Expert Speakers & Writers Bureau
|
In 2009 - - at the request of numerous corporations, companies, associations and charities - - SMMG developed and launched a unique Experts Speakers and Writers Bureau. We call our initial group of members: “The Class With Class.” We think you’ll agree.
|
|
| Marty Appel is a best-selling author and highly regarded publicist who, during a career of more than 40 years, has won an Emmy award (for production of New York Yankees baseball), a Golden Record (for production of a record album on the sights and sounds of Yankee Stadium), been on the New York Times best-seller list (for MUNSON: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain), appeared in Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose of Cairo," served as a consultant for Billy Crystal's "61*" and as consulting producer for ESPN's "The Bronx is Burning."
Marty's career in communications began serendipitously when as a lucky young fan in1967, he was hired by the NY Yankees to answer Mickey Mantle's fan mail... and he quickly went on to become the youngest public relations director in Major League history with the Bronx Bombers. Today, he is frequently seen on baseball specials on HBO, ESPN, MLB Network and the YES Network, and his behind-the-scenes memoir, " Now Pitching for the Yankees," was named " Best New York Baseball Book of 2001." He has even contributed to the text on the Baseball Hall of Fame plaques.
As a publicist, he has represented such prestigious entities as the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Yogi Berra Museum, The Topps Company, the NHL, the football Giants, the New York Rangers and the families of Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. His biography of Thurman Munson, published in summer 2009, became the best selling book in American by its third day after publication.
Areas of Expertise: Highly-requested keynote & after-dinner speaker; Remarkable storyteller to both live audiences and book lovers, focusing on subjects who are household names. With his love of baseball, his "insider" perspective, his sense of both humor and pathos and his "everyman" style, Marty enthralls audiences and readers of all ages and backgrounds.
|
Marty Appel
President Marty Appel Public Relations
|
|
David J. Chavez, a native of Tucson, AZ, has been working in the sports world for more than a quarter-century - - including, since 1998, as a founder of Colorado Springs, C0-jeadquartered Pro Sports MVP. As President & CEO of the company, he oversees one of America’s leading full- service marketing firms that specializes in creating and implementing hundreds of proprietary sports- and entertainment-themed tours, promotions and events each year. Pro Sports MVP is also ranked as the largest independent supplier of talent to the US Armed Forces. Chavez, who is bi-lingual (English and Spanish), first entered the sports field in 1976 when he began a 15-year stint in Minor and Senior League Baseball. In 1990, he was hired to be Director of Player & Corporate Relations for Pittsburgh, PA-based International Sports Marketing (ISM), which boasted strong alliances with both the MLB and NFL Alumni Associations. In his role with ISM, which lasted until he left to launch Pro Sports MVP in 1999, Chavez helped develop, organize and manage dozens of successful marketing programs and campaigns that involved hundreds of retired sports figures interacting with corporations, associations, military personnel, fans and consumers.
Areas of Expertise: Sports Marketing & Management in the U.S. and Internationally, Celebrity Acquisition, Using Celebrities for Successful Events & Appearances, Employee & Client Motivation & Business Development.
|
David Chavez
Founder & President
Pro Sports MVP
Colorado Springs, CO
|
|
| Michael Coleman has served as the sports director and anchor for News 12 Long Island since March 2004.
Michael, who was born and raised in Lawrence, KS, attended Southern Illinois University on a football scholarship and also earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications. Prior to studying and starring on the gridiron in Carbondale, IL, he starred at track and football at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.
Michael came to News 12 Long Island from KLTV in Tyler, TX, where he won the Associated Press Best Sportscast awards. In his distinguished career, he has covered Super Bowls, the U.S. Golf Open, NASCAR, NCAA basketball tournaments and countless high school sports.
In addition, Michael is a strong and visible proponent of giving back to the community. He has been involved in a wealth of events and campaigns for such organizations as Special Olympics, the Head Injury Association, the Nassau County Sports Commission . . . and was a board member of the East Texas Literacy Council.
Areas of Expertise: Through his vast on and off the field experiences with high school, college and professional sports, Michael brings a unique, informative and entertaining focus to his public speaking and writing assignments. Often called upon to serve as master of ceremonies and/or panel moderator at charity, association and corporate functions, Michael brings total professionalism, charm, wit and knowledge to every event at which he appears.
|
Michael Coleman
Sports Director & Anchor
News 12 Long Island
|
|
| To the readers of 350 papers across the country, he is known as Professor Bruce because - - in his weekly, nationally-syndicated column, "Ask the Small Business Professor" - - he provides expert, timely and practical advice to business owners and professionals representing a wide-variety of divergent fields.
Bruce is also an engaging speaker who entertains and enlightens audiences by relating both his career experiences, as well as his unique insights into the successes of entrepreneurs in the news. In his stage presentation, Bruce offers a dynamic talk he calls, "The Entrepreneurial Mind," in which he explores the inspirations and motivations driving American entrepreneurs - - and highlights entertaining and educational aspects of building a thriving business in today's economy.
