🏆 Cold Calls, Connections, and a Seat at CAA

Bri Hamilton is an Account Manager in Brand Consulting at CAA Sports, where she works on partnership and talent strategy for AFLAC, and has supported previous clients such as Kaiser Permanente, Wilson Basketball and Playa Society. A born-and-raised Los Angeleno, she spent a decade coaching youth sports, and then a grassroots pickup basketball program in the Bay Area before pivoting into the consulting business. A cold outreach message on LinkedIn landed Bri inside one of the most powerful agencies in the world. In nearly five years with CAA, she has helped close multiple partnership and talent deals, elevated pay equity for women athletes, and made a meaningful impact on culture and society through her work.

From SoCal Courts to a Career Reinvention

Bri grew up in South San Gabriel and played basketball, softball, and competed in track and field while obtaining her bachelors degree in Television, Film and Media studies at Cal State Los Angeles. A car accident her junior year brought an early end to her competitive career, yet allowed her to pivot into coaching girls basketball and track and field. She spent the next decade working in marketing, promotions, and compliance for high school and college athletic departments and ran So Cal Queendom, an all-girls travel track and field club she co-founded. The work was fulfilling, but the financial realities highlighted a larger opportunity. “I needed to better understand the business side so I could create more opportunities for girls from underserved communities,” she says. That realization led her to pursue a master’s degree in kinesiology and sport management from Saint Mary’s College of California before moving to Oakland to expand IndoorHoops’ San Francisco market. When COVID brought that chapter to a close, Bri set her sights on the next phase of her career in sports business.

The decade of coaching and community building was not a detour; it was the foundation. Bri’s understanding of athletes, access, and the true power of sport continues to shape how she approaches brand strategy, partnerships, and creating meaningful connections between brands and communities.

One LinkedIn Message, One Door

After COVID had hit the US, Bri returned to Southern California and approached starting over the same way she had built communities: by establishing connections. Through cold calls, LinkedIn outreach, and conversations with anyone working in sports, she discovered the Sports Entertainment Equity Network (SEEN). In an attempt to submit her resume for SEEN’s upcoming virtual job fair, a system glitch led Bri to submit a troubleshooting email, which reached SEEN’s co-founder, Melcolm Ruffin. A few weeks later, Melcolm sent Bri a LinkedIn message and suggested she consider applying for a role with CAA Brand Consulting. With zero agency experience, Bri applied anyway. “I had nothing to lose,” she says.

Bri’s basketball expertise, storytelling background, experience managing Cal State LA athletics’ social media, and partnership-building work with IndoorHoops were not traditional agency credentials, but they gave her the unique perspective that made her the right fit for the role.

The AFLAC Call That Changed a WNBA Weekend

One of Bri’s defining moments at CAA began just days before the 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend, when she learned of concerns around having enough participants for the Three-Point Contest and Skills Challenge. At the time, the winning prize was set at $2,575 per contest, a figure that stood in stark contrast to the significantly larger payouts offered for comparable NBA competitions. Bri quickly convened Aflac, OneTeam Partners, the WNBPA, and Trailblazing Sports to explore potential solutions. During the conversation, the group discussed how additional prize money could help drive participation and elevate the profile of the events. Aflac CMO Garth Knutson then asked one question: “How much do the NBA players make?” When he heard the answer, $55,000 and $50,000, his response was immediate: “We’re going to match it.”

What followed was 72 hours of turning an idea into action. Aflac’s supplemental prize checks were presented in Phoenix to Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream, who became the first player in WNBA and NBA history to win both competitions the same year. “Allisha took home 62% of her salary that year, thanks to Aflac. Not only did the brand double down on its commitment to supporting women’s sports, but it also did what Aflac does best: Provide supplemental support at a critical time. This is what authentic partnership looks like.”

Since that weekend in Phoenix, Gray has made a cameo appearance in Aflac's "Duck Dunk" commercial alongside the Aflac Duck, Dawn Staley, and Andraya Carter. Aflac has also continued its partnership with the WNBPA, awarding supplemental prize checks to 2025 WNBA All-Star Game winners Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud. In 2026, the company expanded its supplemental prize pool to $170,000, recognizing the top three finishers in the 3-Point Challenge, champion Azzi Fudd, Bridget Carleton, and Rhyne Howard, and the top three finishers of Shooting Stars competition, champion Shakira Austin, Flau’jae Johnson, and Jessica Shepard.

Curiosity, Optimism, and the Case for Humor

When thinking of the people Bri respects most in this industry, three traits come to mind. First, curiosity: “It’s often said that people fear what they do not know, but curiosity is what leads us to new perspectives. An always-learning mindset inspires better questions, and better questions often lead to even better ideas.” Second, optimism: “People who are where their feet are and have unwavering confidence that things will always work out are some of my favorite people to be around”. And third, humor. “Humor isn’t just a personality trait; it’s a form of intelligence. It takes awareness, timing, and the ability to understand people. In partnerships, being able to read a room, create a genuine connection, and help people feel comfortable builds trust, and trust is what allows meaningful collaboration to happen.”

Figure Out Who You Are

Advice Bri likes to share is the importance of taking time to know who it is that you are. “Once you know, you can set the boundaries needed to protect and maintain respect for yourself. Only then can you truly show up as your best self each day.”

Careers in sports can move fast. The people who last, she has found, are the ones who know what they stand for before someone else defines it for them.

The Why Behind It All

Bri's motivation runs three levels deep. The first being her family. Bri’s parents invested in her and her sister's education, and generated excitement around the idea of trying out new things. "My parents taught me that opportunities are a gift and that diligence is key. Everything I accomplish is, in many ways, a thank you to them for the practice.” she says. The second is the respect for sports itself. “Sports is one of the world's greatest connectors. I respect its power to bring people together across cultures, backgrounds, languages, and beliefs. My ultimate goal is to leave sports in a better place than I found it.” The third is equity. Bri wants to see women paid what they are worth, not as an initiative or a campaign, but as the standard. “I want it to be common. My hope is that one day the next generation will be shocked that a gap had ever existed.”