Money Games: Profiting from the Convergence of Sports and Entertainment

Dick Glover is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Funny or Die.

FunnyorDie.com, launched in April of 2007, is an award-winning website that has become one of the top destinations for comedy on the web. The site averages over 7 million unique video views per month and over 22 million video views per month. With hundreds of exclusive celebrity videos and a steady stream of huge viral hits, Funny or Die has become the “place to be seen” for comedic celebrities, and the obvious destination for a daily comedy fix. Funny or Die’s founders are Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy. Judd Apatow is also a principal partner in Funny or Die.

New on Funny or Die’s slate this year include the upcoming HBO series “Funny or Die Presents,” and Funny or Die’s first digital feature film is currently in pre-production.

Prior to Funny or Die, Glover was Vice President of Broadcasting and New Media for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and for NASCAR Digital Entertainment. At NASCAR, Glover ran the Los Angeles office overseeing all television, new media businesses, entertainment programming and promotion on behalf of the sport. A 20-year veteran of broadcasting and media, Glover was previously an Executive at the Walt Disney Company in various Senior Management roles in their ABC and Internet Groups. Glover also spent seven years with ESPN, most recently as Executive Vice President, Programming where he was responsible for all aspects of ESPN, Inc.’s domestic programming efforts, which included ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic and ESPN.com. He was the executive in charge of the planning, development and launch of ESPN.com in 1994 and was instrumental in the site’s impressive growth to its current position as an industry leader.

Ed Goren
President, FOX Sports

Ed Goren, a 46-time Emmy Award winner and Executive Producer of FOX Sports since 1994, was named President, FOX Sports in April 2000. Goren and David Hill are responsible for the look, sound, editorial content and superior quality of FOX Sports’ studio and game broadcasts and continue to serve as Executive Producers of all FOX Sports productions.

Goren also oversees all aspects of FOX Sports’ television investments and partnerships. In addition, Goren spearheads the division’s strategy of pursuing major event programming to insure FOX Sports’ position as a premier network sports broadcaster.

Goren had been Senior Producer at CBS Sports since 1991, where he worked on nearly every sport the network broadcast. During his tenure as Senior Producer, CBS Sports broadcasted such major events as the World Series, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, The Masters and Super Bowl XXVI.

Goren produced CBS Sports’ Major League Baseball studio program in 1990. He also produced The College Football Report and the annual Heisman Trophy Award presentation (1986-89). As producer of The College Football Report, he revamped the series, integrating information including scores, highlights, live interviews and special news segments into a program less than 15 minutes long. Other credits at CBS Sports include serving as producer of NFL, NBA and NCAA basketball broadcasts.

He joined CBS in 1966, as a copy boy in the news division and one year later became a news writer, producer and occasional on-air reporter at the then-CBS affiliate in Miami. Late in 1969, Goren moved back to CBS News as a producer for Newsnet, the daily news feeds to CBS affiliates. He joined CBS Sports in 1975 as a coordinating producer for CBS Sports Spectacular, the network’s sports anthology series.

Goren’s sports roots run deep, as his late father, Herb Goren, was a long-time baseball columnist for the New York Sun and public relations director for the New York Rangers hockey club.

Goren graduated from Syracuse University in 1966 with degrees in journalism and political science. In 2005, Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University honored Goren at its 40th anniversary as one of its most distinguished alumni.

Born June 15, 1944, in Greensboro, N.C., he lives in Los Angeles with his wife Patty. He has one son.

Bob Graziano
Managing Partner, Wealth Advisory Services
Northern Trust, NA

Bob Graziano is Managing Partner of the Family Advisory Services Group at Northern Trust. The Family Advisory Services Group provides investment management, financial consulting services, and family office services to successful individuals and coordinates their overall financial services needs.

Prior to joining Northern, Bob spent 18 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, serving for his final six years there as the Club’s President & Chief Operating Officer. He was named to that post on March 19, 1998, becoming only the 11th President in franchise history. He started with the Dodger organization in 1986 as Director, Financial Projects and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 1987 and Executive Vice President in 1997.

After earning summa cum laude honors and a Business Administration degree, with an emphasis in accounting, from the University of Southern California in 1980, Bob joined Ernst & Young as a certified public accountant. During his four years with the accounting firm, he serviced audit clients, including the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1984, he took a leave of absence from Ernst & Young to work for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee in ticket operations. In 1985, Bob joined WTC Airfreight, an international freight forwarding firm, as Manager, Financial Services.

Bob has built a strong reputation in Southern California due to his community involvement and civic leadership. Bob is Chair of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. He also serves as a board member of LA’s BEST - a Los Angeles-based after-school educational program, the LA84 Foundation, USC Associates, and as an advisory board member of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the USC Leventhal School of Accounting, and the USC Sports Business Institute. He is also a member of the Bel Air Chapter of Young Presidents Organization and the Los Angeles Chapter of World Presidents Organization.

