Brianna
Appel
Former athlete · Entertainment & technology operator · Founder of Seat Theory
Connect on LinkedInFor ten years, I watched great opportunities, real sponsors, and talented people keep missing each other. I couldn’t let it go — so I built the place where they finally meet.
Across sports, media, entertainment, and technology, it was always the same story: opportunities that couldn’t find sponsors, sellers who couldn’t find deals, brands that couldn’t find the partnerships made for them. So much of it still came down to spreadsheets, introductions, group chats, and luck — and so much value quietly slipped through the cracks.
Why Seat Theory Exists
Building the infrastructure
the industry always needed
I came to this from the field first. As an athlete, I fell for the business behind the game — and I kept following that thread. It took me from an NFL front office to the streaming boom, into one of the world's largest media agencies, and eventually to my own firm, helping organizations, creators, and brands turn audiences into real revenue.
And everywhere I sat — and I’ve sat on every side of the table — I kept noticing the same thing. The opportunities were real. The money was real. The people who could connect them were real. They just had no way to find each other.
"The opportunities exist. The sponsors exist. The sellers exist. They were just disconnected. So I built the layer that connects them."
Seat Theory is everything that decade taught me, in one place — built on a belief I can’t shake: the people who move this industry deserve a real front door. So I’m building it.
Areas of Expertise
Boards & Education
The Seat Theory Network
A curated membership for revenue operators — access to partnership, sponsorship, and activation opportunities, an organization directory, resources, events, and relationships that move you closer to deals.
Curated deal flow across sports, entertainment, media, and culture — sponsorship and activation opportunities and brand targets, surfaced by genuine fit.
Organizations submit events, creators, athletes, experiences, and communities to be packaged and monetized. Brands discover curated opportunities aligned to audience, timing, and objectives.
Content, newsletters, events, and storytelling at the intersection of sports, entertainment, culture, partnerships, and revenue.
Real campaigns. Real brands. Real industry.
Find your seat.
Whether you have an opportunity, you're looking to sell it, or you're hunting for the right partnership — there's a seat for you.