Leverage Agency Names Industry Veteran Ray Katz as President, Sports Properties and Media
NEW YORK-(Business Wire)-September 28, 2009 - Ben Sturner, CEO and President of the Leverage Agency, today announced that industry veteran Ray Katz has joined the company in the newly-created role of President, Sports Properties and Media, for Leverage’s Sports Division. Katz is a sports and entertainment sales, research, sponsorship and marketing industry veteran, with over 20 years experience and a diverse background that includes leadership positions with Optimum Sports, the NFL, Young & Rubicam, The Football Network, and Madison Square Garden. Katz will begin his new position on October 13.
“We are very excited to be able to have one of the industry’s most impactful and successful leaders in Ray Katz join Leverage,” Sturner said. “He is one of the most respected executives in sports and entertainment, and his expertise, contacts and creativity will be invaluable for Leverage as we continue to grow and add new properties and partners.”
“I have nothing but the utmost respect for what Ben and his team have built at Leverage, and am looking forward to assisting them in their continued upward growth into the future,” Katz said. “The industry has undergone some profound changes over the past few years, and Leverage is one of the few agencies truly poised for growth, which will enable me to contribute my core competencies to this highly capable management team.”
“This is another big step in raising the level of professionalism and experience for the Leverage management team,” said Agency Chairman Tony Ponturo. “Ray is a skilled marketer, solid deal-maker, and industry leader with great energy who can help our staff grow very quickly. He is a great addition to the management core of a very hard working group.”
Katz joins Leverage after serving as Managing Director- Sports Marketing, for Optimum Sports, an Omnicom Company, for almost six years. He oversaw consulting for brand and property clients, including VISA, State Farm, Bank of America, the AFL, and the LPGA, and was instrumental in Optimum’s rapid revenue growth. Ray also led initiatives in content development, rights negotiation, research and analytics.
In 1999, Ray founded Smartix International, an affinity commerce company that partnered with MasterCard and MBNA to launch a comprehensive fan management program for sports teams and leagues. While Director of Sales at Madison Square Garden, he led the direct sales team, and created the first ever Knicks mini-plan and pre-playoff promotion.
As Senior Director of Marketing at the NFL, Ray managed a $10 million budget and was responsible for company-wide advertising, direct marketing and research, during a time in which NFL Properties business doubled.
He started his career in Account Management at Young and Rubicam and subsequently became the head of The Lord Group’s sports marketing unit where he led accounts including Kraft/General Foods, Adidas, The Sports Authority and Major League Baseball.
This background, along with the skills and experiences of other Leverage senior executives, perfectly positions this growing company in the areas of rights negotiation, content development and distribution, along with property representation.
Ray graduated with distinction with an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania after graduating from Penn Summa Cum Laude, and winning the William D. Gordon award for outstanding graduating senior. Ray was involved in the initial curriculum development for the NYU Masters in Sports Business program in 2001, and has taught E-commerce, Sports Media, Sports Marketing, and Sports Sponsorship courses. Currently Ray is also on adjunct faculty at Columbia University, teaching courses in Summer and Fall 2009 in the Sports Business Program.
About Leverage Agency, LLC
Based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles, Washington DC and Beijing, the Leverage Agency is a fast-rising brand sports and entertainment company focused on emerging media and unique properties. Leverage has created effective partnership activation programs for a wide range of sports, media and entertainment companies and Fortune 500 brands. The agency represents premier sports properties including: The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, Major League Gaming, The U.S.T.A, Disson Ice Skating on NBC, ASA Action Sports Tour, Hoop It Up, Kick It, and NETS basketball among others. Leverage also represents branded entertainment and integration into television shows for media and production companies including: Jimmy Kimmel Live’s 1205 Productions, Fremantle Media, Reveille and Radical Media. The agency chairman is Tony Ponturo, CEO of Ponturo Management Group LLC and former head of global sponsorship for Anheuser Busch. For more information, visit: www.leverageagency.com.
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