Have you ever wondered how sports teams leverage social media to keep fans engaged within their apps? Brendan Panikkar is at the forefront of this growing trend.
In the latest instalment of Industry Insider, Brendan Panikkar dives into his career, from studying Sport Management to becoming a Customer Success Manager at Storyteller, a company helping sports organisations elevate their mobile app experience through engaging video content.
Brendan shares his insights on building relationships, the importance of being detail-oriented, and the ever-growing world of vertical video.
This article is a must-read for anyone interested in sports tech, customer success, or simply for fellow sports fans who want to learn more about the industry from the inside out.
Tell us about yourself, what do you do in your current role and what roles have you done previously?
Hey I’m Brendan Panikkar, I studied Sport Management at Brock University and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelors Degree in Sport Management. My path to being in and around the sports industry was a bit of an adventure to start.
My first full time job was as a social media specialist where I managed client social accounts. From there, I had a variety of roles including a Sales Rep, Community Manager, and finally I ended up in Customer Success at a fantastic company called ExpertFile.
At ExpertFile, I managed 30+ accounts from training, onboarding, launch, and ensuring the client was getting value to renew their contract. This is where I gained valuable account management, sales, and relationship building experience that I was able to transition into a sports tech company called Rover.
From 2021-2024, I was a Customer Success Manager at Rover, where I would ensure clients across the NFL, NBA, NHL, and Premier League were using the platform to achieve their app goals. Those goals would be anything from general fan engagement to selling tickets or merchandise or acquiring new app users. It was a fantastic experience, and Rover is a fantastic platform that allows sports teams to create app content without the need to update the app. You can also send push notifications to engage fans. It was a great way to understand the digital world in sports organizations and how important the mobile app is for marketing to fans.
In 2024, I made the move to Storyteller to start the Customer Success department. At Storyteller, teams can bring vertical video and image content typically reserved for social into their owned and operated channels. It’s a great way to engage fans and retain them by having a steady stream of content populate the app at all times. Teams are learning that with that content in the app, they can use it as a tool for partnerships to sell more deals, acquire more app users, and sell tickets and merchandise. Vertical video is among the most engaging and consumed content out there and it’s a perfect fit for sports teams since they’re already capturing that content for social.
In my mind, Storyteller is a no brainer for teams to use to enhance their app regardless of the league or sport!
What three words would you use to describe your role?
- Relationships
In Customer Success, you need to be good at building relationships. This will allow you to develop a strong working relationship to ensure the client is getting value from the platform to keep on renewing their contract. Naturally, you’ll also develop friendships with the people in these sports organizations. It’s been such a good fit for me as a huge sports fans.
- Sales
You also need to be a good salesperson to succeed in this role. Selling the client on using the platform, bringing in other departments, and getting them to trust that you are a trusted advisor to help the client achieve their app and marketing goals. That obviously comes from establishing that relationship.
- Detail-Oriented
While building relationships and the ability to sell is paramount to success in Customer Success, you need to be detail oriented as well. That’s anything from carefully noting a client goals, understanding what’s important to them, and picking up on little nuances about the direction the organization is heading. You need to be on top of every little detail to be the best Customer Success manager you can be.
“Normal” isn’t a thing in sport so what does an “average” week look like for you?
Luckily for me, it is a pretty standard 8am-5pm job from Monday to Friday. However, to properly support clients in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and Premier League, you do need to be available at odd hours to support clients when they are actively using the platform during a game.
How did you end up where you are right now? When did you know you wanted to work in sport?
In grade 11, I became aware that universities in the United States had sport management programs. Being from Canada, there were far fewer that offered this program but two universities in Ontario offered it. Brock University was the one I applied to and got into.
I’d say from the moment I learned about it; I knew I wanted to work in sport but I wasn’t sure what capacity it would be. Given I’ve worked at two sport tech companies, I feel it’s the perfect balance of being in sport and seeing the inner workings of organizations while also remaining out of it.
I do feel that with my experience and the relationships I’ve developed, it could translate to ending up at a sports organization one day.
What is your number one focus when it comes to your work?
In some of my other answers, I’ve alluded to this. The number one focus is ensuring the client is getting value from the platform. If they’re not, they won’t continue working with you. If they are, the working relationship could be one that lasts for years.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
Be open minded about where you begin your journey to sports. I never thought a Customer Success role would’ve translated to getting in and around the sports world. Every bit of experience you gain out of school can be translated to finding your way into sports.
What are you excited about in your industry at the moment?
It’s incredibly exciting seeing companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and others fully buying into the power of vertical video. It truly is the most engaging form of content around. If it wasn’t, those huge companies wouldn’t be offering stories or Tiktok style reels.
At Storyteller, we are the industry leaders at bringing vertical video content and recreating the experience from social in mobile apps. Once clients sign-up, the platform truly sells itself and it’s been exciting to see growth across North American sports.
If you could change one thing about your Industry, what would you change?
I wouldn’t change anything when it comes to my specific role and industry. I feel people in the sports tech world have the perfect balance between being around sport without actually being in the daily grind.
Sport is a hectic industry, what do you do to switch off?
Unfortunately for me, given my passion is sport, I never really switch off from it. I love the NFL and English football, so I’m always consuming it on a daily basis.
When there is a break, I love to travel around the world with my wife and we’ll now be bringing our 7 month old son with us!
If you were to give a piece of advice to someone wanting to do your role, what would you say?
Be your authentic self. It will allow you to connect with people on a personal level and working relationship level. It can lead to some great friendships and the benefit of tickets or merchandise from the team.
How to connect with Brendan Panikkar…
I’m on Instagram at @Panikkar37 where you can see my sporting adventures. I’m also open to answer any questions about Customer Success, Storyteller, or anything sporting related at brendan.panikkar@getstoryteller.com
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