52 Weeks of Hustle with Adam Heaslip

0:00Welcome to 52 weeks of hustle. I'm Travis Apple and after spending my entire career in the sports and live entertainment industry, I wanted to continue finding ways to give back to individuals looking to break into the business and to those currently in the industry, striving to perform at an elite level. For those of you who know me, you know I've always believed in the power of hustle, which is exactly where the name comes from. Over the last six seasons, I've had the privilege of sitting down with some of the top executives, leaders and innovators across sports and entertainment to discuss their career journeys, leadership philosophies, lessons learned, and actionable advice that listeners can apply to their own careers every single day. And it's hard to believe we're already entering season 7 of 52 weeks of hustle. This season is going to look a little different. I'm incredibly excited about the new format. In addition, it continued in conversations with industry leaders and decision makers. I will now also be dedicating episodes to diving deeper into the biggest trends, challenges

1:00and opportunities impacting the sports and live entertainment business today. Whether it is ticket sales, premium hospitality, sponsorships, fan experience, technology, analytics, dynamic pricing, staffing, leadership, or anything else that is involving in the business side of sports, these dedicated episodes will provide real conversations, real insights and real takeaways that can help you stay ahead in an ever changing industry. For our guest episodes this season will continue discussing career paths, leadership lessons, three key topics currently shaping the industry, three hustle hot seat questions, and three pieces of advice all under 24 minutes. Thank you again for being part of the journey and supporting 52 weeks of hustle. Now let's get into this week's episode. Some of the best people in this business have seen it from every angle, the team side, the league side and the technology side. Our next guest has done exactly that, building a career across some of the most respected names and sports. I'm excited to have Adam Heeslip, account director, club business development at the National Football League.

2:00Adam, welcome to the show. Travis, thanks for having me on. Adam, I'm always excited to chat with you and let's kick it off where we started. Your career is taking you from Madison Square Garden to the NBA League office to Pacquillon to now the NFL. Looking back, did you ever imagine your path would touch so many different sides of this industry? I'd be lying to you if I said it did. You probably have visions of where you're going to go when you start or what you want to do when you start out. But I think for me, the biggest thing was I've never had a defined path. I've had aspirations to do different things. But for me, it's always been about working really hard, surrounding myself with good people, building strong relationships and putting myself in a position where you work on some cool things that keep me engaged and keep you engaged and interested. Through all that, based on your efforts, your abilities and your relationships, opportunities

3:02to present themselves, that's really how things have worked out for me, fortunately, up until this point. Absolutely. Adam, for you, you've always been into sports. And what the listener is, how you first broke into the business and ultimately landed a role at MSG? Yeah, that one's a funny story. So I studied sports management at Ithac College. Sports management is not as prevalent. It wasn't as prevalent as it is now. When I had some internships when I was there, actually, let me take a step back, going into school. I was looking for a school play basketball at and my parents kept reminding me, like, the education piece of this is important to you. Your career is going to end and to the point on sports management not being as prevalent as I was one of the schools that offered sports management programs back when I was in school. So I was like, I was really curious about it.

4:02My life revolved around sports. And I was like, wait, there's classes that have a sports component of it. Let me go figure out what this is. And going through my time there, I had some internships won with the Celtics and between my junior and senior year of school that just got me hooked. Working on the team side, I was like, all right, this is a path for me. I don't know what it ultimately is going to be, but I want to be in this. And fast forward another years coming up on graduation. And I'd be lying to you if I said I was ready for the real world. I was like insanely immature, want to stay in college, hang out with my friends forever. And I think I offered an accelerated MBA program in 10 months. And so my parents were really supportive of that and said, listen, if you want to stay and get whatever you want to get out of your system, go for that instead of just kind of like coming out, not being ready and kind of spinning your wheels.

5:05So I applied for that. I got in and I found my internship experience to be incredibly valuable. And so I reached out to the dean of the business school and I said, hey, I know there's a number of electives. We don't have an internship option while we're here. Would you be open to me taking one of those electives and getting an internship this summer before starting as opposed to just kind of getting an odd job? It's like, yeah, it sounds like a great idea. Can you write a brief on it? And then we'll get going. Got to love the briefs. Yeah, but I was like, oh, by the way, do you have an internship? I was like, yeah, I'll figure that out. I walk out of his office and I go, shit, I got to go find something. And so I went back and I was thinking I grew up just north of Manhattan. So I was like, what are some opportunities locally where I can live at home? And I called the operator at Madison Square Garden.

6:10And someone picked up and I just gave my elevator pitch. Like, hey, I'm a sports management student graduated from from Ethical of Internships here and here. You know, love an intern and going back to get my MBA would love a internship. And I get my same elevator pitch again. And then like, oh, it's really interesting. Can you send me your resume? Send along, got set up with some internships. And I had an internship on the sponsorship side of the business with the next that summer. Fast forward, next spring, I'm looking for opportunities all around. The country coming out of school and had an opportunity with their inside sales program. So got my start there. Awesome. And you know, what a great journey. It was, you know, name of the podcast is about hustle and that's a way to hustle. Be able to smile and dial and pick up the phone. And you know, from ultimately an MSG, then you go over to the MBA League office. And what was the transition like going from the team side to the League office? And ultimately, what did that role teach you? For sure.

