POPULARITY
Other People's Money is our series on the sports investment marketplace with regular co-host Matt Rogan, co-founder of Two Circles.Bruin Capital, George Pyne's private equity firm, has launched a new international soccer agency called As1, representing more than 300 players and coaches as clients. The list includes Bruno Fernandes, Man United, Moises Cascedo, formerly of Brighton, now Chelsea, and Luis Diaz of Liverpool. The company takes a number of acquisitions, including Nomi Sports, Position Number, and Promoesport and puts them together into one big unit. So why? What's happening here? What does private equity see in the talent market around European football? And what are the implications for the game, the players, the money and the regulators? To help us answer these questions, we've invited Daniel Geey to come back onto the Unofficial Partner Podcast.Daniel is a Partner in the Sheridan Sports Group focused on helping clients in the sports sector, including rights holders, leagues, governing bodies, clubs, agencies, athletes, sports technology companies, broadcasters and financial institutions.Daniel has significant experience in the football industry and has worked on a variety of club takeovers, high profile transfers, commercial endorsement deals and disputes.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner' on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you're interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.
Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan are in reflective mood, as they review the stories of the sports industry year - as clicked on by you, the sports industry, in our weekly Worth Knowing newsletter.They recall Netflix's big commitment to sport (and entertainment); organisational chop and change at Manchester United; a stream of investment chatter; the proposed merger between the ATP and WTA tour; LVMH's takeover of the Paris Olympics; George Pyne's investment case for women's sport; the rise of the Chief of Staff; the Saudi money steering the big decisions; campaigns that struck a nerve; rebrands that struck a chord; why you should fire your CMO; what makes a good CEO, and a whole lot more.To subscribe to Worth Knowing, visit: leadersinsport.com/newsletters
It all starts with a strategy but how do you make sure that plan is being realised to its fullest potential? In How to Win, a new six-part podcast series from SportsPro and strategy realisation specialist NorthStar Solutions Group, we hear from top leaders across the sports industry with the primary objective of uncovering what it really takes to win in their field. Episode one sees SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Chris Collins, president and CEO of NorthStar, welcome Bruin Capital CEO George Pyne for a high-level conversation about how an active investor can put in place the right building blocks to maximise returns when it comes time to exit.
Want to learn from some of the best in the business? Here's something new from SportsPro... How to Win. This new six-part podcast series, in collaboration with our friends at Northstar Solutions Group, features some of the top industry leaders and hones in on how to successfully implement the strategies required to win in the business of sports. Launching on 6th November, episode one sees Bruin Capital CEO and founder George Pyne join SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Northstar CEO Chris Collins to discuss delivering ROI as an investor. The rest of the series will be released weekly every Wednesday, subscribe to the SportsPro Podcast feed to ensure you never miss an episode.
In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with Bruin Capital Founder and CEO George Pyne about how he reinvented institutions like NASCAR and IMG before pivoting to investing. Pyne explains what he looks for in a founder, why the risk-reward ratio is important in deal-making and the opportunities he sees for growth in college sports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan shake down the global sports industry for the stories of the week.That includes Amazon's potential broadcast deal with the NBA, Saudi giant Aramco's new partnership with Fifa, difficult days for sports journalism, George Payne's turf management, DAZN's German football dispute, the rise of Cowboy culture, and reflections on the death of Ayrton Senna 30 years ago this week.And there's time for a new feature, Inside The Deal, explaining how Hewlett-Packard's new title sponsorship deal with Ferrari came about: the brand alignment, the value exchange, who was at the negotiating table, the Omnicom fingerprints on the agreement including the role of the Fuse and PHD agencies and why it's a handy way to get a slice of Lewis Hamilton's time.The agenda's out for 4se New York, our sports, media, brands and popular culture show, examining the spaces where sport, lifestyle, culture and entertainment are intersecting.There's still time to join us in New York on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd May - visit 4-se.com for more details.
