Creative Strategist & Connector

KaryHuls.

I turn relationships into results and ideas into strategy. I'm most alive in the room where something great is being built from scratch.

See My Work Let's Connect
Kary Huls
14 years in sports & brand

My Story

From the on-field mic to the strategy table

It started with a microphone and a minor league baseball crowd. I was the host, the person making sure thousands of people had the time of their lives between innings. And somewhere in that job, I realized: there's a whole business behind this magic.

That realization sent me on a path through partnership coordination, a deliberate year on the ground in sales - where Learfield sent me to learn the business from the inside out, close deals, and understand what sellers actually need — and eventually into in-house agency strategy and leadership. Then an intentional pause. I left the country for the first time. Soul-searched. Made sure my next move was the right one, not just the next one.

Today I'm with Trak Software, helping brands optimize their sports sponsorships. It's given me something rare: I've now sat on both sides of the table. The most valuable thing in any partnership isn't the placement. It's the relationship behind it.

2011

On-Field Host, MiLB

Where it started. Made crowds cheer and realized there was a business behind the magic.

2013–2017

Integrated Marketing, Learfield

Joined one of college sports' biggest players. Supported sales teams with best practices, ideation, and concepting — and grew into strategy along the way.

2017–2018

Sponsorship Sales, Beaver Sports Properties

Learfield sent me to learn the business from the seller's seat. Closed $600K in new business, managed a $1M book, and came back a better strategist for it.

2018–2025

Partnership Solutions, Learfield

Built the strategy, creative, and enablement infrastructure behind $12M+ in deals. Led GTM launches and helped brands across markets activate across 100+ college properties.

2025

Intentional Reset

Took an intentional pause. Traveled abroad, recharged, and came back with a sharper sense of what I'm building toward.

2025–Now

Customer Success, Trak Software

On the vendor side at Trak, helping teams and brands maximize their partnership investments. Simultaneously building Kings Peak Partners — boutique sponsorship consulting, currently working with STIHL Timbersports.

Selected Work

Projects I'm proud of

Strategy, storytelling, and execution across brand partnerships, go-to-market launches, and category innovation in college sports.

More case studies coming soon.

Brand Consulting · Sponsorship Strategy

STIHL Timbersports — Kings Peak Partners

Co-founded Kings Peak Partners to bring boutique sponsorship strategy to brands who want more than a media buy. Currently working with STIHL Timbersports on partnership positioning and activation strategy.

Boutique consulting practice launched with anchor client

GTM Strategy · Sales Enablement · Multi-Market

Partnership Solutions — Learfield

Led the strategy, creative, and enablement function for Learfield's national Partnership Solutions team — building the tools, training, and frameworks that helped property sales teams close deals across 100+ college markets.

$12M+ in partnerships enabled across 100+ college properties

Sales Enablement · Training · Content

National Sales Enablement Program

Designed and ran a national enablement program for Learfield's property sales teams: webinars, pitch toolkits, and training materials that gave sellers across the country the confidence and content to close.

Scaled enablement across 100+ markets nationwide

NIL Strategy · Brand Partnerships · College Sports

NIL Partnership Strategy

Developed NIL partnership frameworks and brand positioning strategies as the college athlete name, image, and likeness landscape emerged to help brands understand the opportunity and sellers tell the story.

First-mover NIL frameworks built for brand partners

What I Bring

The skills behind the work

01

Brand Partnership Strategy

I've spent 14 years building, selling, and activating brand partnerships in college sports. I understand the full lifecycle — from opportunity framing to activation — and how to make partnerships work for both sides of the table.

02

Go-To-Market Leadership

I've taken brand-new sponsorship categories, products, and initiatives to market with no roadmap and no playbook. I know how to define an opportunity, build the narrative, align the stakeholders, and turn it into revenue.

03

Storytelling & Narrative

Whether it's a pitch deck for a Fortune 500 brand or an internal sales training, I lead with story. I translate complex opportunities into clear, compelling narratives that move people to act.

04

Seller Enablement

I've built the tools, training, and materials that let sales teams walk into any room with confidence. The $12M in on-field logo deals wasn't just sold... it was enabled. That's a different skill, and I've got it.

05

Agency & Brand Perspective

I've built strategy alongside agencies, through university properties, and now as a vendor helping teams and brands maximize their partnerships. As co-founder of Kings Peak Partners I also work directly with brands, giving me a genuine perspective from every seat at the table.

06

Partnership Architecture

I don't just sell sponsorships - I build platforms. Custom content, multi-media packages, activation strategy. I know how to take a logo placement and turn it into a partnership that actually delivers for a brand.

