The Crew Activation Network Launches in San Diego
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — September 9, 2026 — The Crew Activation Network today announced the launch of a new
experiential marketing and workforce-development platform designed to connect brands, universities and
emerging professionals through real-world brand activation experience.
Launching in San Diego in September 2026, The Crew Activation Network will collaborate with the San Diego State
University Sports Business Initiative (SBI) to establish its inaugural student cohort — The First Crew.
Unlike traditional internships, campus ambassador programs or event staffing models, The Crew is designed to
involve students in the complete marketing and activation process:
RESEARCH. PLAN. EXECUTE. REPORT.
Students will research the brand, audience and opportunity; participate in developing the activation plan; execute
live experiences in the community; and report results, observations and recommendations back to the brand.
The result is intended to create value on both sides of the partnership: brands gain access to trained, locally
connected activation teams capable of creating authentic community engagement, while students gain
meaningful experience applying what they have learned in the classroom to actual business objectives.
Bridging the Gap Between Education and Experience
Higher education provides students with knowledge and a foundation for their careers. The Crew was created
around the belief that knowledge becomes considerably more powerful when students have opportunities to
apply it.
The platform is designed to help students develop not only marketing experience, but also the professional skills
that are difficult to replicate in a classroom: communication, accountability, leadership, teamwork, curiosity,
problem-solving, client service and confidence.
“For more than 20 years, I’ve watched talented students enter our industry eager to learn but without enough
opportunities to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom,” said Duke Little, Founder / CEO of The Crew
Activation Network. “The Crew is designed to help close that gap. We want students to understand the objective,
participate in the planning, execute the work and then evaluate the results. That’s how knowledge becomes
experience, and experience becomes confidence.”
The Crew also arrives at a time when brands are navigating an increasingly digital consumer environment. While
digital and social platforms provide extraordinary reach, The Crew believes there remains significant value in
creating opportunities for consumers to interact directly with people, products and brands.
Live activations at community events, youth sports programs, 5K and 10K races, half marathons, charity golf
outings, retail openings, health and wellness events, college and professional sporting events, festivals and other
local gatherings can provide brands with something digital media alone cannot replicate: human connection.
The First Crew: San Diego
The Crew Activation Network will launch its proof-of-concept during the 2026–2027 academic year in
collaboration with the SDSU Sports Business Initiative.
SBI will help connect The Crew with SDSU students interested in careers across sports, entertainment, marketing
and related industries. Participating students will receive professional development and activation experience
designed to complement their academic education.
"I am so pleased we are getting to be the launchpad with The Crew. It is a truly wonderful opportunity,
and we are always looking for new and upcoming opportunities for our members that will help them
level up within their professional development outside of being in the classroom. The Crew is the
perfect place for our members to get that hands-on experience."
— Ava Cox, President, SDSU Sports Business Initiative
The inaugural San Diego program is intended to serve as the foundation for a scalable model that can ultimately
be introduced into additional markets through relationships with universities and brand partners across the
country.
Seeking the Inaugural Brand Partner
With The First Crew preparing for its September launch, The Crew Activation Network is now seeking an inaugural
brand partner interested in helping bring the platform to life.
The partnership opportunity is designed for organizations that want to create measurable community engagement
while also investing in the development of emerging professionals.
“There’s a larger responsibility behind what we’re building,” Little added. “Those of us who have benefited from
careers in this industry have an opportunity to help prepare the people who will follow us. I’m looking for brand
leaders who share that belief — leaders who recognize that we can create meaningful business outcomes while
also helping prepare the next generation of talent.”
Brand partnerships can be customized around the organization’s marketing objectives, target audiences and
priority communities while operating through the same Crew methodology: Research → Plan → Execute → Report.
Each activation concludes with reporting designed to provide the brand with agreed performance metrics, field
observations, consumer insights, lessons learned and recommendations for future activity.
The long-term vision is to establish a network of Crew alumni who enter the workforce with meaningful real-world
experience and remain connected by a shared professional foundation — while creating a flexible activation
platform capable of following brand partners into markets across the country.
Connecting Education. Experience. Opportunity. One Brand Activation at a Time.
About The Crew Activation Network
The Crew Activation Network is an experiential marketing and workforce-development platform that connects
brands, universities and emerging professionals through real-world brand activation experience.
Through its Research → Plan → Execute → Report operating model, The Crew provides students with opportunities
to participate in the complete marketing process while providing brands with trained, locally connected teams
capable of supporting community-based experiential marketing programs.
The Crew Activation Network is operated by DLA Connect, LLC and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
For information about becoming a brand partner, university partner or participating in The Crew Activation
Media & Partnership Contact
Duke Little
Founder / CEO
The Crew Activation Network
858-779-7230