A featured guest on such high-rated media outlets as CBS Radio, Bloomberg TV and The Joan Hamburg Show, Bruce's newest venture, Birthing the Elephant: The Woman's Go For It! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business (with co-author Karin Abarbanel) was recently published by Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.
Born and raised on Long Island, NY, Bruce Freeman is an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University (NJ), where he earned the 2007-2008 Excellent Adjunct Professor Teaching Award.
Areas of Expertise: A full-time speaker and writer, Bruce can address most any audience on various "small business" issues and opportunities with great insights, humor and knowledge. He is equally as adept at authoring books, articles and scholarly papers on a wide range of business and entrepreneurial subjects.
|
Bruce Freeman
Small Business Expert
|
|
Dr. Jay P. Granat is a psychotherapist with 24 years of clinical experience. He has several years of experience with psychology in sports and exercise and has coached thousands of golfers, tennis players, baseball players, basketball players, martial artists, bowlers, fencers, football players, boxers and figure skaters. His clients have included professional athletes, student-athletes, doctors, lawyers, salespeople, traders and some of America's largest corporations. Dr. Granat, the founder of Stay in the Zone.com, has written several mental training in sports books and has lectured extensively on performance enhancement.
Areas of Expertise: Interactive lectures on such topics as Stress Management, How To Lower Your Golf Score, How To Break Out Of A Hitting, How To Get In The Zone In Just One Minute, ,Zone Tennis, How To Increase Sales And Lower Your Golf Score, How To Lower Your Golf Score And Expand Your Practice.
|
Dr. Jay P. Granat
Sports Pyschotherapist, Author, Lecturer, et al.
(Click photo for an interview with Dr. Granat)
|
|
Beginning in 1960, Steve Jacobson was a sports reporter and columnist for Newsday on Long Island and in New York City for more than four decades. During his 44 years with one of the 10 largest daily newspapers in the country, Steve was frequently ranked among the Top Five Sports Columnists in the U.S. by the AP Sports Editors. In addition, he has twice been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He also is a successful author, having written The Best Team Money Could Buy, a tale of the lunacy of the 1977 World Champion NY Yankees (which led to Steve being a major contributor to the TV series, The Bronx Is Burning) along with his latest book, Carrying Jackie’s Torch, which was published by Lawrence Hill Books in 2007.
Known for his versatility, strong writing skills, probing but respectful questions and his humanity, Steve has covered virtually every major athletic endeavor and sporting event in the U.S. and around the world during his remarkable career. He possesses a keen and passionate interest not only in the results of our sports and games, but more so the people behind them. Men, women and teenagers who have overcome adversity, injury and “political incorrectness” fascinate him, and he brings their stories alive like no other writer working today.
Areas of Expertise: As a Keynote Speaker, Steve Jacobson can deliver an inspiring, entertaining and informative oration to most any kind of audience; and as a Television or Radio Panelist, he can bring a sense of history, diversity, health issues and controversy to any program or show. As such, Steve has made frequent TV and radio appearances on various sports topics for numerous major national and regional outlets such as ESPN, HBO, MSG and YES networks.
|
Steve Jacobson
Retired Sports Columnist
Newsday
Long Island, NY
|
|
|
Ray Katz , a proven industry innovator in the areas of pre-investment and Return-On-Investment (ROI) analytics, serves as Managing Director-Sports Marketing for Optimum Sports, supervising the agency's consulting services for all brand and property clients.A seasoned veteran with more than 20 years in the field, Ray's diverse background includes working for a league (NFL), another agency ( Young & Rubicam), a TV network (The Football Network) and a team arena property (Madison Square Garden)--which is a precise representation of the all-encompassing expertise offered by optimum sports.
On the entrepreneurial side, Ray founded Smartix International in 1999, an affinity commerce company that partnered with MasterCard and MBNA to launch a comprehensive fan management program for sports teams and leagues. After serving as president for four years, he continues today as founder, consultant, and chairman of the advisory board.
Ray Graduated with distinction with an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania after graduating from Penn Summa Cum Laude, and inning the William D. Gordon award for outstanding graduating senior. In 2001, he was heavily involved in the initial curriculum development for the NYU Masters in Sports Business Program;currently, he is on the adjunct faculty at Columbia University, instructing courses in the Sports Business Program.
Areas of Expertise:Because Ray's knowledge and expertise are focused across numerous sports marketing disciplines--including media, sponsorships, emerging technologies, research, and analytics--he is an ideal speaker and writer on not only the "technical" and "Calcuble" sides of the industry, but also on the "insides and outsides" of sports management.
|
Ray Katz Managing Director Optimum Sports
|
|
Frederick C. Klein was a longtime feature writer, editor and columnist with The Wall Street Journal. He initiated the Journal’s “On Sports” column in 1977, and wrote it until he left the paper in 2001. Later, he contributed columns to Sports Business Journal and articles to USA Today, The New York Times and Links magazine, among other publications. He’s the author of many books, including two collections of his columns and the illustrated “For the Love of…” series for Triumph Books. He’s now a freelance writer living in Scottsdale, Arizona - - and his blog Fred Klein on Sports (which is updated on the 1st and 15th of each month), can be seen by clicking on http://fredkleinonsports.blogspot.com.