George Pyne's Bruin Capital recently sold its stake in the Two Circles marketing agency at an internal rate of return of more than 60%. That deal was just the latest exit to turn a profit for Bruin in recent years, with the respective sales of On Location to Endeavor and Deltatre to Bain Capital also generating big payouts. Here, Pyne, the founder and CEO of Bruin, talks to SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham about how the firm has struck gold with its investments in the sports industry.
The big news in the sports industry is the sale of Two Circles, the sports marketing group co-founded and led by today's guest Gareth Balch. The deal values the company at £250 million (US$317.9 million), representing a big payout for George Pyne's Bruin Sports Capital, which paid $40million for 80% of the company in December 2019, when it bought it from previous owner WPP. So why is the company that amount of money and what does it tell us about how the finance community values professional sport over the next decade? Two Circles new home is private equity firm Charterhouse Capital Partners, whose partner Chris Warren, was quoted as saying: “We believe Two Circles is emerging as the first digitally native global sports group and will lead the next era for the sports industry to help its clients navigate the changes ahead and fulfil their potential.”Two Circles has long-term partnerships with some of the most iconic sports properties in the world including the NFL, the IOC, International Cricket Council, LA28, F1, Premier League, UEFA and FIFA. It diversified its services during the Bruin ownership period through the acquisition of premium sponsorship sales agency, TRM, ticketing specialists, SportsInk, technology specialists, Codeware, and the award-winning creative content agency, LiveWire Sport.Two Circles was also able to invest in joint-ventures with the DP World Tour, Ryder Cup Europe, FIBA and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to help accelerate the commercial growth of their properties. Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 300 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner' on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you're interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.
Bruin Capital CEO and Founder George Pyne says colleges will have to start paying their athletes, and discusses how that arrangement could play out. He speaks with Bloomberg's David Westin and Romaine Bostick. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Liverpool ECHO's Dave Powell is back with another Bottom Line podcast, alongside major US sports investor George Pyne! The duo talk all things FSG, the future of EPL investment , why clubs focus on US and rise of Saudi Arabia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this edition of Wall Street Week, Kristin Bitterly, Citi Head of North America Investments and Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab Chief Investment Strategist tell us why they see a rolling earnings recession. George Pyne, Bruin Capital Founder & CEO explains how fragmentation is leading to a realignment in college football. Deborah Lehr, Paulson Institute Vice Chairman and Executive Director and Edelman Global Advisory CEO sees certainty as central to China's economic stability and Rick Rieder, BlackRock Global Fixed Income CIO tells us how he would position a portfolio for a no-landing scenario. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” both blew past expectations for their opening weekend in theaters. Variety Executive Editor Brent Lang discusses the box office blowout and the Hollywood strikes that could stall any other big openings for months. The Women's World Cup garnered millions of weekend views too, as did Lionel Messi in his Major League Soccer debut in Miami. Bruin Capital CEO and sports business executive George Pyne says, it's America's moment with a different “football.” Plus, CNBC's Sharon Epperson discusses workplace inclusion in honor of Disability Pride Month, and Elon Musk is bidding farewell to Twitter as we know it. In this episode:George Pyne, @GFPyneBrent Lang, @BrentALangAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinBecky Quick, @BeckyQuickJoe Kernen, @JoeSquawkSharon Epperson, @Sharon_EppersonCameron Costa, @CameronCostaNY
We are joined this week by one the most influential investors in the global Sports Industry - George Pyne - Founder of Bruin Capital. With the global economy and the geo-political landscape in a state of flux, we asked George to return as our special guest to give his perspective on where he things the sports industry is headed.
On the Wait...What? #sportsbiz podcast we like to say we take a sometimes serious look at the sports business. The recent report from former Acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, detailing the abuses in the NWSL is one of those times. We talk about the path forward for a league that has had great success on the pitch and in securing league partners. Of course, we have some fun with the "sport of the future," pickleball, as well as cheating in...chess? DP & McGhee are then joined by President of the Kansas City Chiefs, Mark Donovan, who talks about his storied career including roles at the NHL, NFL and the Eagles, before joining the Chiefs over a decade ago. He even talks about a wrestling match he got into with his former teammate, agency partner, and former guest of this show, George Pyne.
