CARLOS M. SAAVEDRA

Jim DeLorenzo was at the forefront of digital media years before it was a part of his job title. After law school graduation, he took a position at a firm in Washington, D.C. His first high-profile client was song-sharing lightning rod Napster. That work put DeLorenzo in the Capitol when Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee against his client. A trip to Utah for a hearing with Sen. Orrin Hatch led to DeLorenzo, then a junior associate, shooting hoops with Napster co-founder Shawn Fanning on NBA star Karl Malone’s basement court.

While DeLorenzo admits anecdotes like these make for great cocktail party fodder, he fondly remembers his early days as an attorney as the time in which he honed his deal-making skills.

“I personally happen to love doing deals,” he said. “I think being able to negotiate and structure complex partnerships and have those go through the process … it’s really exciting when you get to that point where you close them.”

He’s certainly been a closer since taking on the challenge of revitalizing Sports Illustrated’s digital presence. He has breathed new life into SI’s Swimsuit franchise, developed Peter King’s wildly successful “The MMQB,” and launched a live video program, SI Now.

But it is DeLorenzo’s most recent undertaking that he says ranks up there as one of the most, if not the most, impactful deals he has been a part of. As a driving force behind SI’s stake in

120 Sports, he brought together the NBA, NHL, MLBAM, NASCAR and Campus Insiders for the formation of a digital video collaboration due to launch this spring. Still, the forward-looking DeLorenzo won’t bask in the success of this latest completed deal — at least, not right now.

“In terms of celebrating, look, this was the first step,” he said, “but there’s a lot more to do. I guess I’ll celebrate … at some point down the road. I don’t know exactly what point, but not over just getting the deal done, but actually having the business be successful.”

— Alex Silverman