International Sports Marketing Authority Joins 21 Marketing

Tom Shepard, former global marketing and merchant partnership Executive Vice President at Visa international and internationally recognized sports marketing authority, has joined forces with Rob Prazmark at 21 Sports and Entertainment Marketing Group, a premier international sports marketing company. Shepard will serve as CMO/Partner heading 21 Marketing’s new west coast office, 21 WEST, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Shepard has recently acted as a special advisor to 21 Marketing and was key in helping to achieve 21 Marketing’s recent successes in selling several categories for both the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and NBCUniversal for the upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games, as well as 21 Marketing’s work with the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, the IOC, the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and Rio 2016.

In announcing this appointment, 21 Marketing founder and CEO, Rob Prazmark noted, "Tom and I have worked together for many years. This new partnership will elevate 21 Marketing to a level of expertise that no one else in the global marketplace can match. Tom’s experience at Visa in the Olympic, FIFA World Cup™ and entertainment space is invaluable. Between the two of us, I believe our contacts and knowledge from both the property and corporate sides will lay the foundation for a very strong and very focused agency."

Shepard has been called the "Dean of Olympic Marketing " and has been involved in most major international sport properties, including the Olympic Games at the TOP sponsorship level, FIFA, the Rugby World Cup, NFL, Triple Crown, and numerous professional franchises and national governing bodies.

On the entertainment side, Shepard was instrumental in partnering Visa with numerous global companies, such as the Walt Disney Company and SONY, and in the merchant partnership arena, with such companies as Marriott, BA, and Delta Air Lines. Recently, Shepard acted as CEO of Festival Network. Over the years, he has consulted with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), American Airlines, Cisco, First Data, Apple, Bank of America, and Doubletree Hotels. Shepard is considered a pioneer in partnership marketing and in the art of destination marketing surrounding big events. International corporations on five continents have sought his counsel and lecturing expertise.

"I’m delighted to join forces with Rob and the 21 Marketing team," Shepard said. "I have always had tremendous respect for Rob’s knowledge and sales ability. After working closely with him, I truly understand his enormous capacity for innovation in these areas. Our combined experience will bring a unique expertise to all aspects of sport and entertainment marketing, from representing properties, to negotiating, to creating innovative strategies and activation on behalf of each partner."

The 21 Marketing team has been widely recognized for its expertise in representing and procuring sponsors’ global properties. Rob Prazmark has brokered over 60 different relationships between the corporate world and global sports properties at a value in excess of US$3.5Billion. Now, with the leadership represented by Prazmark and Shepard, their services will become significantly broader, creating innovative approaches to the strategy and activation of properties benefiting sponsors and sales teams.

About 21 marketing:

21 Sports and Entertainment Marketing Group, Inc., was founded in 1991. Over the past 20 years it has enjoyed relationships with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the FIFA World Cup™, The Smithsonian Institution, America’s Cup, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, NASA, the Miami Dolphins, the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Dentsu Sports America, The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and NBC Sports. Corporate clients include Johnson & Johnson, GES, John Hancock, Delta Airlines and many others. (www.21mktg.com )

For more information, contact:rprazmark@21mktg.com

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