Influencer
Sports Influencer & Entrepreneur Jack Settleman on Partnering with MSG Networks
Sports influencer and entrepreneur Jack Settleman hosts a variety of shows for MSG Networks, including Settle Your Bet, which is posted on MSG Networks’ YouTube channel and social media platforms weekly. This sports show provides unique tips for those interested in betting on NFL teams and games. Today, Jack shares his experience building the #1 Sports Snapchat Account, partnering with MSG Networks, and the secret to his success.
About Jack Settleman
Jack Settleman is a 26-year-old creator, entrepreneur, and investor in the media, sports, and technology space. He founded Snapback Sports and recently co-founded Snapback Agency, a full-service management agency working with and representing digital creators, athletes, entertainers, and other talents. When Jack was in college at the University of Texas, he grew Snapback Sports to become the #1 Sports Snapchat Account with over one billion views and 2.5 million total followers.
Jack Settleman grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, surrounded by a family business specializing in beer distribution. Specifically, the company sold Miller Lite and Coors Light to the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, which launched Jack’s early interest in the sports business world and die-hard love of the Baltimore Ravens and Knicks.
Jack shares, “I went to the University of Texas at Austin. I studied sports management there. I went abroad to Barcelone during my junior year for a semester, which was an amazing time. I met my girlfriend and then came back, finished my senior year at UT, and then moved to New York City after graduation and have been here ever since working in the sports industry.”
While studying sports management, he learned that he didn’t necessarily want to do sports events or PR management. However, Jack was interested in entrepreneurship, especially after he started a business selling t–shirts, hats, and phone cases to athletes with his college roommate.
He adds, “I just developed a love for social media because that’s how we are interacting with our fans and these athletes and others in that world. What I realized was there was this open space on Snapchat. No one was attacking that world [yet], so I went there, started building up [followers], engaging with fans, and after a year was the largest sports Snapchat account.”
Snapback Sports & Snapback Agency
When Jack Settleman started building Snapback Sports, there wasn’t a “for you” page on the platform. However, a group with popular memes, food, and funny accounts would shout out your account for fifty to a hundred dollars.
Jack shares, “You would pay them 50 bucks, a hundred bucks, they’d shout you out. You’d gain a bunch of followers, you’d continue to post, maybe get some money in from a brand sponsor, and you’d send that money back… and they’d continue to grow your account until you got to the point where you could get an organic following.”
Jack Settleman is also the Co-Founder of Snapback Agency. He shares that he saw a need in the market for this agency when he realized that creators are the future of marketing.
He explains, “I think that’s partially why MSG Networks tapped myself to kind of come in and be the face of some sports betting content because creators have dedicated audiences. They’re super powerful in everything they do. We’ve seen influencers be super effective over the past five years. I don’t want to just look at a pretty face or anything like that. I want you to bring value to me.”
Jack Settleman shares that his agency is finding creators are bringing in massive amounts of value, especially in the sports space. Connecting creators with brands helps companies grow and the creator monetize their content, making it a win-win.
Partnering with MSG Networks
Recently, MSG Networks hired Jack Settleman to host exclusive digital shows for MSG Networks.
Jack shares, “What MSG is trying to figure out is [how to] teach a younger generation educational sports betting information, and we play in that world, so it was really a perfect fit.”
As part of the partnership, Jack hosts multiple shows for MSG, including Settle Your Bet. Settle Your Bet is posted on MSG’s YouTube account and social channels. Each week on Settle Your Bet, Jack provides unique betting tips and shares his top picks, player props, and more. New episodes air every Thursday during the football season.
Jack explains, “Settle Your Bet – We’re doing a weekly show about the current week in the NFL and our best bet, so we go to the courtroom, and we settle a tough case between two teams. We go to the stock market, where we buy and sell some different bets based on how we project the rest of the season to go.”
In addition to long-form content for the show, Jack is also producing short informative videos that are 30 seconds or less to help meet audiences where they are with the type of content, they prefer consuming.
“Its target market is definitely sports fans in the New York area. I would say is a major premise for it, but sports fans who are also intrigued by this new category, which is sports betting. I’m a big believer that sports betting gives you added entertainment for a game. So, you’re already a big fan, but you want a little action on it. It’s like going to the movies. You pay 20 bucks to go to the movies.”
The Secret to His Success
Jack considers the secret behind his success interacting with the sports fan base.
He explains, “I like to think of myself as the everyday sports fan, and I’ve just kind of figured out and tinkered with a few of the things that make me successful as a personality in this space, but I didn’t play in the NFL or the NBA. I don’t have some immense knowledge or secret, but I connect with the audience, which I think is really important.”
Connecting with others is the ultimate goal of social media, so making this a priority with his accounts is crucial to his success. Constantly engaging with fans also allows him to connect with potential customers.
Future Plans
Jack’s company, Snapback Sports, has a content series called Snapback Mondays, where Jack goes to every Monday football game. Jack is on the road for 17 weeks for this series, so he is looking forward to this series culminating on January 3rd.
In the creator marketplace, Jack would love to see big brands and sports leagues embrace creators more.
Jack notes, “I give a lot of credit to MSG Networks for being one of the first movers actually to go and do that, but I think there’s so much potential. For example, the NFL allows some creators to announce draft picks at the NFL draft when new players are coming into that league, and I think that’s an incredible activation. They need to continue going down that path because I truly believe your A-list creator is even bigger than some of your B-list celebrities.”
He adds that including creators in events, like the NFL draft, is also a great way to connect with younger audiences.
In closing, Jack shares, “MSG Networks has been really supportive throughout the process, putting us creators in positions to succeed, and so I really just thank them.”
