The former members of the Big East Conference, amid the departure of The Catholic 7 schools, transformed the college landscape in 2013-14 by the creation of The American Athletic Conference. The AAC was expected to do well, but no one expected one of its flagship schools, UCONN, to capture both the men’s & women’s NCAA basketball title, as well as another flagstaff school, UCF, to have a BCS bowl bid and stunning win over Baylor. Mark Hodgkin talks about his role in the branding creation of the AAC’s inaugural digital footprint, as well as some of the highest and lowest of being a young conference upstart against the legacy of the Big East brand. Twitter: @Mark_Hodgkin

As more social platforms emerge, it takes an entire staff at an NBA franchise to adapt and create content continually for a department that wasn’t around 10 years ago. TJ Ansley talks about his tenure with the Portland Trailblazers as they expand into new markets online, as well as his experiences with the Columbus Crew MLS in order to build fan loyalty to the overall product and above all else, create an affinity for that product which translates into revenue. Ansley discusses the NBA’s movement into China, as well as some of the ways that the Trailblazers help create new avenues of interest in their brand with the local fanbase. Twitter: @TJAnsley

The digital media landscape changes daily, especially in the sports world where teams are trying to show impact on various platforms. Peter Stringer's role at the Boston Celtics is about focusing on specific platforms and making them into viable content streams for those who follow the Celtics. Stringer talks about The Celtics "Home Court Advantage" app, the first live streaming mobile app in the NBA that he helped launch, as well as how it fits into the overall paradigm of the Celtics content strategy. Stringer discusses some of the various social media platforms available to sports teams, including Twitter and Facebook, and how the organization tries to maximize encounters on both. Stringer also highlights what he considers personal branding on social media as well as how short-term thinking can harm long-term career goals when it comes on what to post and what to say on various online platforms. Twitter: @PeterStringer

Chris Yates is one of the new age media brands in sports, extending out through the Internet through social media, especially with Google Plus Hangouts. Yates talks about what works, and what doesn't, in digital media as well as why patience is one of the valuable keys to building up a credible brand online. Yates discusses his infamous first interview with Grumpy Cat, as well as how he has interacted with and created a large audience in a space that rivals some small traditional media platforms. Twitter: @ChrisYates11

With an office in Hong Kong, IMG Vice President of Business Development and Digital Media Tom Broom showcases various ideas for the future in terms of activating the globalization of sport brands. Broom explains how specific digital media rights in countries such as Singapore, India and China are exploding as demand for content as well as corporate sponsorship activation grows. Broom talks about some of the various ways in which brands such as the NFL and NBA have performed grassroots efforts to develop their brand further, creating deeper relationship ties within the Asian markets through flag football and street court initiatives. Broom also discusses the mysteries of the East by those coming from the West, as well as the differencials in culture for those sports executives attempting to envelope themselves in Asian customs and mindset.

Part of the modern athlete’s image is that of the social interaction on various media platforms. That’s where Steve Dao and his company, Dynamic Sports Media, can help examine each athlete’s branding and work build it into a larger concept of community image. Dao talks about some of the nightmare scenarios of social media’s influence on branding, but also provides advice on avoiding a false athlete narrative in order to avoid controversy, because it lacks the athlete’s genuine character. Dao discusses how Dynamic Sports Media can help clients and athletes navigate the water of sponsorship alignment in order to ensure a cohesive teamwork focused on the right objectives. Twitter: @Steve_Dao

Derrick Docket examines the role of social media from the perspective of an college athletic conference, where the focus has to be expanded to the Missouri Valley Conference’s ten member schools. Docket talks about the challenges of ensuring fairness to each member school, as well as how social media at each athletic department changed over the last few years. Docket discusses how livestreaming sports events has helped expand media attention to Olympic sports that would have otherwise received much less interest from traditional media outlets. Twitter: @DDocket

John Kosner oversees the digital landscape of ESPN and its many affiliates, including Grantland.com headed by Bill Simmons, ESPN The Magazine, and espnW, the network’s initiative targeted at female sports fans. Kosner talks about how the digital landscape has changed with ESPN constantly trying to keep ahead with its presence, expanding both the 30 for 30 features, Grantland and now 538, the new Nate Silver site. Kosner discusses how ESPN has also adapted to the social landscape, moving its discussion boards to Facebook and how ESPN online has developed with podcasts and ESPN Radio. Kosner also covers how ESPN has crafted its own social media policy for its personalities regarding interaction with fans and has continued to push its brand further. Twitter: @JKosner

Mekale Jackson won the 2013 Gold Award at NACMA for St. John’s Basketball “Takeover” in NYC Times Square in 2012. Jackson talks about the impact of publications, digital and social responsibilities of his department in order to create genuine responses for the general public. Jackson shares his passion for working with coaches and student-athletes on projecting each program in the right way and with fairness between both men’s and women’s sports. Twitter: @MekaleJackson

One of the major innovators in Sports Digital E-Commerce over the last ten years has been Laura Rozentals. She was part of Major League Baseball’s Advanced Media ticketing system from its implementation, then moved over to the NBA and Turner Sports, before working with Bloomberg Media. Rozentals discusses the various forms of applications with mobile and digital use by consumers, players and coaches, and where the industry is headed, especially in the world of e-commerce revenue streams.