Areas of Expertise: Sports Business, Sports Writing, Sports Media, Sports from the Fan’s Point of View & Humor in Sports
|
Fred Klein
Sports Columnist & Author
The Wall Street Journal
& other publications
|
|
Will O’Toole of River Edge, NJ, is a sports editorial cartoonist who takes both serious and quirky looks at the world of athletic games and those individuals who play and compete at them. No sport, no situation, no topic and no individual is safe from O’Toole’s sharp wit, expertly drawn characters and clever text. One of the most prolific and successful sports editorial cartoonists in the country, Will’s work has been seen on TV on such major outlets as CNN, PBS and SportsChannel; in such popular publications as USA Today, The Sporting News, College & Pro Football Weekly and several Northeastern-based newspapers; and on the Internet via FoxSports.com, CBSSportsline.com and other websites.
Popular at corporate and association events, conventions and conferences and charitable and community functions, Will easily transfers his skills as a creative and ascerbic writer and a whimsical sketch artist to the “stage.” His appearances include explanations of how he goes through the process of devising, create and drawing a cartoon; actually fashioning an editorial sports cartoon on the spot; a question and answer session; and discussions of most any other facets of his career and craft the event organizers request.
Mixing an informed mind with a strong sense of humor and a wonderful flair for drawing, Will O’Toole adds a unique entertainment value to any special event or program.
Areas of Expertise: Takes the audience through the entire creative process: from the burgeoning of an idea right through the drawing strategies of the cartoon ... until the finished product emerges.
|
Will O'Toole
Sports Editorial Cartoonist
|
|
Considered one the country's most successful sports talent representation & endorsement executives, Steve Rosner co-founded and became a partner at 16W Marketing, LLC, in October 2000, along with Frank Vuono. He was a co-founder of Integrated Sports International (ISI) in 1993, which was acquired by SFX Entertainment in March 1999. While at 16W, Rosner has become one of the industry's top representatives for broadcasters, negotiating contracts for Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason, Howie Long, Cris Collinsworth, Cal Ripken Jr., Beasley Reece and Bob Papa. He directs 16W Marketing's talent representation division, as well as special event planning/hospitality (e.g. ISI/SFX Charity Super Bowl Golf Classic; New York's Top 100 Sports Moments Promotion & Dinner; NFL Punt, Pass & Kick; the Cadillac NFL Quarterback Club Golf Scramble; and the NFL High School Quarterback Club Challenge).
Areas of Expertise: Talent Marketing; Contract Negotiation; Special Event Planning, Management & Production; and Media Consultation.
|
Steve Rosner
Co-Founder & Partner
16W Marketing
Rutherford, NJ
|
|
| It is quite an accomplishment in today's American culture to be considered an expert in one special area of knowledge. But to be known both nationally and internationally for your expertise, experience, writing skills and lecturing acumen in two distinct fields of interest is truly a remarkable feat. Meet Dan Schlossberg.
Dan is the only U.S. journalist who covers both baseball and travel exclusively - - which has helped him amuse audiences all over the country through both his written words and his entertaining and informative lectures.
Dan has authored nearly three dozen baseball books and more than 25,000 articles, including contributions to The Sporting News, Baseball Digest, MLB.com, the All-Star Game and World Series programs, not to mention his work for countless other publications, Baseball Annuals and even the backs of Baseball Cards.
On the travel side, Dan is the founder, president and Wayfarer editor for the NATJA (North American Travel Journalists Association), as well as the travel editor for Hooters Magazine and The Maggie Linton Show on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. His byline has also appeared in such prestigious periodicals as AAA Living, United Airlines' Hemispheres Magazine, US Airways Magazine and the History Channel Magazine.
Areas of Expertise: Baseball: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow; Baseball humor; Travel topics from A (Alaska) to Z (Zanzibar)
|
Dan Schlossberg
Baseball & Travel Expert
|
|
Heralded as one of the most prominent sports executives in the U.S., Frank Vuono co-found 16W Marketing, LLC in September of 2000 and serves as one of its partners. At 16W, Frank directs the company's Corporate Division, which boasts such prestigious clients as the United Football League, Italian American Network, Cal Ripken Baseball, FieldTurf, TurnStyles Ticketing, XOS Technologies and Facility Merchandise Incorporated (FMI). Known for his creative and dynamic approach, Vuono co-founded Integrated Sports International (ISI) in 1993 and served as its CEO/President. ISI was acquired by SFX Entertainment in March of 1999; Vuono served as president of SFX Sport Group\'s marketing division. Formerly Vice President of Licensing for NFL Properties (NFLP), Vuono helped build sales of NFL licensed products from approximately $300 million to over $2.5 billion. He also launched integrated marketing programs NFL Pro Line, NFL Pro Shop and NFL Throwbacks. Vuono co-founded the NFL Quarterback Club, predecessor to NFL Quarterback Greats.
Areas of Expertise: Sports Marketing, Naming Rights, Licensing and Merchandising Industries
|
Frank Vuono
Co-Founder & Partner
16W Marketing
Rutherford, NJ
|
|
