Navigating three-way brand deals
Creator Conversation with Alex Kopilow, Director of Media Partnerships with the New York Mets
Welcome to “Creator Conversations,” a weekly feature on Paid Partnership where I interview a prominent creator, agent, marketer or industry professional to discuss wide-ranging topics from outreach to negotiation to content.
Generally speaking, when discussing sponsored content on Paid Partnership we’re talking about the following situation: X brand hires Y creator to promote their product/good/service through the creator’s social media platforms. However, the sports industry introduces an integral third party to that collaboration: the team.
Because brands pay teams (and leagues) across sports for a suite of potential business and marketing benefits (ability to use marks/logos, broadcast inventory, naming rights, etc.), this Venn diagram of team - brand - creator often exists as more and more companies look to activate within the creator economy.
To explain this budding sector of the industry, I connected with the man best suited to break down this intricate web in plain terms: Alex Kopilow
Alex authors his own newsletter “Sponcon Sports” where he dissects sponsored sports content on a weekly basis, while also operating at the highest level in his new role as Director of Media Partnerships with the New York Mets.
Alex and I caught up to chat through:
The importance of social listening during discovery
Serialized creator content ripe for brand deals
Personal branding tips to help you land your next job
And more!
Neil: Narrowing down to the most recognizable situation: A team wants to collaborate with a creator to make content, while also bringing in one of their brand partners for a variety of reasons (natural fit, budget needs, etc.). In my experience, this is becoming increasingly popular. Are you seeing the same thing through your research?
Alex: I wouldn’t say it’s more popular, but people are more comfortable with it. It’s mainstream now. I think brands recognize that the best way to reach communities and audiences is through creators. And teams can do that to a certain extent, but getting new voices in there is key - they recognize the power of creators. So I think it's less taboo. And you don’t have to explain what a creator is as much as before. With new technology and platform capabilities, the collab tool on Instagram and TikTok, scaling content has never been easier. Updates to social platforms—Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts—mean follower count matters less. You can reach audiences going beyond the vanity metrics.
But ultimately, it's all down to what you're trying to achieve. And then if it's team led, and they're like, “Hey, we want to work with a certain creator. We need to bring a brand in for budgetary reasons.” It’s all about, can we kind of find the connection point where we can highlight the brand in a natural way? And if you can achieve that, and the brand sees like, “Oh, I'm getting product integration, and I get to double dip with a team and a creator” - That's something to get really excited about.
Neil: Are brands including this more in their pitch decks? I know you often speak of the inventory, the rate cards of our standard social media sponsorships. Is this a new shiny toy that a lot of teams leagues are going out back to their branded partners with?
Alex: Creator content is much more integrated into inventories when we're talking about digital partnerships. The impact creators have goes beyond just working with them—they inspire ideas and borrowing those frameworks is a great way to spark new ideas for your partners. When I was at MSG, Jesser’s Moneyball series was popular. We had a partner, Starry, tied to three-pointers as the NBA’s Three-Point Contest sponsor. We proposed a Moneyball concept with creators and alumni using Starry-branded balls (and Starry product) instead of generic props. It aligned with their league activation and felt like a natural integration. So, creators don’t just provide content; they spark new ways to engage partners.
Neil: That’s savvy—leveraging creators for their creative resources. After working in a single brand or industry for an extended period, brainstorming fresh ideas can be challenging.
Alex: There’s no such thing as too many ideas. One day you’re pitching a dog food brand, the next a crypto brand. It’s impossible to cover everything you’ll encounter. So, in my monitoring day to day as I'm kind of taking in things in social feeds or online, like, I would be crazy not to also be trying to monitor what's happening in the Creator world.
Neil: Any tips for teams approaching both brand partners and creators?
Alex: From my agency days, I learned the value of social listening when McDonald’s was a primary client. Every single day when we came in, we had something called Brand Newsroom, and we used social listening to identify every single person talking about McDonald's online and filtered out based on criteria. This served two purposes: deciding how to engage (likes, comments, gifts) and identifying creators already showing brand affinity. It takes a long time, but when you can use past mentions and see that there's an affinity, you know that they're locked in, you know it's an authentic story, and now, as long as you know that they can create great content, they're a great choice.
The same applies to teams—if a creator is a fan or has shown interest, and they also align with the brand, the partnership feels organic. You really want it to be an authentic story, no matter whether you're creating entertainment based content or something with a little bit of a firmer message. But it's really important that there's a connection point between all three parties.
Neil: I totally agree on the discovery portion. I always like to say it’s the most exciting but most challenging part of the role. On the flip side, how should brands or agents pitch teams?
Alex: Be specific. Show follower count, audience breakdown, average views/impressions per post, engagement rates, and case studies, things that have worked before. If you have success stories, highlight the goal and the business impact. That's really helpful. Follower count matters less now with the ability to achieve reach more easily with vertical video; engagement and shares are key.
The best creators already produce content series that brands can integrate into. One of my favorite creators, and honestly, I haven't seen too many brands work with him yet, is Julian Mu—he has multiple series like "Homesick and Hungry," "Meals to Miles," and "Feeding on $50." and I'm just like, Yeah, this guy needs to be partnered with. His new YouTube channel with Rob Martinez is essentially the modern Food Network. Brands can naturally fit into these formats.
