Former Bucks Digital Executive Joins Timberwolves & Lynx Front Office

Minneapolis-St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx have announced the hiring of Mike Grahl as Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, he will oversee all aspects of marketing including branding, advertising, live programming and entertainment, creative services, events, merchandising, websites, email, mobile, digital content and video production.   “I’m thrilled to be joining this first-class organization,” said Grahl. “The transformation this franchise has undergone both on and off the court is remarkable and I couldn’t be more excited to work with this talented group of people to help take the Timberwolves and Lynx fan experience to even greater heights.”   Grahl joins the teams after 20 years with the Milwaukee Bucks, most recently serving as Chief Digital Officer. He was responsible for all digital marketing efforts including web, mobile, social media, email and database platforms, both for the team and the new arena. He began his career with the Bucks as an intern in the sales and marketing department, eventually leading the team’s digital marketing efforts for 18 years. Under his direction, the team significantly enhanced the digital fan experience and grew digital team revenue by 110% over the past three years. The team also earned peer-voted NBA Digital Innovation Awards the past three years and ranked in the top five in the NBA for social media and app engagement metrics.   “Mike is one of the most respected digital minds in our industry,” said Timberwolves & Lynx CEO Ethan Casson. “His achievements throughout his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks is impressive and we look forward to him bringing his talents and vision to our organization.”   The hiring of Grahl is the latest in a series of moves that have significantly expanded the Timberwolves & Lynx digital team. They recently formed a dedicated content team which included the hiring of Shahbaz Khan as Senior Manager of Digital Content, previously Digital Managing Editor for the Sacramento Kings, Cody Sharrett as Social Media Manager, formerly Digital Content Manager for the Portland Trail Blazers, and Taylor Nardinger as Social Media Coordinator, formerly Social Media Coordinator for the University of Minnesota. The team also formed a Digital Innovation department, which includes all web, email and mobile marketing under one umbrella.