You’ve probably seen the tweets. Usually, it's a picture of Mina Kimes—ESPN’s resident football genius—and a tall, sharp-featured guy who looks like he just stepped out of a modular synthesizer boutique in Silver Lake. That’s Nick Sylvester.
For a lot of NFL fans, he’s just "Mina's husband." But if you hang out in the weird corners of the internet where people argue about 808 bass lines and "left-of-pop" textures, he’s a bit of a legend. This isn't your typical sports-media power couple. It’s a collision of Yale-educated investigative journalism and the avant-garde Brooklyn music scene.
Honestly, the way they met and stayed together while their careers exploded is kinda fascinating. They aren't just "influencers" posting staged photos. They’ve been married since 2015, long before Mina was making $1.7 million a year to explain the "tush push" on NFL Live.
The Godmode of Nick Sylvester
Nick isn't just a guy with a cool haircut. He’s a producer, songwriter, and the co-founder of Godmode, an artist development company that basically defined a specific era of cool music. Have you heard of Yaeji? Channel Tres? JPEGMAFIA?
Nick had a hand in all of that.
He started out as a music critic for Pitchfork and The Village Voice. He was the guy writing the reviews you’d read to figure out what was actually worth your time. But eventually, he got tired of just talking about the mess and decided to make it himself. He moved into production, apprenticing under James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. That’s a heavy-duty pedigree.
In 2022, Nick stepped away from Godmode to launch smartdumb, a new music venture. He describes the company's philosophy as music that starts with a question mark and ends with an exclamation point. Basically, he wants to make you go, "Wait, what? Wow!"
He’s currently working on his own debut album, Stereo Music for Breakbeats and Samplers. It’s a deconstruction of electronic noise. It’s smart. It’s probably a little loud. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a guy who studied renaissance choral singing at Harvard but loves the sound of a drum machine breaking.
Why Everyone Obsesses Over Their Dynamic
Let’s be real. People love them because they seem like actual humans.
Mina Kimes is the undisputed queen of NFL Twitter, but she’s also a nerd who loves her dog, Lenny, and gets genuinely excited about offensive line play. Nick is the "smart-dumb" music executive who looks like he’s never watched a down of football in his life—which, according to some of Mina’s jokes, isn't too far from the truth.
The Lenny Factor
You can’t talk about Nick Sylvester and Mina Kimes without mentioning Lenny. Their "emotionally complicated" dog is a permanent fixture of their brand. He’s the namesake of Mina’s podcast. He’s the star of half their Instagram posts. In a world of curated celebrity pets, Lenny feels like the chaotic center of their Los Angeles home.
Growing the Family in 2026
The couple welcomed their first child, a son, in late 2023. It was a massive moment for fans who have followed Mina since her days as a business reporter at Fortune.
Seeing them navigate the chaos of new parenthood while balancing massive careers has only made them more relatable. Mina didn't slow down—she signed a massive extension with ESPN and a deal with Meadowlark Media. Nick continues to push the boundaries of independent music.
They are frequently spotted at events like the Asia Society Southern California Gala, looking like the most stylish people in the room. They represent a new kind of modern success: highly specialized, deeply respected in their niche, and seemingly very happy.
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What You Can Learn From Their Success
It’s easy to look at a "power couple" and think it’s all about luck. It’s not. There’s a blueprint here for anyone trying to build a career in the digital age.
- Own your niche. Mina didn't start as a "sports person." She was a killer investigative journalist who followed her passion for the Seahawks. Nick didn't try to make Top 40 hits; he built a world for "weirdos" that eventually became mainstream cool.
- Keep your private life (mostly) private. While they share glimpses of their life, they don't over-index on "couple content." Their professional identities are separate and strong.
- Don't be afraid to pivot. Nick went from critic to producer to label head to solo artist. Mina went from business writing to NFL analysis.
If you're looking to follow their lead, the next step is simple: stop trying to be a generalist. Find the one thing you know better than anyone else—whether it's the nuances of a Zone-Read or the perfect EQ for a synth—and lean into it until people have no choice but to notice.
Check out Nick's latest tracks on his smartdumb site or catch Mina’s latest breakdown on NFL Live. They’re both at the top of their game for a reason.