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Ted Leonsis has always been known to zig while the establishment in sports, entertainment and film zags. So while it may have come as a little bit of a surprise today when his company, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, announced its new sales partnership team, it probably didn’t surprise those in sports who have followed the Georgetown grad’s business career path, be it at AOL or in the media business.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment did not go the traditional route of a sales rights sponsor. Instead they tapped a rising global player, MP & Silva, as their exclusive worldwide marketing rights agent to secure sponsorship, naming rights and commercial development. They also brought on not one but two other disruptors in the space, analytics support and content development from Scout Sports and Entertainment, a division of Horizon Media, and Bungalow Horizon, a content JV with Horizon Media, to add even more outside thinking to a traditional area. The goal? Expand the Monumental brand, the only privately held company in a top-10 market to own and operate three professional sports teams and its arena, to new companies well beyond its borders, and beyond the traditional.
“We view Monumental Sports & Entertainment not only as an organization that owns a top-ranked arena and Washington, D.C.-based teams in the NHL, the NBA and the WNBA but also one that aspires to expand its brands globally, said Jim Van Stone, MSE’s president of business operations and chief commercial officer in a statement. “Washington is a vastly diverse global seat of government, culture and business. By expanding our reach we can expose the amazing opportunities here to a global marketplace while helping bring brands and other business opportunities to one of the most diverse and vibrant cities in the world.”
“Our relationship with Monumental and MP & Silva is a prime example of how the right partnerships result in a successful hallmark venture,” added Managing Partner of Scout Sports and Entertainment, Michael A. Neuman, another veteran in the sports marketplace. “The MP & Silva sales expertise and experience combined with our analytics work will redefine how such global deals will be executed in the future.”
Act local, think global, a concept which has propelled many brands to success in the new world environment. Now more than ever it applies to sports media and entertainment, with Monumental and its new partners blazing new, and unique territory, just as the Caps, Wizards and Mystics boss has always done.