Building businesses that adapt, grow, and endure
Operating executive with experience spanning the NFL, Yahoo!, growth-stage ventures, and emerging technology businesses, with a focus on partnerships, commercialization, and business evolution.
Experience
NFL
Shaped the league’s earliest digital products and licensing frameworks
Prudential
Recruited to rotational executive development program
Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment
Diversified revenues with launches of new divisions and services
Yahoo! Sports / broadcast.com
Expanded monetization strategy and enterprise-scale partnerships
Upgraded
Co-founded one of the first commercial blockchain-based smart ticketing platforms, later acquired by Ticketmaster
JEHM Media
Fractional executive for fan engagement companies and advisory work for select VC / PE firms.
Executive Overview
John Haegele is an operating executive and advisor with more than 30 years of experience helping businesses navigate periods of growth, transformation, and industry change across sports, media, technology, and live experiences.
His career has spanned established organizations including the NFL, Yahoo!, Prudential, and Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment, as well as emerging ventures and growth-stage businesses. Throughout that time, he has consistently focused on building new revenue opportunities, expanding strategic partnerships, modernizing business models, and helping organizations adapt to evolving consumer and technology landscapes.
John has helped launch early digital initiatives for the NFL, contributed to the growth and monetization of Yahoo! Sports during the rise of digital media, led diversification and experiential growth initiatives at Van Wagner, and co-founded Upgraded, an early blockchain-based smart ticketing platform later acquired by Ticketmaster.
Today, through JEHM Media, he advises and collaborates with businesses at points of transition and growth, with particular interest in asset-light businesses, information and media platforms, specialized B2B service firms, and companies with strong operational foundations and untapped growth potential.
Through JEHM Media, John works with founders, operators, and leadership teams on strategic growth, business development, operational scaling, and commercialization initiatives across sports, media, technology, and adjacent industries.
Current Focus
Current engagements are focused on helping businesses navigate periods of transition and opportunity — including revenue diversification, partnership strategy, organizational development, audience growth, and emerging technology opportunities — while also evaluating select acquisition and operating opportunities in asset-light and growth-oriented businesses.