Show Notes
Zack Sugarman, deep dive into his 17 years with the Wasserman Group to his current role as Chief Strategy Officer at Demand Sports – an AI powered top-of-funnel lead generation tool for the sports industry. If you are in sales you need to listen to this.
Key Highlights From college to first role at Sportnet (Wasserman Media Group), doing business development – finance of action sports films in 2005 (skateboard.com, etc) Deep dive into Wasserman group - from 70 people when he joined to 1,700 by the time he left recently (15 offices around the world) Global Sports Marketing & Entertainment company Helping client spend their marketing dollars wisely, negotiate, execute Maximizing revenue for teams/leagues (properties) Talent manage side – Jerry Maguire style (NFL to action sports)
Growth by acquisition – music talent, celebrity influencers, creating IP & content (UK based CSM, etc) Acquisition of Brillstein – coming full circle (family history, Lew Wasserman) Casey Wasserman – a bit about the man himself – Chairman of LA 2028 Olympics – his leadership style His roles over the 17 years (2005-2022) Start of digital and social media era and developing a digital division to help monetize content Early days of live streaming – World Surf League – live webcast Properties – teams, leagues, federations, conferences, Esports teams, Develop products to offer these property owners – pre-sale and post-sale services NBA Jersey Patch, later NHL, MLB – one of the big projects – discussing deal sizes
Demand Sports – his role as Chief Strategy Officer How it works, background, Helping property rights holders – top-of-funnel lead generation, using AI to verify contacts, personalized emails Coordinate follow up and meeting times for the Property owner (all the upfront work to create warm leads) Demand Inc – tech companies, B2B business – Lasso tool tweaked to use for sports Bounce test to check emails are correct – in real time, etc Using AI to personalize emails, search web to create subject lines and hocks for a personalized touch to email Tool operates globally – language specific outreach examples 40 clients around in the US and around the world Fee structure and flexible model for Property owners Contact: [email protected] - www.demandsports.co
US market – huge events coming the next few years from FIFA World Cup 2026 to Olympics 2028 and more… opportunities for brands and property owners Final message on Artificial Intelligence (AI) – be curious
About Zack has a proven sports executive with over ~20 years of experience in commercial strategy and revenue creation – focusing on business development, partnership creation, digital strategy, new tech integration, valuation, packaging, and execution of award winning campaigns and initiatives. Sugarman’s skills include business development (identifying, negotiating, securing new clients), strategy and analytics (fan insights, commercial valuation and packaging, opportunity targeting, partnership creation, and measurement), and relationships (understand the value of connections and have enjoyed consistent networking and having multiple long-term and repeat clients). Zack likes to connect the dots between partners and bring new perspectives together in an effort to generate new value, drive innovation and facilitate new connections across the sports and entertainment business. Before joining Demand Sports, Sugarman spent 16 years in agency leadership positions at Wasserman, most notably leading the Global Properties division worldwide to help venues/teams/leagues maximize commercial revenue. At Wasserman, Sugarman helped drive millions of dollars in commercial revenue for clients including NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, FIFA, USGA, UFC, NASCAR, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, LAFC, New York Islanders, Vegas Golden Knights, CrossFit, Drone Racing League and Salesforce. Sugarman was also instrumental in helping AEG land the larg
More from The Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast by Marcus Luer
Patrick Nally, one of the founding fathers of the sports marketing industry through his agency West Nally, was a true “gamechanger” at the peak of his success. In this episode, we dive deep into Patrick’s journey—from leaving school at 15 to pioneering the commercial architecture behind the Olympic Games, FIFA, UEFA, and IAAF. These programs, now worth billions, were shaped by one man’s vision. Listen to the stories behind the deals, the drama, and the legacy. And if you want more, grab Patrick’s book.
Ken Hershman, former Showtime Sports and then HBO Sports President involved in some of the biggest Boxing events over the past 25 years. Great stories from his 25 years at those networks and beyond from Mike Tyson to Don King and Mayweather vs Pacquiao. And his latest project and role as CEO of the Clash Basketball Pro League.
Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL, the final episode uncovers how it all went wrong at the end. From threats to his life, assassination attempts, to being banned for life and having to leave the country. One final amazing episode to wrap up our four part series on how Lalit created the IPL.
In our 3rd episode with Lalit Modi, we will dive deep into the crazy 2nd Season of the IPL (which was held in South Africa) and as a bonus discuss the stories behind the creation of the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), including the Mumbai Terrorist attacks. As always fascinating stories and some never before heard details.
Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL (Indian Premier League), sharing his in-depth recount and incredible details on how the IPL was created in this episode. How he orchestrated everything from the players, media deals, team owners to sponsors, and all within a few months.