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Athletes First Launches Sales Agency; O'Connell Named President

Former NFL and NASCAR exec JIM O'CONNELL has been named President of a new sales agency, launched by athlete and broadcast talent rep firm Athletes First. Athletes First Partners' first assignment will be to sell marketing, licensing, and content rights for the NBPA. “There’s tremendous potential for deals across categories and with a variety of content opportunities,” said O’Connell, who was most recently working for WheelsUp, after 10 years at NASCAR. Eight people have been hired for the new sales unit, including former NBA Int'l Marketing VP JENE ELZIE as Chief Growth Officer, former Medallion Sports Properties CEO SEAN DOWNES as VP/Sponsorship Sales and former Turner Sports VP/Property Sales MATT SHULMAN as VP/Platform Sales & Client Services. Athletes First Partners will be housed within MKTG’s Manhattan offices. MKTG parent Dentsu is a minority partner. “It's our first foray into sales, and when you combine the power of every NBA player with the global reach of Dentsu and the expertise we’ve brought in with Jim and his team, its just a matter of focus,” said Athletes First President BRIAN MURPHY, who will serve as CEO of Athletes First Partners.

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