Oftentimes people think working in sports is a glamorous job that involves hanging out with the world’s top athletes. We spoke with the founder of The JB Agency, Jaylyn Brown, the name behind some of the top women in sports including Maia Chaka and Natasha Camy. She told us about the long hours of work that people don’t see that go into public events.
Where did your love of sports develop?
My love developed at home in Maryland. I grew up in Havre de Grace, MD a small town adjacent to Aberdeen, MD home to Cal Ripken Jr., so baseball was what surrounded me most. My dad would get suites at the Orioles games and when the Cal Ripken Jr. Little League World Series was established, for four years, I served as an ambassador for teams like Mexico and Dominican Republic, and I knew then, at just 9 years old, I never wanted to be too far from the world of sports.
What would people be most surprised about that goes on behind the scenes?
I think people would be most surprised about the extreme amount of detail and purpose that goes into my decision making as it relates to my clients but especially as it relates to producing an event or an experience. The final product or even launch of something always looks shiny and amazing but the journey to get there takes an extreme amount of work, preparation and
sometimes exhaustion. There are plenty of days when I’m not motivated to do the work, but that’s when discipline kicks in, because you know what the expectation is and what’s required to
be great at what you do.
How did you start your agency, The JB Agency?
I started in the living room of my condo if we’re being literal (haha). I’d been in the industry for four years at the time, and through being hired by individual athletes or foundations to work for them and also many referrals of athletes in the NFL, MLB and NBA at one point I had an “aha” moment and said to myself, ‘Jaylyn, you’re the one with all the contacts, relationships, etc. you can do this on your own. A streamlined one stop shop if you will.’
Years later, I’m just incredibly blessed to be doing what I love, I’m so grateful for all of my clients past and present and couldn’t be more excited for the future of The JB Agency.
You represent some of the biggest women working in sports. What does that mean to you in such a male dominated industry?
It’s something I’ve never taken lightly, and it means the world. For them to respect and trust my vision is an honor. To be a woman in sports there’s this expectation that you have to know 10x as much as your male counterparts or be prepared for a pop quiz at any moment to test your knowledge or to be taken seriously, but there’s so much more to this, than that. We are over here, unbothered, breaking barriers, turning herstory into history and I could not be more proud of that.
What’s been your proudest moment since starting The JB Agency?
I have far too many to name, however I will always mention how incomparable it’s been for me to have worked alongside Jordan Brand’s Howard White. But I’ll share that just recently, I had a pinch me moment in realizing the gravity of history making clients we’ve had the pleasure of representing to include the first black female official in the NFL, a referee who officiated the most watched women’s basketball game in history, the inaugural WBIT quarterfinal, final and the first women’s college basketball all star game in 18 years.
Along with the Lambeau Field record holder for the longest interception return, turned first black state senator representing the largest populated city in the state of Virginia, Super Bowl champions and MORE, and to some people, that seems like a lot, and enough and it’s phenomenal but we’ve got more work to do. We sometimes move so quickly in the day to day that we forget that we too are a part of history and so that’s what makes me proud, the legacy that we’re building along the way.
One of your clients, Natasha Camy, has seen first hand the growth of women’s sports.
What are your thoughts on exponential growth of women’s sports and where do you still
hope to see improvement?
I’m so proud of Natasha, because like many of the athletes, coaches, former athletes and others
involved, they saw the potential decades ago, when they committed to this, and they never
wavered. No one knew how long it would take for us to get to this point but now that we’re here
we’re capitalizing and we’re not going away. I think it’s more than a movement, I think there are so many incredible people we have to credit because despite women’s sports having its “best
year ever”, this has been years in the making.As a publicist and brand manager, I hope to see
improvement in the amount of media coverage from press outlets that aren’t just women based,
and I hope to see improvement in the language used when referring to women in sports, for
example a women’s basketball player is an athlete, not just a women’s basketball player.
What is your best advice to women who want to work in sports?
Dive in, do your research and do the work. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know, take the time
to learn, and educate yourself. Know that there’s room for everyone and no two jobs or positions
are always the same. Find your niche, what makes you different and power forward to be the
very best that you can be because you belong here too.
When you’re not busy making deals, you’re a featured speaker. Where can people find you?
I love now that I have the opportunity to speak on and moderate panels, with another one
coming very soon! You can find me on Instagram @thereal_jb and you can find us doing cool
things @thejbagency.
