I build partnerships that belong on the grid, not just on a slide.

I am a marketing and partnerships executive, founder of The Shauna Wu Project LLC, and a builder at heart. I believe the best marketing is not just seen. It is felt. It moves people and drives business.

For more than 20 years, I have helped brands grow through sponsorships, partnerships, events, and experiential marketing that deliver real results. Today, much of my work lives in motorsport, where the margins are small, the stakes are high, and execution is everything. From racing partnerships to global conferences and executive programs, I create strategies that connect brands to passionate communities in ways that are both meaningful and measurable.

I am known for turning ambitious ideas into programs that actually perform. I love building from the ground up, navigating complexity, and leading cross functional teams to deliver award winning work that deepens customer relationships and unlocks new revenue.

What I do best
• Build sponsorship and partnership strategies that go far beyond logo placement and drive measurable ROI
• Help brands enter motorsport with credibility, purpose, and commercial impact
• Design integrated campaigns where brand, content, and live experiences work together
• Create high impact events and activations that fans remember and partners value
• Partner with executives to align marketing with revenue, audience growth, and long term vision

I bring a positive, roll up your sleeves mindset to every engagement. I move fast, think big, and care deeply about the details that turn bold ideas into powerful outcomes.

If you are a brand ready to show up in motorsport in a way that actually matters, or a sports property looking to grow sponsorship revenue, let’s connect.

The American Formula 1 Inflection Point

Formula 1’s growth in the United States is often described as momentum.

Three races.
An American team entering in 2026.
Rising media valuations.
Record attendance.

This is not momentum.

It is an inflection point.

Both sides are underestimating what is actually happening.

What F1 still misreads about the U.S. fan

American audiences do not consume sport passively.

They attach to personalities.
They expect access beyond broadcast.
They reward transparency over tradition.
They convert culture into commerce quickly.

Heritage does not automatically translate here.

Narrative does.

The U.S. market is less interested in institutional legacy and more interested in the people building it. That shift should materially influence how teams, media properties, and commercial partners structure their strategy.

What American brands miscalculate about F1

Many still treat it as hospitality or global awareness.

F1 is not inventory.

It is infrastructure.

A layered commercial ecosystem across media, luxury, technology, celebrity, and global B2B access.

Brands that win will not activate around a race weekend.

They will design recurring systems.
Content flywheels.
Executive relationship pipelines.
Creator integration.
Year round commercial storytelling.

The two year window leading into 2026 is critical. Once additional U.S. capital formalizes inside the grid, cost of entry rises and white space compresses.

The real race in America right now is between operators.

Sport × Media × Culture × Commerce.

If you were advising a board, a team principal, or a Fortune 500 CMO, what would you tell them they are overlooking in this market?

🌴Shauna Wu 🤙🏽

I am a highly accomplished and seasoned professional with over two decades of expertise in sponsorship, brand, and event marketing. Throughout my career, I have consistently excelled in connecting companies with their clients and customers through a diverse range of initiatives, including sponsorships, conferences, campaigns, product launches, networking events, and tech industry trade shows.

In my current role as the Head of Sponsorships and Brand Activations at Smartsheet, I lead the strategic direction, execution, and outcomes for Smartsheet's key sponsorships. Notably, in 2021, I successfully onboarded and launched four global partnerships that significantly contributed to our organization's growth and impact. These partnerships included Special Olympics International, The Seattle Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena, and McLaren F1 Racing.

I am characterized by a positive, energetic, and forward-thinking approach to event marketing. My keen attention to detail, combined with a decisive and action-oriented mindset, has consistently driven successful outcomes. I thrive on motivating and leading people-centric activities, and my ability to adapt to fresh and challenging environments, particularly in fast-paced and ambiguous settings, sets me apart.

Throughout my career, I have demonstrated a strong track record of solving complex problems and effectively managing cross-functional teams to achieve business results. I have a relentless focus on measuring success, valuing innovation, nurturing a positive culture, and fostering high-performance teamwork.

