Having the opportunity to interview one of the true Superstars of our industry was a privilege and honour. David, is not just the well known “Super Agent” of Michael Jordan but he is truly someone who changed the face of our industry and still is at the age of 70.  Listen, learn and enjoy. Tons of wisdom in that 1.5 hours.     Key Highlights Suburb of New York upbringing and his parents influence Always had a passion for Law & having College Basketball players as his buddies 1972, early days of Sports Agents - trying to get a meeting with Donald Dell (called him 17 times in 4 hours) Start working for Donald for free while finishing his Law degree, just to get into the industry At 25 big break to handle major clients, became Donald’s Chief of staff Developing his own style of negotiations “always overprepare” Michael Jordan and Barry Bond story about work ethics His style of negotiations and how it changed over time (building relationships) Negotiation is not a zero sum game, both sides need to be in the same “zone” Being liked vs being respected Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan deal with Nike (the real story how Air Jordan name came about) Size of Deals during those Days (early 80s) and how he was able to craft the deal Michael wanted Adidas and didn’t want to see Nike His relationship with Michael now The last Dance – new movie about Michael’s final season 1984 as a Rookie, Michael’s first commercial deals (McDonald’s, a small local deal in Chicago) Coke, McDonald and Chevrolet – all American Image Gatorade, break thru deal 1991 (10 years, seven figure deal) The biggest and best deals, don’t just take cash, look for equity   The start of FAME (David’s own agency) A man has got to know his limitations Marque & SFX story (now Live Nation) You need a “walk away” point in a deal – his target was US$ 100 million Goldman Sachs Chairman story His SFX time, buying other smaller agencies, culture is key SFX US$ 4.5 billion merger with Clear Channel story Round 2 with Donald Big agencies and the huge competition between them Big Basketball stars, new route, family offices Tennis prodigy story – the next Serena Williams Learning from mistakes – Stephan Marbury story Current Ventures, dozen different companies, X-Factory (Sports tech accelerator), etc Never too old to learn   About David Falk has long been recognized as one of the sports industry’s leading figures and most talented innovators. He is recognized as the NBA Super Agent of his time and the man behind Michael Jordan’s commercial success. A trained lawyers, he began his career representing professional athletes with ProServ in 1974, rising to Vice Chairman of the company. In 1992, he formed Falk Associates Management Enterprises (FAME) to provide specialized and personal representation service to the company’s elite clientele of NBA superstars. ​ ​ During his career, Falk has represented more NBA first-round draft selections, lottery picks, Rookies-of-the-Year, and All-Stars than anyone else in the athlete management business. In 1985, he negotiated Michael Jordan’s ground-breaking deal with Nike--the most successful endorsement relationship in history--and in the process coined the nickname “Air Jordan.” Falk negotiated the highest contracts in NBA league history for Patrick Ewing in 1985 and Danny Ferry in 1990. He also negotiated professional sports’ first $100 million contract in 1996 for Alonzo Mourning as part of an unprecedented free agency period in which FAME changed the entire salary structure of the NBA, negotiating over $400 million in contracts for its free agent clients in a six-day period. ​ ​ In 1998, Falk sold FAME to SFX Entertainment for US$ 200 million, serving on SFX’s Board of Directors and in the Office of the Chairman. As Chairman of SFX Sports Group, Falk oversaw the acquisition of a dozen sports agencies that enabled SFX to represent approximately 20 percent of MLB and NBA players. Falk stepped down as Chairman in 2001 to pursue other interests. In January 2007, Falk re-launched FAME and currently serves as its Founder and CEO.​ ​ Falk is also involved in a dozen ventures now, both as an investor and advisor.

