Director of Brand Partnerships — Yokal Sports

Director of Brand Partnerships — YokalSports.com
Founding Partnership Role

Yokal Productions is building the infrastructure for local sports media, county by county. We produce the YSSR — a weekly newsletter and video podcast covering high school and college sports across our markets — and we are expanding fast. We are looking for a Director of Brand Partnerships to own the commercial side of that expansion alongside us.

This is a founding sales position. The person who takes this role is not joining a sales org — they are building one. Starting in New Jersey, the goal is to establish the agency model, prove it in market, and use that foundation to recruit and lead sales teams in every market Yokal enters nationwide.

What you sell

Yokal Sports has two defined sales programs: the Yokal Business Club and the Creator Buying Program. Each comes with its own package structure, pricing, and pitch materials. Full training on both programs is provided at onboarding. Your job is to get in front of the right local and regional decision makers and close.

What you own

Brand partnerships, local and regional advertising, sponsorship packages, and event activations tied to YSSR content and market launches. You will manage your pipeline, work your accounts, and build the relationships that generate recurring revenue. North Jersey is live now. Twin Cities and West Chester are next. Every new market is new inventory, and as those markets open, you build the team that works them.

What we are looking for

A media sales or sports marketing operator with five or more years closing local and regional brand deals. Strong existing relationships in the NJ advertising market are the starting point. You know how to walk into a conversation with a local business or regional brand and walk out with a signed agreement. More importantly, you know how to hire, develop, and lead people who can do the same. You are self-directed, have no interest in waiting for someone to build the playbook, and are motivated by the opportunity to build something that scales.

The structure

50/50 on all revenue you generate across both programs and all active Yokal markets. No salary, no overhead. You bring the relationships and the hustle, we bring the platform, the content, the audience, and the sales tools. As you build out regional sales teams, the partnership structure scales with you. You grow it, you own half of it.

Why this role

There is no ceiling here.  You're using templates that have been developed over the previus 20 years with lots of stops and starts. Yokal Sports is the first county-based local sports subscription platform built around a weekly newsletter and video podcast, and local sports is one of the most underserved advertising markets in the country. The person who builds this function nationwide starts in New Jersey!