My passion for connecting brands with their audiences, coupled with my extensive experience and commitment to excellence, makes me a driving force in the world of sponsorship, brand, and event marketing.

Formula 1

Global Partnerships, Sponsorships & Event Marketing Leader

The deeper I get into the world of Formula 1, the more I realize something.

The opportunity isn’t just content.

It’s what gets built around it.

I’m currently working deep inside F1 culture on a confidential motorsport media property. I can’t share the name. But I can share how we’re thinking.

It’s tempting in this space to focus on episodes. On race weekends. On download numbers.

But when you’re actually inside the ecosystem, you start to see the gaps differently.

Where is the whitespace?
What isn’t being built yet?
What does this become in 3–5 years if it’s architected intentionally from day one?

That’s the work I love most.

Designing YouTube-native growth before the first big push.
Structuring partnerships that feel integrated, not bolted on.
Building repeatable franchises instead of one-hit moments.
Thinking about IP as an asset, not a show.

F1 has explosive global attention right now. But attention alone doesn’t create enterprise value. Infrastructure does.

And this is where I’d genuinely love perspective from this network.

If you’ve built or scaled a media property…
Monetized audience in a meaningful way…
Turned content into a commercial engine…

What did you learn the hard way?

What separates properties that stall from the ones that compound?

I can’t promise a job in F1.
And I can’t name the client.

But I do believe some of the smartest thinking happens in rooms like this one.

Where do you see whitespace in motorsport storytelling?

I’m hiring for a freelance contract Social Growth & Content Lead to help scale a VIP Formula 1 personality and podcast host as Formula 1 accelerates across the U.S.

This is not a passive social role.

This is an opportunity to help shape how F1 shows up for American audiences alongside top tier talent at a moment of real cultural momentum.

You’ll work at race pace.
You’ll think strategically.
You’ll execute tactically.
You’ll help build a property that matters.
Podcast experience is required.
F1 fluency is a major advantage.
Speed, taste, and judgment are non negotiable.

We are moving quickly. The goal is to land on the right person by the end of next week.

Best way to apply is through LinkedIn Easy Apply.
IMPORTANT (many people skip this step): Upload your cover letter, resume, and any relevant work in ONE DOCUMENT. The cover letter matters. Show me how you think.

I won’t be able to respond to DMs individually, so please apply directly through the posting.

If someone exceptional comes to mind, repost and share.

The Formula 1 Season Starts in Melbourne returning this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix.

Every season opener carries energy.
Australia carries something different.

Albert Park has a way of reminding you that F1 is both global and intensely local at the same time. The city shows up. The fans show up. The sport feels close.

A few years ago I was in Melbourne for race week, just above the Paddock Club with my two good mates Yasameen Murphy and Nigel Mendonca with McLaren Racing. On race day, F1 TV cameras swung our way and we ended up on broadcast.

A small moment.
But a reminder of how powerful proximity is in this sport.

That is what makes Formula 1 different.

Access creates attachment.
Attachment creates loyalty.
Loyalty creates commercial gravity.

As this season kicks off, I am spending time deep inside the media and commercial side of F1, helping architect something designed for the American market ahead of 2026.

What is becoming clear:

The next era of F1 growth in the United States will not be driven by race weekends alone.

It will be driven by narrative.

By personality.

By recurring media systems that extend beyond Sunday.

Australia feels like a beginning every year.

This one feels bigger.

Curious what you’re watching for this season. New teams. New media plays. New commercial entrants. What shifts first?

Regional Director of Large Enterprise Sales | Smartsheet + Brandfolder

GTM Leader | Advisor | Market Entry & Expansion Specialist

McLaren Racing

When Sky Sports F1 released their 2026 broadcast team lineup this week, one name was noticeably missing: Danica Patrick.

And I found myself sitting with an unexpected reaction.

Not outrage.
Not celebration either.

