B.S., University of Florida; J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
Raquel Braun is a media executive, strategic advisor and entrepreneur who has worked with the biggest sports leagues and events in the world, including FIFA, the NFL, Formula 1, MLB, MLS, UEFA, the Premier League, the NHL, UFC and NASCAR. She currently provides C-level strategy, operations and deal-making consulting services to startups and companies interested in launching new verticals within the sports business, media and technology space. Additionally, Prof. Braun is the co-founder of the North American Soccer Media and Business Awards, the only continental awards program that showcases and celebrates excellence and innovation within North American soccer.
Professor Braun previously served as a senior Business Development executive at EA SPORTS where she managed three new verticals within the business development organization, transforming media partnerships, talent engagements, and Esports initiatives across EA SPORTS’ portfolio of brands. During her time at EA SPORTS, she led negotiations on first-of-their-kind partnerships, such as the award-winning Ted Lasso x FIFA23 integration with Apple and WB, development of the feature film “Fantasy Football” with Nickelodeon, Spring Hill Productions and Paramount+, and the Sports Emmy-nominated 2022 Madden Bowl, which featured the creation of the first Madden NFL channel and audio-only production on iHeartRadio. In this role, Prof. Braun also played an integral part in the development of new short and long-form content concepts, including the integration of Madden NFL into select games from Amazon Prime’s inaugural season of Thursday Night Football and the creation of new Esports show formats, such as FIFA Face-Off featuring Trevor Noah, Becky G, Jason Sudeikis and Nicky Jam. Additionally, Prof. Braun and her team worked on the development of multi-faceted talent partnerships with athletes such as Deion Sanders, Kylian Mbappé, Max Verstappen, and more.
Prior to joining EA SPORTS, Professor Braun was Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at FOX Sports where she managed high-profile talent negotiations, advised on production operations and strategy, and oversaw production-related deal-making for FOX Sports’ premier properties. In this role, she led on-the-ground business and legal affairs efforts in Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Paris and Vancouver for the FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2019 and 2015, respectively, Miami for Super Bowl LIV, and Houston & Los Angeles for the 2017 World Series, amongst other events. In prior roles with FOX, Prof. Braun worked on the acquisition of major sports rights for FOX’s global sports networks, the development of original programming, including documentaries, game shows and reality shows, and provided support on the launches and management of various FOX Sports international networks and businesses.
Professor Braun is an alumna of Georgetown Law and the University of Florida. She serves on the Georgetown Law Alumni Board and is the Chair of the University of Florida Sports Management Industry Advisory Board. While at Georgetown Law, Prof. Braun founded GEMALaw and continues to advise Georgetown students and alumni interested in sports, entertainment and media.