DP & McGhee are joined by George Pyne, the founder and CEO of Bruin Capital, an investment and operating company specializing in working with capital partners and management teams to build best-in-class, global sports, media, entertainment, marketing, and technology companies. George has been at the center of some of the biggest stories in sports over the past 25 years, including the explosive growth of NASCAR in the 1990s and the consolidation of collegiate multi-media rights in the new millennium. He shares his thoughts on where the sports industry is growing, and the importance of technology to that continued growth. Much to the enjoyment of the show's hosts, George also shares his personal feelings on being the father of a big-time college student-athlete. Many other topical issues are touched on during this episode, including the recently completed US Open, MLB rule changes, and NFL opening night ratings. And before welcoming their guest, DP & McGhee take a rare opportunity to toot their own horns during the "Spotlight on Sponsorship" segment.
The NYC MTA is low on ridership and on revenue, but Chair and CEO Janno Lieber says he has a plan to boost both and restore trust in the safety of public transit. The Big Ten has sealed its 7 year, $7 billion TV deal, marking the biggest annual deal for any college sports league. Sports business executive George Pyne unpacks the giant payout and what it means for the league's student players. Plus, the Bed Bath & Beyond carnage keeps coming for the company and its traders, and Starbucks has begun its restructuring. In this episode:Janno Lieber, @MTAGeorge Pyne, @GFPyneMelissa Lee: @MelissaLeeCNBCAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinKatie Kramer: @Kramer_Katie
Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. John Abramson, talks about his book “Sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It.” Bloomberg Businessweek Editor Joel Weber and Bloomberg News Startups Reporter Ellen Huet discuss that there are now 1,000 Unicorn startups worth $1 billion or more. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro and George Pyne, Founder & CEO of Bruin Capital, explain how social media and gambling are impacting traditional sports viewing. And we Drive to the Close with Michael Sheldon, Chief Investment Officer at RDM Financial Group. Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. John Abramson, talks about his book “Sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It.” Bloomberg Businessweek Editor Joel Weber and Bloomberg News Startups Reporter Ellen Huet discuss that there are now 1,000 Unicorn startups worth $1 billion or more. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro and George Pyne, Founder & CEO of Bruin Capital, explain how social media and gambling are impacting traditional sports viewing. And we Drive to the Close with Michael Sheldon, Chief Investment Officer at RDM Financial Group. Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In a session from SportsPro's inaugural Ignition event, Eoin Connolly talks to George Pyne, founder and chief executive of sports and entertainment investment fund Bruin Capital. George explains where Bruin identifies opportunities, its partnerships with scale-up companies like Deltatre, Two Circles, Oddschecker and TGI Sport, and how that compares with its activities in the startup space. He also lays out some of the key growth trends in sports technology, shares his thoughts on the prospects of NFTs and metaverse technologies, and discusses how the industry has changed since he moved on from IMG to set up Bruin Capital in 2015. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.
Two college football insiders, Teall Capital's Ben Sutton and Bruin Capital's George Pyne, discuss the College Football Playoff expansion, driving more value from the championship game and the future of bowl games in this game day edition of the SBJ Unpacks podcast.
Today's episode features George Pyne, founder and CEO of Bruin Capital, talking with SBJ's Abe Madkour about building personal networks to create opportunities, his introduction to Brian France and how that led to his role at NASCAR, what he learned working with Ted Forstmann and IMG, and how he decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship. Pyne is a member of SBJ's Forty Under Forty Hall of Fame as a part of the classes of 1999, 2001 and 2003.
Matt Adams is joined by Bruin Capital's George Pyne and they discuss the future of golf and Golf Channel's Kay Cockerill who will be a part of the 1st all female broadcast at this week's ShopRite LPGA Classic. Plus, hear from Sergio Garcia, Lexi Thompson and more as we get you ready for another packed week of golf.
In this week's episode, podcast co-hosts Eric Fisher and Chris Russo interview George Pyne, Bruin Capital founder and chief executive. Eric and Chris also discuss the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, tension surrounding the planned shift of the Universities of Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, and Barstool Sports' acquisition of both the naming and media rights for the Arizona Bowl.