7:10I mean, you lived it so. So what? But I would really green. Really. I guess that's kind of a theme here. It took me a little bit longer to mature than others. But I thought because I worked in a place like MSG and we're hitting our goals that like, I knew how the business worked, but going from a, the property side or the team side to a league is a pretty significant change for one. You know, when I was selling, you have your sales target. You have your daily hustle metrics. And it's, you know, what you're expected to do coming in day in and day out. On the league side, it's a little bit different than that, especially in a role like I had a team bow and now at the NFL where, you know, it's, you're in a little bit of a gray space. I'm kind of like how you're supposed to be operating and how to, how to measure success. But you know, the, the opportunity there was like a second master's degree for me. It was unbelievable to be exposed to way all 30 teams in the MBA ran as well.

8:15So WMBA and the D league now. G league and just how they approached their business. I think most importantly, it exposed me some really, really smart and talented people. Not only on my team, but around the business. So it was, it was great. Like I, I'm so fortunate. I have that, that opportunity at that stage in my career. I love it. And you then for you, you go on to Pac-I-On and which put you on the technology and ticketing platform side of the business. What went into that role and how did that change your perspective on the overall industry? Yeah, that was, that was a pretty big pivot. And I was, I was always have been and still am a really big fan of college sports. And so the opportunity to go and work with the market share leader there was, was exciting and intriguing to me. But you know, going from being at a property like MSG, then a league office to then pivoting to the vendor sales side of things. It was like, it was a really, really good learning opportunity.

9:20But it also forced me outside of my comfort zone. And so taught me, taught me, you know, some more self accountability. Being FaceTime with clients and negotiating deals and kind of running your own business, so to speak, obviously had a lot of support from the group there. But you were the, you were the face of the, you know, the organization with these, these big athletic programs. Right. You've been now with the NFL for over eight years and you've worked your way up in the club, in the club business development. What do you feel like you've done on a consistent basis to continue growing and earning bigger opportunities? Yeah, I think, I think with that, it's just being open and curious to learn and, you know, being in the business, having these opportunities, not saying, hey, I know it all. Just continue to learn and put myself in positions to be exposed to, you know, as many

10:27new things across the business as I have been. And then on top of that, I'd say, you know, really focusing on building trust and relationships and giving more than I'm, than I'm taken from people in the process. Yeah, Adam, you've lived the team side, the league side and the tech side of this business. How is having all three of those perspectives made you better at the job you do every single day? Well, funny enough. That was the exact sales picture I gave when I was, when I was interviewing for, for this job, but, you know, going through that, it's allowed me to understand how, you know, the other side is going to approach things because I've sat in that seat before and level set with all the different people and stakeholders that I'm going to be dealing with in the role. You know, in your current role to that point, you work closely with the clubs to help drive their business forward. And I know the easiest answer is no day is ever the same, but walk the listers through kind of what a typical day looks like for you. You know, Travis, you've lived so that's what makes this job so much fun.

11:27You know, I'd say for me, you cross over so many areas of the business, what we do is to help support the teams, not everything that takes place off the field. And so, you know, you could be on one call that's focused on ticking the next on sponsorship to the next on F and B in retail and, and, and, you know, so on and so forth. But I think, you know, the coolest thing here's been the evolution of the job when we set out to, to build this team and create this platform where we, and I had more individualized relationships with, with the teams, it was in the, in the core basics, blocking tackling of ticket sponsorship and suites and the evolution of that to, to this point where, you know, we spend so much time with teams on things like stadiums and, you know, to, to see the, the stadium error that we're in right now and what's going on there and I'm being stadium

12:27design meetings with, with teams like, it's just really, it's, it's really cool to see how that ultimately, how our time spent. You know, Adam, I know in my past working in the NBA league office at times, there's a challenge because you're not in market all the time or you're in market one area, but another team across the country wants something. How have you and your team evolved over the years to ensure communication and collaboration is always there for the clubs? I'm not sure. And be ever present, but, you know, I don't think you can replicate the, the in person meetings and so, you know, we still, we still try to get out and spend as much time in market with teams as we can and when we're there, you know, fully invest our time in market and, and have teams feels though we're, you know, that's the primary focus of what we're doing. So, you know, over program that, that's schedule and get as many meetings as, as possible while you're, while you're there.

13:28Because, you know, that helps set a, it's not only set an understanding of, of how the, the teams structured and their culture and where they're focused, but also sets the foundation for what you're doing beyond that until you're, your next visit. And then, and then after the fact it's, you know, how can you just stay and touch without being overbearing? So, you know, shoot a, shoot a text here and there. You haven't seen, if you haven't seen anyone in a while or there's something that's going on in their market or after, after a big win, just, you know, continuing to, to, to be present and have touch points with them is, is often as possible. Again, we're here on 52 weeks of hustle. The guest stay, Adam Heeslip, Account Director at Club Business Development, the National Football League and Adam, let's get into three hot topics. You know, question one, on the business side of the NFL, you spend a lot of time helping clubs to our conversation, share best practices across the league. Why is it so important for teams to share knowledge to help make the league as a whole stronger?

