How the DRL is Captivating the Attention of an Entirely New Audience with Ari Mark

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Ari Mark, the Senior VP, Head of Partnership Development at The Drone Racing League. 
Mark joined the DRL from the NFL, where he led corporate partnership sales for the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. Before that, Ari spent eight years in global business development for the NBA, securing sponsorships across the NBA, WNBA, G League, USA Basketball, and NBA 2K League.
Over the last several years, Ari built a legacy for developing new, groundbreaking programs, including the creation of the DRL’s largest ever partnership with Algorand, the leading high-performance blockchain platform as well as launching DRL Labs, an innovation hub to research and develop next generation drone technology with Dragan Fly. 
The league is flying high *pun intended* as the world’s premier, professional drone racing property and in the process is creating a new era of sports that brings high-speed competition in real life and digitally.
Time Stamps:
3:00 - Taking Lessons from the NBA and NFL
5:00 - The DRL as an Innovation Hub and Accelerator of Technology 
10:00 - Tapping into Alternative Budgets 
11:00 - Solving Problems for Partners and Tapping Partners to Solve Problems 
13:00 - Engaging with Fans Away from Broadcast TV
16:00 - Connecting with Fans of the Non-Traditional Sports 
19:00 - Embracing Meta’s Launch of WhatsApp Channels
24:00 - Evolving the DRL from Season to Season 
27:00 - Deciding on where to Race 
29:00 - Tapping into Athlete Appeal of the DRL Pilots 
32:00 - Esports as a talent funnel and engagement tool
37:00 - An opportunity for DRL events to tap into culturally relevant IP.
38:00 - Vision for the future of the DRL
Additional Links
Serving Fans: Why FC Barcelona Are Embracing An Overlooked Social Platform
Overtime's Playbook: Focus on 'Winning' the Group Chat
The Great Divide: The Future of Social Media
How F1 Technology has Supercharged the World
How High-Speed Drone Racing could Aid Struggling Air Force Recruitment
Connect with Ari on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠here⁠⁠
Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠here