Andrew Collins, came to China as a true Laowai (Alien) and made it, building the biggest Sports Digital Media Consulting business in the country and is now taking it globally.  Amazing stories of how he got started, stuck with it despite all the challenges and made it work.   Key Highlights  How Andrew got started as an Entrepreneur winning a University competition and catching the China bug early Never wanting a full time job, lessons from Jack Morton, sold his small retail business and decided to move to China   Dream was starting a publishing business (in China), bought a company called Mailman in Shanghai which was an old postcard media sales business, losing money and owned by another foreigner The journey from Mailman’s original business to becoming a powerhouse in Sports Social Media consulting (Mailman & Seven League) Great examples of Mailman’s work and clients across Leagues, teams, athletes, sponsors China Social Media and new digital platforms in China from Short form video (from Douyin (Tiktok), IQIYI, Huya, Douyu to Youku) Demand for long form sports content for the top sports (Premier League & NBA) is safe but there are challenges for everyone else.    The power of Chinese KOL/Influencers and Live Streaming platforms Esports in China and his views on E-gaming/Esports ecosystem in general Mobile Only culture Defining moments of being a Laowai Entrepreneur in China Raising US$ 30 mil in 2016 for global expansion & future plans & final lessons A bit about TSA   About Andrew grew up in Wodonga, where he attended Wodonga Secondary College with his 2 brothers Sean and Liam. Following high school Andrew moved to Melbourne to study business and media at Swinburne University where he completed his Bachelors degree.  While at Swinburne he completed a semester abroad at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. At university Andrew was very active, leading international student excursions, working at the University gym, playing Football, tennis and in his final year setting up a small, yet profitable import and retail business. Andrew finished his studies with the Swinburne Chancellor Award for most outstanding entrepreneur with a $10,000 award and participated in a global technology summit in Singapore and Shanghai. It was on this trip which transformed Andrew’s view on the world and inspired the passion to build a career in Asia. With studies complete, Andrew began working part time for a global experiential marketing company Jack Morton. Worldwide, where Andrew supported on business development while also continuing to manage the retail business. In 2005 Andrew sold the retail business, gave notice at Jack Morton and headed on a solo back-packing adventure around the world. He visited North America, Europe and Asia and developed a passion for travel. Upon returning to Australia, no job, no business - Andrew decided he would explore setting up a company in Shanghai in media and publishing. After 18 months of travel to China, 100’s of meetings with senior business owners and expatriates in the region he agreed to purchase a small little known media consulting business Mailman Ltd. In 2007, as the new CEO of Mailman, Andrew moved to Shanghai to begin his next chapter. The company had 4 staff, was losing money, yet Andrew was optimistic he could turn it around. After several years of trial and error, as Andrew and his new team developed capabilities in digital marketing with a focus on sports. Andrew repositioned the company, refined the brand and began a years long strategy to build credibility with the world’s leading sports organisations. By 2016, Mailman was considered the leader across China, serving many of the worlds most iconic sports organisations including the NFL, UFC, Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronalda, Manchester United and more. In early 2017 the company raised over US$25m from leading Chinese investors Yao Captial, Kaixin Capital, and WeCapital. With this capital the group continued to grow services, product lines and expansion geographically. In 2018, Mailman acquired Seven League, at the time Europes leading sports digital consultancy. With this acquisition the group had a strong footprint across Asia and Europe.  Now, in 2020 Mailman is the world’s leading sports digital consultancy and agency. With over 200 staff across Europe, China, USA and Asia, the group serves over 100 international sporting organisations, athletes and teams across 54 global markets now including Chelsea FC, FIFA, NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Juventus FC and more. Andrew is considered one of the top 40 digital people in Asia, won multiple awards in entrepreneurship and innovation. He has appeared in Bloomberg, Fox, CNN, Fast Company, and Forbes and is widely recognised as a pioneer in the sports and digital industries in China and APAC. ----------------------------------------------- If you are enjoying the Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast (SEP) series, check out our Sports Entrepreneurs Mastermind (SEM) sessions too. The SEM sessions are an extension of the SEP series, where we bring experts from around the world together for 1.5-2 hours of brainstorming, learning, discussion and connecting.  It’s a live online round table format, moderated by Marcus Luer which includes a short presentation by him to set up the topic of the session and then the members will discuss, share their thoughts, ask questions and debate the topic.  The direction of the discussion is truly influenced by the participants of the given session.  It’s a fascinating learning experience for everyone involved. Come join us for future sessions by getting on our mailing list.  Please register HERE ----------------------------------------------- Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://lnkd.in/ferKA6N Facebook: https://lnkd.in/fw7Z_9h LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/fVQzNj5 Website: https://marcusluer.com https://marcusluer.com https://marcusluer.com/mastermind ----------------------------------------------- Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ -----------------------------------------------

