Ryan Bishara

EVP of Revenue and Strategy – Los Angeles FC

“Be resourceful and persistent, you have nothing to lose when contacting professionals you admire.”

“Realize that many of the skills you need are not going to be taught in school. Don’t wait until you have a job to learn these skills.”

“Think about business school as a life raft. You’re in one place, you’re doing a job and you have growth in mind. If every year, you keep growing and gain responsibilities and get promoted, don’t use the life raft. If you get to a point where you feel like you need to get to another level and can’t, or are tired of your current job, then you use the life raft.”

Ayisha Izmeth

Director of Marketing/Communications – Ulysse Nardin

“My story was driven by my intuition towards what I want the next chapter of my life to look like.”

[On her path into marketing] “There was something about coming up with something out of thin air and breathing it into existence that really appealed to me.”

“When working with a client, you may see growth year after year, but at a certain point, you can’t elevate the structure; you have to change the entire structure. “

Emily Watts

Global Director, Sports Marketing – Giro Sport Design

“I was also exposed to many of the inequities in sports early on; I was starting to misalign with the values versus what I envisioned for the future. I wanted to be part of the solution, rather than maintaining the status quo.”

“I like to replace marketing with storytelling; it’s a better description of the role that marketing has to play for a brand.”

“The emotional intelligence that comes from working with different people in college is the best kind of experience you can get for entering the workforce. Putting myself in groups or clubs that were a little bit outside of my comfort zone forced me to become a chameleon; I had to understand how to fit in and add value in different scenarios.”

Joel Wolfe

Executive VP, Managing Executive of Baseball – Wasserman

“We have had a high success rate of hiring interns who run through different divisions learning about the company altogether and getting feedback from other employees. Learning about a job and the company from the ground up is something I believe in.”

“It’s important how you treat people that you work with. If you want to get the most of out them, they have to be willing to bring new and creative ideas, and not be afraid to fail.”

“In everything in life, and especially in life, you’re going to lose sometimes. In this business, when we lose, we lose publicly. It may be embarrassing and humiliating, but you have to pick yourself up off the mat: being able to take rejection isn’t easy.”

Allyson Davis

Owner – Impakt Partners

“Keep your blinders on; do your job as best as you can and don’t get caught up in the noise around you.”

“Now is the time to tell female sports stories. Be mindful of whose story it is and who’s telling that story.”

“It’s always great to be at a company that people know of, but it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right thing to do. Don’t be too picky about your first job; it’s not going to be your last one.”

“Having ideas and not being afraid to voice them to your boss is really valuable; in marketing, your job is to grow the business.”

James McCauley

Sports Law Fellow – Villanova University

“Learning how to speak and write concisely is foundational to everything you do. All your knowledge will get watered down if you don’t have strong speaking and writing skills.”

“While you may have a vision of what you want to do, adaptability and malleability are very important skills that you must have in sports”

“Networking can feel forced and awkward, but it doesn’t have to be. Learning how to come off as genuine and friendly is crucial to cultivating real relationships.”

“Don’t be content with who you are now; you’re not a finished product. Always try to fill your time with something to make yourself more valuable. Having one skill is great, but building yourself out proves your work ethic. You have to stay hungry.”

Anna Winkenbach

Senior Director – Properties & Global Media at Wasserman

“There is not a traditional route you have to go through to work in sports.”

“I wish I had spoken up more for myself when I was younger. By that, I mean being honest during my internships about what I was looking for and what I truly liked.“

“Working in sports you never experience the same day, every day no matter what sport you work in brings in something new.”

“The corporation is not your friend, you must look out for yourself and what your next step is.”

Joy Hong

Properties Coordinator – Sales, Strategy & Acceleration, Excel Sports Management

“Everything happens for a reason, just work hard, connect with the right people and you can get where you dream to be.”

“I got my foot in the door into sports through the daily bruin… There I learned the proper work ethic to be successful.”

“So much of sports, no matter what field you are in, is about storytelling and ultimately selling something.”

“Proper networking cannot be overstated… I always strived to build a genuine relationship with any possible mentor. That is how I have gotten a lot of my opportunities.”

Evan Drapeau

Corporate Partnerships Manager, Los Angeles Rams

“Effort breeds results. You won’t have overnight success wherever you start and you may stumble at first; but continue to refine your craft.”

“Sports are unique from a marketing standpoint; sports feature a different level of attachment, emotion, and history in comparison to other industries.”

“Take the chance, even if you don’t like your job, you learn from things you don’t like. Working in an organization you can develop connections and move. A majority of people in sports have had to bounce around, there is not perfect entry-level position. As you explore, take the internship/role you’re not that excited about — you’ll learn something and develop more connections.”

“Partnerships are a relationship business. There are times when I say like or stutter and I keep moving. Keeping that human element is incredibly important for sports.”

Ryan Williams

Partner at Athletes First Sports Agency

“If you find one person to believe in you, ride that wave for as long as you can because you never know where it’s going to end up.”

“As an unpaid intern, I thought that if I do 12 hours of work vs. the normal 8 hours, I can get ahead of other people.”

“If I don’t respond to your interview request keep pushing, you have to follow up with people or you’ll get forgotten.”

“Be creative and different in every facet of life and you will find success.”

“[Agents] are the call that everyone makes when things hit the fan”

Felisa Israel

Founder 10 Fold Entertainment

“It’s good for my ego to say I worked in professional sports and entertainment for 30 years, but it’s more gratifying to know I created a platform for all of you to have opportunities to shine in front of executives rather than be represented on a piece of paper.”

“I stayed in my lane; I didn’t try to out-do people but I found areas that I have interest in and maximized the experience.”

“There are 2 kinds of people in the world; leaders and followers, and there are a lot of followers.”

“Stay true to yourself and your passions; do not sell out.”

“It’s who you know that gets you in the door, and what you know that keeps you in.”