Big 12 ups the ante, early NBC viewership numbers soft for Summer Games and George Pyne, dealmaker.
On episode #37, Jed welcomes on the CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, George Pyne. They discuss George's career, including leading NASCAR and IMG. George talks about the dynamics of running a sports-focused private equity firm, and how he's back in the auto racing business as a co-founder of the new Superstar Racing Experience.
George Pyne is Founder & CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, the global sports and entertainment company launched in 2015. Bruin is the latest chapter of his widely-respected career--architecting business transformation in a range of industries that manifest in billions of revenue shareholder value. Backed by the industry's top private equity companies and family investors, Bruin specializes in developing high-growth global, sports, and entertainment businesses. Throughout his career, Pyne has demonstrated an uncanny ability to uncover potential that others may not, and then turn that potential into immense value. Bruin is the latest example, a venture created to identify the great ideas that would thrive amidst the tectonic shifts to the sports economy and, with the Bruin overlay, lead the industry forward. Today, Bruin's portfolio of leading-edge companies operates on five continents. It is relied upon by virtually every major sports league, governing body, rights holder, as well as billions of sports fans. Bruin follows Pyne's stewardship of IMG, where, as President and Board Member for IMG Sports and Entertainment, he was responsible for record revenue and earnings growth across multiple commercial lines of business. That growth was the catalyst for the $2.4B price WME paid for the company in 2014. Before that, as COO and Board Member for NASCAR, he designed the commercialization plan that transformed the regional, niche sport into an elite U.S. sports league generating multibillions in commercial revenue. He began his career working for his family's real estate business before moving to Atlanta, GA to lead a full analysis of the city's school budget and operations, on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. That work led to sweeping reforms. He went on to work for Portman Companies, the eponymous commercial real estate and architectural firm founded by the iconic architect. At Portman, he organized the world's second-largest debt restructuring (at the time) and also launched his first business (sports marketing). NASCAR was a client and eventually recruited him to build the commercial side of the sport. He became only the second non-family member to join the Board of NASCAR. He is on the Board of the National Football Foundation and the National Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of New York. He also served on the Board of 24-Hour Fitness. A Brown University graduate, Pyne was Captain, All-Ivy League, and All-New England honoree as an offensive lineman for the Bruins.
This week on the Big Interview we discuss the industry with a real kingmaker and powerbroker, George Pyne of Bruin Sports Capital. How is he setting out his stall for intense change? Thanks to PumpJack Dataworks.
There’s been a major sports agency acquisition this week as Two Circles bought the rights sales house TRM Partners for what the Wall Street Journal estimate to be in the region of $45million, a number that is roughly equivalent to the price paid for Two Circles last year, by George Pyne’s sport and entertainment holding company Bruin Sports Capital. So, this podcast is going to unpick what this means, with first Gareth Balch, founder of Two Circles and then with Leo Thompson and Harry Horsley, co-founders of TRM. To read more about this deal and what it says about the post-Covid economy of professional sport, head over to UnofficialPartner.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter, where we go deeper in to the issues and themes that arise from our podcast conversations.