Rainer has lived the dream of any young boy/girl who grew up playing and loving the sport of tennis. From starting at the age of 10 to going Pro at 18/19, getting to a Grand Slam Final, cracking the top 5 ATP Tour ranking and retiring with an amazing career behind him at they age of 36 and then becoming an Entrepreneur by buying a license for an ATP event. Rainer has lived it and been there and is sharing his thoughts, emotions and learning from his amazing tennis journey.   Key Highlights Tennis professional by mistake – started playing at age 10 At 16-17 starting to take it serious, playing ITF Junior Tournaments around the world, getting on Junior World Ranking His coach, Dirk Hordorff was instrumental in taking pressure off him and setting him up for a successful transition from Junior to professional player Making the ATP Ranking at the age of 18-19 Learning from losing & winning, always look where you want to be 6 months in the future, improved ranking 11 years in a row Dealing with losing every week (at least once) Started early to learn other business beyond tennis from Coach Toughest loss – becomes winning the Silver Medal in Doubles at the Olympics with Nicolas Kiefer later Learning for business from his tennis career Taking over the ATP World Team Cup in Duesseldorf, now ATP 250 event in Geneva, partnered with Ion Tiriac His event also a Covid-19 victim and learning from this Thoughts on tennis and the rest of the season Life now, German Fed Cup Captain, his own event, attending the Grand Slams, etc   About Rainer Schüttler is a retired German professional tennis player. As of 2019, he is the most recent male German player to reach the singles final of a Grand Slam tournament, finishing as runner-up at the 2003 Australian Open. Schüttler also won a silver medal in doubles at the 2004 Summer Olympics and achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 5 in April 2004. He began playing tennis at the age of nine. He resides in Switzerland. In 2003, Schüttler became the first German since Boris Becker in 1989 to advance to the fourth round at all Grand Slams. He became the first German to reach a Grand Slam final, at the Australian Open, since Michael Stich was the runner-up at Roland Garros in 1996. En route to the final, which he lost in straight sets to Andre Agassi, he defeated Andy Roddick who would end the season as world No 1. In 2004, Schüttler reached his first career ATP Masters Series final in Monte Carlo by beating Gustavo Kuerten in the first round, Lleyton Hewitt in the third round, Tim Henman in the quarterfinal and Carlos Moyá in the semifinal. In the final, he lost to Guillermo Coria. That week, he would reach a career-high ranking of No. 5. Schüttler won a silver medal for Germany in men's doubles with partner Nicolas Kiefer at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. 2004 was the sixth straight year in which he finished in the ATP top 50. Schüttler reached his first career semifinal at Wimbledon by beating Santiago Ventura, James Blake, Guillermo García-López, Janko Tipsarević, and Arnaud Clément 6–3, 5–7, 7–6, 6–7, 8–6. His match with Clément was over five hours, completed in two days to reach the semifinals, in which Schuettler saved a match point at 6–5 down in the fifth set. He was defeated by eventual champion Rafael Nadal 1–6, 6–7, 4–6. His achievement was a big surprise, since he entered the tournament ranked 94th and with a streak of 13 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments without making it past the second round. His 2009 season, Schüttler started off at the Chennai Open, beating Prakash Amritraj 6–2, 4–6, 6–1. In the second round, he beat Simon Greul 6–4, 6–2, and in the quarterfinals Björn Phau, 6–2, 7–5. Unfortunately Schuettler had to withdraw from his semifinal match against Somdev Devvarman because of a wrist injury. He also withdrew from the tournament in Sydney. At the Australian Open, he was seeded 30th but lost in the first round to Israeli Dudi Sela 1–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–4. He also participated in the doubles with Lu Yen-hsun, but they were defeated by Łukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach. In the first round in Rotterdam, he lost to Mario Ančić. He played the Open 13 in Marseille, defeating Laurent Recouderc in the first round 6–1, 6–4. He competed at the ARAG World Team Cup in Germany, helping his country reach the final, where they lost to Serbia. In the second round at Wimbledon, though seeded 18th, he was upset by Dudi Sela, 7–6, 6–3, 6–2. He reached the second round of the Australian Open defeating Sam Querrey in four sets. However he lost to Feliciano López in four sets, too. At the French Open, he again suffered a first-round exit, this time against Guillermo García-López in straight sets. He reached the semifinal of the Aegon Championships at the Queens Club in London but lost to Sam Querrey in three sets 7–6, 5–7, 3–6. Despite his good form he was defeated by Denis Istomin in the second round of Wimbledon in five sets. At the quarterfinal of the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, Schüttler could not manage to close out the match against Querrey despite serving for it at 5–4 and 6–5 in the deciding set. He was knocked out in the first round of the US Open losing to Benoît Paire. At the Thailand Open in Bangkok, Schüttler beat Ricardo Mello in round one for a second round berth against Ernests Gulbis. He lost 6–7, 7–6, 4–6 in a close match. In 2010, Schüttler and his former Davis Cup companion Alexander Waske founded the Schüttler Waske Tennis-University, a tennis academy for professional tennis players. Schüttler started the tour at the Qatar Open where he confronted Teymuraz Gabashvili in the singles, but lost 3–5, 6–7. He also played doubles with Guillermo García-López confronting Marco Chiudinelli and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, to whom they lost 1–6, 2–6. At the Australian Open, he played ninth seed Fernando Verdasco in the first round, but lost 1–6, 3–6, 2–6. He then played several Challenger series tournaments. At Wimbledon, he defeated Thomaz Bellucci in the first round, but lost to Feliciano López in the second 6–7, 7–6, 2–6, 2–6. Schüttler retired in October 2012 and has coached Sergiy Stakhovsky and Vasek Pospisil. Since November 2018, he coached former world No. 1, Angelique Kerber. In July 2019, Kerber announced they had split on social media.   ----------------------------------------------- If you are enjoying the Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast (SEP) series, check out our Sports Entrepreneurs Mastermind (SEM) sessions too. The SEM sessions are an extension of the SEP series, where we bring experts from around the world together for 1.5-2 hours of brainstorming, learning, discussion and connecting.  It’s a live online round table format, moderated by Marcus Luer which includes a short presentation by him to set up the topic of the session and then the members will discuss, share their thoughts, ask questions and debate the topic.  The direction of the discussion is truly influenced by the participants of the given session.  It’s a fascinating learning experience for everyone involved. Come join us for future sessions by getting on our mailing list.  Please register HERE ----------------------------------------------- Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://lnkd.in/ferKA6N Facebook: https://lnkd.in/fw7Z_9h LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/fVQzNj5 Website: https://marcusluer.com https://marcusluer.com https://marcusluer.com/mastermind ----------------------------------------------- Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ -----------------------------------------------

