Brand Strategy · Data Intelligence · Sports & Entertainment

Brian Shepard

I sit at the intersection of data intelligence and cultural insight, helping brands and organizations understand not just what the numbers say, but what they mean.

7+
Years in Sports & Brand
200+
NCAA D-I Programs Managed
$2M+
Media Value Analyzed
4
Industries Across Career
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Brian Shepard

About

The Work Behind
The Strategy

I'm a brand strategist and data analyst with over seven years of experience across collegiate athletics, professional sports, brand agencies, and enterprise consulting. I've built my career at the intersection where analytics meets storytelling, because data without narrative is just noise.

My background spans LEARFIELD (managing 200+ NCAA Division I programs simultaneously), TruePoint Communications, Southwest Airlines, and MVP, where I served clients including the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and CAA.

I don't just run the numbers. I translate them into decisions executives can act on and stories partners actually remember.

Brand Strategy
Positioning, identity, and campaign architecture for sports & entertainment properties
Data Intelligence
K-means clustering, regression modeling, survey design, and media valuation
Research Design
Fan segmentation, audience profiling, and sponsorship asset analysis
Stakeholder Influence
Executive communication, cross-functional leadership, and C-suite advisory

Selected Work

Case Studies
Sponsorship Analytics · Media Valuation

Valuing What's
On Screen

A sponsorship asset assessment for University of Texas Athletics: Men's Basketball Courtside LED, Women's Basketball Courtside LED, and Football Ribbon Signage

UT Athletics SEC Year 1 3-Channel Methodology HIVE + Blinkfire
$1.5M
Football Ribbon Max Value
13.2M
Peak Game Viewership
3
Assets Evaluated
97%
W. BB YoY Viewer Growth
$951K – $2.07M
Combined Portfolio Estimated Value

📡 Broadcast & Streaming

Tracks asset exposure second-by-second via live game broadcasts using AI computer vision through HIVE/Mensio for precise net screen time detection.

Net Seconds × Avg Viewership × Broadcast CPM

🏟️ In-Venue Audience

Captures physical brand exposure for attendees, accounting for visual field of view, rotation, and dwell time across a 100,000+ capacity stadium.

Avg Attendance × View Opportunity Rate × In-Venue CPM

📱 Social & Digital

Measures engagement-weighted value across TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube — powered by Blinkfire Analytics patented logo detection.

Impressions × Quality-Adjusted CPM

"Valuation is a story backed by methodology, and that story needs to hold up in the boardroom."

Request Full Deck
Brand Strategy · Sports Partnership

Dallas Has a
Flavor Problem

A market entry and sponsorship strategy positioning Wingstop as the connective tissue of Dallas sports culture — the official gathering place for Mavs and Stars fans

Wingstop / DFW Mavs + Stars 3-Pillar Strategy Cultural Ownership
3.2M
DFW Sports Fans in Market
164
Mavs + Stars Games / Season
25%
Projected App Download Lift
$2M+
Incremental Revenue from Game-Day Promos
3-Pillar Partnership Model
Arena Presence → Digital Engagement → Cultural Ownership

🏟️ Pillar 1: Home Wing Partnership

Official Wing Partner of the Mavs and Stars. In-arena "Wing Zone" concessions, co-branded merch, and victory promotions tied to team performance: "Home Court Flavor" and "Hat Trick Wings" activations.

KPI: 3M+ impressions via in-arena/broadcast integration

📱 Pillar 2: Third Space Platform

Tech-enabled "Wingstop Sports HQ" experience at 10 flagship DFW locations. App-based "Game Mode" with live scores, challenges, and in-game ordering. Not sports bars. Flavor Stadiums.

KPI: 40% game-day traffic increase at flagships

🎙️ Pillar 3: Content & Culture

"Flavor Breakdown" weekly video series, 2–3 Mavs/Stars player ambassadors, podcast sponsorships. Campaign platform: "Victory Tastes Like Dallas." Wingstop doesn't just sponsor. It creates culture.

KPI: 5M+ content views, 30% brand affinity lift (18–34 DFW)

"In 5 years, when someone in Dallas thinks about watching the Mavs or Stars, they think about Wingstop. That's not a marketing campaign. That's cultural ownership."

Request Full Deck
Brand Strategy · Athletic Footwear

We Wrote the
Real Story

A strategic blueprint for New Balance Basketball to capture the $15B global market, built on authenticity, heritage, and Gen Z cultural resonance through a franchise-anchor roster strategy

New Balance Global Basketball Gen Z Strategy Cooper Flagg · T. Maxey
$15B
Global Basketball Market
15%
NB Current Market Share
84%
Gen Z Prioritize Heritage Brands
18mo
Disruption Capture Window
$10B Opportunity
Full market capture potential via 3-lever growth strategy

🏀 Lever 1: Women's Game Expansion

Capture the explosive growth of elite female athletes. C. Brink positioned as WNBA Elite & High-Fashion crossover. Elevate female athletes to primary franchise status — not secondary tiers.

