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:

·         Chief Operating Officer

o    Association of Surfing Professionals

o   March 2013 – Present (8 months)Santa Monica, CA

·         Director, Advanced Services

o    Cisco Systems

o   March 2010 – March 2013 (3 years 1 month)

·         Senior Manager, Customer and Professional Services

o    Cisco Systems Inc

o   September 2004 – January 2011 (6 years 5 months)

·         VP, Customer Service

o    dynamicsoft

o   May 2000 – September 2004 (4 years 5 months)

·         Director, Global Support

o    QAD

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

·         Vice President of Post Production

o    Association of Surfing Professionals

o   February 2013 – Present (9 months)

o   http://www.aspworldtour.com/

·         Director of Post Production

o    Time Inc. Studios

o   March 2007 – February 2013 (6 years)Greater New York City Area

o   http://video.timeincstudios.com

·         Film/Video Editor

o    Freelance

o   March 2003 – March 2007 (4 years 1 month)

o   Video Editorial for Commercials, TV, Film, Web.

·         Senior Editor

o    Stolen Car Productions

o   May 1999 – February 2005 (5 years 10 months)

o   Commercial Editor.

·         Syracuse University

·         BS, Producing for Electronic Media

·         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