Maurizio's story has been all about digital for 20+ years of his career, from the early days of sports websites, to streaming content, to other digital ventures, some worked, some were too early. His journey lead him to Twitter. And he is loving it. Enjoy his stories.   Key Highlights His early days in Basketball Coaching, always with an eye on technology and data Working with Ricardo D’Silva and launching the first Basketball portal in Europe  (MP Web) Breaking ground, first to produce content for Mobile phones in early 2000 and starting live streaming on websites Venture with Thomas Martens, early days of social media . First deal with YouTube Branded content on Social media, too early Samsung time - #1 Consumer brand in the world His views on streaming, content delivery and monetization for rights holders and platform owners Twitter – maybe the largest sports Venue in the world His role in Twitter, helping global content owners and local publishers leverage the platform NBA in the Philippines, how Twitter supports the League His learning, don’t bust people’s balls….. The future, DAZN, ESPN+….. who will be the new dominant player Twitter’s role in E-Gaming   About Maurizio leads Sports Partnerships across Southeast Asia for Twitter. In this role, Maurizio is responsible for developing and driving innovative sports partnerships, creating new revenue opportunities for Twitter and its sports partners in the region, and bringing exciting sports content onto Twitter to reach fans around the world. Prior to Twitter, Maurizio founded and raised capital for two sports startups. With more than 18 years of experience in sports content, Maurizio has worked across Europe and Asia and was Head of Sports for Samsung Asia between 2013 and 2016. After a successful career as a basketball coach, Maurizio started working in the digital field in 1999 at MP Web, the digital media arm of the Mediapartners Group (now Infront Italy). Maurizio has always been interested in technology, sports, and media, while movies and movie making are where his true passion lies.

Spartan Tough - Amazing insights and awesome “raw” sharing by Mr Spartan himself, Joe de Sena.  His mindset and philosophies for business and life are perfect for the current climate and global challenges. You have to be “Spartan Tough” to make it through all the obstacles which are currently out there.  Business is a “Combat sport” (surprised he didn’t say “Spartan Race”) and he prepares for it with that in mind. When I asked him after the interview about the Corona Virus and the impact on his events, he just said “what Virus”.  “Where your focus goes, energy flows”, famous words by my mentor Tony Robbins. Hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I do.   Key Highlights Joe’s very early days (pre-teen), growing up in a crime infested neighbourhood and his tough life lessons (be indispensable, be early and don’t ask for money) From his Pool cleaning business to Wall Street His mum’s impact on his life from Yoga to running In his mid-20s, transition from running his Pool cleaning business to working on Wall Street   How life style changes also changed his business, Vermont and family   The first races started from his farm in Vermont Tough love – “no one cares, work harder” Spartan Races, big ambitions, burning money for 15 years to get where the business is now Business is a “combat sport” Challenges for Spartan (being an analog business) is “digital”, promoting something which makes people “uncomfortable” Brand building in the digital age Tough Mudder vs Spartan Race – competition made both stronger Purchase of Tough Mudder a week ago – his vision for both brands and how to fix Tough Mudder’s problems Spartan’s future and current state His time in Asia and Spartan’s growth here At the core human beings are all “Spartans” His Ultimate goal “change 100 million lives” Olympic dream His advise to young entrepreneurs A day in Joe’s life   About Joe De Sena – Founder and CEO of Spartan, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand – has demonstrated his entrepreneurial drive since his pre-teens. Following a successful career on Wall Street De Sena set his sights on ripping people off their couches by creating the Spartan lifestyle. With more than one million annual global participants at more than 250 events across more than 40 countries, Spartan offers heats for all fitness levels and ages, from beginner to elite and Kids as young as four-years-old. The brand has transformed more than seven million lives since it was founded in 2010. De Sena is also the host of the Spartan Up! podcast and is a New York Times Best Selling Author having written three books: “Spartan Up,” “Spartan Fit” and “The Spartan Way.”

Key Highlights Al talks about how he got into the business of Extreme Sports thru his passion for that type of Sports in his youth How he felt Dyslexia has helped him to be mentally tough and ready for a role as an Entrepreneur How the business was scaled and the first big break thru launching the Extreme Sports Channel with UPC as investor (raising US$ 35 million) Al talks us thru the different facets of the business now, selling the channel to Liberty Media and focusing on building the “Extreme” brand New digital media space, short form content, new revenue streams (10 year journey) Extreme Events and Marcus’ story about “Danny Way - Great Wall of China Jump” (2005) Al goes into details on the new projects in Saudi Arabia and his role developing Extreme Sports in the Kingdom (Tourism Vision for the country) Key Learning from his 25 years, all about People, having the right team and how to manage them His thoughts on institutional investors, dealing with them, legal challenges at times (when to fight and when to talk) What Private Equity investors can bring to an entrepreneurial company “Extreme sports” 25 years ago, where it is now and future (experiential) His view on Esports (and his dogs view on it) and parallels to Extreme sports   About Alistair Gosling is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with over 25 years of experience spanning media, marketing, events and large scale sport and leisure destination development. Always armed with a ‘Can Do’ attitude, Alistair is the driving force behind The Extreme Sports Company and holds overall responsibility for the strategic direction, critical decisions and management of the business. Initially focused on the fast-paced media sector, Alistair built a world-leading TV distribution company, then in 1998, aged 27, he saw a gap in the market and had the vision for the EXTREME brand franchise and The Extreme Sports TV Channel. He partnered with UPC and Liberty Media, raised $35m and went on to launch the brand in over 60 counties around the world. Today backed by Kleinwort Hambros and Soc Gen banks Alistair is working alongside brilliant teams building EXTREME across media and marketing, events and arenas, destinations and resorts, and is operating between London, Riyadh and Dubai. He is honoured and privileged to be on the International advisory board of Qiddiya, ة القدية للاستثمار the 334-square-km sports, entertainment and cultural destination being developed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is a supporter of Medshr.net the award-winning medical network that is helping save lives through peer to peer learning between doctors. Alistair is a passionate sailor, skier, pilot, dive master and significant supporter of several global marine conservation projects.

