Episode 66: Succeeding in Sports Entrepreneurship

Leslie Gittess joins Joe and Tom this week for a conversation on sports tech and sports entrepreneurship. Leslie is the CEO of Blue Sky Media NYC, a media advisory boutique firm, which she founded in 2010.  Her clients have included SnappyTV (acquired by Twitter), Ubersense (acquired by Hudl), PrePlay Sports (acquired by Fanvision), FanDuel (merged with DraftKings), TuneIn, ThePostGame, Thuuz Sports, Marlo Thomas and Narrative Science. She is also a contributor/advisor at the Columbia University Start-up Lab in Soho. Before founding Blue Sky Media NYC, Ms. Gittess spent over 16 years at Major League Baseball Advanced Media and the National Hockey League specializing in all aspects of sports media and digital rights management. Her previous positions include vice president of business development at Major League Baseball Advanced Media and vice president of TV and business affairs at the National Hockey League. Prior to her career in sports, she was an associate at the law firm Hughes Hubbard and Reed in New York City.

In this episode, Leslie talks about how she helps sports entrepreneurs succeed and what she looks for in a successful company. Leslie also shares some great career stories, and she talks about her work for the Columbia Start-up Lab. You can find Leslie on Twitter @LGBlueSky and be sure to check out Blue Sky’s website http://blueskymedianyc.com/

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).