George Pyne, the founder and CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, the global sports and entertainment company headquartered in New York, is one of the most knowledgeable, incisive and respected operators in the global sports industry. Callum Murray caught up with him on behalf of the Business of Sport Podcast with the International Sports Convention to ask him his views on the future of global sport. How will it emerge from the global pandemic? Where will the opportunities lie? And how is technology changing the way we view sport? In the short term – the next 12 to 36 months – “the future for game-day revenue is going to be challenging,” he warns, continuing: “The pandemic is going to be with us for a while. Mid-way through next year there's a possibility of a return to normal, but the cost of delivering a live event will go up.” Pyne continues: “Billions and billions of revenue is being taken out of the system and that going to be a shock to the system and that shock is going to last for a while.” Even if spectators are able to attend events again, Pyne expects the market to experience “turbulence” for two reasons: “Coming out of the pandemic, people will be naturally hesitant to go back to live events; “If people take 12 months off from a lifestyle decision, there's a chance that they might find other interests and not come back.” Bruin employs 15 people itself, while about 1700 work at its 18 portfolio companies. These include the likes of: Deltatre, the sports broadcast technology company whose CEO Giampiero Rinaudo was the subject of a previous Business of Sport Podcast (https://internationalsportsconvention.com/the-business-of-sport-podcast-giampiero-rinaudo-ceo-and-co-founder-deltatre/), Two Circles, the UK-based data-driven sports marketing agency; and OverTier, a joint venture with WPP which distributes NFL Game Pass, the NFL's OTT service, globally. In April, the coronavirus lockdown forced Bruin to abandon its planned sale of Deltatre for an expected figure of over $1 billion, having acquired it in 2016 for about $160 million. However, Pyne insists that he was not disappointed and that Bruin is in no hurry to put Deltatre back up for sale, saying: “We're under no pressure to anything, except for the right thing. Our thinking now is we love the management team and we're going to work to aggressively build that company. It's a global company, it works with many of the major federations and broadcasters around the world, and we're excited about the future. I see us in there for a number of years going forward.” Pyne remains upbeat about the future of the sports industry, despite the challenges it faces, predicting that it will once again return to strength in “three or four years,” because sport's intrinsic value, its unique ability to “represent” its fans, “that's not going anywhere.”
George Pyne, CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, says professional athletes are using their platform in a constructive way to speak out against racial injustice. Hosts: Jason Kelly and Alix Steel. Producer: Paul Brennan.
George Pyne, CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, says professional athletes are using their platform in a constructive way to speak out against racial injustice. Hosts: Jason Kelly and Alix Steel. Producer: Paul Brennan. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
This week, Analog Devices CEO Vincent Roche joined to discuss his $21 billion dollar chip deal to acquire rival Maxim and where he is seeking to gain scale with the combined company. George Pyne, founder and CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, came on to talk about Dan Snyder's decision to retire the Redskins name from the Washington NFL team after years of refusing to entertain the idea and what it could mean for the team's hopes for a new stadium. Michael Chertoff, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and current executive chairman of The Chertoff Group, went through this week's high profile hacks with Twitter's worst security breach ever and the news that Russian intelligence is working to steal crucial COVID-19 vaccine research. Then Emily Oster, Brown University economics author and best-selling author of parenting books, "Expecting Better" and "Crib Sheet" talked about the data around children, coronavirus and school reopenings and why the U.S. economy depends on what happens to kids this fall.
Abe Madkour and Adam Stern discuss the Superstar Racing Experience led by Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham, Sandy Montag, and George Pyne. The new racing league will premiere in summer 2021 on Saturday nights during prime time on CBS.
This is number three in Money Talks, our series on sport and finance. The two previous guests were Jason Traub of 23Capital and George Pyne founder of Bruin Sports Capital. Today’s guest is Kyle Charters who leads Inner Circle Sports tech division. Inner Circle is a New York based boutique investment bank focused on the global sports business, which has been involved in multiple high profile mergers and acquisitions including US franchises and European soccer clubs. I start by asking Kyle what a boutique investment bank does all day and then we go on to talk about how they value sports teams, the differences between the US and European market and some detail on Fenway Sports acquisition and running of Liverpool FC, a deal which Inner Circle helped put together. If you’re enjoying our podcasts, you might also like our weekly newsletter that goes deeper in to the topics we cover. It’s free and available via unofficialpartner.com.
This is number three in Money Talks, our series on sport and finance. The two previous guests were Jason Traub of 23Capital and George Pyne founder of Bruin Sports Capital. Today’s guest is Kyle Charters who leads Inner Circle Sports tech division. Inner Circle is a New York based boutique investment bank focused on the global sports business, which has been involved in multiple high profile mergers and acquisitions including US franchises and European soccer clubs. I start by asking Kyle what a boutique investment bank does all day and then we go on to talk about how they value sports teams, the differences between the US and European market and some detail on Fenway Sports acquisition and running of Liverpool FC, a deal which Inner Circle helped put together. If you’re enjoying our podcasts, you might also like our weekly newsletter that goes deeper in to the topics we cover. It’s free and available via unofficialpartner.com.
