Paul Speaker- CEO
·
Experience
o
Director of Marketing and Ideas at the National
Football League,
o
President of Time Inc. Studios- Division of Time
Warner: possible TV Deal down the road?
o
President of RKO Studios where he has been
responsible for the organizations’ creative development, advertising and
organization-wide integration of marketing strategies.
o
Lead Independent Director for Quiksilver as part
of the organization’s board of directors.
·
Goals
o
"We want a 40-year-old father/
lifelong surfer who's introducing his six-year-old son to the sport for the
first time at an event will get an experience equivalent to that of other
professional sports," Speaker envisions. "That he remembers the
experience and creates a family legacy that will mature over generations."
Here's what else he had to say:
o
ON 2013:
"Everybody's expecting a dramatic, quick change. Having closed the
acquisition in December, this is really a data year. We're spending a
tremendous amount of time with surfers, brands, event management teams and the
partnerships that already exist on the ground. We'll fix small stuff, going
around with notepads and taking pictures at events, but we're not moving closer
to population at the cost of the wave. We're investing in these events so the
fan's experience is at par or better than what they've become accustomed to in
other sports leagues, but don't expect a lot of changes to occur in 2013. We're
configuring what tomorrow will look like and ramping up for a bigger launch in
2014."
o
ON NEW BLOOD:
"With a centralized global position for the first time in professional
surfing, we'll be announcing key hires, the best and the brightest. We're
excited that surfing's enticed people from other walks of life -- from the
sports world to the technology world -- to come on as full-time ASP employees
and change our perspective on both the broadcast and online sides. Once they're
in place, we'll bring their key assets to the table. We understand there's a
nuance to professional surfing, a heritage and legacy that's important to keep
intact. There's no fundamental change other than a move to California. All the
regional offices will be able to continue their jobs, but also given a voice to
move this sport forward. They all understand surfing, understand broadcasting,
and are working diligently to deliver the best fan experience."
o
ON FANS:
"Our primary objective is to mature our relationship with the fans. That
starts with understanding the DNA that makes individuals enjoy the sport: their
likes and dislikes, where they engage with us across the board and where we can
create connectivity between them and the athletes. We've probably initiated the
largest fan segmentation/research ever done and are committed to understanding
the existing core surf fan -- making sure we manufacture an experience that
doesn't insult, confuse or alienate them. But at the same time, we're welcoming
a new fan that might've thought about professional surfing in the past, but wasn't
marketed to properly. The deeper penetration you have with your fan base and
the larger distribution you have for your sport, the more appealing you are for
global brands."
o
ON BRANDS:
"The endemic brands have supported this sport for a long time; it's time
to give them a bit of relief and look at non-endemic brands. That supports not
only the sport, but also the athletes, and in many ways activates the fans.
We've been closing deals with existing sponsors so their event legacy remains.
Taking more of a sponsor position and less as an event owner allows them to
concentrate on their core business more deeply, and participate with others we
bring to the table, so our events become much more meaningful. Across the
zeitgeist of marketing and advertising, surfing's more prevalent than ever
before. So brands that have never been involved with surfing are using our
images, and in some cases doing deals with our athletes. This is the first time
there's a global opportunity to sponsor professional surfing. It's a seismic
change in the dialogue brands will be having; how they position their brands
around this active global consumer; and how they'll budget against those
initiatives."
o
"Our primary objective is to
mature our relationship with the fans. That starts with understanding the DNA
that makes individuals enjoy the sport."-- Paul Speaker
o
ON BROADCASTING:
"In the last five years the landscape has changed dramatically. Online is
as powerful as broadcast in linear television. So we're interviewing and
educating broadcast and online partners to figure out the best way to deliver
the experience globally. In previous years, it's run as a disparate collection
of events with a governing body that has only the limitations of sanctioning
and understanding rules and regulations. This will be a more
dynamic-centralized focused business. Our team moving from event to event will
be married up with freelancers, shooters and producers that have worked with
the ASP in the past. We're evaluating commentary, which we believe will be one
fixed team. We'll be getting rid of the wrinkles some broadcasts have had, with
deep vigor. We'll work with those who've been loyal in the past -- certainly
regional television broadcasters in Australia, Portugal and Brazil that preempt
programming because surfing is such a major part of their culture -- while
looking for global partners that allow us to manufacture massive reach. The ASP
has done a wonderful job of inviting many different languages to the table. We
want to make sure our distribution works as hard as that initiative has, and
we're about two or three months away from closing the broadcast deal and making
that announcement."
o
ON THE SURFERS:
"Our key constituencies are the surfers. We want to celebrate those
athletes, highlight how this sport is actually more globally far-reaching, and
certainly more exciting, than other sports. A world-class sport needs to be
positioned properly, and accoutrements that go along with that need to be put
in place: everything from the event experience to the media training to
understanding the surfers as individuals and characterizing them properly.
We're delivering them to their audience, so we must make sure their day-to-day
health and life experience is secure."
o
ON WAVES:
"We're committed to the fan experience, which is completely about the best
surfers on the best waves. All the other stuff about interactivity and
engagement, we have to create drama in the water and the best way to yield that
is to be where the best athlete can get on the best waves."
Matt McCabe- COO
·
Experience:
o
March 2013 –
Present (8 months)Santa Monica, CA
o
March 2010 –
March 2013 (3 years 1 month)
o
September
2004 – January 2011 (6 years 5 months)
o
May 2000 –
September 2004 (4 years 5 months)
o
March
1995 – May 2000 (5 years 3 months)
·
Education:
o
Villanova
University
§ BS, Business, 1982-1986
·
University
of Hartford
o
MBA,
Finance, 1987-1990
Michael Lynch- CMO/CRO
·
Experience
o
During his nearly 17 years with Visa, Lynch led
the company’s global sponsorship marketing/management strategy and execution
including activations with the Olympic and Paralympic Games, FIFA World Cup,
NFL and numerous other properties.
o
He and the organizations he led, have received
numerous industry awards and recognition including, tabbed by The Sporting News
magazine as one of the “100 Most Powerful People in Sports”, “Sports Sponsor of
the Year” by the Sports Business Journal, and “The 25 Best Sponsors in America”
by Event Marketer Magazine.
Kieren Perrow- Interim
Commissioner
·
Veteran
Surfer
·
Still
Active on Tour
Rob Hammer- VP Post Production
o
February
2013 – Present (9 months)
o
http://www.aspworldtour.com/
o
March
2007 – February 2013 (6 years)Greater New York City
Area
o
http://video.timeincstudios.com
o
March
2003 – March 2007 (4 years 1 month)
o
Video Editorial for Commercials, TV, Film, Web.
o
May
1999 – February 2005 (5 years 10 months)
o
Commercial Editor.
·
1995 – 1999
Al Hunt- World Tour
Manager, Voice of the Old Regime
·
Attended over 1000 events
·
Helped develop current scoring system
·
“Retired” an passed on most of responsibility to
Renato Hickel
Kelly Slater- The Future
·
Face of Pro Surfing and Quiksilver
·
11 Time World Champion
·
ZoSea Media
o
Run by Paul Speaker (New CEO) and Terry Hardy
(Slater’s Agent)
·
Commissioner role seems to have been built for
him when he retires
·
Turned down a $10 million bonus from Quiksilver and
took 3% ownership instead
