Mackenzie Fitzpatrick: Social Media & Community Manager, Greatness Wins | Creative Director & Social Media Strategist, Fitzpatrick Sports Media Group

Content creation. Social media management. Brand building. Storytelling. Four areas Mackenzie Fitzpatrick has been passionate about for as long as she can remember, and ones that remain at the forefront of her professional endeavors in the industry. For this New Jersey native, it all started during her time at UConn. From playing Division I softball to pursuing a major in sport management to embarking on a journey of her own as a sports creative—through internships with UConn Championship Labs and D'Amelio Huskies—, it was in each of these experiences that Mackenzie solidified her love for athlete branding and content creation. It was up

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from there. In May 2023, Mackenzie started her own business—Fitzpatrick Sports Media Group—, where she consults athletes, brands, and organizations on their social media campaigns, brand strategies, and NIL opportunities. Along with this, she also joined Greatness Wins—an athleticwear brand founded by Derek Jeter, Chris Riccobono, and Misty Copeland—as a Social Media and Community Manager. As she reflects on it all, Mackenzie continues to be inspired by the opportunity to work one-on-one with athletes and help them build their brands on and off the court. Amazing!

Take us all the way back! When did you know that you were passionate about the world of content creation, brand building, and social media management?

It was definitely a journey. I liked social media already. As an athlete, I was making my own little “Day in the Life” TikToks. I just found it really fun to kind of capture, put that together, and then put it out there for the younger generation to see what it was like being a D-I athlete. When I needed to get an internship, my academic advisor suggested that they needed an intern for the creative content department. I did that for almost a year, and I did really enjoy it, but I knew I should also get some different experiences. I went and worked with the student-athlete development department, which was really cool. You know, just helping athletes literally off the field with professional and personal brand endeavors. I knew that there could be a way to kind of combine the two for sure. My next opportunity was with UConn Championship Labs, which they created when NIL became a thing to help the student-athletes meet their deliverables for brand deals. I was helping them shoot, record, and edit all their content to put out for brands (as well as) working one-on-one with some of the athletes on their true personal brand and their social media accounts. That was really cool and I did really enjoy that. When graduation came, I knew I wanted to be in a space where I'm working directly with athletes and helping them be successful outside of their sport. So I got a job with D'Amelio Huskies—which was one of UConn’s NIL collectives—and was working for Marc D'Amelio. That was another really interesting opportunity because obviously their family is very successful in social media and personal branding; and also at the same time, I was working with athletes and getting them deals. Working for them is what really kind of opened my eyes to all of the roles and opportunities that there are working one-on-one with these really successful influencers, creators, and athletes. That's what really opened my eyes (to say), “Oh, you can be a social media manager and content creator for specific individuals. That is really cool and that's what I want to pursue.”

What were some key takeaways or lessons that you learned from your time as a student-athlete that you carried with you as you tapped into the business side of sports?

I feel like everything. Not only did it shape me as a person and create this internal work ethic that I bring every day, but at the same time, I have this real understanding of the everyday life of student-athletes and how demanding it is. While social media is fun and should be this place to connect with your friends and your family, in this day and age, it's so important to have a personal brand and connect with your fans. You know, be putting out consistent content and really have a strategy behind it. Athletes, major creators, influencers, entrepreneurs, they're so busy with their everyday lives and their businesses...that's where I knew where the need was, how I could also help, and communicate with athletes that I work with because I understand what their day-to-day looks like.

How was that transition from college into the world of content creation, social media, and brand management like for you? Reflecting back, what were some challenges that you faced early on?

My first job was with D'Amelio Huskies and now I'm with Greatness Wins—which is an athletic apparel brand founded by Derek Jeter and Misty Copeland. Both roles are actually remote roles. I think at first with D'Amelio Huskies it was difficult to be fully remote with no real structure, right? As someone that works hard, I didn't have this nine-to-five set up that I was working so I had to kind of rely on my athlete path to create the structure. You know, I always had this calendar on my phone with my entire day planned out for me—I had six a.m. lifts, I had nine a.m. class, I had treatment at twelve, I had practice from two to five, I had study hall…it was always laid out for me. Now, I had to almost create a replica of that schedule because that's just what I was so used to. That's what worked for me. At the same time, you know, finding balance where you can (was) important. But, creating my own structure was something I definitely struggled with and had to work on transitioning into the work world.

How did you navigate through those challenges of building your schedule but also finding that work-life balance in the industry?

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