Today we talk to George Pyne, the former Nascar and IMG CEO, who founded Bruin Sports Capital in 2015, which has emerged as one of the most interesting companies operating in the sports business today with nearly a billion dollars invested across the sector. Bruin was created with $250 million from Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP; Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Nassef Sawiris, executive chairman of Aston Villa among others. The fund was increased in size last November following a capital raise of $600million from CVC Capital Partners and the Jordan Group, which allows them to add to their portfolio of sports companies that includes Two Circles, Deltatre, Soulsight and Engine Shop. Before this, Pyne was CEO of IMG in Ted Forstmann era, part of the management team who sold the company to William Morris Endeavour in 2014. Before that was in charge of Nascar and The Portman Group. So a varied career that brought him in to day to day contact with some of the most influential characters in the American and European sports market over the last twenty five years, people like Forstmann and Sorrell to Brian France, Roger Penske and Ari Emanuel to name a few. We talk about his career and where he thinks Bruin will invest it’s considerable cash reserves now and in the future.
Today we talk to George Pyne, the former Nascar and IMG CEO, who founded Bruin Sports Capital in 2015, which has emerged as one of the most interesting companies operating in the sports business today with nearly a billion dollars invested across the sector. Bruin was created with $250 million from Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP; Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Nassef Sawiris, executive chairman of Aston Villa among others. The fund was increased in size last November following a capital raise of $600million from CVC Capital Partners and the Jordan Group, which allows them to add to their portfolio of sports companies that includes Two Circles, Deltatre, Soulsight and Engine Shop. Before this, Pyne was CEO of IMG in Ted Forstmann era, part of the management team who sold the company to William Morris Endeavour in 2014. Before that was in charge of Nascar and The Portman Group. So a varied career that brought him in to day to day contact with some of the most influential characters in the American and European sports market over the last twenty five years, people like Forstmann and Sorrell to Brian France, Roger Penske and Ari Emanuel to name a few. We talk about his career and where he thinks Bruin will invest it’s considerable cash reserves now and in the future.
Today we talk to George Pyne, the former Nascar and IMG CEO, who founded Bruin Sports Capital in 2015, which has emerged as one of the most interesting companies operating in the sports business today with nearly a billion dollars invested across the sector. Bruin was created with $250 million from Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP; Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Nassef Sawiris, executive chairman of Aston Villa among others. The fund was increased in size last November following a capital raise of $600million from CVC Capital Partners and the Jordan Group, which allows them to add to their portfolio of sports companies that includes Two Circles, Deltatre, Soulsight and Engine Shop. Before this, Pyne was CEO of IMG in Ted Forstmann era, part of the management team who sold the company to William Morris Endeavour in 2014. Before that was in charge of Nascar and The Portman Group. So a varied career that brought him in to day to day contact with some of the most influential characters in the American and European sports market over the last twenty five years, people like Forstmann and Sorrell to Brian France, Roger Penske and Ari Emanuel to name a few. We talk about his career and where he thinks Bruin will invest it’s considerable cash reserves now and in the future.
Before he started Bruin Sports Capital, George Pyne learned about sports, and sports fans, by building the modern NASCAR as chief operating officer, as well as at the right hand of Ted Forstmann, as president of IMG Sports and Entertainment. In this conversation with Jason Kelly (recorded in late May), Pyne reflects on how the experience of sports may change, the economic impact of seasons without spectators and investing in the future of fandom.
This week, George Pyne, founder and CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, joined to talk about how the sports economy is adjusting to its new reality and preparing for a possible return without fans. Jens Nordvig, founder and CEO of Exante Data, discussed what the data shows about Sweden's controversial approach to fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Adam Pritzker, founder and CEO of Assembled Brands, came on to talk about his work ensuring small businesses receive their loans from the federal government. Then Columbia Law School professor Kathryn Judge explained why she thinks the government intervention to shield big companies from the pandemic will give rise to moral hazard.
