Brilliant People Podcast Dan Migala: Former Legends Co-President & CRO on Turning Creativity into Commercial Wins in Sport | E28
What does it take to turn creativity into commercial growth in the business of sport?
In Episode 28, host Linnea Jungnelius sits down with Dan Migala, former Co-President and Chief Revenue Officer at Legends and one of the most inventive commercial minds in global sports and entertainment.
From changing first pitch times to 7:11, to transforming a foulpole into an 85-foot TaylorMade driver, to selling out 86,000 seats at the Women’s Cricket World Cup, Dan has built a career by breaking the mold.
He’s helped world-class organizations like the Chicago Bears, Real Madrid, and Oklahoma City Thunder reimagine how creativity, commerce, and culture intersect to drive growth.
For sports executives, private equity investors, and commercial leaders alike, this conversation explores how imagination becomes a competitive advantage, and why the best leaders think like creators, sell like strategists, and operate like owners.
What You’ll Learn:
• How to turn creative thinking into measurable commercial impact
• Why the best ideas are born from curiosity and the courage to ask questions
• How the Art, Heart, and Science framework transforms innovation intorevenue
• The Me–We–Go leadership model that builds alignment and culture
• What every commercial leader can learn from the future of women’s sports, private equity, and mixed-use development
Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
00:12 Guest Intro: Dan Migala
03:30 Early Digital Play: Selling Sports on the Web
03:46 Innovation Moment: Building the Bears’ First Website
05:12 Leadership Lesson: Power of Private Questions
05:58 AI Parallel: Curiosity as a Competitive Edge
07:46 Sponsorship Breakthrough: The 7-Eleven White Sox Deal
09:30 Pitch Like a Pro: Confidence Drives Buy-In
10:00 The Art–Heart–Science Framework for Revenue Growth
11:00 Brand Alignment: Anatomy of a High-Impact Sponsorship
15:16 TaylorMade Case Study: $350M Earned Media Win
16:26 Leadership Playbook: The Me–We–Go Model
21:00 Women’s Cricket World Cup: Designing Demand at Scale
21:22 Cultural Relevance: Katy Perry & International Women’s Day Tie-In
23:52 Leading with Empathy: Evolving the Commercial Leader
29:16 CEO–CRO Trust: Slow Down to Speed Up
30:28 Private Equity in Sports: “Everyone Wants to Be First”
35:12 Building the Future of Sports: Mixed-Use, Tech, and Capital Convergence
45:36 Lightning Round: Personal Reflections
Resources:
Dan Migala:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/migala/
Linnea Jungnelius:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linneajungnelius
X: https://x.com/itslinnea
Explore the Podcast:
Spotify: https://acertitu.de/dan-migala-spotify-podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://acertitu.de/dan-migala-apple-podcast
Blog: https://acertitu.de/dan-migala-blog
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