Reach: Limited tunnel-walk seeding + boutique collaborations

👟 Lever 2: Franchise Signature Strategy

Anchor product lines to generational talent. Cooper Flagg ($13M) as the franchise cornerstone — 25 miles from the NE factory, connecting authentic geographic origins to the product floor.

Platform: "We Wrote the Real Story." Authenticity + Heritage

🎨 Lever 3: Gen Z Streetwear

Bridge on-court performance with off-court cultural relevance. Four audience quadrants: Core Hoopers, Streetwear Culture, Indie Athlete, and WNBA Vanguard, each with a distinct activation channel.

3-Phase: Origins → Elevation → The Crown (Signature Shoe Drop)

"We are not here to participate in the legacy market. We are here to rewrite the culture of the game."

Request Full Deck
🎓

UNT Athletics Brand Positioning

A comprehensive brand identity and positioning strategy for a mid-major athletic department navigating national visibility and recruiting competition.

📊

TCU Fan Segmentation Study

K-means cluster analysis of the TCU fan base, identifying distinct audience segments to inform partnership pricing, activation strategy, and gameday experience.

Experience

Where I've
Done the Work

Seven-plus years across four industries, always at the intersection of data, brand, and the stories that move people.

Download Resume
2023 – 2025
Southwest Airlines
Strategy Consultant
Delivered consulting support at enterprise scale within one of the most recognized consumer brands in the country. Led cross-functional stakeholder alignment, program strategy, and high-visibility initiative management across internal teams and external partners.
Enterprise Strategy Cross-functional Stakeholder Management
2022 – 2023
LEARFIELD
Program Manager
Directed the operational and reporting infrastructure behind 200+ simultaneous program commitments across HR, Talent Acquisition, and executive leadership. Built KPI dashboards, managed compliance and EEOC reporting with 100% accuracy, improved recruiter productivity 15%, and led the end-to-end launch of three Employee Resource Groups.
Program Management KPI Reporting Compliance Workforce Planning ERG Launch
2021 – 2022
LEARFIELD
Manager, Research & Insights
Led research design and audience intelligence initiatives supporting sponsorship strategy across collegiate athletics properties. Translated data into actionable insights for partners and internal leadership.
Research Design Audience Intelligence Sponsorship Strategy
2020 – 2021
TruePoint Communications
Senior Account Executive
Developed and managed integrated brand campaigns across sports, entertainment, and lifestyle verticals for clients including AT&T and athlete partners like Emmitt Smith. Served as the primary client relationship lead, connecting creative strategy with measurable performance outcomes.
Account Management Integrated Campaigns Brand Strategy
2018 – 2020
MVPindex
Manager, Data Quality
Oversaw data quality and governance for a sports analytics platform serving professional teams including the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and CAA. Built and maintained standards for data integrity across client-facing measurement products.
Data Quality Sports Analytics Data Governance

Thought Leadership

How I Think
About the Work
Sports Sponsorship
Why Sports Properties Need to Stop Selling Eyeballs and Start Selling Context
Sponsors don't just buy reach anymore — they buy relevance. The shift from CPM to cultural alignment is the defining brand strategy conversation happening right now in sports marketing. When 73% of Mavs fans also follow the Cowboys or Stars, the smartest brands aren't buying individual team deals — they're buying the Dallas sports moment.
Brand Strategy · Sponsorship
Gen Z & Brand
Gen Z Isn't Anti-Brand. They're Anti-Noise.
84% of Gen Z consumers prioritize brands with a transparent, localized origin story. They're not rejecting marketing. They're rejecting manufactured hype. The brands winning with this generation aren't louder. They're more honest. New Balance isn't beating Nike with a bigger budget. They're winning with a better story.
Gen Z · Brand Positioning
Women's Sports
Women's Sports Aren't a Discount Category. Brands Are Just Late to the Conversation.
The 97% YoY viewership growth in women's basketball isn't a trend. It's a market correction. Women's basketball is not a discounted version of men's. It's a distinct, high-growth media property. The brands treating it as experimental budget are going to be paying premium prices in three years.
Women's Sports · Media Strategy

Contact

Let's Build
Something
That Matters.

Whether you're looking to fill a senior role, explore a collaboration, or just want to think through a brand or analytics challenge together, I'm always up for a real conversation.

"When we can show a partner exactly where their investment lives, what drives its performance, and how it will grow — we don't just justify renewal. We build partnership equity."
— Brian Shepard
in
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/iambrianshepard
@
Email iambrianshepard@gmail.com

Based In

Dallas, Texas

Available for remote and hybrid opportunities