David Hill
Chairman & CEO, FOX Sports Television Group

David Hill has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FOX Sports Television Group, the entity that oversees the nation’s top-rated network for sports, including FOXSports.com and FOX’s global presence in sports media, since 1999. In addition to leading all of FOX’s total sports media operations internally, Hill also oversees FSN’s 19 regional sports networks, Fox Soccer Channel, SPEED, Fox Sports en Espanol and FUEL TV as well as the company’s joint venture sports businesses STATS, LLC. and Big Ten Network. Hill and colleague Ed Goren, the President of FOX Sports, also serve as FOX Sports’ Executive Producers.

In April 2009, FOXSports.com moved from Fox Interactive Media to FOX Sports, with Hill in charge of the site’s look, functionality, content and programming. Under Hill’s direction, FOXSports.com established FOX Sports Digital Entertainment; a unit commissioned to create internet-only programming and introduced a series of mid-day programs under the umbrella “Lunch with Benefits” in September 2009.

While simultaneously maintaining his FOX Sports responsibilities, Hill served as President of DIRECTV’s entertainment division from April 2005 to March 2007. There he was responsible for the integration of new technologies and the development of programming services. During his tenure, NFL Sunday Ticket SuperFan and NASCAR HotPass enhanced viewing experiences were launched and are among DIRECTV’s most popular subscriptions.

Prior to being named FOX Sports Chairman, Hill was Chairman and CEO, FOX Broadcasting Company from September 1997 to June 1999, while retaining the positions of President and Executive Producer, FOX Sports and President and CEO, Fox Sports Net. His responsibilities as Chairman and CEO of FOX Broadcasting encompassed all programming, marketing, advertising sales and business affairs at the combined entities. Under Hill’s stewardship, FOX Broadcasting witnessed its best 18-49 ratings since becoming a seven night a week network.

In 1996, working with News Corporation executive Chase Carey, Hill set up what is now FSN, an unwired coalition of regional sports networks. Through its 19 owned-and-operated regional networks, FSN serves as the TV home to more than half of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States.

Hill joined FOX Broadcasting Company in December 1993 as President, FOX Sports, responsible for the creation of FOX’s sports division. Under his direction, FOX Sports grew from an idea to a fully functional network sports division in just eight months, utilizing state-of-the-art studio and on-site broadcasting facilities. Since those early days with just one sport (NFL), FOX Sports developed into a fully functioning sports division which today is the exclusive national over-the-air television rights holder of Major League Baseball, including the All-Star Game, alternating League Championship Series and World Series; the National Football League’s NFC package, including the NFC Championship Game and alternating Super Bowls and NASCAR’s SPRINT Cup racing from February through May, including the Daytona 500. FOX Sports has been America’s top-rated network for sports for 13 consecutive years (1997-2009).

Hill’s vision led to such innovations as the FOXTrax computer enhanced hockey puck; the FOXBox, the network’s critically acclaimed, and now universally accepted, constant-score-and-clock graphic; the in-base microphone, “Diamond Cam” and "Catcher-Cam" used during MLB on FOX coverage and NASCAR on FOX’s “Crank It Up”, “Gopher Cam” and “The Adventures of Digger & Friends” carton series and merchandise. As part of the NASCAR contract which brought America’s fastest growing sport to FOX, Hill created SPEED Channel, which grew from 27 million homes under its original title of Speedvision to 78 million homes today.

He began his career with News Corporation in Great Britain in 1988, when he helped launch Sky Television, Britain’s first satellite TV station, and also introduced Eurosport, a pan-European, multilingual, dedicated sports channel that was a joint venture of Sky Television and the European Broadcast Union. When Sky Television merged with British Sky Broadcasting in 1990, he took charge of BSkyB Sports Channel and created Sky Sports in April 1991 and made it the fastest-growing subscription channel in television history.

Hill relocated to Great Britain from Australia, where he had been Vice President, Sports, with the Nine Network since 1977. Under his direction the station won an unprecedented number of awards for excellence in sports production. His career began as a 17-year-old copy boy at the Sydney Daily Telegraph (Australia). He worked as a reporter on that newspaper, before switching to television at age 19.

Hill lives in Los Angeles with his wife Joan and their family.

Jack W. Hill
General Manager, Cowboys Stadium

Mr. Hill has 30 years experience in the development industry, and specifically the last 19 years in the capacity as owner’s representative. He has extensive experience in public/private ventures and specializes in pre-development programming, cost analysis and execution of complex fast track projects.

