gary bassing
Anthony Perez, the Orlando Magic’s executive vice president of strategy, is proof of the importance of developing strong business relationships.
Perez, who originally joined the Magic in 2004 and spent three years with the team during the development of the Amway Center, left Orlando for Goldman Sachs in 2007.
HASHTAG YOUR LIFE
|
| #AgainstTheGrain |
But after a year in New York, Perez realized his career ambitions were in sports. He was rehired by the Magic in 2008, after a visit back to Orlando when he chatted with Magic CEO Alex Martins and COO Charlie Freeman.
“It comes back to what I am passionate about and, fortunately, I had kept in touch and I had great relationships that I had built,” Perez said. “I told Charlie I was coming home and I came in and they asked if I’d be interested in coming back to the team.”
Since his return, Perez has become a key member of the team’s front office. In 2015, he was promoted to his current job, where he directs the team’s digital strategy, business analytics, and customer insights efforts.
Under Perez, the Magic has developed a reputation of having one of the most sophisticated approaches in using analytics to drive the team’s business.
“I landed on a big opportunity to build out a data and analytics infrastructure that could power more than ticket pricing,” Perez said. “We started early on, and over time the scope of my team has grown as we took on digital functions and integrated it into marketing automation.”
Today, Perez directs a team of 15 in continuing to create analytical models to more efficiently market the franchise. It’s a role that never gets old for Perez as he pushes to build a better data-driven mousetrap.
“The biggest challenge is staying on the cutting edge and do next generation stuff,” he said. “It gets expensive, and the challenge is making sure we have the right mix of those investments to get a return at the team level. But I’ve been fortunate to have so many tools and outlets to move the needle in selling new ticket products.”
— John Lombardo
anthony perez
orlando magic | executive vice president, strategy
Age: 33
Where born: Pensacola, Fla.
Education: University of Central Florida (B.S., finance); University of Florida (MBA)
Family: Wife, Julie Eliades; children, Alaina (3), Julian, (2 months)
What do you know now that you wish you’d known at age 20: The importance of relationships with peers/individuals that have differing views.
Profession other than your own you’d most like to attempt: Author.
Guilty pleasure: Ben & Jerry’s.
Person in the industry you’d most like to meet: Mark Cuban.
I am one of the best I know at … : Solving problems.
2017 will be a good year if … : Already a good year because my son was born happy and healthy!
The sports industry needs to do a better job of … : Listening to customers.
You’d be surprised to know that I … : Am a passionate gamer (first-person shooters).
