Non-Monogamous Sponsorship: Neko Mullaly

Note: This interview comes as part 3 of 3 on “ Non-Manogamous Sponsorship ” where we dig into the evolving world of professional mountain bike sponsorship and explore if these relationships are becoming more flexible as the bike industry adjusts to a post-pandemic market.

Neko Mulally is a professional mountain biker from North Carolina known for his World Cup DH racing, the creation of Kanuaga and Rock Creek bike parks, and the management of his own custom frame project and WC DH team: Frameworks Racing

In Part 1 we mentioned Neko Mulally’s Frameworks Racing program listing Specialized as a sponsor as a prime example of a unique sponsorship situation. I reached out to him to see if he could give us some background on this unique sponsorship as well as his thoughts on balance and healthy relationships in the bike industry.

It seems like you have a pretty unique sponsor situation with Specialized supporting your team. How did that come to be? Did you approach them with the idea? How is it going?

Yes, I guess it's a pretty unique thing to have support from another bike brand, but I think it makes a lot of sense for both Frameworks and Specialized to partner on the products we aren't both making. I went to Curtis Keene, who is now in charge of partnerships for Specialized, with the idea of us using and promoting their Turbo E-Bikes and P.Series dirt jump bikes. He saw the value in partnering and has been so smooth to work with. It's going great! We love the bikes they gave us, having the e bikes to train on and use at the races has been a huge help, and they are supporting us financially. Huge thank you, to Specialized!

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I'd imagine you have a wide understanding of sponsorship with your experience as an athlete, team manager, manufacturer, bike park owner, race promoter etc... which role do you think is the hardest to manage in a way that feels "sustainable" or healthy?

That's a lot of jobs when you spell it all out! I feel like I'm just a mountain biker and am lucky enough to work in all of these aspects of the sport. I think they all compliment each other. I'd say being an athlete is the least sustainable/ healthy identity that I have. I'm 31 now, and the youth coming up are pushing the limit, so I can feel myself getting to the end of my competitive career. You have to be selfish to be a successful athlete, so compared to all of the other things you mentioned there, winning races is for yourself, while the others are for the greater good that everyone can enjoy. However, being a successful athlete has given me the platform to be able to do these, and I love to see athletes using their position to improve their sport/ community.

Over the years have you or anyone you know ever had to run “blacked out” non-sponsor equipment because the product you were using was not working? If you have seen that, why do you think situations like that happen?

I think it's pretty normal in racing for riders/ teams to black out products they aren't sponsored by. I can remember blacking out tires as we were in the development process with brands over the years. You still see that from some teams if you look closely.

What was your first sponsorship? How did it work out? Any advice you’d give your younger self?

My first sponsorship was actually from Specialized. I rode for their "Team America" program in 2009 with Kyle Strait and Cody Warren. I guess my advice would be to perfect your craft and have a great resume of results plus be a good ambassador, and brands will want to align with you.

What have you learned about sponsorship over the years? How do you filter out good and bad deals?

I guess I've learned that the exchange needs to be equal for both the rider and sponsor. You need to provide an equal or greater return on the value of the sponsorship for it to be sustainable. To those who are given a lot, a lot is required.

Does loyalty pay off? Or is it really just business out there and you have to take care of your bank account above all else?

Most of the time, it does. And you want to continue to work with people that you like to work with. There is more to each deal than just the money. Especially for racing, you need performance and support in addition to funding. Most of my long term partners, like Fox, are relationships that have been cultivated over time.