest football clubs, Burnley FC recently became the subject of U.S. investment, with a star-studded roster of investors including JJ and Kealia Watt and popular YouTube collective, Dude Perfect. Burnley FC is on a mission to leverage its partnerships to drive U.S. market growth.

But how is the...

Formerly CTO of MediaMath, Manny Puentes is General Manager of Advertising at Genius Sports. A leading voice in the advertising world, Manny has spearheaded the development and growth of many high-profile programmatic advertising solutions across the last 25 years.

With Google planning to phase out the third-party cookie, the advertising sector is set to undergo its biggest transformation of the last 20 years – but what does this m...

Shawn Bryant is a Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP, leading their sports practice having held senior roles at Disney, ESPN, the NBA and the Harlem Globetrotters. 

David Jarvis is a Senior Research Leader at The Deloitte Center for Technology, Media and Telecommunications (Deloitte Services LP) and is a co-author of The 2023 Sports Fan Insights Report.

Deloitte is the largest professional services organisation in the wor...

Justin Papadakis is Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer at the USL (United Soccer League), the fastest-growing professional soccer organisation in North America. 

 

This year three mi...

Dev Sethi is Meta’s former Director of Sports Partnerships, with over 15 years of experience in the world of fan engagement, also including roles at Google, YouTube and as Instagram’s Head of Sports.

Dev brings an inside view into the world of sport’s social media explosion having worked closely with major leagues, teams, brands, athletes and creators across more than a decade.

But just how has sports fan behaviour evolved on socia...

Ryan Cooney is Director of Digital & Media at Hennessy, one of the world’s largest alcohol brands and an official partner of the NBA, WNBA and 13 NBA teams. 

Hennessy, part of the Moët Hennessy group, also sponsors the multiple-time world champion boxer Canelo Álvarez. 

But why does Hennessy enjoy so much success engaging sports audiences? How do Ryan and his team unlock the power of fandom in their marketing? And what value do...

Jennifer Matthews is VP, Brand Strategy at FanDuel, America’s largest sports betting and daily fantasy sports brand.

Since online sports betting was legalized in the U.S in 2018, FanDuel has rapidly become America’s leading betting company and acquired over 17 million customers and counting.

But what have been the secrets to FanDuel’s success when it comes to converting sports fans? How does it continue to acquire and engage sports...

Rob Johnson is Head of Digital and Content at The Hundred, a professional 100-ball franchise tournament run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

The Hundred launched in 2021, with a revitalised format and disruptive strategy to attract new audiences to watch cricket, including female fans and Gen Z’ers – and it’s been a mega success.

But how, in just two seasons, did the league attract 4.9 million fans to watch women's cri...

Aidan Lyons is Chief Growth Officer at Williams Racing, one of the most successful and prestigious Formula 1 teams in the history of the sport. Founded by Frank Williams in the 1970s, Williams Racing boasts over 391 million global fans. Aidan joined the F1 team in 2021 following a decade at the NFL, responsible for revitalizing Williams Racing’s fan engagement strategy hot on the heels of series one of Netflix’s Drive to Survive. B...

Grant Cohen is the co-founder of Fan Controlled Sports + Entertainment. He runs a fast-growing portfolio of interactive sports leagues that allow fans to vote on everything from team names to jerseys and play-by-play tactics.

Fan Controlled Football is broadcast to millions of live viewers around-the-world on Twitch, NBCLX, DAZN and FuboTV. Meanwhile, Cohen and his team recently launched Fan Controlled Hoops and secured $40M Series...

Jeff Fernandez is Vice President, Business Development + Ventures at the New York Jets.

For 20 years, Jeff has helped the Jets to drive audience growth, innovation and commercial value. He previously worked for the Buffalo Bills.

In the first episode of The Fan Engagement Podcast, award-winning host Megan Cain speaks to Jeff to uncover:

• How the Jets grew its first-party database by 1000% in four years
• The strategies Jeff and hi...