The most valuable currency in sports, media & entertainment today isn't money. It's social capital.
Almost 75% of deals start from existing relationships, not spreadsheets or RFPs (SBJ & Variety 2025).
And in 2026, social capital is more important than EVER.
Nobody is trusting cold emails or DMs with all the AI automations out there. 68% of business leaders now receive 40+ AI-generated pitches per week (Hubspot 2025).
We've spent the last year talking to hundreds of execs across leagues, studios, brands, and media companies and we keep hearing the same thing.
But you know what people are trusting? The people they already know or new people they actually meet (not just message back and forth with).
Even seasoned execs fall into these traps without realizing it:
❌ Only "networking" when it's directly tied to a specific project
❌ Relying on serendipity (or their most connected peer) to make intros instead of building a system for it
❌ Going to conferences or joining Slack groups hoping to meet the right people… but just monitoring from the sidelines
The leaders thriving right now? They're doing things differently:
✅ Getting new relevant intros on a consistent, predictable cadence (not waiting around)
✅ Proactively connecting peers in their network - knowing it'll come back around, but not expecting anything in return
✅ Committed to planting seeds now and nurturing relationships, not just when they need something
This is exactly why we built Arena.
Arena gives sports, media & entertainment leaders weekly curated intros to aligned professionals - so you're not relying on serendipity, conferences, or your most connected friend to grow your network.
Our members have already secured partnerships, collaborators, mentors, speaking opportunities, and more through Arena matches.
📣 Applications are open for our latest cohort for leaders across marketing, partnerships, content, operations, data, and beyond.
Apply by March 20 and if approved, you'll be invited to our March Member Mixer - an intimate, curated gathering of industry leaders ready to intentionally connect and collab.
Social capital compounds. Let us help you invest in it.
-Arena’s founders | Parul Khosla, Adriene Bueno & Olivia Schwartz