Just… reflection.

Danica joined the Sky Sports F1 team in 2021, starting with the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Over the past several seasons she became a familiar presence on the broadcast, particularly during North American race weekends like Miami, Austin, Las Vegas, and Canada.

In many ways, that made sense. Few drivers have had the kind of visibility she brought to motorsport in the United States.

She broke barriers most people once thought were impossible. Pole position at the Indy 500. Years competing at the highest levels of racing. For a long time, she was the most recognizable woman in racing.

At the same time, Formula 1 media is evolving.

We’re now seeing more women step into technical analysis, commentary, and storytelling roles across the sport. Voices like Ruth Buscombe, Naomi Schiff , and Jamie Chadwick are bringing new perspectives to the broadcast, from engineering insight to driver experience.

And it’s happening at a moment when Formula 1 is exploding in the United States.

New audiences are arriving every race weekend. The people behind the microphones help shape how those fans understand the sport.

Who explains it.
Who analyzes it.
Who tells the story.

Representation in motorsport media is still incredibly thin. But it is slowly expanding.

I think about young racers watching today. Kids growing up in karting paddocks. The girls who are just starting to believe they belong here.

My own daughter races motorcycles, and I see it firsthand. Her generation isn’t asking if they belong in motorsport. They’re assuming they do.

The real question isn’t just why Danica isn’t on the broadcast lineup.

It’s who gets the next seat at the desk.

Because the future of motorsport won’t just be shaped by who drives the cars.

It will also be shaped by who gets to tell the story.

Race Strategy at Formula 1 - F1 Analyst, Strategist & Presenter at F1TV - Consultant on F1 the Movie - AWS Motorsports Ambassador & Technical Advisor - Speaker debbie@performanceinsights.co.uk - Management hello@yrds.com

Presenter & F1 Analyst

One of my favorite moments in Formula 1 this week happened before the race even started.

Last Wednesday, Justin Bell asked Ruth Buscombe for her pole prediction for the season opener.

Her answer:

“Statistically, I would say George Russell.”

Fast forward to race weekend…

George Russell wins the first race of the 2026 season. 🏆

If you know Ruth, you know this wasn’t a lucky guess. Former F1 race strategist. One of the sharpest analytical minds in the sport. She reads performance trends differently than the rest of us.

It’s a great reminder that Formula 1 isn’t just speed.

It’s data, probability, and pattern recognition.

And sometimes… the people closest to the sport see the outcome days before the lights even go out.

Congrats to George and the entire Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team on a brilliant start to the season.

And Ruth… I think we’re going to need your predictions every race weekend now.

👀 Curious what everyone thinks…

Who’s your pick for the next race?

Host of Drive to Wynn - A Formula One Podcast

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team

This is rare air.

The last time I had this level of creative freedom we built Sponsor X with McLaren Racing F1 — the campaign where we removed our logo from the car and gave the space to four nonprofits.

Opportunities like that don’t come along very often.

Right now I have another one.

Two of the most important female voices in Formula One are joining us for a three-part series called Driven Forward — recording live from the paddock at the U.S. races (Vegas, Miami and Austin).

This is about the women shaping the future of F1.

Strategy. Engineering. Leadership. The path to Formula One.

And the platform is wide open.

Why does this matter?

Because the audience is changing.

According to the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey, women now represent 3 out of every 4 new fans entering the sport. 

Gen Z and women are driving the next era of fandom, and many of them engage with F1 daily through streaming video and social media. 

This is no longer just a motorsport audience.

It’s a culture.

The platform we’re building is wide open — lots of whitespace to create something meaningful.

A partner could activate across:
--> a premium podcast series
--> paddock storytelling from U.S. races
--> social and video distribution
--> and an executive engagement experience at the T11 Condos at Circuit of the Americas during the Austin Grand Prix.

Fully customizable.

Built for a brand that wants to connect with the fastest growing audience in Formula 1.

