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Having started strongly as an intern in the corporate sales hothouse that was Brett Yormark’s Nascar, Dan

Weinberg worked for Beach Tennis USA and Elite Marketing Group before joining Tough Mudder, a growing endurance sport series, in March 2011. There, he conceived and built a partnership marketing and sales department from scratch, and has since snared the likes of Under Armour, Camelbak, Samsung, and Campbell. The Under Armour deal, which took seven months to complete, was a key achievement and moved Tough Mudder into a different category of sports property. Away from work, Weinberg assists non-profit organisation Music Brings Life, which raises awareness around blood donations, often selling sponsorship for its charity concerts on a pro bono basis.

Landmark moment of your career so far? I don’t know if there’s one moment I would say probably looking back right now at what we built at Tough Mudder, especially on the sponsorship platform and what we’ve done globally. A year and a half ago we had two partners and now we have 23. Honestly, in the early days anytime we got one little deal it was the happiest day of our lives, so now I guess

it’s just looking back seeing the collection of some of the best partners we have.

Sports industry idol? I would say my sports industry idol would definitely be Will Dean, Tough Mudder CEO. Just because from the entrepreneurial side of what he’s been able to accomplish, having no sports industry background and then really having the opportunity to provide for all his employees and just the backing and the confidence he gives to all of us. I would say, I have had the privilege of working for some great CEOs in sports business since I was an intern years ago, but I think I’ve been most impressed by Will and his ability of coming into the events-based, the endurance-based sports business space with no previous background at such a young age. Will is only 31 years old.

Favourite franchise/team/athlete/brand in sport?I would say definitely the Brooklyn Nets. I was a ball boy for them in high school and I was an intern for Brett Yormark, the current CEO, at Nascar years ago, so I would say I just love what they’ve done with the rebranding, and they’ve got some great partners in Brooklyn and they have an unbelievable brand. Athletes:

I would say I’m pretty impressed with Shaun White and the kind of deals he has done. You know he has some great backing, he’s built a great brand in the action sports stage so I’d probably say Shaun White, the snowboarder.

Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time? Ten years… I’d like to hopefully be the CEO or president of a pro team or running my own entrepreneurial sports agency.

One piece of advice for someone looking to start out in the industry?I would say just be patient and be prepared to get knocked down a few times and be resilient, and good things will come. But it definitely takes time and patience.

iPhone, Blackberry, or Android? iPhone.

Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Foursquare?Facebook.

Moët or Bud? Bud.

One particular line you use to close a deal?I wish I had one line. It’s usually me nervously standing by the phone waiting for a decision, for days. I don’t have a magic bullet line unfortunately so I wish I had a better answer.

Dan WeinbergDirector, Strategic Partnerships and Licensing, Tough Mudder

What his nominators said about him:“Starting from scratch, Weinberg built out a partnership marketing and sales department at Tough Mudder, which, in one year, has successfully brought on 24 global partners.”

Age: 29Location: New York, USA Education: BA degree in marketing and communications from West Virginia University