Mike Tomon
Age: 36
Organization: Legends
Title: President, North American sports and events
Where born: Cleveland
Education: Georgetown University (B.A.)
Family: Wife, Lauren; son, Benjamin (7); daughter, Olivia (3)
Favorite way to unwind: Hanging with Lauren, Ben and Olivia; best part of my day.
Causes supported: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; United Way.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve ever done: Become a father.
Person in the industry I’d most like to meet: Steve Ballmer.
If I could change jobs with anyone for a day, it would be: The pope. I imagine your new perspective on life would be profound.
2015 will be a good year if: I’m fortunate enough to make 40 Under Forty.
My fellow Forty Under 40 class members would be surprised to know that I: Have three metal plates in my cheek.
LEGENDS
ike Tomon made a vital career decision during an early career internship at IMG.
“You’re punching out IRAs and looking over them, and it’s like, ‘Well, I might as well be doing this at Morgan Stanley. It doesn’t really matter whose name is on it,’” Tomon said. “It ultimately caused me to have like a quarter-life crisis. You’re 24 years old. ‘What am I going to do with myself?’”
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The sales side was an area that piqued his interest, especially in the NBA. Tomon ultimately found a full-time job with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That led to NBA team sales jobs in Phoenix and Charlotte, and later a second stint with the Cavaliers. “My first run with the Cavs helped me understand that to drive revenue … made the hair on the back of my neck stand up,” Tomon said.
Tomon later spent about three years at AEG as senior vice president of global partnerships. In that position, he oversaw premium-seat sales, leading a staff that produced $170 million in annual premium revenue globally.
His former bosses Chad Estis in Cleveland and Shervin Mirhashemi at AEG eventually landed at Legends, and Tomon came on board in February 2014. Over the past year, he has played a key role in developing Legends’ strategy for expanding business across multiple sectors in sports. He’s been principally involved in striking food deals with the Sacramento Kings, Rose Bowl Stadium and Sporting Kansas City, and he helped Legends sign deals to sell sponsorships for Pimlico Racecourse, Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park, plus the Orlando Magic’s proposed entertainment district.
All of which came years after Tomon essentially had cold water splashed on his face during his unpaid gig at IMG. “It was such a great exercise … to say, ‘What have I experienced? What do I really like?’” Tomon said. “I was just being honest with myself.”
— Don Muret
