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WBD Sports Marketing Exec Anya Johnson Encourages Her Team to Bring Their Fandom to Work
Take it from a pro
Anya Johnson has been into sports all her life. “I’m not athletic at all,” she says. “But I’m a fan.”
Of hoops in particular. “I grew up watching NBA basketball and going to Chicago Bulls games with my dad during the Jordan-Pippen era,” says Johnson, who is originally from New Jersey, but spent much of her childhood in Atlanta and Chicago. “So, many of my fondest childhood memories involved me sharing sports moments with my father.”
Sports remain an integral part of her life—on a personal and professional level. As vice president, marketing + commercial strategy for TNT Sports at Warner Bros. Discovery, Johnson has years of experience hyping coverage of the NBA. And, recently, she and her team developed a marketing strategy to promote the debut of Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league airing on TNT and truTV and streaming on Max.
Here, Johnson talks to Muse about working with the Miami-based sports league co-founded by pro ballers Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, and she explores what it takes to build a career in sports off the court.
MUSE: So Unrivaled is coming to TNT this month. You are working not only with a brand-new sports league, but also one devoted to women’s basketball. Does this feel special?
Anya Johnson: It feels very special. It has been an unprecedented time in women’s sports. And as a woman, it’s exciting to lead our marketing efforts and collaborate with Unrivaled on launching a new league amid so much well-deserved excitement around women’s sports. Our partnership with Unrivaled was announced in mid-October. So, as you can imagine, we hit the ground running to strategize and bring our various marketing elements to life—while being mindful of educating the fans on Unrivaled basketball.
I assume you will go to Miami for a game or two or three?
Oh, for sure! I’ll be in Miami with bells on for tip-off on Jan. 17. I’m looking forward to seeing some great competition.
How did you get into sports marketing?
I’ve always had roles centered around live programming. But my previous experience was heavily focused on news [at CNN] and information [at The Weather Channel]. In 2018, I made a decision to pursue a sports marketing role because I wanted to tap into some specific skills professionally, but I also wanted to market something that I personally associated with good memories.
Did you idolize a particular athlete or athletes when you were a kid?
Growing up, I was inspired by Dominique Dawes and Surya Bonaly. They were two women at the top of their game and breaking barriers in their respective sports—and they looked like me!
Was there anyone who mentored you in the early days of your career?
My earliest mentor was Shari Pace, who was director of marketing when I was an intern at The Weather Channel. Her guidance and candor have followed me through every stage of my career. She encouraged me, exposed me to opportunities, helped me identify what excites me, nurtured my strengths and gave me invaluable feedback. Every time I talk to her, I remind her that she’s my forever mentor, and she’s never getting rid of me.
How have you paid that forward?
I feel it’s my responsibility to provide the same mentorship, guidance candor and feedback that I benefitted from. In many ways, anyone who has encountered me has indirectly encountered her.
What kind of skills or personality traits do you need to have to be great at sports marketing?
Most people think that as marketers, you have to have all of these out-of-the-box creative ideas. And there certainly are benefits to that. But, in my opinion, the most beneficial skill is relationship building. You work with so many cross-functional team members regardless of your industry. But as sports marketers, I would argue that that number gets multiplied because you also have day-to-day interaction with league partners and their cross-functional teams, project-based vendors, sponsorship teams—and the list goes on. Cultivating solid relationships across internal and external teams is essential to great sports marketing.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to break into sports marketing?
Whether it’s working for your school’s athletics department, interning for a local team or seeking out mentors, tap into whatever can help you gain valuable experience. This industry is full of “dream jobs.” So, it’s very competitive. Leverage any and every opportunity to get experience in sports or develop transferable skills to set yourself apart. Also, don’t hide your passion. Whether you are a non-athlete like me, or someone who has known since childhood that sports is where you want to be, let your passion fuel you. This industry is not for the faint of heart. So your passion for the game and the fans will be necessary.
What can people who work in sports marketing learn from athletes?
Consistency and discipline. Those who are in the G.O.A.T. conversation, regardless of the sport, are consistent and disciplined. They are committed to their sport on another level. They aren’t just athletes during game time. They are students of their game and study those who broke barriers before them. They are committed to dedicating time to hone their craft and leave their mark. They consistently practice and train, they have mentors, they win, they lose yet learn, and they sacrifice immediate gratification to play the long game and don’t jeopardize their greatness to do what everyone else is doing. And, of course, teamwork. When the team wins, you win.
Coaches talk to their players after games to go over what worked and what didn’t. Do you do that with your team?
Absolutely. Every sports property and tentpole is an opportunity to revisit and learn. We reflect on what contributed best to the goal, what risks proved to be worth it, what we should table, and what we should keep doing but tweak in the future.
Tell me about one of your favorite creative projects that you have worked on.
Up until this week, I would have given a different answer. But this past Friday, we launched a project that has been in the works pretty much since the announcement of the Unrivaled/TNT Sports partnership. We collaborated with our colleagues at Warner Bros./Looney Tunes to have Lola Bunny serve as a “creator” and do Unrivaled explainer videos for fans. [One video has been launched, with two more to come.] It was a labor of love that required multiple departments, countless meetings and various approvals. But it didn’t stop there. We coordinated various social teams to get it posted across Unrivaled’s handles with collaboration/amplification on multiple WB Discovery/TNT social platforms.
As a leader, how do you foster creativity?
Constant communication and encouraging my team and partner teams to bring their genuine selves and their fandom to work. I want to hear about what makes you tick as a person and a fan. There are so many good ideas locked in everyone around us—they just need to feel safe enough to share them. So many cool ideas have come from casual conversations, or hearing about something that resonated with them.
What do you do when you are not working to recharge your batteries?
Sleep! I’ve been intentional about prioritizing rest in recent years. I make time to get quality sleep. However, when I’m not resting, I love to travel, especially to destinations that are near large bodies of water. For me, a view of the water and the sound of waves crashing is the ultimate battery charger.
