This Week’s Movers in Sports Media & Marketing

Talent Shifts in Sports Media: Cameo Hires Former TikTok Marketing Chief

This week in the sports media and marketing ecosystem, Cameo hires former TikTok marketing chief, Activision Blizzard secures CAA vet as first Global Chief Marketing Officer, and Atlanta Hawks tap director of team’s first Innovation Lab.

For job openings and more on who’s moving where, check out the Hashtag Sports Weekly roundup.

Cameo Hires TikTok Marketing Chief as New CMO

Cameo, the startup that allows consumers to book video shoutouts from their favorite talent, announced Stefan Heinrich Henriquez as its new Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager of International. Heinrich brings over a decade of relevant experience to the new role, having previously worked with TikTok, musical.ly, YouTube and Google. He is expected to lead Cameo’s global growth and branding.

ESPN hires J’Ron Erby as Social Media Branded Content Specialist

J’Ron Erby announced on Twitter, via an awesome 20-second video, that he is joining ESPN as a Social Media Branded Content Specialist. In the new role, Erby is expected to strengthen the development and distribution of engaging content for all ESPN-branded social media channels. Prior to joining ESPN, Erby most recently worked in athlete marketing with Wasserman, and as a Public Relations Game Day Assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

Activision Blizzard Secures Agency Vet As New CMO

David Messinger has been hired by Activision Blizzard to join the video game company as its first Global Chief Marketing Officer. In the newly formed role, Messinger will report to President and COO Coddy Johnson and use his expertise to further connect Activision Blizzard’s entertainment properties to their global audience. Messinger is a 15-year veteran of CAA, and most recently served as the sports and entertainment agency’s Co-Head of Marketing.

Atlanta Hawks Tap Director for Team’s First Innovation Lab

Jen Choi announced on LinkedIn that she is joining the Atlanta Hawks as Director of their first Innovation Lab. The Innovation Lab will focus on identifying opportunities for radical innovation across guest experience, employee experience, and adjacent/new markets. In what Choi describes as a “dream role,” she will be tasked with starting and running innovation initiatives for the Hawks and State Farm Arena. Choi has spent the last year at Dropbox as Senior Product Lead for the file hosting service’s growth team.

Brett Yormark to Step Down as Nets CEO

Brett Yormark is resigning as CEO of BSE Global, the Brooklyn Nets’ parent company. The announcement comes as Alibaba Executive Vice Chairman Joe Tsai completes a deal to assume complete control of the team by buying out the remaining stakes held by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Yormark’s 14-year tenure has been marked by many successful endeavors. As the top executive behind the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center arena, he was instrumental in the Nets relocation and helped transform the team’s identity into a “lifestyle” brand. Yormark will not be moving on to another job immediately.

DC United Hire Media Manager from Carolina Panthers

Astasia Williams announced in a heartfelt post on Twitter that she is heading to D.C. to join DC United as the MLS club’s Social and Digital Media Manager. Prior to accepting the new role, Williams spent the past two years as a Social Media Content Coordinator with the Carolina Panthers.

DAZN Makes Key VP Move

DAZN, the fast-growing sports streaming service, announced that Paul Sexton-Chadwick is joining the company as SVP of Commercial Propositions. In the new role, Sexton-Chadwick will report directly to Chief Business Development Officer John Gleasure and help to enhance DAZN’s distribution, drive subscriber growth, and drive strategy and execution for commercial premises and other B2B commercial enterprise opportunities. Previously, Sexton-Chadwick worked at Sky Deutschland, where he oversaw the media company’s newly formed OTT business—Sky Ticket.

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