Dr. Elliott gives us incredible insights into the world of Applied Sports Science and how this is a potential game-changer for athlete training, injury prevention and using big data to create a winning formula.  This is “Moneyball” with human movement data.  Anyone who is involved in managing a team, club or professional league needs to hear this and pay close attention.   Key Highlights His start after graduating from Havard Medical School, building a career track which didn’t exist His days with the New England Patriots, how a doctor can win two Superbowl rings, by reducing injuries to the athletes Waste of a world class education, over qualified personal trainer? MLB, Seattle Mariners days, solving the next problem SPORTS with the highest skill component has the most slack in athletes physical development compared to other Olympic sports Applied Sports Science – the new era of athlete development – the “applied” part is the key The study of the human response to sport (Physiology, Bio Mechanics, Psychology, skill acquisition) Most valuable part is studying “athlete movements” – how we move has profound consequences how we perform, which body parts wear out and how long a career will last Data capture thru motion images 60% of NBA athletes have gone thru the system – very detailed view of the mechanical system of these athletes Create big data sets and correlation studies – at the core, it’s high school physics applied over and over James Harden story – he is basically an average player on most performance metrics but has superhuman breaking abilities (hidden performance metric) Luka Doncic, Slovenian player making a big impact in the NBA because he has the same ability Identifying new secondary metrics and building up granular data which can have huge impact on performances Data shows how injuries are related to the player's movement, thru algorithm NBA program with his company, testing all new players coming into the League Data protection, fine line and sensitive area His favorite thing is to work with young talented athletes and guide them through a long career How to find the next Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt or the next elite NBA defender Learning from each athlete and his metrics Olympic sports, ie. swimming is harder to create bigger impact from the data (working at 98% already) Easier in skill dependant sport to have a big impact (many athletes work below 85%) Football/Soccer is well behind American sports in athlete optimization Critical movements in football happen in a fraction of a second which create the game-winning move, that can be measured and trained Manchester United story – Mr. Mourinho   Massive opportunity to make improvements to athlete movement optimization German National Team – great executers, innovators but a little conservative How does the learning from the top athletes can impact the average weekend warrior It should be all about prevention of injuries and before body parts wear out   How to take the knowledge to another level for the masses – data collection Athlete coming out after the Covid break – his thoughts on players out coming and going straight into Play-off season Connect with him on LinkedIn or get in touch with me   About Dr. Marcus Elliott is a Harvard trained physician who has innovated the use of technology, data, and applied sports science in the care of professional athletes. As Founder of P3, Dr. Elliott has served as sports science director for many of the leading organizations in professional sport. In each case the objective has been to take the guesswork out of athlete development and to find the most actionable data for creating competitive advantages in performance and injury prevention for these teams. Dr. Elliott has served as the first director of sports science in the NFL (2000) and MLB (2008), and has led out the NBA's data-driven approach to caring for their athletes. Additionally, over the past 12 years P3 has compiled the most comprehensive database of professional athlete performance and kinematic metrics in sport, and is utilizing that database across multiple project fronts. Dr. Elliott was awarded the Augustus Thorndike visiting lecturer and professor award at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in 2019 for his contributions in sports medicine and science. As an internationally renowned leader in the field of applied sports science, he also serves on several boards in the sports and performance nutrition fields. He primarily resides in Santa Barbara Ca., with his wife Nadine and three children. ----------------------------------------------- If you are enjoying the Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast (SEP) series, check out our Sports Entrepreneurs Mastermind (SEM) sessions too. The SEM sessions are an extension of the SEP series, where we bring experts from around the world together for 1.5-2 hours of brainstorming, learning, discussion and connecting.  It’s a live online round table format, moderated by Marcus Luer which includes a short presentation by him to set up the topic of the session and then the members will discuss, share their thoughts, ask questions and debate the topic.  The direction of the discussion is truly influenced by the participants of the given session.  It’s a fascinating learning experience for everyone involved. Come join us for future sessions by getting on our mailing list.  Please register HERE ----------------------------------------------- https://marcusluer.com https://marcusluer.com/mastermind

