In San Antonio, Tom Orsborn profiled ESPN's MICHELLE BEADLE, who "sparkles as a provocative TV star in the social media era." More than "capable of holding her own with her male co-stars, the brash Beadle is funny, frank and free wheeling, a big reason why she boasts almost 2 million combined Twitter and Facebook followers." She is "one of ESPN’s most popular personalities, the focal point of a show that boasts a young, mostly male audience coveted by advertisers" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 8/15).
SPUR OF THE MOMENT: AD AGE profiled Spurs Marketing Manager JORDAN MANDELKORN, who has "helped launch the Spurs app, currently among the Top 5 downloaded NBA apps, and the team's second-screen experience, Spurs Challenge." He is "recognized as a Digital Trailblazer because he's a forward thinker, eager to dive into data and use is to inform other marketing decisions" (ADAGE.com, 8/18).
ETCH-A-SKETCH: Courtroom artist JANE ROSENBERG, who last week “attracted a swell of Internet attention” for her sketch of Patriots QB TOM BRADY, said that “more than two dozen people have reached out to her through e-mail in the wake of the media blitz, hoping to purchase the original drawing for their personal collections.” She said, “I haven’t decided if I am going to sell the original. I’m sitting on it, and I am trying to figure it out. I won’t sell it for a low amount right away. If someone offered a huge sum of money, I might think, ‘Well, take the money and run.’” Rosenberg said that since last week she has “received more than 700 e-mails about the sketch,” which turned into an Internet meme (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/19).
NAMES: Indians Exec Dir of Community Impact REBECCA KODYSH said that since ’08, the Cleveland Indians Diamond Improvement Grants, which hands out five $5,000 grants per year, has “donated more than $200,000 to enhance 39 local youth ball fields” (CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS, 8/17 issue)....Oklahoma State will spend $6.35M on “football staff salaries” during ‘15-16 when combining football coach MIKE GUNDY’s overall compensation of $3.65M with money paid to his assistants. That exceeds OSU’s ‘14-15 total by $8,975 (TULSA WORLD, 8/19)....Baseball HOFer JOHNNY BENCH and Cincinnati broadcast personality PAT BARRY have “teamed up in an unlikely venture" to back EGO App Development. The company’s MyCivic Apps operation, the “main area in which Bench and Barry are involved, specializes in developing apps for cities, counties, other government entities, schools and businesses” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/18)....Patriots TE ROB GRONKOWSKI yesterday announced plans for his third annual Football 101 women's clinic -- slated for Sept. 28 at Gillette Stadium after Jaguars-Patriots (ESPNBOSTON.com, 8/18).