Highlights Early days at TWI story, producing Football Mundial show around the world and how many times it went wrong How he got started during University days as a Sports Radio commentator Learning from his early days in Pay TV at BSB/SKY UK, Ten Sports, ESPN Star Sports – growing pains to success Is OTT the new PAY-TV world?  Great learn opportunities in start-up environment Challenge of traditional broadcasters to re-invent themselves in new OTT environment – challenge in leadership Amazon Prime, Premier League streaming, Peter’s thoughts on their experiment and different model Short-form vs long-form content, different audience behaviour around the world Facebook’s tools for Rightsholders, teams, athletes and sponsors. New ways to monetize content Facebook’s investments in Sports content, La Liga in India, NBA in the Philippines, UFC in Germany. Partnership model Other ways to use Facebook to generate new revenue streams, re-targeting fans, etc Power of Facebook group, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Oculus Peter’s learnings from his career, learn from others Facebook culture, scale and community building. Connecting people.   About Peter Hutton has an amazing career path and unique track record of working on every continent, both for broadcasters and agencies. As a C level executive he ran Eurosport from Paris, ESPN-Star Sports in Singapore, Ten Sports from Dubai, had over a decade with IMG in London, Delhi and Hong Kong as well as a spell as Co-Ceo of MP& Silva. He now runs the sports business for Facebook, based in Silicon Valley, CA a long way from his teenage days as a radio journalist in Yorkshire. Visit : https://marcusluer.com/podcast

Key Highlights  Scott shares his early days, coming out of college and how he got started (the hard way) in the industry (at the New Jersey Nets) How he found his groove, valuable lessons for any student and inspiring sports executive How is own experience shaped his Leadership style now His NBA days and lessons learned there – relationships and communication (face time) His view of falling in love with the power and influence of Sports Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment – most talented sports executive group ever assembled Strong Community Services philosophy Winning or Losing seasons – Building a long term winning mentality & culture Scott’s take on E-sports and Sixers Innovation Lab and products coming out of it Unique partnerships with other organizations from San Francisco 49, Live Nation/Ticketmaster, etc Eye on China and lessons for opportunities outside of the US   About Scott O'Neil Scott O’Neil is the Chief Executive Officer of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, an organization with the mission of building passionate, high-performing teams that inspire people to enhance the communities where its teams live, work, play and win. O’Neil is responsible for the organization’s leadership, strategic vision, operations and global ambitions, including the pursuit and acquisition of sports, entertainment and consumer-facing properties. He is the acting Chief Executive Officer over all properties within the organization’s portfolio and under the ownership of Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, including: the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the New Jersey Devils (NHL), Prudential Center, a top five-ranked performance venue in the U.S. located in Newark, New Jersey; Dignitas, an internationally renowned esports organization which includes Clutch Gaming, the NBA 2K League’s 76ers Gaming Club, the Sixers Innovation Lab, the GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center, the Delaware Blue Coats (NBA G League), and the Binghamton Devils (AHL). He is an acting Co-Managing partner for Elevate Sports Ventures, a sports and entertainment agency created in partnership between HBSE, Live Nation | Ticketmaster, the San Francisco 49ers and Oak View Group.   With more than 20 years of experience in the NBA, NHL and NFL, O’Neil has earned a reputation as a leader of leaders and is one of the most connected, dynamic and driven executives in the industry today. Previous executives whom he has mentored and managed run many of the top organizations in sports and entertainment today; those he currently manages are poised to lead the industry into the next generation. O’Neil’s reputation for authentic leadership, unparalleled drive to innovate, and emphasis on the importance of corporate culture has placed him at the forefront of the industry vanguard. In merely six years overseeing operations for the properties in HBSE’s portfolio, O’Neil led the Philadelphia 76ers to sign the first jersey patch sponsorship in “Big Four” sports history; construct the most technically advanced training complex in professional sports, the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex; establish an industry-leading Innovation Lab, and become the first U.S. professional sports franchise to acquire a world-renowned esports team. In that same period, under O’Neil’s ambitious and aggressive leadership, Prudential Center has become a top seven and top five most-played venue in the U.S. and the world by Billboard and Pollstar, respectively, and welcomes over 1.75 million fans and event attendees through its doors annually. Of his professional accomplishments, O’Neil