Authors

AMY MARTIN

Amy Martin spent eight years living the agency life working with clients such as the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Coyotes and the the Super Bowl XLIII Host Committee. She recently spent three seasons with the Phoenix Suns developing and monetizing their digital media platform. During her time with the Suns, she was responsible for concepting, pitching, executing and measuring digital marketing partnerships (sponsorships).

Digital Royalty, Amy’s Digital Integration and Social Marketing agency, focuses on developing strategies to help corporate brands, professional sports leagues, teams and athletes build, measure and monetize their digital universe. She has developed a proprietary Return on Influence (ROI) measurement formula to demonstrate the value of social marketing. Her most recent example of social media success is the growth of Shaquille O’Neal’s digital brand via social media and implementing measurable strategies which have resulted in securing major endorsement deals.  Follow Amy on Twitter @DigitalRoyalty

RYAN STEPHENS

Ryan is an Associate Media Analyst at Sports Media Challenge where he helps champion social media strategies for sports, lifestyle and entertainment brands. In his spare time he serves as a social media consultant who is passionate about the power of web 2.0 and its ability to cultivate conversations, build relationships and spread of ideas. Feel free to leave your thoughts on his articles, connect with him on his blog at Ryan Stephens Marketing or find him on LinkedIn and Twitter @ryanstephens

DARREN HEITNER

Darren Heitner is a CEO, sports agent, journalist, entrepreneur, and innovator.

Darren created the first sports agent blog on the internet, SportsAgentBlog.com, which receives upwards of 5,000 unique visits per day from sports agents, athletes, media sources, and the general public. In the blog, everything from contract negotiations to endorsement deals are examined, providing the framework for a great deal of information upon which he has been able to depend.  In 2009, Darren created EntertainmentAgentBlog.com, which has the same purpose of SAB, but focuses on the entertainment industry.

Darren is also the CEO and Founder of Dynasty Athlete Representation, a full service sports and talent agency that handles contract negotiations, marketing endorsements, financial planning, legal services, etc.

Darren graduated from the University of Florida in May 2007 with a Political Science Major and was valedictorian of his class. He is a member of many Honors Societies including, Florida Blue Key, Phi Beta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi. He is now in his third and final year at the University of Florida Levin School of Law, where he is serving his second consecutive term as the President of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society.

Connect with Darren on Twitter @Darren_Heitner

TYLER JOHNSON

Tyler Johnson is a New Business Development Executive with the Chicago White Sox.  An innovative thinker inspired by the likes of Bill Veeck, Jon Spoelstra, Pat Williams & Brooks Boyer.  Tyler has also worked directly with the inventor and creator of Arena football and also for Mike Ditka’s former Chicago AFL franchise.   As a former collegiate athlete and business sensed individual Tyler ventured to combine his passions to get into the business side of sports.

Follow Tyler on Twitter @TylerDjohnson or connect with him on LinkedIn.

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MARK TUDI

Mark Tudi is the Founder and President of SPORTS CAREERS, the ORIGINAL and most comprehensive Employment Resource in the Sports & Entertainment Industry. For over 30 years, Mark has established a high-profile track record in sports career development, with over 750 successful retained search assignments. He has represented the career interests and managed opportunities for many of the leading executives, personalities, and organizations in Sports.

In addition, Mark founded the Sports & Entertainment Human Resource Forum (SEHRF) to build professional recognition and a unified Industry association for today’s Human Resource Managers, Hiring Authorities and Employers. Most recently, he has resurrected the SPORTS CAREERS Conference, the Sports Industry’s first and largest meeting of its kind, where people managers and the career-oriented connect.  Follow Mark on Twitter @MarkTudi and check out sportscareers.com, sportssearch.net, and marktudi.com

GAIL SIDEMAN

Twenty years of public relations experience, including 10 in NCAA Division I sports information during which she received national awards for her work, have helped Gail Sideman emerge as a nationally-respected publicity professional in sports, social media and publishing. She is also a veteran support staffer of sports television crews for events that include the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA regular and postseason and others.

You can find more information about Sideman’s business at www.publiside.com or follow her on Twitter @Publiside and Facebook.

BILL GUERTIN

Bill Guertin is CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a dynamic sales training and consulting company whose list of blue-chip clients includes the ticket sales departments of dozens of teams from the NBA, NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer.  He is the author of the Gold Medal-award-winning book Reality Sells, and his second book, The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How to Dominate Your Market, will be published this fall by John Wiley & Sons.

Subscribe to his Sports Ticket Sales Newsletter at www.The800PoundGorilla.com, or follow Bill on Twitter @800poundgorilla.