How I Work

What it's like to work with me

I thrive when the work is strategic, creative, and vision-forward. I've been told I'm a culture hire and I take that as the highest compliment, because culture is a strategy and I take it seriously.

I Show Up for People

I remember names, details, and what matters to people long after the meeting ends. People feel that and it changes how teams work together.

I Think in Systems

I naturally zoom out to see the whole picture, then zoom back in to make it actionable. I get restless without a vision to work toward and am energized when I find one.

I Lead with the Why

Before I build a deck or brief a team, I make sure everyone understands the story we're telling and why it matters. Alignment up front saves everything later.

I Invest in Culture

I don't wait to be handed a great culture. Instead, I help build one. I bring energy, honesty, and genuine care for the people around me, whatever the role.

Beyond the Work

The rest of who I am

I'm an Enneagram 7 who takes strategy seriously and themed parties even more so. I'm the person at the table who remembers your name, asks about your dog, and also has three unsolicited ideas for your brand problem.

I'm a connector by nature. Some of my favorite career moments had nothing to do with a deal - they were the times I remembered a seller's name at a conference, showed up for a colleague who needed someone in their corner, or introduced two people who needed to know each other.

I care about faith, authenticity, joy, and growth. I want those values reflected in where I work and who I work with. The Sunday scaries are real, and life is too short for them to be permanent.

Outside of work, I'm adventuring outdoors, planning something with friends, or finding a new brewery to explore.

Enneagram 7 Chief Encourager Theme Party Expert 🎉 Outdoor Enthusiast Connector Passport Stamp Collector Empathetic Leader Culture Builder

Community & Leadership

iWin Sports & the Change Make*Hers Gala

Serving on the iWin Sports Committee, supporting event strategy, storytelling, and partnership outreach for a nonprofit advancing girls and women in sports leadership.

Learn about iWin Sports →

Let's Connect

Let's talk about something worth building

I'm always open to conversations about brand strategy, partnership opportunities, and the kind of work that actually moves things forward. Whether you're building something new, looking for a fresh perspective, or just want to connect — my inbox is open.

Say Hello LinkedIn
Kary Huls | Creative Strategist & Brand Partnerships

GTM Strategy · Brand Partnerships · NCAA

On-Field Logo Partnerships —
Building a Category from Scratch

$12M+

Revenue generated

10+

Partnerships closed

0

Playbooks before this

The Opportunity

A game-changing ruling. No roadmap.

When the NCAA approved on-field and on-court logo signage, it created one of the most significant new sponsorship categories in college sports history — and absolutely no one knew how to sell it yet.

Learfield's Partnership Solutions team was tapped to build the strategy from scratch: define the value, craft the story, equip the sellers, and help close the deals. That work fell to me.

The Approach

Five moves that made it work

01

Define the Value

Partnered with our data team to leverage Wasserman valuation tools, quantify brand exposure, and build the case for what this asset was actually worth.

02

Position the Opportunity

Led the strategic framing of on-field logos as a premium, first-mover sponsorship asset — not just a logo placement, but a historic brand moment.

03

Craft the Story

Wrote the narrative and built pitch materials in partnership with our creative team — tailoring the story to each brand's goals, market, and audience.

04

Equip the Sellers

Hosted webinars and training sessions with Learfield property sales teams across the country, giving them the tools and confidence to bring this to their brand partners.

05

Build the Full Package

Developed multi-media packages around each logo deal — custom content, social, signage — so brands were buying a platform, not just a field placement.

06

Customize & Pitch

Jumped into brand-facing pitch meetings when needed — including with Walmart — to bring the strategy to life and answer the hard questions in the room.

Deals Closed

The partnerships that proved the model

Arkansas x Walmart x Tyson

Arkansas Razorbacks

Walmart + Tyson Foods

Georgia Southern x Sack Company

Georgia Southern Eagles

The Sack Company

Missouri x Equipment Share x Shelter

Missouri Tigers

Equipment Share + Shelter Insurance

The Real Win

The number is great. The story behind it is better.

The $12M headline gets attention — but what I'm actually proud of is the infrastructure we built to get there. We didn't just sell a logo. We gave sellers across the country a way to tell a story that didn't exist before.

Every webinar, pitch deck, and brand package we built lowered the barrier for a sales team to walk into a room and say: here's something new, here's why it matters, here's exactly what it means for your brand. That kind of enablement work is quiet — but it's what made 10+ deals happen.

And it wasn't just about equipping sellers — we brought it to life for the brands too. Custom content, multi-media packages, tailored pitches. We made sure every partner could see themselves in the opportunity, not just the logo placement.

"My best work here was the storytelling — equipping our sales people and bringing the opportunity to life for the brands themselves. Not the close, but building the machine that made closing possible. Ten deals in the first season. The model is still running."