considers his organizations’ corporate culture and dedication to community service his greatest successes and future legacy. The Philadelphia 76ers have been named one of the “Most Innovative Companies” in the world by Fast Company magazine (2018), one of the “Top 50 Cultures” in the U.S. by Entrepreneur (2017), three-times named a “Best Place to Work in Philadelphia” by the Philadelphia Business Journal (2016, 2015, 2014), twice named a “Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania by the Central Penn Business Journal (2018, 2017) and twice named one of the “50 Best Companies to Sell For” by internationally-renowned Selling Power Magazine (2019, 2018). Prudential Center was named a “Best Business” by NJBiz (2016). O’Neil’s belief that those who steward iconic sports and entertainment brands have the responsibility and privilege to use those platforms to mentor the next generation of leaders and make the world a better place is the driving force behind HBSE’s community engagement initiatives. Recognizing the important role HBSE’s properties play within its communities, O’Neil’s employees individually volunteer 76 hours of service annually in the communities where their fans and patrons live, work and play, resulting in more than 30,000 hours of dedicated community service each year. The Philadelphia 76ers’ charitable endeavor, the Sixers Youth Foundation, has additionally raised more than $1 million for Philadelphia-area youth last year alone and is leveraging sports to help children in need. A former President of Madison Square Garden Sports, O’Neil was the key architect in some of the largest venue sponsorship deals in history while overseeing iconic sports properties including the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL). O’Neil spent seven years as the Senior Vice President of the NBA’s renowned Team Marketing and Business Operations group, where he advised NBA, WNBA and NBA Gatorade League teams on all business operations, CRM Department and NBA Canada business. Earlier in his career, O’Neil served as the President of HoopsTV.com and held positions with the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) and New Jersey Nets (NBA). For almost a decade, O’Neil has served as an Alternate Governor for the NBA and NHL.  In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 the Philadelphia Business Journal named O’Neil to their “Power 100” list of the “most influential people” in the greater Philadelphia region; he additionally received Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEO” honor in 2018.  In 2019, The Hockey News named O’Neil No. 37 on their list of their list of “100 People of Power and Influence.”  In 2019, Hashtag Sports honored O’Neil with an award for “Leadership in Supporting Diversity in Sports.” Sports and technology outlet, SportTechie, named O’Neil as 2017’s “Most Innovative Executive”; in 2016, Philadelphia Magazine declared him one of the “Most Innovative Leaders” in Philadelphia. He has been twice named to The NJBiz “Power 100” list. As a young executive, O’Neil was thrice recognized at Sports Business Journal’s acclaimed “Forty Under 40” Awards; launching him into the publication’s renowned “Hall of Fame.”  He additionally received “Forty Under 40” honors from Adweek and Sporting News in 2006 and 2005 respectively.  O’Neil’s influence and experience has earned him a place at the podium at some of the largest industry conferences in the world, delivering keynotes at events such as: Leaders in Sport, Beyond Sport, Sports Business Journal’s World Congress of Sport, the IEG Pivot Conference, the Ivy Sports Symposium, Sport Marketing Association’s Conference and more. O’Neil’s leadership practices have been chronicled and applauded in The Outward Mindset by the Arbinger Institute, publishers of The New York Times Best Seller, Leadership and Self Deception, The Orange Revolution by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, and Potato Chip Ticket Sales by Kathy Burrows. He has made numerous appearances on CNN, CNBC, FOX Business Network, and has twice co-hosted Bloomberg television’s Bloomberg. He also interacts daily with his nearly 20,000 Twitter and 35,000 LinkedIN. He serves on the boards for the March of Dimes, Zoomi Inc., the Sixers Youth Foundation and the Sixers Innovation Lab. O’Neil earned his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Villanova University and his master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He currently resides in Pennsylvania with his wife, Lisa, and three daughters. Visit : https://marcusluer.com/podcast

Hot Topic with Phil Lines - Black Out Rule & Amazon Prime's Premier League Debut. Marcus Luer interviews Phil Lines, the man best known for taking the Premier League Media rights globally to new heights in the early 2000.  Phil started his illustrious career as a Journalist before spending time at ISL and Formula One and then later at the BBC and ITV in the UK. Phil set up the world’s first sports news television agency which indirectly landed him the job at the Premier League. Working directly with Richard Scudamore,  the Chairman, Phil grew the rights fees for the League globally from £60 million to over £500 million per season. After the EPL, Phil spent time at major agencies from CAA to Lagadere before starting his own Consultancy firm, Nootka in 2014. 