So I’m curious.

Which brands should be part of this?

Tag them below 👇

I recently came across something called the “Rubber Ball and Glass Ball” theory, and it stuck with me.

Especially working in high-performance environments like motorsport and Formula 1, where everything moves at 200 mph.

Deadlines.
Race weekends.
Partnerships.
Content.
Travel.
Messages that never stop.

Some days it feels like you’re juggling more balls than you can possibly keep in the air.

But here’s the perspective shift.

Not every ball you’re juggling is the same.

Some are rubber.

The email that waits until tomorrow.
The meeting that gets pushed.
The task that slips down the list.

They bounce.

But some are glass.

The dinner with your family after a long day.
The conversation with your kid before bed.
The quiet moment with your partner.
The people who were there before the wins and long after the checkered flag.

Glass doesn’t bounce.

It breaks.

In fast-paced industries, we’re often conditioned to believe success means never dropping anything.

But the real skill is knowing which balls you can let fall… and which ones you protect at all costs.

Because in the end, it won’t be the perfectly managed calendar or the next big win that defines our lives.

It will be the moments we chose to guard.

Guard the glass.
Let the rubber bounce.

Did anyone else on LinkedIn grow up on free or reduced lunch?

Because I did.

And for the longest time… I thought everyone did.

This week my husband was making a sandwich and deciding which way to cut it.

Then he joked,
“Kids at school used to say my mom cuts it this way.”

I froze.

I had never heard that growing up.

My mom didn’t have time to make my lunch. I barely saw her. She was busy selling cars in a male-dominated industry, living paycheck to paycheck on commission-only sales.

Some months were good.
Some months were bad.

So every day before 11am I got a rectangular slice of cheese pizza and a small chocolate milk from the cafeteria line.

And the thing is…

I truly thought everyone got free or reduced lunch.

I didn’t realize until much later that some kids went home with packed lunches, sandwiches cut diagonally, and parents who had the time to do that.

Nobody saved for my college.

But somehow I found my way there on a music scholarship.

So today I’m thinking about everyone on LinkedIn who grew up on free or reduced lunch and is now out here standing on business.

Statistics say we weren’t supposed to make it.

But look at us.

We’re cut from the same cloth.

We know what struggle looks like.
We know what hustle looks like.

And now I see you here every day…

Building companies.
Leading teams.
Closing deals.
Raising families.

If you grew up on free or reduced lunch and you’re out here winning today, drop a comment. I’d love to see how many of us are out here proving the statistics wrong.

For everyone who had “talks too much” on their report cards…

What do you do for a living?

I’ll go first.

I build partnerships worth millions of dollars.

I sit at the intersection of brands, billion-dollar properties, race teams, founders, CMOs, athletes, and CEOs… and I translate.

I turn conversations into strategy.
Strategy into story.
Story into revenue.

Turns out “talks too much” was just early evidence of:

• Pattern recognition
• Emotional intelligence
• Reading the room
• Asking better questions
• Connecting dots others don’t see
• Selling big ideas with conviction

The same thing that got me in trouble in 3rd grade is now the reason sponsors trust me with their brand equity.

Because partnership marketing isn’t about logos on cars.

It’s about listening deeply enough to understand what someone is really trying to build…
And then articulating it back to them in a way that makes them say:

“Yes. That. That’s it.”

In motorsport.
In tech.
In board rooms.
In the paddock.

I’ve learned this:
The kids who “talk too much” often grow up to be the ones who can’t stop building.

So if you were that kid…

What are you building now?

👇

I’m experimenting with something new.

Every Tuesday I’m going to share an idea that’s testing my brain that week.
Not polished.

Not fully formed.

Just something I’m thinking through.

Today’s idea came from a question I keep coming back to: Why are so many people obsessed with Formula 1?

My theory… It’s not just the racing.

It’s the mindset of winning.

People who are drawn to F1 tend to be fascinated by high performance.
So that led me to a concept I’m testing right now: The Business of Winning.

