This week in the sports media and marketing ecosystem, Cespedes Family BBQ is set to join DAZN’s new baseball show, Shaq teams up with Papa John’s, and the NFL promotes the league’s first chief revenue officer.
For job openings and more on who’s moving where, check out the Hashtag Sports Weekly roundup.
DAZN Unveils New Talent For Nightly MLB Show
ChangeUp, DAZN and MLB’s new co-produced nightly baseball show, has revealed its list of talent that will be hosting the show that is set to debut this week during MLB’s Opening Day. On weeknights, the show will feature former ESPNer Adnan Virk and HQ Trivia host Scott Rogosky taking the reins of the “NFL RedZone-esque” baseball show, with the boys of Cespedes Family BBQ (Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman) taking over the show on the weekend editions.
Papa John’s Teams Up With NBA Legend
Shaquille O’Neal not only recently joined Papa John’s Board of Directors but also agreed to serve as an ambassador for the pizza brand. Additionally, the former NBA star is investing in nine Papa John’s locations around the Atlanta area on top of already owning Big Chicken, a fine dining restaurant in Los Angeles, and nine different Krispy Kreme locations in Atlanta. Papa John’s is hoping to utilize O’Neal’s popularity to build a better brand culture following the past years’ external issues.
NFL Promotes League’s First Chief Revenue Officer
Former NFL SVP of Partnerships, Sponsorship, and Consumer Products Renie Anderson has been promoted to EVP of NFL Partnerships. In Anderson’s new role, media sales will be added to her current responsibilities that include corporate sponsorships and consumer products licensing. This professional shift also dubs Anderson the NFL’s first Chief Revenue Officer.
Los Angeles Team XFL Names President
Heather Brooks Karatz has been named President of the XFL football team based in Los Angeles. In her new role, Karatz will oversee the team’s fan engagement and business operations including ticket sales, corporate partnerships, game day experience, and more. Karatz most recently worked as EVP and General Counsel of the Los Angeles Football Club and Banc of California Stadium.
NBC Sports Washington Announces Series of Exec Shifts
The NBC regional sports network has announced a series of executive shifts including Brett Sullivan being appointed to Vice President of Sales, Jen Allen being named the Senior Director of Marketing, and Heather Steffan heading local sales. Additionally, the local NBC Washington station is hiring longtime Maryland broadcaster Johnny Holliday to contribute to the network’s sports coverage.
Vice Names SVP of Digital
Katie Drummond has been announced as Vice Media’s SVP of Vice Digital. In her new role, Drummond will head coordinating video production with the editorial direction of the company, focus on talent development and creating a consistent voice throughout content operations, and additionally collaborate with Vice sales, product, experiences, and growth teams. Drummond has experience in a variety of editorial roles, most recently serving as deputy editor with Medium.
Former H+K Strategies Exec Joins CAA
Andy Sutherden has recently joined CAA in the newly created role of Head of International. Previously in his most recent role with H+K, Sutherden worked as Global Head of Sports and Partnership Marketing where he lead many projects involving the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, and more. His efforts with H+K lead the current CAA executives to believe Sutherden is the best candidate to help guide the company’s international efforts.
Riot Games Promotes Exec to Lead LoL Euro Championships
Alberto Guerro has been promoted within Riot Games to serve as an executive of the League of Legends European Championships, based in Berlin. Guerro has been with Riot Games since August 2017 where he most recently worked as the Country Manager of Iberia.
M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment Hires Creative Director
Seth Jones is set to lead all creative output efforts of M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment, adding significant strength to the agency’s senior leadership team. Jones joins M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment after most recently working as AnalogFolk’s Creative Director where he led multiple large brands such as Nike, PepsiCo, and more.
Big League League Exec Jumps to Foxtel
Cricket Australia’s Head of the Big Bash League Kim McConnie has announced she is moving to Foxtel to replace Adam Ballesty as Head of Sports Marketing. According to Mumbrella, Foxtel CMO Kiernan Conney says, “Kim has an impressive media and sport background, most recently the GM of The Big Bash and prior to that has over 12 years of diverse marketing leadership experience within PepsiCo globally, most prominently, Sports Marketing in the US.”
rEvolution Expands on London Office Hires
The integrated global sports marketing agency, rEvolution, is branching out with its international sports marketing presence with two new hires to be based out of the company’s London offices. Nathalie de Regt joins as the company’s new Business Director of Research, while George Gilmore joins as the company’s new Business Director.
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