Michael Payne has been at the forefront of the sports marketing industry nearly forty years – having led the global marketing effort for the Olympic Movement for more than two decades, from 1983 to 2004 as the IOC’s first ever Marketing and Broadcast Rights Director. Michael Payne now runs his own global strategic advisory group – Payne Sports Media Strategies SA, serving a diverse group of clients and Boards. Nominated as one of the world’s most influential marketers by Advertising Age, Michael oversaw the development of the first ever global marketing strategy for the Olympic Games, which has turned into one of the most successful marketing initiatives ever seen. During his tenure at the IOC, Michael lead the marketing team for over 20 years, that would generate in excess of $15 billion in broadcast and marketing revenues. On leaving the IOC, following the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Michael founded his own strategic consultancy, Payne Sports Media Strategies SA working with many of the world’s leading sports groups and companies. For more than a decade, Michael has acted as special advisor to F1’s former Chairman / CEO Bernie Ecclestone, pioneering the effort to bring F1 to new markets from Singapore to Russia, to supporting major F1 broadcast negotiations from UK to US and eventually helping prepare the group for sale in 2015. Michael has also acted for more than a decade as special advisor to WPP, the world’s largest marketing group and serves on, or as advisor to a number of boards around the world. Still very active in the business affairs of the Olympic Movement, Tokyo 2020 will be Michael’s 20th Olympic Games Michael served as senior strategic advisor to the successful London 2012, Rio 2016 and LA 2028 bids. He advises on major Olympic, F1 and other sports media rights and sponsorship negotiations for clients across Asia, the Americas and Europe, negotiating many of the world’s largest broadcast and sponsorship deals. Most recently he pioneered, with his Chinese partners Shankai, the ground breaking innovative Alibaba – IOC long term partnership deal, and the ground breaking Coca-Cola Mengniu Joint TOP deal. Recognised as a pioneer in the industry, from the original creation of the IOC’s TOP global sponsorship programme, through to the introduction of brand management discipline in sports marketing and the IOC’s award winning Celebrate Humanity programme, to the creation of the world’s first digital sports film archive bureau, OTAB, to ground breaking technology introducing LED to the field of sports competition. His business book, Olympic Turnaround (Published London Business Press – June 2005) details the business story of how the Olympic Games stepped back from the brink of bankruptcy to become the world’s best known brand – and a multi billion dollar global franchise, has earned critical acclaim in the industry and been translated into more than 15 languages. Prior to joining the IOC, Michael spent a number of years helping to develop and manage marketing programmes for a broad variety of international events. These included the First World Athletics Championships, Helsinki1983; the English test Match Cricket Series through to the launch of the London Marathon in 1982. Prior to that, in the mid 1970’s Michael competed in the international ski circuit as a member of the British Freestyle Ski Team, at World Cup level – twice becoming British Professional Freestyle Ski Champion. Michael is a regular commentator on sports marketing industry affairs for CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times and other media groups around the world including regular marketing columns with Fortune China and Japan’s Yomuiri Shimbun.   Key Highlights: Ambush Marketing and how the IOC dealt with it in it’s own way 1999 Salt Lake City – turning a major crisis into an opportunity Would the IOC ever move the Olympics when a City/Country is not delivering on the promise? Looking ahead the next decade of Olympics in Tokyo, Beijing, Paris, LA Attraction of the Olympics for global brands wherever they might come from Power of Live sports for Media owners Visit : https://marcusluer.com/podcast

Michael Payne has been at the forefront of the sports marketing industry nearly forty years – having led the global marketing effort for the Olympic Movement for more than two decades, from 1983 to 2004 as the IOC’s first ever Marketing and Broadcast Rights Director. Michael Payne now runs his own global strategic advisory group – Payne Sports Media Strategies SA, serving a diverse group of clients and Boards. Nominated as one of the world’s most influential marketers by Advertising Age, Michael oversaw the development of the first ever global marketing strategy for the Olympic Games, which has turned into one of the most successful marketing initiatives ever seen. During his tenure at the IOC, Michael lead the marketing team for over 20 years, that would generate in excess of $15 billion in broadcast and marketing revenues. On leaving the IOC, following