Relevant Project Experience

Cowboys Stadium L.P. 2008 – Present Dual role as Owner’s representative for completion of construction and Stadium General Manager managing on-going daily operations of the stadium. Developed budget format and reporting system for operations. Reviewed and assisted in negotiations for booked events. Initiated performance measures with all operations departments to track staffing levels and per event costs. Liaison between Dallas Cowboys Football Club and the NFL on facility operational matters. Liaison between Dallas Cowboys Football Club and the City of Arlington with regards to on-going operations.

Blue Star Development / Dallas Cowboys Football Club 2005 – 2009 Owner’s representative with respect to on-going activities necessary to develop a $1.20 billion multi-purpose stadium. Developed cost accounting system and code of accounts for budgeting controls. Negotiated contracts for design and construction activities. Directly managed over $100 million of design and construction contracts outside of construction manager’s contract. Contracts include furniture, fixtures and equipment, on-site and off-site utilities, infra-structure road and bridge improvements and concession equipment. Review and approve monthly construction and design pay applications.

Dallas Independent School District 2002 – 2005 Principal manager of oversight responsibility for over $1.367 billion of development associated with the 2002 Bond Program, including over $600 million of new construction and $400 million in extensive renovation. Liaison between the District and the program management team. Full budget responsibility including negotiation of all professional service contracts, construction change orders and design team contracts. Developed budget format and cost reporting correspondence with the District, the program management staff and the Board of Trustees. Reviews and approves monthly contractor draws and professional services pay applications. Provides expertise with respect to site acquisition and site utilization. Provides expertise with delivery methods. Conducts public meetings and provides monthly reports to the Board of Trustees.

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas 1998 – 2002 Worked for Hillwood Development Corporation as the principal manager of oversight responsibility for over $300 Million of construction, including American Airlines Center and two garages. Provided pre-development services including detailed and conceptual estimates, cost analysis of systems and strategic initiatives to maximize revenue. Provided management expertise with respect to programming and optimization of design to enhance revenue. Liaison between team owners and the construction team. Full budget responsibility including negotiation of all professional services agreements, construction change orders and design team contracts. Developed budget format and cost reporting correspondence with team owners, City of Dallas, financial partners, and Center Operating Company. Reviewed and approved monthly contractor draws and pay professional services applications.

Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1995 – 1998 Performed pre-construction management services for the State of Wisconsin with respect to budgeting and scheduling of a $350 Million major league baseball facility. Reviewed drawings at various stages of completion and directed the design team. Liaison between the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Facilities Development and the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club.

The Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, Texas 1991 – 1995. Worked directly for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club as principal manager of development of the $191 Million project. Project included simultaneous construction of the major league ballpark, children’s learning center, Dr. Pepper Youth Ballpark, Sports Hall of Fame and 140,000 SF office building. Liaison between the team and the Arlington Sports Facilities Development Authority (ASFDA). Liaison between the team, the design team and the general contractor. Developed budget format and reporting procedures between the team, the lenders and the ASFDA. Conducted public meetings and reported monthly to the ASFDA.

Education: Texas A&M University, Bachelor’s Degree in Building Construction 1979

Robert Hollander has held numerous high-level business development positions related to all types of unique and state-of-the-art products during his successful career. He was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the 1996 Olympic Games where he was responsible for record-breaking worldwide sales of Olympic products which exceeded $1.5 Billion USD. As well, he has engineered a number of successful start-up companies.

As co-founder of Brand Sense Partners, a global intellectual property licensing and merchandising company, he launched new product categories for companies like Chrysler, Elizabeth Arden, Clorox, as well as for a number of celebrities such as Sheryl Crow, Halle Berry, and Britney Spears.

He has extensive experience in the watch and outdoor industries. He holds a B.S. from Georgia Tech.

"I'm an entrepreneur with a passion for the environment. We must protect it for our children and grandchildren. Every day is an adventure - and I'm grateful to have had some amazing experiences."

Shawn Hunter
President, CEO, and Investor-Operator, Chivas USA

Shawn Hunter was named President, CEO and Investor-Operator of Chivas USA Enterprises, LLC, the parent company of Club Deportivo Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, on Sept. 11, 2007. One of the most experienced and innovative sports marketing minds in the United States, with an accomplished 20-year track record in sports marketing, ticket sales and corporate partnerships, Hunter oversees the day-to-day operation of MLS’s Mexican-owned, Los Angeles-based club.

In just one full season under Hunter’s direction, Chivas USA made important strides. The club’s sales force has been expanded, leading to attendance growth and an increase in the team’s season ticket base. Chivas USA’s marketing and broadcast platforms have been expanded in both Spanish and English, while the club has maintained its position as one of MLS’s top-sponsored teams. Hunter has also introduced a number of innovative community and fan development initiatives such as the Jerseys Off Our Backs program; the Kick-it at the Park youth clinics with the City of Los Angeles; the return of the popular ChivaTown fan zone; and Chivas USA’s Practice in the Community Series.

