My son Jack had the summer and experience of a lifetime, thanks to Felisa and the IMPACT program. His his future is exciting and seems limitless for him, now. As a mother, that makes me incredibly happy. I am so impressed with the follow up, and continued contact the IMPACT team has with their program alums. They don’t just get their certificates and go. They have continued to be there for Jack, since he left California, not only to touch base, but to let him know about opportunities that come up. I still can’t believe that Jack got to meet Damar Hamlin, and sat right behind Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kielce, and just a few rows back from Lebron James. Wow! Just sitting in nose-bleed seats at the ESPY’S would have been exciting. Can’t lie, I’ve been a bit jealous, and low-key living vicariously through him.
When I signed up for IMPACT my goal was to bridge the gap between graduating and getting my foot in the door in the sport industry. Not only have I done that, but the relationships I have created with my classmates have become so valuable. The network I have now compared to before the program is even larger and I am grateful. I am also grateful for the leaders of this program because they cared about each one of us and have only guided us in the right direction. I even got to check off a few bucket list items like going to SoFi Stadium which I never thought I would make it to. All in all, I wish I decided in the beginning to be in California for the entire program because I can tell the people who did have formed such strong bonds together. However, this course also taught me that I can not look at the past and wonder, I can only push for the future and the resources I have now will help me reach my ultimate goal of a full time position working in sports.
There are so many things I think make this program special. One of the coolest things about this program is the access. When I was a student, I had no idea what the inside of a company looked like. To intimately do the projects that these students are doing across so many different companies, they get a peek into the window of these businesses that is so unmatched. The connectivity to the network that is brought in is unlike anything I’ve seen before. All of us speakers and mentors are relationships now that they all have at their fingertips and at their disposal to help them in their career. That does not happen every single day. This entertainment and sports industry is so hard to crack into, so the fact that they’re sitting inside of CAA is such a cool, unique, once in a lifetime opportunity.
Sara (aka Schu), a Sports & Performance Psychology grad from Grand Canyon University, is a testament to the transformative power of the IMPACT program. As an IMPACT student, she discovered a vibrant community that shared her passion for sports and entertainment.
From those educational roots, she blossomed into a Production Assistant at 10 Fold Entertainment, where her work is more than just a job; it’s a platform to make a meaningful impact on the industry. Her career journey included eight years with the Fiesta Bowl Media Ops team, fan engagement with the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training, and experience in arena football operations. Her dedication to athlete empowerment extends to fitness club management and a decade of swim coaching, emphasizing the importance of mental wellness. Now, as part of the GCU Club Swim Team coaching staff, she continues to nurture emerging talent.
Her journey from an IMPACT student to a leader in the program showcases the incredible impact that access and opportunity can have on a person’s life and career, all thanks to the IMPACT program.
Starting his professional career as a student intern, Nathan is a first-hand example of how proper training, guidance, and opportunity can impact students in an extraordinary way.
Nathan has spent nearly a decade as a producer for 10 Fold Entertainment, producing large-scale, live sports and entertainment events across the country. He specializes in creating, managing, and executing programming elements, as well as managing operations with a meticulous, detail-oriented focus. Enthusiastic and ready to take on new challenges, he has been 10 Fold’s Lead Producer working with clients in a wide variety of sports including team tailgate parties at the College Football Playoffs National Championships, basketball and soccer events with Bleacher Report, Major League Lacrosse, Kerri Walsh-Jennings’ p1440 beach volleyball tour, the Esports company Immortals and their Overwatch team, the Los Angeles Valiant, and serving as the Game Operations Director for UC Riversides’ Men’s and Women’s Basketball season during 10 Fold’s time consulting their Athletics Department.
Nathan has also supported Felisa’s involvement at UCLA Anderson School of Management as the producer of their class for the Summer Discovery program for the past 8 years, discovering a passion for teaching and guiding others to success. Carrying this passion into IMPACT, he uses his event production and programming experience to lead business operations, create relatable program curriculum, and develop robust experiential learning projects with IMPACT’s executive mentors that are tailored to maximize the learning potential of ambitious students.
Throughout her 20+ year career in the NBA, including serving as the Phoenix Suns’ Director of Entertainment & Special Events, NBA Entertainment’s Director of Live Programming & Entertainment, and helping to start the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury, along with her entrepreneurial success founding 2 companies, Felisa has established herself as an industry leader in Sports & Entertainment.
During her time at the Phoenix Suns & Mercury, Felisa established Phoenix as a league leader in game presentation and fan experience through risk taking, forward thinking, creativity, and an understanding of how to engage audiences. When she moved to the league to serve as NBA Entertainment’s Director of Live Programming & Entertainment, she was also handpicked to join the new division of Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO), where she would evaluate all NBA teams on their game presentation and fan experience and report her findings back to the commissioner. In addition to the in-arena experience, she also interviewed and observed team staff, department heads, and leaders, where she would then present her evaluations and insight into team personnel decisions to team presidents and owners.
Felisa then went on to start her own live event production company, 10 Fold Entertainment. Guided by a passion for creating memorable live moments and a philosophy of doing everything tenfold, Felisa and her team have partnered with some of the biggest names in Sports, Entertainment, and Media to produce a variety of successful events using their unique blend of expertise to excite audiences and exceed expectations at every stop. After leaving the NBA, Felisa wanted to make an impact beyond the world of sports. She has since worked with charities such as Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Straight But Not Narrow to produce fundraising and awareness events, moderated and participated in panels with industry experts to help further positive and creative discussions, and built a strong relationship with the UCLA Anderson School of Management, teaching students, hiring and training interns, and influencing the next generation of rockstars in their fields.
Through her experience hiring interns from, and teaching at, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Felisa saw an opportunity to create her own program to further help students, IMPACT Learning Institute. IMPACT Learning Institute is a professional development program that provides education, mentorship, training, and experiential learning opportunities to college students and recent graduates who aspire to have careers in the Sports, Entertainment, and Media industries. Now, Felisa uses her career experiences, unparalleled network of professional relationships, and passion for helping the next generation to give young professionals opportunities to jumpstart their careers in these highly-competitive industries and teach them the skills necessary to thrive in any work environment.