Bios
Jonathan S. Blue
Chairman and Managing Director, Blue Equity, LLC
Chairman, BEST
Jonathan S. Blue is Chairman and Managing Director of Blue Equity, LLC. Blue Equity is a private equity firm with a diverse and innovative portfolio of lower middle market segment business enterprises in media, publishing, financial services, real estate, and sports & entertainment.
Prior to forming Blue Equity in late 2004, Blue served as Managing Director of another private equity firm with a wide-ranging portfolio of businesses. Most of the active business enterprises developed and grown during Blue’s tenure at that firm are now part of Blue Equity’s diverse and innovative portfolio of business operations and investments.
From June 1998 until he became involved with private equity investments, Blue served as Vice President for Progress Rail Services Corporation, which was then a subsidiary of Progress Energy, Inc. (NYSE:PGN), and has subsequently sold to Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT). While employed by Progress Rail, Blue was responsible for the commercial and marketing aspects of its Mexican subsidiary, Progress Rail Services de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. During Blue’s tenure, Progress Rail expanded its Mexican focus by creating a network of facilities and landing corresponding clients in Mexico that mirrored the company’s U.S. operations. Specific areas of focus included freight car and locomotive leasing, the marketing of railcar repair services, and railcar parts transactions. Blue hired a marketing team and developed an infrastructure with Mexican employees that eventually reported directly to senior management in the U.S. Prior to working on the Mexican operations, Blue served in Atlanta, Georgia as a Vice President for Railcar, Ltd., a subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corporation engaged in leasing freight cars and locomotives.
For six years prior to the June 1998 sale of the business of Louisville Scrap Material Co., Inc. and its affiliates to Progress Rail Services Corporation, Blue served as Senior Vice President, Rail Services for such companies. Responsible for worldwide business development of the companies’ railroad and rail related services, Blue succeeded in establishing these companies, collectively, as industry leaders.
Blue began his post-college career as a Senior Associate for APM, Inc., a leading international management consulting firm, which concentrated in turnarounds, operations improvement, strategic planning and continuous quality initiatives.
Blue received a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and is proficient in the Spanish language. Blue, a Louisville, Kentucky native, is a graduate of St. Francis High School and currently resides in Louisville with his wife and two children.
A frequent speaker, Blue has been profiled in many national and international publications. His ideas and views have been featured in the Wall Street Journal. He has been interviewed on Bloomberg Television and CNBC-TV. Blue has served on numerous professional panels relating to private equity, sports and a variety of business issues.
Michael J. Principe
Chief Operating Officer, Blue Equity, LLC
Managing Director, BEST
Michael J. Principe serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Blue Equity, LLC. He is also the Managing Director of BEST. Principe is responsible for the operations and management of all business matters pertaining to Blue Equity, as well as the identification and development of new investments and opportunities. He brings over 10 years of experience in sports and entertainment management and representation to his role as Managing Director of BEST.
Most recently, Principe was the Executive Vice President of SFX Sports Group. During this time, he was responsible for SFX Sports’ business and legal affairs and was actively involved in the operation and management of its practices through his seat on the company’s Executive Committee. He discovered and cultivated new lines of business as well as implemented an integrated strategy for growth and development between sports divisions.
Through his career, Principe led or played a material role in many of the sports industry’s most considerable transactions. Such transactions, which had an aggregate value in excess of $500,000,000 included Black Canyon Productions, Cambridge Golf, F.A.M.E., Greg Norman Productions, ISI, ProServ, Speakers of Sport, Sports Management Group, Tellem &Associates and The Marquee Group. Principe’s success in the mergers and acquisitions of these companies combined with his operational management experience qualifies him as a leading authority in the industry.
Before becoming the Executive Vice President of SFX Sports Group, Principe served as Senior Vice President, Business &Legal Affairs, SFX Sports Group, General Counsel, SFX Sports Group and Associate Counsel, SFX Entertainment, Inc.
Principe is a member of the New York Bar Association as well as the Sports Lawyers Association. He is also a frequent lecturer and panelist.
Principe is a graduate of Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri where he was a Robert &Mary Welborn Scholar. He obtained his Juris Doctor from Washington University in 1995. Principe received his Bachelor of Arts from Washington University, where he graduated cum honore in 1992. He and his wife, Jamie, reside in Brooklyn with their two daughters.
Jason Charney
Senior Vice President, Collegiate Properties
Jason Charney is one of the top most authorities in management and marketing for collegiate and professional coaches. Prior to joining BEST, Jason served as Senior Vice President at Game Seven, the company he co-founded in 2003. During his time at Game Seven, he and partner Brooks Downing established one of the top collegiate events of the year — The Hartford Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase.
His experience at Nelligan Sports Marketing, working for such Big East powerhouses as University of Louisville and DePaul University, helped Jason develop his expertise in event marketing. Over the past five years, he has expanded into client representation throughout the college sports industry and has worked with such coaches as Rick Pitino, Bobby Petrino, Steve Kragthorpe, Tubby Smith, Andy Kennedy and John Pelphrey.
Jason earned his BA in Journalism (’94) and Master’s in Sports Administration (’95) from Indiana University. He is married with two daughters.
Dan Cramer
Executive Vice President, Experiential Properties
Dan Cramer joins BEST with 20 years of experience in the sports marketing and event business. He is acknowledged as one of the builders in the event business with his creativity and vision. Cramer is unique in that he has a sports and financial background. He is passionate about the event business and the promotion of health and fitness for young people. Cramer was the architect in designing a media rights revenue model that has been successfully used over the years. He was the innovator of the 3v3 soccer game that is currently being played by thousands of players and is considered one of the best skill development games. Kick It 3v3 soccer has become one of the largest grassroots tours in the world.
Prior to joining BEST, Cramer was the CEO for Team Championship International. Here he grew the successful tours of Hoop It Up (3on3 basketball), Let It Fly (4on4 football) and Kick It (3v3 soccer) to garner national attention with millions of participants and spectators. Before this, Cramer was a principal at Summit Sports and Events and helped grow the event business from 1 event to over 125. He later sold the company to Host Communications.
Cramer began his sports marketing career with the advent of Cramer Productions, a television production company. He has worked as a play-by-play commentator and color analyst for many different sports. Prior to entering the sports business, Cramer worked for an international accounting firm and played professional basketball in Europe. He is a member of the Dutch Basketball Hall of Fame and scored 50 points in a single game while playing basketball for the University of Denver.
Cramer graduated with a BSBA degree with a major in accounting from the University of Denver. He was a CPA and Senior Audit Manager for KPMG-Denver and KPMG-Holland. Cramer currently serves as the President of the Friends of Denver Basketball at his alma mater. He is active in youth sports and is the President of Jefferson County Youth basketball.
Kenneth Crear
President, Music & Entertainment
To measure the success of music manager Kenneth Crear is to gauge his insatiable hunger for growth and making a difference. He has elevated himself from humble, profit-earning business management beginnings to Owner and Chief Executive of his management powerhouse Management Group International. Crear’s credentials to date include managing world-renowned, multi-platinum winning artist Janet Jackson, Grammy Winning rapper Chamillionaire and up and coming artists such as William Tell, