Relaunching the Pac-12: Damon Dukakis, VP of Integrated Partnerships for the Pac-12

I'll admit it: sometimes I wonder what it’d be like to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. I mean, knowing what I know now, and having an opportunity to begin all over again? It’s kind of enticing, right? Damon Dukakis (  / damon-dukakis-1359745  ) is experiencing this sensation in real time. As the VP of Integrated Partnerships for the Pac-12 powered by Playfly (https://pac-12.com/) , Damon is, in effect, wiping that slate clean and starting again. The story of the Pac-12 over the last few years is essentially that of the Phoenix. The one time Conference of Champions cratered in the era of re-alignment, as high profile members fled to what they perceived as richer pastures. Left with just 2 members, the Pac-12 was more or less left for dead. But from those ashes, a reinvigorated Pac-12 rose anew. Now with nine members, the conference restarts football competition this Fall. Dukakis’ job is to sell a new vision for the Pac-12 to corporate partners, and no one is better prepared to the meet the moment than he is. Dukakis is both a college sports and partnerships lifer. He’s managed business development for schools and properties including Cal, UCLA and the Rose Bowl. He’s worked for every major MMR partner including IMG College, Learfield, JMI and now Playfly. And over the years he’s produced and managed literally hundreds of millions of dollars in partnerships. In our conversation, Damon and I talk about what goes into building the Pac12 partnerships program and department from scratch. We go into what drew him to the opportunity, the reception to his initial outreaches regarding the reconstituted conference, and how he’s had to adjust his own skills and style to address this rapidly shifting and supremely chaotic college sports marketplace. ABOUT THIS PODCAST The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners (https://ADCPartners.com) , a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved. YOUR HOST Dave Almy (  / davealmy  ) brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners (https://ADCPartners.com) . FOLLOW US Here's where you can find us: • LinkedIn: adc-partners (  / adc-partners  ) • Instagram: adc_partners_podcast (  / adc_partners_podcast  ) • Threads: adc_partners_podcast (https://www.threads.net/@adc_partners...) • Youtube: @adcpartners (   / @adcpartners  ) • Homepage: adcpartners.com/podcast (https://adcpartners.com/podcast) Mentioned in this episode: Good Sports (https://1-on-1-sports-business.captiv...)