Partnership Perspectives - Douglas Morgan, Jr.
By Curtis Walker, Vice President at TurnkeyZRG
This month we feature Douglas Morgan, Jr. who serves on the Partnership Development team for the FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX. As you will read, Douglas’s humbled beginnings and nontraditional pathway has shaped his approach toward this business and his day-to-day responsibilities. I hope you as the reader can appreciate the level of authenticity Douglas displays in his responses to my questions.
Douglas Morgan, Jr.
1. For those who don’t know, who is Douglas Morgan, Jr.?
I’m a believer, a lover and, when I need to be, a fighter. My greatest influence and inspiration has always been my mother. She taught me love, service and hard work. I still vividly remember watching her work multiple jobs, raising my brother and I, all while going to school finishing her undergraduate degree in her twenties.
She taught me there’s no substitute for hard work and doing it with a smile. She would tell me “I don’t care if you want to dig ditches and shovel (expletive), but you better be the greatest (expletive) shoveler on the planet.”
I’ve historically been some sort of an underdog my entire life which is where my (healthy) chip comes from. I’m obsessed with the process, and I’m not afraid to fail. I’m a product of the people who have invested in me, especially women.
I consider myself a bit of a melting pot, living in what feels like every corner of the US and now back on west coast (for the third time) in Las Vegas.
At the end of the day, I approach everything in life and business with the same six core values I try write in my notepad daily: Empathy | Love | Trust | Passion | Grit | Speed
2. You’ve had a relatively non-traditional route to where you are now, with stops in hospitality, retail, technology, and even cosmetic surgery before entering the sports & entertainment industry. What would you say are valuable lessons you’ve learned from those experiences, that have contributed to your success?
About five years ago, I was told my professional career path is one of the wildest, rollercoaster-like journeys… and it’s just beginning.
The common themes in all my experience are sales, customer relations and marketing. My life and professional experiences, both good and bad, helped me establish my six core values.
Here’s a brain dump of valuable lessons from my professional experience:
I don’t think patience and gratitude are talked about enough.
It’s ok to be wrong - own it and take accountability.
Surrounding yourself with talented and knowledgeable people does not make you look less valuable, it’s a life hack.
Sometimes, in a group setting, it’s important to have self-awareness and know when it’s time to be the star and when you need to be in a supporting role. I’ve found that it can be difficult for some to find balance. At the end of the day, a group made up of individuals who play their roles will go down in history.
You don’t need a title to be a leader.
Treat everyone with respect because it’s the right thing to do, and you never know who you’re talking to.
Do not take anything for granted, no one owes you anything.
Everything you see around you can be here today and gone tomorrow. I’m eternally grateful for the wins and losses and the people I get to learn from.
I attack the day like I have something to prove to myself, because I do.
In my professional life, I treat every day like a job interview.
In my personal life, I keep the same energy. For instance, how I treat my wife. I try to court her with the same, or more, effort as I did when we first met.
3. Your first start in corporate partnerships was with the LA Sparks. How did selling for a best-in-class challenger property shape your sales approach?
First, I’d like to acknowledge (in no particular order) Buffy Filippell, Christine Simmons and Nicole Britenriker, as well as Darren McPhail, Evan Hawkins, Solly Fulp, Danita Johnson, Abe Madkour, Pat Fagan, Cory Moss, Kelly Lewis, Jarrett Nobles and Brendan Dolby. They, among others I did not list, have impacted me more than they’ll ever know.
In selling, your sports property will have its challenges and it will also bring unique value to a specific audience in a way no one else in the world can. Some brands may look at the Sparks and see the perceived challenges such as the competitive and crowded Los Angeles market, which is fair. I learned then, and still believe today, that their property provides tremendous value including a diverse and engaged fanbase, global market, growing sport, charismatic superstars, elite in-venue fan experience and flexible partnership opportunities. Working for the LA Sparks was a phenomenal opportunity and I enjoyed telling that story daily.
At my core, I’m an eternal student of the game and in life. Even before my time with the Sparks when I started in B2B sales in 2010 at a high level, I had a similar approach. First and above all else, listen and ask questions.
Sometimes I feel like a “matchmaker” for the brands and sports properties. It’s really fun when you work with more than two sides. Understanding that not everyone is going to be a good fit for one another and that’s ok, is key. So is knowing when to push and when to pull, and to always keep moving.