Hunter joined Chivas USA from AEG, one of the world’s leading sports and entertainment presenters, where for five years he held the dual titles of Chief Marketing Officer and President, AEG Sports. In the latter role, Hunter oversaw AEG’s marquee sports events and eleven sports teams worldwide, as well as the company’s marketing partnership with Chivas USA.

Prior to joining AEG, Hunter was for six years the President of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. Under his leadership, in the Coyotes' first four seasons, the club played to a 94-percent capacity (including 69 sellouts) and transformed Phoenix into a hockey hotbed. Hunter developed and launched the popular Coyotes logo and uniform, secured strategic television and radio broadcast partnerships for the team and created cutting edge marketing and ticketing campaigns, laying the groundwork to position the Coyotes as a premier sports franchise in Arizona.

Hunter joined the Coyotes from the Colorado Avalanche in 1996. As the club’s executive vice president, Hunter's first achievement was reaching a cap of 12,000 season ticket sales in just under six weeks – before the team even had a name. He was instrumental in creating and implementing the Avalanche team colors and logo as well as the logo for the Denver Nuggets. His creative initiatives and team merchandising efforts resulted in a Top 10 placement among NBA teams on an international level for licensed apparel sales.

Since joining AEG in 2002, Hunter has also been influential in a number of major business developments in Major League Soccer. As one of AEG’s representatives on MLS’s Board of Directors, Hunter played a role in the formulation of the Designated Player Rule, which opened the doors for the arrival of such international stars, during the 2007 MLS season, as the New York Red Bulls’ Juan Pablo Ángel, the Chicago Fire’s Cuauhtémoc Blanco and the LA Galaxy’s David Beckham. On behalf of AEG, Hunter also secured the Galaxy’s multimillion dollar jersey-front sponsorship following Beckham’s signing.

For the past five years Hunter has chaired the MLS Business Development Committee, which has recently approved such important initiatives as the sponsorship of MLS jersey fronts and the guaranteed distribution of every single MLS game via local television.

A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Hunter began his career in professional sports as a corporate account executive with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves during the team's inaugural season in 1988-89. During his tenure with the Timberwolves, the franchise set a new single-season attendance record for the NBA, as more than 1.1 million fans passed through the turnstiles. He received both his undergraduate degree in business administration (1986) and his master's degree in finance (1988) from the University of Kansas. Shawn and his wife Deidre have two sons, Dillon and Daulton.

Todd Jacobs
Student Researcher, USC Marshall MBA, 2008
Nike

Todd Jacobs is currently Senior Strategic Planning Analyst for Nike Inc. Based at Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton OR, Todd joined Nike in 2008 and works in Nike’s Global Direct to Consumer Retail organization.

Todd received his MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business in 2008. During his time at Marshall, Todd was the President of the Marshall Sports Business Organization and also served as the Sport Business Institute’s Student Project Lead for Professor Carter’s Convergence project.

Prior to attending business school, Todd was a consultant for Accenture focused primarily on CRM and sales force optimization within the pharmaceutical industry. Before he joined Accenture, Todd began his professional career in the sports industry as a sales intern with IMG in 2003.

A native of Wayne, Pennsylvania, Todd graduated from Bucknell University in 2003 with a degree in Business Administration. At Bucknell, Todd was a 4-year member of the Bucknell Men’s Tennis Team, and served as team captain during his junior & senior years.

Terry Jicinsky
Senior Vice President of Operations, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

Terry Jicinsky currently serves as senior vice president of operations for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) with responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. The 3.2 million square foot Las Vegas Convention Center is the third largest center in North America and has been ranked the #1 tradeshow destination by Tradeshow 200 for over one and a half decades. Cashman Center serves as the home stadium for the AAA Baseball team, the Las Vegas 51s.

Previous to his current position, Jicinsky held various positions with the LVCVA marketing department, including senior vice president of marketing, where he directed the destination’s advertising, marketing and sales efforts, including the world-renowned branding campaign, What Happens Here Stays Here^TM. With over 25 years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry, his career path has covered aspects ranging from consumer travel research, internet marketing, database marketing and hotel management. Before joining the LVCVA in 1992, his work experience included hospitality industry consulting positions with the national accounting firms of Laventhol & Horwath and Coopers & Lybrand, as well as management positions with Marriott hotels.

Jicinsky has served on numerous industry boards including the board of directors for the Destination Marketing Association International, the U.S. Travel Association Policy and Research Committee, the International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation, the International Travel and Tourism Research Association and the Las Vegas American Marketing Association. Jicinsky has been a Certified Destination Management Executive since 2004. In 2006, he received the coveted recognition of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing Award.

A 20-year resident of Las Vegas, Jicinsky is a graduate of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program and holds a Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stout as well as a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

About the LVCVA

The LVCVA is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With approximately 149,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and more than 10 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA’s mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area.