Sydny Layne
Los Angeles
Summary
Dynamic marketing and brand experiences leader with 15+ years of experience developing and executing integrated marketing strategies, large-scale live events, and high-impact experiential campaigns for globally recognized brands including the Los Angeles Rams, Samsung, Hilton and other Fortune 500 companies. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage multimillion-dollar budgets, and deliver marquee experiences—from executive hospitality and B2B conferences to fan festivals, international activations, and events engaging more than 70,000 attendees. Skilled at translating business objectives into innovative consumer experiences that strengthen brand affinity, drive audience growth and engagement, maximize partnership value, and deliver measurable business results. Recognized for combining strategic thinking, creative innovation, operational excellence, and collaborative leadership to execute complex, high-visibility initiatives that advance organizational goals and elevate brand impact.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Events & Brand Experience
Los Angeles Rams
10.2022 - 06.2026
- Directed strategy, creative development, production, and execution for the organization’s annual event portfolio, including the NFL Draft, Training Camp, Season Kickoff, international activations, merchandise launches, and Game Day experiences, producing brand activations for audiences ranging from 200–70,000 attendees
- Served as executive producer across the full event lifecycle, leading concept development, venue strategy, creative, budgeting, staffing, production, credentialing, travel logistics, vendor management, and onsite execution
- Developed event strategies and creative briefs defining objectives, target audiences, guest journeys, budgets, partnership opportunities, staffing plans, and success metrics for high-profile organizational initiatives
- Partnered closely with Executive Leadership, Brand Strategy, Communications, Sales, Digital Marketing, Partnerships, Influencer, International, and Legal teams to align experiences with organizational priorities and business objectives
- Directed sponsorship and partner activation strategy from concept through execution, maximizing visibility, contractual fulfillment, and long-term partner relationships while protecting brand integrity
- Managed appearances and logistics for NFL players, celebrity ambassadors, musical guests, executives and media
- Oversaw agencies, production partners, creative vendors, venues, and suppliers, negotiating contracts and managing complex vendor relationships across multiple concurrent projects
- Owned multimillion-dollar event budgets, forecasting, financial tracking, reconciliation, and post-event reporting while identifying efficiencies without compromising creative quality
- Built scalable event management systems, production playbooks, vendor workflows, staffing plans, and processes
- Measured event performance using attendance, fan engagement, earned media, partner value, and business impact to inform future investment decisions and optimize event strategy
Senior Integrated Marketing Manager
M4 (a FinTech startup)
09.2021 - 08.2022
- Developed integrated marketing initiatives across acquisition, lifecycle marketing, communications, customer success, and retention to support business growth and customer engagement
- Led the end-to-end process for marketing strategy, creative development, execution, and performance measurement across multiple concurrent initiatives
- Collaborated with analytics teams to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and deliver actionable business insights
- Created executive-ready presentations, marketing plans, and performance recaps supporting strategic decision making
Director, Event Strategy
Agency EA (an experiential marketing agency)
12.2019 - 09.2021
- Directed experiential marketing strategy and execution for Fortune 500 clients across hospitality, technology, and lifestyle sectors with program budgets ranging from $6M–$14M
- Led event portfolio planning, investment recommendations, and creative strategy for large-scale brand activations, executive hospitality programs, conferences, and VIP experiences
- Developed creative concepts, venue strategies, environmental design strategies, and event narratives that translated client objectives into premium brand experiences
- Managed multidisciplinary teams across strategy, creative, production, operations, and technology while overseeing agency partners, production vendors, venues, and contractors
- Negotiated vendor agreements, managed procurement, forecasting, staffing plans, contracts, and financial reporting across multiple simultaneous experiential programs
- Built project management frameworks, event playbooks, creative review processes, vendor standards, and operational workflows that improved execution and scalability
- Presented strategic recommendations and creative concepts to executive leadership, supporting major client initiatives and new business development
Senior Producer
Agency EA (an experiential marketing agency)
07.2016 - 11.2019
- Produced integrated live events and brand experiences, executive hospitality events, and B2B conferences for clients including Samsung, Hilton, GitHub, Intuit, and Shipt
- Managed end-to-end event execution including venue sourcing, event production, credentialing, communications, travel, transportation, food and beverage, signage, sponsorship fulfillment, gifting, and onsite operations
- Coordinated speakers, VIP guests, production teams, agencies, and third-party vendors while serving as onsite lead
- Established KPIs with client stakeholders, analyzed event performance, and developed post-event reports with recommendations to improve future investment and attendee engagement
Senior Account Manager
Tribune Content Solutions (a Chicago Tribune Company)
08.2014 - 07.2016
- Managed integrated marketing campaigns for a national retail client with a $1.7M annual budget, overseeing strategy, execution, and financial performance
- Developed marketing strategies spanning content, video production, experiential, influencer partnerships, and digital
- Directed creative teams, agency partners, and external vendors while managing budgets, schedules, and project delivery across multiple concurrent initiatives
- Conducted competitive research and audience analysis to identify opportunities that strengthened performance
Account Manager
Tribune Content Solutions (a Chicago Tribune Company)
07.2013 - 08.2014
- Managed integrated marketing programs across more than 15 client accounts spanning digital marketing, paid media, websites, and social media
- Oversaw project scopes, timelines, budgets, stakeholder communications, and campaign reporting
- Developed data-informed content strategies and optimization recommendations using campaign analytics
Marketing Associate
Hudson (a Global Consulting Firm)
01.2011 - 07.2013
- Supported the VP, Digital Marketing & CRM to develop and execute marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness and lead generation
- Analyzed market trends to identify new opportunities for client engagement and growth
- Collaborated with cross-functional team to ensure cohesive messaging and strategy implementation
- Managed social media platforms, enhancing audience interaction and content relevance
Education
B.A. - Journalism
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN05.2010
Skills
- Event management
- Event Strategy
- Experiential Marketing
- Experience Design
- Brand Strategy
- Creative Strategy
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Stakeholder Management
- Budget Management
- Partnership Strategy & Management
- Project Management
- Communications
- Relationship building
- Strategic planning
- Decision-making
- People management
- Team management
- Contract and vendor management
Timeline
Director, Events & Brand Experience
Los Angeles Rams
10.2022 - 06.2026
Senior Integrated Marketing Manager
M4 (a FinTech startup)
09.2021 - 08.2022
Director, Event Strategy
Agency EA (an experiential marketing agency)
12.2019 - 09.2021
Senior Producer
Agency EA (an experiential marketing agency)
07.2016 - 11.2019
Senior Account Manager
Tribune Content Solutions (a Chicago Tribune Company)
08.2014 - 07.2016
Account Manager
Tribune Content Solutions (a Chicago Tribune Company)
07.2013 - 08.2014
Marketing Associate
Hudson (a Global Consulting Firm)
01.2011 - 07.2013
B.A. - Journalism
Indiana University
Additional Work Experience
- Edelman, Consumer Marketing Intern, Chicago, IL | Oct 2010 – Jan 2011
- MTV Networks, Public Relations Intern, New York, NY | June – Sept 2009
Special Projects & Internships
- The MVP Party New York, NY | Jan 2014 Production Manager, celebrity Super Bowl event
- Jim Brown Legends of Football Celebrity Golf Tournament New Orleans, LA | Jan 2013 Event Production and Media Relations in partnership with ESPN during Super Bowl weekend
- MENTOR’s Champions Celebrity Golf Tournament Baiting Hollow, NY | Sept 2011 & 2012 Media and Talent Relations Coordinator in partnership with the Golf Channel and Bill Russell’s charity golf event