Dominik takes us back in time, what happened in the 1990s and early 2000 in World Football. How Fifa and its powerful agencies from ISL, Prisma to later Infront controlled the game and the commercial rights. And his trials and tribulations as an Entrepreneur. Fascinating stories, enjoy. Fifa's report into ISL scandal is just window dressing: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/22355455 About ISL: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Sport_and_Leisure   Key Highlights Getting a job at the Goliath of Sports Agencies in the early 90s, ISL Marketing ISL Marketing’s rights portfolio from the FIFA World Cup, Olympics, UEFA, African Nations Cup, etc Creation of new licensing (EA Sports deal with FIFA) and sponsorship programs, big money coming into sports Two parts to ISL. One side ran the business, the other ran the politics with the Federations “Foul”, money destroys the beautiful game FIFA had no clue about marketing or the commercial side of the sports FIFA TV rights battle – 2.8 billion guarantee (2002 & 2006 World Cup) – creation of Prisma Sports – Kirch Group getting into the game Creation of HBS (Host Broadcasting Services) – JV between ISL & Prisma Big rights gamble paid off for Kirch FIFA’s future, 2026 World Cup, 48 teams, is too much of a good thing From ISL, Prisma, Kirch Sports to Infront Biggest lesson: Global Sports Federations need to separate the Administration vs Commercial side of the business. Too much conflict of interest otherwise. US sports got that right. Dominik’s move into Entrepreneurship and tough learning (first a no from Bernie Ecclestone) Start-up experiences, streaming Platform (Zattoo), Augmented Reality (Augmara), Start-up success hangs on the right time, right people, right funding and a good dose of luck Schmid Media Solutions (SMS) – consulting project in social media, digital strategies Looking into the future of sports & tech – Esports, AR   About Dominik is an entrepreneur/general manager in the digital (media) space and is always looking for interesting projects to assist in an advisory but hands-on capacity. He is a digital strategist, who grew up in the analogue world and knows how to build bridges between the 'old'​ world and today's reality. He understands both sides and can easily facilitate communication between them. Dominik is also interested in all aspects related to the area of digitization and the paradigm shift it brings about, the new opportunities it creates and the broader impact on society. Very broad industry background, in particular in sports and music, with substantial experience in the electronic media (digital media, IPTV, rights licensing, broadcast operations), marketing (sponsorship, licensing) and legal (contract negotiation and drafting) and social media fields. Strong leadership skills and proven track record of delivering results under difficult circumstances in varying cultural environments. Experienced negotiator. Strong social skills. Team builder and integrator. ----------------------------------------------- If you are enjoying the Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast (SEP) series, check out our Sports Entrepreneurs Mastermind (SEM) sessions too. The SEM sessions are an extension of the SEP series, where we bring experts from around the world together for 1.5-2 hours of brainstorming, learning, discussion and connecting.  It’s a live online round table format, moderated by Marcus Luer which includes a short presentation by him to set up the topic of the session and then the members will discuss, share their thoughts, ask questions and debate the topic.  The direction of the discussion is truly influenced by the participants of the given session.  It’s a fascinating learning experience for everyone involved. Come join us for future sessions by getting on our mailing list.  Please register HERE ----------------------------------------------- https://marcusluer.com https://marcusluer.com/mastermind

David gives us a fascinating look into his amazing career from being an intern at the Washington Capitals to leading IMG's global Consulting Business to now being a founding Partner of Bruins Sports Capital and sitting on USD 700 million in Capital to invest. Enjoy the journey.   Key Highlights Early days, from internship at the Washington Capitals to the Sports Business Daily Learning the business, how to sell, cold calling, building a network leads to the next opportunities at the NHL and then IMG IMG – over 15 years building a new Consulting practise on the back of IMG’s global resources and knowledge in sports Educating Brands on how to leverage sports assets and the power of sports How to navigate potential conflict of interest, ie not being seen as just selling IMG properties Insights into Mark McCormack’s, legendary founder of IMG, leadership style   IMG 2.0 under Ted Forstmann, how Private Equity changed the business discipline and made IMG an even a better company, leading to a huge exit 10 years later Bruins Sports Capital (BSC) – big picture and funding power Focus on Media, Lifestyle and Marketing services in sports BSC – smart money, not just money but huge experiences BSC 1st Fund, US$ 300 million committed capital and BSC 2nd Fund, additional US$ 600 million (US$ 700 million of dry powder) Focus of 1st Fund – companies with US$ 10 million of earnings, investing several rounds (tug in rounds) On Location Experiences (OLE), partnership with NFL and sale of business for US$ 660 million Focus on building businesses, growing companies, long term vision – not focused on exit strategies Courtside Ventures (separate VC fund, managed by 3rd party) to invest in sports tech startups How to foster collaboration between portfolio companies Current climate for existing portfolio companies Focus on platform businesses, OTT, Digital, Marketing – not focuses on distressed assets (broken businesses), focus on great businesses and great people Biggest learning from his career (find Mentors & develop communication skills, build network) No real regrets, learn from losses TSA’s new mission in the region. Bring US$ 1 billion of new revenue and capital to the sports ecosystem in the next 10 years   About David Abrutyn is a top strategist and innovative leader who has transformed sports and entertainment businesses for nearly 30 years. He specializes in helping global brands, sports leagues, rights holders, and marketing agencies on the ways to capitalize on