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

Dec 12, 2023

40:12

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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