Meet The Team
MICHAEL MYERS
FOUNDER & CEO
Michael Myers, or simply “Myers,” has led The Sports Marketer as CEO since its founding in 2009.
He has more than two decades of experience in the Sports & Entertainment industry from corporate roles (Live Nation Entertainment, Nielsen Media) to entrepreneurial ventures (BirdieBox, The Sports Marketer).
A passionate marketing strategist, Myers deeply understands consumer behavior and research allowing his teams to deliver creative, actionable, measurable solutions for brands, regardless of life-cycle stage.
Myers lives in Chicago, and when not in the office, you’ll likely find Myers enjoying Fighting Illini or St. Louis sports, playing softball or golfing.
KRISTA SCYPHERS
Chief CLIENT OFFICER
With over 20 years of experience in sports marketing, Krista Scyphers is a seasoned leader dedicated to helping brands connect with fans and elevating their presence in the sports industry.
She has honed her expertise at top agencies, including 160/90, Intersport and Legacy Marketing, working with Fortune 500 companies and professional sports teams on major events like the Super Bowl, MLB All-Star Game and Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Krista has a proven track record of delivering high-impact marketing campaigns that increase brand visibility and foster deeper consumer connections. Her expertise spans strategic planning, sponsorship activation, digital marketing and people leadership. Known for her ability to build strong relationships with brands, sponsors, and media partners, Krista ensures campaigns achieve measurable success while optimizing efficiency.
At The Sports Marketer, Krista oversees all aspects of client success, driving growth through strategic partnerships, creative ideation, and thorough media evaluations. Her focus on delivering data-driven outcomes ensures every strategy contributes to immediate results and long-term client growth.
Along with her faithful pooch, Winnie, Krista resides in Santa Monica, Calif. When she doesn’t have her toes in the sand, she’s likely adding stamps to her passport enjoying adventure tourism. Having visited over 40 countries, Krista has some crazy stories–just ask her!
MATT WSZOLEK
Chief REVENUE OFFICER
With a quarter century of experience in marketing, sales, and advertising, Matt Wszolek is a results-driven leader passionate about fostering relationships and delivering strategic growth.
At The Sports Marketer, Matt oversees initiatives that drive agency and client success, focusing on innovative activations, strategic partnerships, and data-driven outcomes.
Known for his expertise in strategic partnerships, media planning, client management, and innovative marketing ideas, Matt is a trusted leader in driving measurable growth and efficiency.
Prior to TSM, Matt’s experience includes a decade with the Chicago Cubs, leading sales, sponsorship activation and branding efforts that drove both record-breaking attendance and revenue. He next launched a successful consulting firm to help clients optimize ad buys and ROI before fulfilling a lifelong dream of working with his alma mater, the University of Illinois. Matt spearheaded the university’s first Chicago brand campaign since World War II, earning national acclaim and awards for numerous creative activations.
Most recently, Matt was VP of Media at The Well Advertising, managing multimillion-dollar media budgets across diverse industries and verticals.
Matt resides in Naperville, Ill., where he and his wife, Sara, are more often than not driving their three sons to either hockey practice or hockey tournaments…or he’s playing poker.
DARREN HAYDEN
Director, Sales
Darren Hayden is a strategy-driven sales leader with a track record of delivering exceptional revenue growth, building innovative, results-oriented partnerships across brands, media, agencies, and sports properties.
His collaborative approach and ability to craft compelling activations and engagement strategies have earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor and partner. His expertise spans experiential marketing, sports and media activations, and data/technology-driven solutions.
Darren has spent the majority of his multi-decade career at Nielsen Sports & Entertainment / Scarborough Sports Marketing, where he worked closely with a diverse network of clients to drive business success through data, insights, and custom solutions.
At The Sports Marketer (TSM), Darren strives to serve as a strategic visionary—designing and executing purpose-driven marketing and partnership programs tailored to each client’s unique challenges and goals.
Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Darren earned his degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead in Broadcast Journalism and Psychology.
Today, he and his wife, Kari, live in the Chicago suburbs with their three children and dogs.
Outside of work, Darren enjoys travel, cooking, home renovation and furniture restoration projects—and takes pride in dominating his fantasy football leagues. He’s an avid supporter of the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Xavier Musketeers basketball, and University of North Dakota hockey.
CHRIS HARTWEG
Head, SPECIAL PROJECTs
Chris Hartweg thrives on making meaningful connections—linking brands, teams and fans through data-driven strategies and creative ideas.
Chris brings four decades of expertise in:
Developing and activating strategic, cost-effective marketing programs
Building and leading creative "win-win" partnerships
Growing and retaining high-performing teams
Storytelling, pitching and selling
Committed to helping brands connect truthfully, he has collaborated with dozens of top brands and properties, including Nike, P&G, General Motors, Verizon, XBox and many more. Chris also founded Painless Networking, a community with over 8,000 members that fosters seamless connections for marketing professionals.
At The Sports Marketer, he puts his experience to work to drive strategic growth and optimize TSM’s business development, client services and consulting efforts.
Prior to joining TSM, he built a Sports & Entertainment practice at Newbridge Marketing Group. He has also reengineered Team Marketing Report and its Fan Cost Index®, headed up partnership marketing for the Chicago Marathon and established a successful sports, events and cause marketing consultancy.
Chris and his wife, Kelly, live in Chicago with the youngest of their three children and their Shi-Poo, Spike.
Jonny ScobLionko
MEDIA PLANNER
Jonny Scoblionko is a storyteller at heart, a media planner by trade, and a lifelong advocate for building meaningful connections. Over the past decade, he has had the privilege of working with clients such as the American Flag Football League (AFFL), National Sports Forum, Nitro Circus and Bridgestone Arena, helping them create innovative strategies to drive audience engagement and growth.
Jonny’s expertise spans media planning, audience development and lifecycle automation, always with a focus on creating lasting, impactful relationships and driving customer retention.
Outside of work, Jonny is a passionate Ohio State football fan, a drummer and an avid snowboarder based in Denver. You can always find his dog, Shelby Rose, by his side, and together they are always looking for new adventures.