KRIS MATHIS

Kris Mathis is the Founder/CEO of SponsorPitch.com, a New York City-based sponsorship networking start-up.  Kris started his career in sponsorship representing Fortune 500 clients at Edelman PR’s sponsorship consulting division prior to jumping to a brand management position at Paris-based mobile gaming startup, Gameloft.  In between, Kris attended graduate school in Nashville (Music City!), Tennessee. In his spare time, Kris enjoys eating, running, the beach, UFC and Bryant Park.  Follow Kris on Twitter @sponsorpitch

BEN STURNER

Ben Sturner is the Founder and CEO of Leverage Agency, one of the most respected, innovative, resourceful and ambitious sports and entertainment branding sponsorship agencies on Madison Avenue.

Sturner has taken his multi-million dollar business from a small start-up in his New York City apartment to a premiere agency that has secured deals for clients including: Jimmy Kimmel Live, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, KFC, Gillette, Progressive Insurance, Southwest Airlines, Reebok, Comcast, Anheuser Busch, Fremantle Media, Mark Burnett Productions and NBC’s Prime Time Celebrity Apprentice, Reveille, Radical Media, as well as other top-tier brands. Before starting Leverage, Ben was the Director of Marketing for Bennett Global Marketing Group, where he worked on sponsorships and event marketing for clients including Dunkin’ Donuts, Reebok, Manchester United and Level Vodka.

Ben has been named NYC Entrepreneur of the month in TrueNYC.com and has been interviewed and featured on ESPN, NBC, CNBC, USA TODAY and WALL STREET JOURNAL as an expert in sports and entertainment sponsorship. You can follow Ben on Twitter @leverageagency and find out more about Leverage Agency.

FRANK AGIN

Frank Agin is the founder and president of AmSpirit Business Connections, an organization that empowers entrepreneurs, sales representatives and professionals to become more successful through networking and developing stronger business relationships.

He is the author of a book entitled Foundational Networking: Creating Know, Like & Trust For A Lifetime of Extraordinary Success, and the co-author of LinkedWorking: Generating Success of the World’s Largest Professional Networking Website, which is one of the first books to set forth a strategy for being successful with social media websites. He is also currently co-authoring a book with Jim Ballard entitled The Player. In addition to these professional development books, Frank is the author of two novels (Out of the Comfort Zone and RIVAL) and is currently working on a third (Coach Dad).

He has an undergraduate degree from Beloit College (Beloit, WI) as well as a law degree and MBA from the Ohio State University. For additional information on Frank visit www.frankagin.com.

SAM TAGGART

Sam is a project manager for VaynerMedia, a storytelling/branding agency based in New York City. VaynerMedia works with both personal and consumer brands to help expand their presence on the web. As project manager for the New York Jets organization and for Jets Safety Kerry Rhodes, Sam combines his passion for sports and social media on a daily basis.

You can follow Sam on Twitter & visit VaynerMedia.

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MATT CREVIN

Matt brings over 17 years of NFL gameday experience to share. He has worked with the San Fransico Forty Niners and was part of the Westwood One/CBS radio team working as a spotter for select west coast NFL games. Today, Matt continues his relationship with the Forty Niners as the press box public address announcer. He has experience working side by side with broadcast greats like Al Michaels, John Madden, Harry Kalas, Dick Enberg, and Marv Albert to name just a few. Matt brings a totally new game to the field in a format that will give every fan a fresh look inside the NFL. You can visit his website www.voiceofthebox.com to learn more and view past interviews.

TIM EVANS

Tim is the CEO of Athlete Web Design, a web design and internet marketing firm for athletes and sports professionals based in Chicago. Tim has been online since 1997 and is an expert in the domain name sales, acquisitions, and monetizing. This expertise in domain names has evolved into helping athletes and sports professionals with a virtual presence online through official websites for athletes and sports entities.  Connect with Tim on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter @athlete

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ASH READ

Ash is the co-founder of FundSport.com a grassroots sports community providing sports clubs and athletes from around the world with professional, easy-to-understand advice and articles on all aspects of grassroots sport including sponsorship, fundraising, the Internet, social media, club management, PR and marketing. As well as being passionate about the development of grassroots sport Ash also has a keen involvement in the sports social media industry.

You can follow Ash on Twitter at @ashread14

MICHELLE HILL

Michelle Hill, owner of Winning Proof, writes press releases, blog posts, brochures, and website content for fitness and sports-related companies. Her mission is to help fitness professionals and athletes achieve a greater level of success in their entrepreneurial endeavors with her writing expertise. Feel free to learn more and connect with her here.