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Forty Under 40: Anthony DiCosmo


In a day and age when connecting with younger demographics has become a key standard by which sports properties are judged, Anthony DiCosmo has become a hot commodity.

DiCosmo is a senior sports marketing executive, which makes him not unlike thousands of sports business peers across the country. But in his case, he holds that title at Nickelodeon, long renowned as one of America’s most potent portals to youth.

The Viacom-owned network, founded in the late 1970s, has now partnered with nearly every major sports league in the country, including a spate of deals in recent years across NASCAR, the NBA and MLB. Along the way, DiCosmo, who’s now in his 12th year with Viacom, has turned into a gatekeeper or sorts for the venerable brand. And given that he’s a former pro football player — with stops along the way in the NFL, AFL and XFL — the shoe has seemed to fit.

“There’s a lot of really cool jobs out there, but sometimes I have to pinch myself because it’s one of the coolest jobs,” DiCosmo said. “I grew up a real fan of Nickelodeon; it’s such an impactful and influential brand, especially when you’re a kid. And sports played such a big part of my life, so it’s like my childhood has just never stopped, which has been great.”

Because the network has grown up over the years along with many of its early followers, DiCosmo now focuses on ways in which Nickelodeon can appeal not only to kids of today but also to those millennials and others who are older who have fond memories of growing up while watching shows on the channel.

“Working with us is really interesting because different leagues have different priorities as it relates to us,” DiCosmo said. “An example is right now we’re doing the tour with the NBA, which is targeting millennials, not kids. It’s a different way to look at Nickelodeon as a partner, but it’s the same result. … There’s something for everyone.”

— Adam Stern

Anthony DiCosmo

Nickelodeon | SVP, Sports Marketing and Development
Age: 38
Where born: Hackensack, N.J.
Education: Boston College (B.A., communications), Rutgers University (M.A., liberal studies; M.P.A., completing fall ’16)
Family: Wife, LaShada; children, Aeneas (15), Phoenix-Orion (10), Cassiopeia (1)

Advice I’d give to my younger self: Take good care of your relationships. How you treat others will make things easier or harder.
2016 will be a good year if: My wife keeps loving me, my kids stay happy and healthy, and my boss gives me a fat raise!

Person in the industry I’d like to meet: Phil Knight.
I’d like to change jobs for a day with: Mark Murphy. To be able to run the Packers for one day would be a thrill of a lifetime.
Group supported: We volunteer as a family with an organization called #HashTagLunchBag. We make brown-bag lunches for the homeless, then deliver them. I’ve also done a lot of work over the years with Boys & Girls Clubs and Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve done: Boogie board during a hurricane with 15-foot swells.


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