emerging growth trends, disruption, and evolving consumer behaviors. For Bruin, he sources and evaluates investment opportunities and is responsible for the company’s interests in the marketing services sector, including its ownership of award-winning agencies Engine Shop and Soulsight. His work establishing On Locations Experiences – a Bruin joint venture with the NFL – set the stage for OLE’s rapid growth and sale for $660M four years after launch. He has also been instrumental in the U.S. expansion of Deltatre, a Bruin media technology company, based in Turin, Italy, which now serves the most prestigious U.S. sports companies and leagues, among its global roster of clients. David joined Bruin in 2015 after 15 years at IMG, where as Senior Vice President & Global Managing Director of its Consulting, and led one of the industry’s most successful practices. During his tenure the business grew from less than ten people to nearly 200 people operating in 13 countries and 50+ clients. He diversified the core capabilities of the business to include activation, communications, public relations, property consulting, public sector, and tourism. IMG’s practice was also US and UK Agency of the Year multiple times and its clients achieve across-the-board accolades from the industry’s most respected trade publications. David’s career began in sales and marketing with the Washington Capitals before he joined The Sports Business Daily at its launch and served as Associate Publisher Sports Business Journal/Daily, now the industry’s leading trade publication. After SBJ, he joined the National Hockey League’s Marketing Group before moving on to IMG. In 2008, SBJ named David to its prestigious 40-Under-40 list. A University of Hartford graduate, David, his wife, and two children reside in Rye, New York.   ----------------------------------------------- If you are enjoying the Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast (SEP) series, check out our Sports Entrepreneurs Mastermind (SEM) sessions too. The SEM sessions are an extension of the SEP series, where we bring experts from around the world together for 1.5-2 hours of brainstorming, learning, discussion and connecting.  It’s a live online round table format, moderated by Marcus Luer which includes a short presentation by him to set up the topic of the session and then the members will discuss, share their thoughts, ask questions and debate the topic.  The direction of the discussion is truly influenced by the participants of the given session.  It’s a fascinating learning experience for everyone involved. Come join us for future sessions by getting on our mailing list.  Please register HERE ----------------------------------------------- https://marcusluer.com https://marcusluer.com/mastermind

John has been the voice and face of Football and in particular of the English Premier League for over a decade across Asia and the world.  In this episode, we go in front of the camera and have a look at how John’s career took him from being a face/voice to becoming a “brand” himself. Great storytelling by the man with the smooth voice and of course great insights and learning for anyone who has an aspiration in this space and/or likes to learn what it takes to be in front of cameras.     Key Highlights Early days as a journalist at the South China Morning Post and host on TVB (Hong Kong) Making the decision to be in Sports full time and concentrate Dos and Don’ts of broadcasting as a presenter/anchor Premier League, from ESPN/Star Sports to Premier League Content service His most interesting interviews (from Thierry Henry to Michel Platini) The John Dykes Show – how it started and story behind it (how to create an engaging show without ‘live’ content) It’s more than just a TV program, it’s a multi-cross-platform production How to create engaging content even during Covid when there is no live sports Football talk – Premier League How new technology will change the viewing experience and VAR – the debate goes on About Asia’s best-known sports broadcast anchor. Host of “The John Dykes Show” on Fox Sports. Twitter: @johndykesfc Instagram: johnmdykes “The John Dykes Show” on Fox Sports Asia drives a global football debate, with particular focus on the Premier League, across linear and digital platforms, engaging with fans across a 20-country Asian footprint and beyond. John previously worked on the Premier League’s international broadcasts from 2010 to 2017, fronting live, predominantly studio-based coverage. He also commentated on "Goal Rush" -- calling one game and crossing to goals and incidents from other matches as they happened. Before that, 13 years broadcasting across Asia with ESPN STAR Sports, also to 50 African countries on SuperSport's FIFA World Cup 2014 and UEFA Euro2016 coverage. John has hosted Indian Super League content for STAR Sports in India. As well as ESPN Star Sports' Premier League broadcasts to Asia, he has hosted a broad range of sports: cricket World Cups and tours, golf's Masters, Grand Slam tennis at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows, F1 (five years as host of the Raceday show on STAR Sports), rugby World Cups and Six Nations, Moto GP, Superbikes, UEFA Champions League finals. John's network of professional collaborators ranges from football legends such as Ryan Giggs, Peter Schmeichel and Alan Shearer to other major stars from various sports. As an event host, he has compered the Asian Football Confederation awards shows, corporate dinners and sporting occasions. In December 2014 John was on stage in front of more than 30,000 fans at the BPL Live fan park event in Mumbai, the following year it was in Cape Town. In April 2014 he hosted an event at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge for visiting members of the China Entrepreneurs Club. John speaks conversational Cantonese and Mandarin.    ----------------------------------------------- If you are enjoying the Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast (SEP) series, check out our Sports Entrepreneurs Mastermind (SEM) sessions too. The SEM sessions are an extension of the SEP series, where we bring experts from around the world together for 1.5-2 hours of brainstorming, learning, discussion and connecting.  It’s a live online round table format, moderated by Marcus Luer which includes a short presentation by him to set up the topic of the session and then the members will discuss, share their thoughts, ask questions and debate the topic.  The direction of the discussion is truly influenced by the participants of the given session.  It’s a fascinating learning experience for everyone involved. Come join us for future sessions by getting on our mailing list.  Please register HERE ----------------------------------------------- https://marcusluer.com https://marcusluer.com/mastermind