I try to watch and learn often, especially from people - good or bad. I enjoy audio sales books and anything on the psychology of human decision-making. There is no “one size fits all” sales approach, but I know I’m pitching to humans. Therefore, whenever possible, I try to communicate to a specific area of the human brain to set off hot cognitions with the goal of capturing and keeping attention during a pitch. After we determine they could be a good fit, of course.
4. What trends are you noticing are having an impact on how brands are approaching strategic partnerships with sport properties?
I could nerd out all day on this, but I’ll try to be brief.
Both sides (sports properties and brands) can and should be selective with who they choose to do business with. Brands are quickly finding out, almost all partnership deals are only as good as the people doing them on the other side of the table. Both sides should ask themselves “who is on their team?” “Does this person have your best interest in mind?” “Are they a person of high character?” “Does this person have a reputation of delivering results regardless of the project?” “Is this someone I want to work with when things don’t go as planned?”
There are millions of businesses and few sports properties. Brands and fans are getting more sophisticated, and authenticity is important across the board. The people executing and fulfilling the deal are important, and so is ROI and value. Today, I, as well as many brands, believe that deals are driven by a true partnership and less “logo slaps”- but you need a healthy mix of that too.
We’re witnessing a seismic shift from the way things have always been on both sides, and flexibility is more important than ever.
Sophisticated brands are learning the more insights, KPIs and details they share upfront, the more value and opportunities to receive (from the right fit) later.
5. When it comes to partnership sales, gender and ethnic minorities are underrepresented. How might organizations do a better job attracting and developing diverse talent in these positions?
Word of mouth has always been a strong recruiting/sales tool. Personally, I believe organizations can attract diverse talent by taking care of the talent they already have in-house. Supporting your team, both publicly and behind closed doors, and empowering and promoting your diverse talent into leadership roles goes a long way. Most importantly, organization should create a culture where the team feels comfortable bringing their true authentic self to work.
Would you want a basketball team with five Tim Duncan’s on the floor? How about if all five starters were Steve Nash? Just like hoops, I believe an organization’s “starting 5” is most impactful when it’s balanced with diverse thoughts, backgrounds, experiences, talents and personalities.
6. What gets you most excited about the future of the sports & entertainment industry?
I feel very young at heart, but I remember a world before the internet. I’m excited about how technology can continue to connect us from around the planet. Especially how Americans can become exposed to global sports such as Formula 1. Without technology and the internet, I wouldn’t have thought to attend my first English Premier League match on Boxing Day a few years back.
I’m also fascinated by the lines continuing to blur in the future of sports & entertainment district developments. We used to see stadiums, but now we see these mini cities that are crafted with the consumer experience in mind. I can’t wait to see the industry continue to innovate and push the limits.
I’m probably most excited about the future legacy of this new generation of leaders in the industry. I’m amazed by how advanced new, young professionals are and try to learn from them daily.
7. What are you most proud of as you reflect on your career?
Generally speaking, it could be easy to talk about what I believe were ground-breaking partnership deals or people I’ve had the privilege of impacting professionally. However, I’m MOST proud of the way I’ve gone about doing business. I can look in the mirror each day and go to sleep at night knowing I’ve always maintained my integrity and no one can take that from me.
I’m most proud of being a man of my word, treating people well, and giving my best. I still have a long way to go to reach my long-term professional goals, but I know when I do, I would have done it the right way and leaned on my six core values: Empathy | Love | Trust | Passion | Grit | Speed.
To get more content from Curtis, please subscribe to our newsletter here.
ABOUT TURNKEYZRG
Founded in 1996, TurnkeyZRG is a highly specialized talent recruitment/executive search firm filling C-level, senior-level and mid-management level positions throughout sports, entertainment and media. Over the past 25 years, TurnkeyZRG has filled more than 1,400 positions throughout sports, entertainment and media. TurnkeyZRG helps teams, leagues, stadiums, arenas, theaters, college athletic departments, events, sponsors, agencies, media companies, private equity companies and other clients identify, recruit and hire the very best management talent. Turnkey now benefits from ZRG’s global footprint, full array of industry practice groups, data-driven, analytical search tools, and technology investment in changing the way executive search/talent recruiting is done. TurnkeyZRG becomes a tech-enabled disrupter of the prior executive search model. For more information about TurnkeyZRG, visit www.turnkeyzrg.com.