Gareth Balch co-founded Two Circles in 2011 when he 28 years old, and the business has since become one of the most influential sports marketing agencies to emerge over the last decade. They came to be seen as the defacto data agency that works with many sports rights holders, from the NFL, the Premier League, Uefa, Formula One and Wimbledon, among others. We talk about what this really means, and the many interpretations and misconceptions people have both about digital transformation in sport and the company itself.In 2015 Two Circles was acquired by GroupM, WPP’s media investment management company, which was incorporated into what was a new global sport and entertainment agency brand called ESP. Just recently WPP sold its majority stake to Bruin Sports Capital, the New York based investment vehicle controlled by George Pyne, the former boss of iMG. The Unofficial Partner podcast is now published daily, and we're proud and grateful that our conversations are being listened to by thousands of people across the sports business every week of the year. If you'd like to enquiry about advertising, sponsorship or branded podcasts, please get in touch with Sean via email sean@unofficialpartner.co.uk or you can reach us via the website unofficialpartner.com.
This week, FedEx President & COO Raj Subramaniam joined to talk about about how the company is grappling with increased shipping demand while keeping their employees safe. Nathan Tankus, a research Director for the Modern Money Network, explained how a Medicare for all policy could serve as an automatic fiscal stabilizer for the U.S. economy. George Pyne, the founder & CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, went through the bottom line impact of the Olympics getting delayed. Then Curaleaf Executive Chairman Boris Jordan came on to talk about the company gaining essential service designation to stay open amid the pandemic and how demand has been impacted.
George Pyne, Bruin Sports Capital CEO and Fmr. IMG president, Fmr. Nascar COO, Jay Williams, ESPN host, NCAA champ, discuss the China backlash to the NBA tweet controversy, and how college athlete endorsement deals will affect the industry and college basketball. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long return for a breezy run through the goings-on in the sports industry over the Christmas break, from Susanna Dinnage's shock U-turn over the Premier League's top job to CVC's bold plans for Premiership Rugby and the NFL's new casino deal. Then Bruin Sports Capital founder George Pyne lays out the philosophies that drive the private equity firm - which owns the likes of Deltatre, Courtside Ventures, Engine Shop and On Location Experiences - shares some of the lessons he has learned in a career taking in Nascar and IMG, and reveals some of his business role models.
Deepen Parikh is a partner at Courtside Ventures, co-founder of NYVC Sports, and (in his words) disillusioned Baltimore Ravens fan. Investing at the intersection of sports, fitness, media, and technology, Deepen says he "feels lucky to work in the field he's been in love with his entire life." Deepen, along with powerful backers in Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, George Pyne’s Bruin Sports Capital and British advertising company WPP, has helped the Courtside Ventures become a major firm helping several well-known entities take significant leaps. Since taking the position 2 years ago, he's made investments in over 20 early-stage companies. On the podcast, we discuss how Deepen got into venture, the principle differences between venture investing and other forms of private equity and debt, we do our best to forecast the future of broadcast media among major sports properties, and give advice to the aspiring sports business analyst. “It’s a challenge, but the game of venture is not for the faint of heart.” Suiting Up is a show that explores the psychology, playbook of tools, and strategies of the most influential people in sports, entrepreneurship, and entertainment.
Bruin Sports Capital founder George Pyne discusses a host of issues related to the business of sports, including his quarterback son's committing to the University of Notre Dame. Pyne also discusses the past and future of Nascar, a media landscape in which Comcast and Disney are bidding for Fox's assets -- including a gaggle of regional sports networks -- and how the rise of direct-to-consumer networks has changed the sports media landscape. Pyne also touches on what the investment climate looks like for assets in the sports media landscape. Pyne is a former executive at Nascar and IMG, where he served as president of the sports and entertainment division. He served as Nascar's chief operating officer, becoming only the second non-member of the France family to serve on its board. He founded Bruin to acquire, build and invest in media, sports, marketing and branded lifestyle companies.
Rick Horrow speaks with former IMG President and Founder of Bruin Sports Capital George Pyne.
Former NASCAR and IMG executive George Pyne discusses his new venture Bruin Sports Capital. He has raised $250 million to help companies in the media space grow. Plus, hear my thoughts on Deflategate, and the troubles with the field where the next Super Bowl will be played. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.