This time, I am sharing some of my stories of 27 years in the trenches of Sports Marketing, how I got into the industry and my 23 year journey as a Sports Marketing Entrepreneur in Asia. Hope you enjoy some of the stories and insights into TSA and our evolution as a company.   Key Highlights How I got started, from tennis in Cologne, Germany to University at TCU in the US American Airlines experience,  Official Airline of the FIFA World Cup 1994 (Concacaf Gold Cup) First real job in Hong Kong with Asia Sports (World Sports Group – now Lagardere Sports) Start of TSA in 1997 during the Asian Financial Crisis TSA 1.0 to 5.0 TSA 1.0 -  WWE agent in Asia story – US$ 170 million later TSA 2.0 -  Media agent, representing US Open tennis, BWF, ITTF, PSM and other premium content TSA 3.0 – started with a painful experience, internally created and launch of GLORY Kickboxing, new revenue streams, Branded Real Estate TSA 4.0 – Digital experience, OTT – Sportsfix launch, Blockchain experience (ICO), E-Sports, Football Division TSA 5.0 -  TSA post Covid-19 – focus on Consulting, Beat Covid-19 products for the Live Sports industry, new revenue streams for Sports & Esports, Sports Fund BHAG:  Generated US$ 500 million in the past 20 years for the industry – NEW GOAL is to generate US$ 1 billion in next 10 years   About Marcus Luer is Asia’s #1 Sports Marketing Entrepreneur and the Group CEO of TSA (Total Sports Asia), Asia’s global sports marketing agency which he founded 23 years ago in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Marcus is a thought after industry expert and speaker and has been featured on CNBC, BBC News, Bloomberg Asia, regularly presents at major global sports conferences and has contributed to many international newspapers and industry magazines articles. He recently launched his own Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast Series featuring top sports executives and entrepreneurs from around the world.  Sports Business International (SBI) magazine voted him into the “SBI 200 Team”, comprising of the most influential leaders in the industry over the past 18 years. He is also the Co-Founder of GLORY Sports International (GSI), the #1 Kickboxing League in the world. Marcus also created the Branded Real Estate (BRE) concept, a brand consulting business to the Real Estate industry.  BRE has developed a very unique set of skills which matches the power of Superbrands with Residential Real Estate projects in the region. From the Michael Schumacher World Tower to two Armani Residences in India and China, TSA BRE has developed projects with a combined GDV value of over US$ 1 billion and is the leading agency globally in this space. Living and working in the sports industry in Asia for over 25 years, Marcus is considered one of the Founding fathers of Sports Marketing in Asia and continues to follow his passion to develop the Asian and global sports industry. At the end of 1997, at the age of 29 and after three years in Asia working for World Sports Group (WSG), Marcus founded TSA. Marcus’ drive and leadership has guided the company to what it is today, Asia’s global leader in sports content and branding solutions. TSA has created over US$ 500 million worth of new revenue for rights holders globally over the past 20 years and targets to generate US$ 1 billion over the next 10 years for Asian sports and Esports properties. TSA represents and/or has worked with major global sports brands from Premier League Football Clubs, Formula One teams, WWE, US Open Tennis and a host of Olympic Sports Federations (BWF, ITTF, AIBA, IAAF, FINA, UCI, etc) over the last 23 years. TSA also partnered with the SPARTAN RACE series in 2015 to develop the first events in Asia. TSA’s role is always focused on developing new commercial opportunities and build larger platforms for rights holders, events, Venues and brands in the region or worldwide. TSA’s clients range from broadcasters, Asian multinationals to global corporations and governments seeking to maximize the power of sports for their own brand benefit.  TSA provides a range of consulting services to these clients, for example, as the Commercial Partnership Consultant to KL Sports City, TSA created Malaysia’s first Venue Naming rights deal with the Axiata Arena. TSA is currently developing a 10 Year Sports Masterplan for an Asian Government, including grassroots, education to elite athlete training concepts. Sports Education is becoming a new driving force in Asia and TSA has partnered with the prestigious Loughborough University in the UK. TSA Football is focused on serving the growing Asian Football market, including Player transfers, Football Club/Leagues Consulting services, sponsorship and other fund raising. Total Esports (TES), is the latest venture, combining the expertise in sponsorship, media and events from the traditional world of sports to the booming Esports ecosystem. TES works with top E-gaming publishers, platforms and teams in Asia. Marcus’ ventured into the Digital start up space with SPORTSFIX, a Netflix of Sports concept in Asean. Sportsfix focus is live and on Demand content delivered via an OTT (Over the Top) platform incorporating Blockchain technology targeted towards the new generation of sports fans which heavily consume content on their mobile devices. In early 2012, Marcus teamed up with a group of blue chip investors and Fight Sports industry experts to launch GLORY Kickboxing, the premier kickboxing League in the world. Marcus used his 20 years of experience across the global sports marketing world to start the new venture. GLORY has produced over 70 events since its inception in major cities around the world from London, New York to Tokyo and will continue to expand its reach with more events in the future, including events in China and across media platforms worldwide. Marcus is not just an avid sports executive and fan but also gets into the action. You will see him regularly participate in Triathlons or other races across the region. He is also a member and active on the board of YPO’s (Young Presidents Organization) Malaysian Chapter since 2007.