A former champion interviewing people who have won something in life — in sport, business, or anywhere high performance shows up — and breaking down how they think.

The mindset.
The pressure.
The internal dialogue.

Curious what you think.

Would you watch something like that?

And while we’re at it —
👇 What’s testing you this week?

There are certain people you meet who immediately raise the bar.

Tyler Fryberg is one of them.

I first met Tyler on a conference call. I remember being genuinely impressed by how prepared he was. Thoughtful. Clear. Purpose-driven. He showed up like a pro.

Then I had the privilege of meeting him in person at an event I hosted in partnership with the Seattle Kraken and Special Olympics Washington  with Mary Do — and that’s when I saw what truly sets him apart.

His zest for life is unmatched.

Tyler is an Athlete Leader and Health Messenger for Special Olympics Washington. He uses his voice to advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, speaking to medical students, public health leaders, and even on Capitol Hill. He proudly represents the The Tulalip Tribes and speaks openly about living with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder).

That kind of vulnerability is leadership.

He doesn’t just show up as an athlete.
He shows up as a bridge builder.
As an advocate.
As a proud Native American leader.
As someone determined to create a more inclusive world.

If you’re looking for inspiration on LinkedIn, follow Tyler. Watch his journey. Amplify his message.

We need more leaders like him.

Building Bridges Project Coordinator, Global Health Messenger, Tulalip Orcas Progam Coordinator and a Tulalip Tribal Member

Seattle Kraken

Special Olympics Washington

Transformational Nonprofit Leader | Strategic Visionary | Advocate for Inclusive, Mission-Driven Impact | PSBJ 40 Under 40

The Tulalip Tribes

The Internet Just Taught a Masterclass in Marketing

This week the CEO of McDonald’s posted a video trying the company’s new burger for lunch.

Except he didn’t call it a burger.

He called it a product.

And then he took what the internet is now calling a “rabbit bite.”

Within hours the video was everywhere. Marketing LinkedIn. Twitter. Group chats.

Not because the idea was bad.

The idea was actually strong. A CEO personally introducing a new menu item could have been a great moment for the brand.

The problem was execution.

Calling a burger a product is boardroom language.
Consumers don’t crave products.

They crave burgers.

Then the internet did what the internet always does. It corrected the moment.

The CEO of Burger King responded with a video taking a very enthusiastic bite of their burger.

No corporate language.
No hesitation.

Just a burger.

And suddenly the contrast became the story.

What I found most interesting is what happened next.

McDonald’s leaned into the backlash and posted again joking about how the “product” post even got approved.

That tells me something important.

They’re listening.

And listening is where the real lesson lives.

Because audiences today are not passive. They respond instantly. They remix your message. They decide what your campaign actually becomes.

Which brings me to Formula 1.

One of the biggest reasons F1 has exploded in the United States is because the sport started paying closer attention to what fans actually want.

More personality.
More behind-the-scenes access.
More storytelling beyond the race itself.

But the tension still exists.

Parts of the sport still communicate like it’s speaking to a boardroom.

Fans experience it like culture.

The brands and teams that win in this next era of Formula 1 will be the ones that close that gap.

Because the difference between a moment that travels and one that gets roasted is often very small.

Sometimes it’s strategy.

Sometimes it’s execution.

And sometimes it’s just the difference between calling it a burger…

or calling it a product.

Curious what others think. Where do you see brands getting the fan psychology wrong in sports right now?

So let me get this straight.

On International Women’s Day… we also lose an hour?

Feels a little too on brand.

Women everywhere already juggling careers, businesses, families, expectations, invisible labor, and about 47 other things before lunch.

Now we’re just doing it in 23 hours instead of 24.

No big deal.

Happy International Women’s Day to the women building companies, raising the next generation, breaking barriers, showing up anyway, and somehow making the impossible look routine.

We’ll make the hour back later. 💪

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