The best creators I’ve worked with research our brand partners and suggest tailored ideas for each. So look, I know that is a lot of work, but it's not enough to be good at your job anymore. Like you really do have to go above and beyond to stand out. That's for me and for creators, we're no different.
Neil: All that research strengthens content and partnerships. It’s no longer enough to say, "I think you’re cool, let’s partner." Thoughtful ideation makes a difference.
Alex: People are busy, right? When you do the thinking for them, it's much easier to react to an idea and build on it than it is to start from scratch.
Neil: I always prompt agents and creators to pitch me ideas because it's way easier for me to greenlight an idea than dream it up myself, right?
Alex: 100%. I believe in "let them cook," but if you want me to let you cook and fight for you then bring me something, give me a reason to show that we can trust that you're going to deliver - That'll go such a long way.
My other piece of advice for agents or creators is to go to the partnerships team in addition when pitching to marketing and/or social departments. That's where the dollars are. They can find out if they align with the brands, and have them connect with your social teams and your marketing teams. Have them work together because of the budgets - Partnerships can find more budget for you.
Neil: I see a subset of savvy creators doing this, especially when [the offered] cash compensation isn’t sufficient for them. They’re comfortable pitching a three-party partnership.
Alex: Absolutely. Don't be scared. Going to partnerships, bringing a brand in, or starting to show the value to other departments, increases the chances of getting paid. Also, creators should highlight additional services—can they provide high-res images? Are they open to whitelisting? Can teams use their content for ticket sales or venue promotion? So how can you create those extensions where it's really showing value more than just kind of like a one off piece of social content?
Neil: Pivoting a bit, you're an accomplished newsletter writer yourself. I know you recently took a job with the New York Mets. Did Sponcon Sports help in your job search or interview process?
Alex: It did. It did. Creating content has landed me my last four jobs. It's either helped me get a foot in the door, because people have seen my work and they've come to me and inquired. I've had my work that people like, and they've passed it to the hiring manager. So I've gotten jobs that way, because I have a more active presence online.
I connect with other people who are active online, and they've recommended me, and then also I've made it to final rounds, and they're doing their background research on me and checking out my social channels, and they're like, “Oh, this guy is really passionate about this space. He's got a clear POV,” and that's what puts me ahead of the other finalists when you have a really strong group at the end. So content creation and creating value for others, giving out to the rest of the community, has really made an impact in my last four jobs.
Neil: That's so rad. I feel like so many people are tentative or scared. I always say, find your niche and don’t be afraid to publish. Educate and provide value while also celebrating successes.
Alex: Exactly. Share what you love and what you know. The hardest part is building a routine. Before launching my newsletter, I committed to writing on LinkedIn three times a week starting in January of 2023. It was a creative outlet for me, and I wanted to write about the space, and there was not a ton of method to the madness. But eventually I kind of got into a groove. So, when I faced the layoffs, it was Neil Horowitz who encouraged me and said “Look, you're literally writing a newsletter already. You might as well make it formal and put it together.” And he kept me accountable, and I ended up launching it a month after I was laid off. And now I've been doing it strong since October 2023.
Neil: Shoutout to Neil 2! Did you ever go full-time on the newsletter?
Alex: Briefly, before my next job. It brings in some revenue, but not enough for full-time [laughter]. However, it’s been a fantastic way to connect with the community and meet incredible people.
Neil: That's awesome. Any other creator plans that you can allude to or discuss in macro, whether it's just social or touching your sponsorship desk?
Alex: We’re always looking at creators, absolutely - they're always in the plans whether they actually come to life or not. We are actively pitching creator programs to our partners. We will continue to do that where it makes sense, because creators just provide a lot of opportunities for teams in different ways, right? Like, you might need some front facing talent. The NBA is doing this - They are not only working with creators, but they've started to bring creators in and you see them telling the stories behind their players. I love what the NBA has done with Brian Francisco and especially his work in the NBA Finals last year. He did a really cool edit - he's got this transition style with phones that he does that I think is perfect for phone brands, but that's where they caught my attention. And then this year, he's been doing like player profiles, and the NBA has been working with creators to do more player profiles, to do that storytelling about a little lesser known players, or just like players that aren't getting enough love, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Dyson Daniels.
I've seen a few things like that, putting those creators on camera, it's almost like it's coming from a fan. So that's another reason, we would look to work with creators, especially in baseball when there are 162 games a year. We might not be able to promote a brand message every time in the way that we want to activate it. So working with creators allows us to get the message out in a meaningful way with a local audience like the Chicago Cubs did with Home Run Inn and Garrett Popcorn. There was a collab between those two food brands, and it was exclusively available during home stand last summer at Wrigley Field. It wasn't really promoted much on Cubs channels but they predominantly use food creators in Chicago to get the word out about that partnership activation. So it really also helps in the sports world, when the calendar is just really full and you might not have that opportunity to support your partners as well as you'd want to - creators are a great way to do that.