Unmish talks us thru his 20 years of experiences and learning sitting on different sides of the table, from his time at agencies, rights holders and broadcasters. Starting his career with TWI in the production space, great learning Early days of New Media 1998-2000 BBC Days,  developing new media platforms, more learning experiences ESPN/Star Sports – developing new media platforms and services for broadcast clients New Media turns Digital ICC (Cricket), monetizing non-linear, short form content The different forms in Cricket, T10, T20 and the difference to other sports Current services and projects of his own agency What changes are we seeing in digital from Covid-19   About Unmish brings a rare mix of competencies that includes multi-media content creation, video-based product development, strategy & sales coupled with a deep understanding of partnership development and cross-cultural collaboration in Asia & Europe.  Unmish's international profile and contact networks are the result of 20 years in a leadership role at blue-chip firms such as IMG Media (Endeavour), BBC Technology, ESPN STAR Sports, Fox International Channels (FIC), News Corp., Scripps Interactive Networks (now owned by Discovery) and the International Cricket Council.    Educated at St. Stephen's College (Delhi), Cambridge University (UK) and London Business School, Unmish promotes entrepreneurship via institutional collaborations with Jungle Ventures (as Venture Partner) and TiE Singapore (Charter Member) and also mentors startups (in MediaTech, VideoTech & SportsTech) in a personal capacity.

Jim is taking us on a great journey through the commercial world of motorsports from his humble beginnings in UK motorsports to his career in Formula 1 to Formula E now. He is one of the most creative and talented commercial guys in Motorsports I know. His thinking and approach for how to create stories and sponsorship programs works for any sports. As a “commercial guy”, I love this talk.  Anyone can sell a hot property, like the FIFA World Cup, the Team or athlete that just won a big Championship. In that space, it’s less about creativity but about managing the demand and getting top value for the client/property.  When you sell a back/mid-table team or a new franchise, you have to be a whole lot more creative and come up with new angles. Jim is a master of that.  Enjoy the lessons and give us your feedback.   Key Highlights His passion for motorsports from his teens and how he got into it step by step His knack for the commercial side of the business His Williams F1 racing days under Sir Frank Williams, incredible learning BMW and Williams F1 team deal, the learning and stories around it Hundreds of Millions of Dollars of deals but even the little deals count Learning how people treat other people Power of B2B part in sponsorship Switch to Formula E, difficult start but as usual staying focused on the end goal always works Difference in budgets between F1 and Formula E How to sell Formula E, the story book, do your home work on the client Andretti Autosport, going beyond traditional motorsports revenue The difference between selling commercial rights for a Winning team vs others (Mahindra Formula E story) How to sell sponsorships in the new world after Covid-19 Current plans to get Formula E back on the track     About A marketing professional with a proven and quantifiable track record for sponsorship sales, particularly in motorsport, Jim Wright is a sports fan with a finely honed talent for creating mutually beneficial opportunities and making partnerships happen using strategic vision techniques.   Having started his career upon completion of a Business Studies degree, Wright moved from team management and logistics in to the commercial side of motor sport working for the fledgling ATS F1 team in 1980/81 before accepting an offer from Eddie Jordan to help grow his eponymous team.   Through the acquisition of team sponsorship and trade partnerships, Jordan was able to hire race winning drivers and move his team to the forefront of international racing below Formula 1. Wright was the driving force behind this strategy and he also worked with the ebullient Irishman on driver management, starting the Eddie Jordan Management business.   After five years with Eddie Jordan, Jim was recruited by Cellnet, then Britain’s fastest growing mobile phone network to set up and manage a strategic motor sport division of their marketing department aimed at creating awareness and commercial opportunity for Cellnet as the mobile phone market emerged in the UK. Alongside this commitment, Wright developed his own agency to service other motor sport clients including drivers, championship promoters and car constructors. This business was a great success, particularly in Japan where Wright delivered the single biggest sponsorship of the booming Japanese F3000 championship with the Promise financial services company and Reynard Racing Cars.   Wright’s exploits were noticed by Frank Williams and in 1994 Jim Wright was offered an opportunity to head up sponsorship sales for the Rothmans Williams Renault F1 team, an opportunity that he could not turn down. Having landed his first deal within 10 days of joining Frank’s team, Wright quickly emerged as a real force and within 14 months of joining Williams he was asked by Frank Williams to be the Head of Marketing & Sponsorship, a position that Wright held for the next 11 years. During this term, Williams created the Senior Management Group – a core of five key executives who reported to the shareholders, Frank Williams and Patrick Head through monthly Board meetings and Wright represented the company’s commercial interests at these meetings.   Before he left Williams in 2006, Wright was directly responsible for introducing and/or negotiating more than 200 million dollars of commercial income to the team and he built a commercial reputation for the Williams F1 team based upon principles laid down by Frank Williams of fairness, transparency honesty and integrity. Those principles endure today, both at Williams and through the Anglo Svenska operation.   