Three members of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ digital business staff are leaving the organization to join mobile marketing company Phizzle.
Mike Maleski, Cavs director of new media sales; Jeff Ryznar, director of strategic marketing; and Jeff Lillibridge, director of website operations, will open a newly created Cleveland office for the San Francisco-based Phizzle beginning next month.
Phizzle develops mobile marketing products for team, league, media and facility clients, including the Cavaliers, Madison Square Garden, Fox Sports Net, MASN, the Philadelphia 76ers and Wells Fargo Center.
Ben Davis, Phizzle chief executive officer, said the trio will lead a newly formed client-services group for the company.
“We’ve learned quite a lot from these guys in our three-plus years working together thus far, and we’re looking to take all those learnings and successes from the Cavaliers, particularly with regard to generating incremental revenue from mobile, and transfer that knowledge to our other clients,” Davis said.
The Cavaliers will remain a key Phizzle client.
Though Davis acknowledged recruiting the three executives to join his company was “a very delicate matter,” he said the shift was cleared with Cavaliers senior management.
Maleski and Ryznar have worked for the Cavs for four years, and Lillibridge spent the past seven years with the team.
The team has not yet filled any of the positions.
