Eric Mastalir joins Maloof Sports and Entertainment as the new vice president of strategic alliance sales. He will be responsible for developing corporate sponsorship for the Sacramento Kings, Monarchs and Arco Arena. Mastalir is no stranger to the sports industry, having worked for companies such as Adidas America, SportsMark Management and RPMC. He recently spoke to staff writer Brandon McClung about his opportunity in Sacramento.
Age: 38
New title: Vice president of strategic alliance sales, Maloof Sports and Entertainment
Previous title: Director of sales, RPMC
First job: Swimming instructor
College education: Bachelor of arts, philosophy, Stanford University (1991)
Resides: Sacramento with wife Shannon
Grew up: Sacramento
Executive most admired: Howard Schultz, chairman, Starbucks
Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere with my wife, particularly the west coast of Turkey
Last book read: “A Long Way Down” by Nick Hornby
Last movie seen: “Good Night, and Good Luck”
Favorite movie: “Office Space”
Favorite musician: Chet Baker
Are sponsorships for the Kings and Monarchs a package deal or sold separately?
Generally they have separate partners, but they do share some partners. We are finding ways to bring more partners to both because they each have different fan bases.
What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?
Leaving the comfort of a corporate sales position and taking a plunge into the dot-com space in the late ’90s. I learned some invaluable lessons, two of which are to always be willing to take a chance and learn from your failures as much as your successes.
What is your biggest professional disappointment?
My lack of being patient enough to establish tenure at an organization, but I plan on changing that here. I am impressed with the quality of employees in the organization, and the support in the Sacramento market is unparalleled in the league.
What career advice do you have for people wanting into this industry?
If you happen to have been an athlete, leverage that experience and try to get in with a team or league after college. If not, do related things in sports or entertainment while building a network of contacts.
What is one element that you would like to change about the sports industry?
There are continuing attempts by sports sponsors to imply a strict return-on-investment model with their investment. It is my job and challenge to demonstrate to our sponsors the premium that should be placed on the association with our teams and also the value in reaching an emotionally connected and engaged audience and that value cannot always be captured in terms of ROI.