Having worked with Gerhard Berger through the BMW partnership with Williams, Wright was recruited by Berger upon his completion of the purchase of a shareholding in the Toro Rosso F1 team and Wright moved his family to Monte Carlo to begin work on this project. When Berger sold his shareholding back to Red Bull at the end of the 2008 season, Jim was asked to work on a CSR programme with Keke and Nico Rosberg which was concluded when Virgin made Wright their first commercial hire for their start up F1 team which was awarded an F1 entry in June 2009.   Starting work in July 2009, Wright created a marketing team from scratch and delivered against an ambitious target of sponsorship, mostly from companies new to the sport to ensure that the team formed up on the grid in March 2010. In addition to securing the vital third party investment, Wright was responsible for directing the creation of the look & feel of the team and working with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin brand and other stakeholders such as Lloyds Development Capital in developing a commercial and marketing communications strategy and served on the Board of Virgin Racing / Marussia Virgin Racing between September 2009 and December 2011. Wright was responsible for the introduction of more than 35 million USD of sponsorship for the fledgling Formula 1 team over two seasons, a remarkable achievement for a new team with limited on-track performance. Increasingly disillusioned with the rising costs of F1 and lack of commercial direction from the Commercial Rights Holder ( Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Management ), Wright devoted time to pursuing other activities, transferring his skills to the non-profit sector by setting up a commercial structure for Jeremy Gilley’s Peace One Day organisation and mentoring others to achieve commercial goals for Peace One Day.   The creation of the FIA Formula E series for electric powertrain racing cars in 2013 proved to be of great interest to Wright who accepted an invitation from the Monaco entrepreneur Gildo Pallanca Pastor to lead the commercial aspects of his fledgling Venturi Formula E team. Wright was instrumental in convincing F1 veteran Nick Heidfeld to switch to the new racing series and Wright was able to introduce a number of technical partners to the team in ZF, Rohm Semiconductor and Farasis batteries as well as other companies such as Delta Auto. As the Formula E series began to grow, the Teams formed a representative group ( Formula E Teams Association - FETA ) and from 2014, the Teams elected Jim Wright to serve as Secretariat working with an elected Chairman in rotation, a position that he holds to date. As the series expanded and more OEMs came on board and the business model changed from the start of the second generation car and battery, the role was increased to represent the Teams and the Manufacturers ( FETAMA ) and Wright remains in that elected position today. Nowadays, FETAMA is a well-respected stakeholder group working alongside the governing body ( FIA ) and the Promoter ( FEO ) to grow the FIA Formula E World Championship.   The Mahindra Formula E Team recruited Wright from Venturi in 2016 as their Chief Commercial Officer, a position that he held through to the beginning of 2019 during which time he personally introduced and / or negotiated a portfolio of sponsorship partners to offset the Mahindra & Mahindra budget spend as well as supporting Team Principal Dilbagh Gill in all commercial matters. Shell, Renesas, Avis, Umicore, Lear Corporation were major corporations which were brought on board during Wright’s tenure as they adjusted their business models for the e-mobility era.   In 2019, Wright accepted an offer from Michael Andretti to fill a new role, Group Commercial Director, with a brief to widen the commercial appeal of the Andretti Autosport business and to create new business opportunities for the iconic American racing team. Wright reports directly to Andretti Autosport President J.F.Thormann and he works across the Group’s motorsport platforms.

Sam takes us into a deep dive tour of the fascinating world of SINA Sports, part of Sina- Weibo Group, China’s largest Social Media group (the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram of China, all rolled into one).  Key Highlights China perspective on Covid-19, Sina Sports planning Early eye on sports thru law Degree – well established route Go back to his roots – NBA China first role in sports China Sports Social Media 101 – Sina – Weibo (Micro Blog) Weibo – the Twitter, Facebook, Instagram blend of China (biggest open Social Media platform in China) Wechat – closed social media in comparison plus other functions (Whatsapp on steroids) Business model – advertising driven, driven by large traffic Sina Sports – how it started and where it is now The Crazy years of Chinese Sports Media rights Monetization of Content, Chinese learning & the same challenge everywhere  Sina Sports three pillars : Digital Media Social Media Offline Events Offline events – owning events, IP and content (3-on-3 Basketball, Futsal and Skiing) – massive numbers Large logistics across the whole country, over 100 stops for most of the sports, including Skiing, venturing overseas Focus on “Mobile friendly” sports, core audience of Weibo Events are very sponsor friendly and driven, fully integrated with their Social Media platforms From Amateur to Elite League His advisory roles for various groups, entrepreneurship, learning   About Sam Li is the Head of International Business Strategy for Sina Sports where he is responsible for domestic and international sports rights acquisition; strategic partnerships with rights holders, teams and individual athletes; and international sponsorships and marketing. He was previously an Associate Vice President with the National Basketball Association. Sam has a Juris Doctor degree from University of Michigan Law School and dual bachelor degrees from University of California, Los Angeles.