the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Michael founded his own strategic consultancy, Payne Sports Media Strategies SA working with many of the world’s leading sports groups and companies. For more than a decade, Michael has acted as special advisor to F1’s former Chairman / CEO Bernie Ecclestone, pioneering the effort to bring F1 to new markets from Singapore to Russia, to supporting major F1 broadcast negotiations from UK to US and eventually helping prepare the group for sale in 2015. Michael has also acted for more than a decade as special advisor to WPP, the world’s largest marketing group and serves on, or as advisor to a number of boards around the world. Still very active in the business affairs of the Olympic Movement, Tokyo 2020 will be Michael’s 20th Olympic Games Michael served as senior strategic advisor to the successful London 2012, Rio 2016 and LA 2028 bids. He advises on major Olympic, F1 and other sports media rights and sponsorship negotiations for clients across Asia, the Americas and Europe, negotiating many of the world’s largest broadcast and sponsorship deals. Most recently he pioneered, with his Chinese partners Shankai, the ground breaking innovative Alibaba – IOC long term partnership deal, and the ground breaking Coca-Cola Mengniu Joint TOP deal. Recognised as a pioneer in the industry, from the original creation of the IOC’s TOP global sponsorship programme, through to the introduction of brand management discipline in sports marketing and the IOC’s award winning Celebrate Humanity programme, to the creation of the world’s first digital sports film archive bureau, OTAB, to ground breaking technology introducing LED to the field of sports competition. His business book, Olympic Turnaround (Published London Business Press – June 2005) details the business story of how the Olympic Games stepped back from the brink of bankruptcy to become the world’s best known brand – and a multi billion dollar global franchise, has earned critical acclaim in the industry and been translated into more than 15 languages. Prior to joining the IOC, Michael spent a number of years helping to develop and manage marketing programmes for a broad variety of international events. These included the First World Athletics Championships, Helsinki1983; the English test Match Cricket Series through to the launch of the London Marathon in 1982. Prior to that, in the mid 1970’s Michael competed in the international ski circuit as a member of the British Freestyle Ski Team, at World Cup level – twice becoming British Professional Freestyle Ski Champion. Michael is a regular commentator on sports marketing industry affairs for CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times and other media groups around the world including regular marketing columns with Fortune China and Japan’s Yomuiri Shimbun.    Key Highlights: Michael shares stories about his early days at West Nally and ISL, the Wild West of Sports marketing and his experience working with these two powerful agencies. Michael’s humble start as the first Director of Marketing of the IOC (International Olympic Committee). The dismal state of the Olympics at that time (mid 80s) and the Games being practically bankrupt with no-one interested to host it (Cold War days). The revival and how the TOP program was created, evolved and saved the Games – from Horst Dassler to Juan Antonio Samaranch. Michael, the man and story behind “the branding policy” (no advertising on the field of play). Michael's take on changes to Article 40 and the impact for sponsors.  Visit : https://marcusluer.com/podcast

Marcus Luer interviews Phil Lines, the man best known for taking the Premier League Media rights globally to new heights in the early 2000.  Phil started his illustrious career as a Journalist before spending time at ISL and Formula One and then later at the BBC and ITV in the UK. Phil set up the world’s first sports news television agency which indirectly landed him the job at the Premier League. Working directly with Richard Scudamore,  the Chairman, Phil grew the rights fees for the League globally from £60 million to over £500 million per season. After the EPL, Phil spent time at major agencies from CAA to Lagadere before starting his own Consultancy firm, Nootka in 2014.    Key Highlights: Phil shares how he got started in the industry and selling the FIFA World Cup and Olympic rights at ISL in the early days Phil shares insider stories of the reasons for the tremendous growth of the Premier League rights globally, including the real reasons behind the 12 noon kick-off time. Phil and Marcus explore where Media rights are heading and how OTT is changing the landscape. Phil shares his lessons learned from working with CAA UK to Lagardere Sports. Marcus and Phil discuss the changing role of agencies in the Media Rights trading space. Big might not be the way forward. They also discuss the challenges the new AFC (Asian Football Confederation) deal could be facing because of the new dynamics in the market. Visit : https://marcusluer.com/podcast