Dan Szpakowski

Lead 1JD Entertainment, the Jets in-house content division, as a member of the executive team reporting to the Chief Brand Officer. Drive the franchise's largest organic marketing engine, connecting the Jets to fans, culture, and commercial partners. Manage a 15+ person team across four divisions and a million+ dollar operating and capital budget. Brand strategy and storytelling • Set the vision for 1JD's four divisions: Films, Studios, Connect and Pulse • Discovered and negotiated creators and cultural voices into Jets content and campaigns to expand reach beyond owned audiences. • Led ten years of NFL Schedule Release programming; the 2026 release reached 26 million views through creator partner Art Craft Blend. • Helped found One Jets Drive, the franchise's original storytelling property, and grew it into 1JD Films, producing award-winning docuseries Origins, Flight, and Proving Ground. Creator, influencer and cultural integration • Integrated artist Cody Sabol into the Rivalries franchise; partnered with Expired Film Club to generate millions of cross-pollinated views, schedule release achievements with Jesse Infinity, RainBolt & AreYouKiddingTV • Drove year-over-year growth on every NFL tentpole moment (Combine, Draft, Schedule Release). Revenue and partner integration • Outlined the content and brand strategy behind Rivalries, the Jets' most prominent specialty-game franchise, structured as an integrated brand-partner platform. • Repositioned partner content from sponsor placement toward storytelling that genuinely serves the audience, lifting fan affinity and partner value in the same motion. Operations and leadership • Restructured the content division end to end, defining the 1JD operating model and rebuilding the social operating model into 1JD Pulse. • Partner across Marketing, PR, Partnerships, Community Relations, Game Presentation, Football Operations, and Player Relations.

Contributed to the Jets content and brand storytelling strategy across production, social, and distribution as the content operation scaled from a traditional production unit toward a full-service creative organization. • Lead storyteller on the 2022 Legacy uniform rebrand. Collaborated with marketing leadership on positioning, brand look and feel, and rollout narrative. • Organized first-of-its-kind branded photography programs around specialty games and Jets Green & White Day, initiatives that contributed to brand perception and merchandise sales. • Helped build integrated content programs around the Jets marquee tentpole moments: NFL Draft, Combine, Schedule Release, and season launches. • Stood up the early operating model that would become One Jets Drive Entertainment, clarifying subdivision mandates and unifying production, social, photo/archival, and original programming under a single creative thesis.

Helped establish multi-platform production and content workflows spanning television, social, digital, radio, and photography, domestic and international. • Wrote and produced internal Jets brand campaign content during the pre-agency era. • Set the production standard and visual grammar that now defines the Jets' identity across digital, social, and broadcast. • Scaled the in-house production team and infrastructure, reducing dependence on external vendors for both live and long-form output.

Founded the Jets photography department and helped establish a new visual identity for the franchise. • Primary visual storyteller during the 2017/2018 rebrand, partnering with marketing leadership on campaign creative. • Built and managed a team of internal and freelance photographers across gameday, events, and league tentpole moments. • Established the visual grammar, composition, color, edit pace, that the Jets brand still builds on today.

Executed video production as cinematographer and studio technician across Time Inc.'s portfolio of media brands, Time, Sports Illustrated, People, Entertainment Weekly, Essence, Fortune, and Money. Robotics and studio camera operator for live programming across the portfolio.

Founded the Giants' marketing photography initiatives, helping establish a new visual identity for the franchise. • Contributed to establishing the Giants' social media channels and the new-media marketing program that powered them. • Published photo and video work across the Giants' social platforms and player accounts, including Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz. • Lead photographer for the franchise's "25th Anniversary of Super Bowl XXV" microsite and the Giants Lifestyle page. • Lead audio engineer on Big Blue Entertainment's live and recorded programming; traveling audio tech for all away games. • Foundational experience in sports media production, broadcast operations, and digital content workflows.

• Studio Camera Operator and Steadicam Assistant for SportsCenter, NFL Insiders, NFL Live, Mike & Mike and First Take • Continued training as Steadicam Operator, Jib Operator and Video Shading Operator • Worked with Directors and Producers setting up studio elements for show preproduction

• Propose concept and oversee production for updated “Accessible Services Video” • Design and develop seat drop informational posters • Design, develop and write a summer and winter newsletter for Access Link

Cumulative GPA: 3.93 Multiple Dean's List recipiant Major courses taken: -Documentary Video Production -Writing for the Media -Video Production -Audio Production -Mediated Computer Communication -Theories of Mass Communication