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📰 In The Arena Weekly
The go-to newsletter for sports, media & entertainment professionals. Each week, we curate the top events, insights & people to know to help you stay connected to new opportunities.
⚡️Headlines & Hot Takes
New York Knicks win first NBA championship in 53 years
Disney wants its streaming staff to curb AI token waste
Xbox studios negotiate to avoid potential closure
🗓️ Events to Know
Cann’t Block Party | Hosted by Lighthouse Creative
🗓️ June 17 | 📍Brooklyn, NY | Register here
Join Lighthouse Creative for Cann't — right here in NYC. We'll recreate the best parts of Cannes for the masses, replacing rosé and champagne with spaghets and Estrellas. Plus, Cann't will honor the best (and worst) campaigns from the year in advertising.
Club Women’s Sports in Cannes | Hosted by Genius Sports
🗓️ June 22 | 📍Cannes, France | Register here
Join us for Genius Sports’ CLUB Women’s Sports at SPORT BEACH in Cannes, an invite-only gathering celebrating a defining year for women’s sports. From groundbreaking CBAs and record ratings to sold-out arenas, women’s sports continues to rewrite the rules, and the momentum isn’t slowing down. Join the leaders, brands, and changemakers driving the future of the industry, while making the connections that will shape what comes next.
ANA Digital & Social Media Conference | Hosted by ANA
🗓️ July 8-10 | 📍Los Angeles, CA | Register here
The industry's leading conference for marketers on digital strategy, influencer marketing, social media, CTV, and AI-driven content — relevant for entertainment and sports brand marketers.
Dink N Dunk Summer League Pickleball Social | Hosted by The Accident Guys
🗓️ July 10 | 📍Las Vegas, NV | Register here
Join us during NBA Summer League for an evening of pickleball, networking, and friendly competition at The Courts LV.
She’s Got Time Summit 2026 | Hosted by She’s Got Time
🗓️ July 13 | 📍Las Vegas, NV | Register here
SGT’s annual summit is intentionally designed for connection and elevation. Through interactive workshops, curated networking, wellness activations, and intimate roundtables, they foster deep, meaningful relationships across an intergenerational community of women with diverse experiences in sports.
💼 New Jobs This Week
⚽ Major League Soccer | Director, Community Engagement & Corporate Partnerships | New York, NY | $120-150K/yr
🥇 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee | Vice President, Partnerships | Remote (U.S.) | $215-235K/yr
🥇 LA28 | Event & Venue General Manager | Los Angeles, CA | $126-160K/yr
📺 NBC Universal | Sr. Manager, Corporate Events | New York, NY | $95-125K/yr
🎵 Crankworx | Head of Crankworx World Tour Operations | Whistler, BC | $80-100K/yr
🏟️ Inside The Arena
Member spotlight! 📸
Xavier Murillo is the creative director behind some of the biggest sports cultural moments. Now he’s creating a brand from his personal cultural background.
The son of Ecuadorian immigrants, he turned sports-as-identity into a career most only dream of at the Major League Baseball (MLB) where he led the evolution of MLB’s creative and content strategy, expanding the league’s presence from social-first publishing into a culturally relevant global brand. He designed the iconic Home Run Derby Chain and his work has been seen by millions.
Then at Ogilvy where he led content and campaign development across North America and global accounts, including Mastercard and McLaren Racing. Today he’s bringing creative projects to life with Nike and Universal Music Group, Republic Records, and Def Jam Recordings.
With the project closest to him being the one he built himself. In 2020 he founded The First Day of September and his latest creative project is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Capsule.
In his words: “There is so much depth and story in fútbol culture that does not always get represented, and I wanted to bring that to the surface in a more intentional and personal way. Each piece is rooted in the identity of a country, its culture, its everyday visuals, and the small details that make it.”
This is what moving the industry forward looks like.
The 10 Best AI Stocks to Own in 2026
AI is moving from experiment… to essential.
Every major industry is integrating it.
Every major company is investing in it.
By late 2025, AI was already an $800B market — growing at a pace that could push it well beyond $1 trillion in the years ahead.
Cloud infrastructure is scaling fast.
AI-enabled devices are multiplying.
Automation is becoming standard.
But here’s the real question…
When trillions flow into this transformation — which stocks stand to benefit most?
Our new report reveals 10 AI stocks positioned across the backbone of this shift — from the companies powering the infrastructure… to those embedding intelligence into everyday systems.
If you want exposure to one of the defining growth trends of this decade, start here.
That’s it for this week In The Arena of sports, media & entertainment.
-Arena’s founders | Parul Khosla, Adriene Bueno & Olivia Schwartz.
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