14:30Yeah. You know, we're, we're, our business is unique. We're competing on the field, but we're not competing off the field. And, you know, as a league, we put ourselves in a position where there's a major event, outside of, even outside of the season, every, and we look at every NFL game as a, as a major event. So you have those 10 opportunities to, to host a major event in your market, hopefully more, you know, as you advance throughout the season and potentially host playoff games. But, but then there's all these tent poles throughout, right? Schedule releases become a tent pole and draft has become a, a, a tent pole event. Back together Saturday for the first, or back together weekend for the first weekend of training camp. So there's, there's all of these milestones that teams are, are sprinting towards throughout the course of the year and don't always have the opportunity to stay, take a step back and, and look at how others are doing. So for us to be able to stay close to them, understand their goals and objectives and,

15:31and kind of share that guidance, I think, is, is, is really important. And, you know, we've been fortunate because the teams have really bought in to what we're doing all the way up to the highest levels where, you know, Arthur Blank, the owner of the, the Falcons is a big believer in what we're, we're doing. And every year asks us to come down and meet with him and his executive leadership team. And he, he uses that, or tells his story every time we're there when, when we start, he's like, everyone put their egos aside, no one's come to do something different. But says, you know, when I own Home Depot, I would have done anything to get, had the people from Lowe's, he's hardware in the mom and thought, hardware is worth telling me what they're doing, but they're not. And it's so unique that we have the opportunity to do this. So you know, let's, let's, let's share and there's buy in there. You know, question two, a big part of your role is partnering with clubs across a variety of business verticals. And as you travel and meet with owners, sea level executives in front office staff, what

16:32is a key characteristic that stands out to you and some of the most successful people? I think one, how knowledgeable they all are. And I think a lot of time and across a wide range of subjects. So I think a lot of times when people want to be like, hey, I want to be a, a, a master of this and, and just own this piece of the business. But when you, when you speak to people who are extremely successful, like they've been, they're just so worldly and, and, and have exposed to so many things. On top of that, their ability to connect dots and think one step ahead and then, you know, their relationship skills and the people skills. You know, when you, when you see all that bind, you're kind of like, all right, like this sets people, people apart, pretty impressive. And question three, having worked on the technology and ticketing side at Pacquillon, you have a unique view on where the fan experience is headed. How do you see technology continue to reshape ticketing and the way clubs connect with their fans? Yeah, I think that's going to be more personalization for every fan who's attending games,

17:34those people's time and, and money continue to get stretched, you know, get an understanding of what's important to them and personalizing experiences for them. It's something we're focused on. I know other leagues and teams are as well. And then, you know, not only make an experience special for them, identifying who looks like them to be able to go out and, and mark to them as well. Adam, ton of great advice, certainly fun to hear about your journey to close that, like put our guests on the hustle hot seats. You ready for this? Let's do it. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Jim's here. I'd probably go with some sort of grilled fish, whether it be sore fish or mahi, my pretty versatile sandwich tacos or just a meal itself. So I do that. What is the last thing you completed on your bucket list? Yeah, I'm not sure it qualifies for a bucket list, but my wife finally got me to agree to move to the suburbs. So we closed on a house recently and in the process of moving the next month or so.

18:41And I say, doing that, well, getting me to commit to do that and then doing that with almost four little twins is a feeding in and of itself. So I'll use that as my answer there. That move is going to be entertaining and interesting. Oh, yeah. If you hosted a talk show, who would you want as your first guest? I don't. Can I do two? Yeah. You want to move it together? Yeah. I'll probably do Adam Sandler, favorite comedian of all time. And then Kevin Garnett was one of my favorite athletes of all time. And you know, they they were in. They weren't a movie together a few years ago. Probably separate them, but you get the funny and the ultra competitive and ultra serious. That'd be a fun one. What it closed it out out of one or three key takeaways you'd give every listener to be in your shoes one day. Yeah, I'm sure every guest you have on the show says something along these lines, but relationships matter. They take time to build and grow and they can't be transactional.

19:43So like, invest in people invest in relationships, both externally and internally. And everyone's got a different path. You know, don't get caught trying to keep up with others. Run your own race and put yourselves in situations to learn as much as you can and be a sponge. I love to use it. The phrase intellectually curious and that was something that stood out to me early in my days in team. And I try to maintain that today and pass it off to the group I work with as well. Just be a sponge and learn as much as you can along the way. I love it. Adam, thank you so much. What a great career. Always a pleasure talking to you. Appreciate your time and expertise. It was a lot of fun. Thanks for having me Travis. Again, thanks for listening 52 weeks of hustle. This is Travis Apple. Please be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram and TikTok. We'll be back next week. Have a great week.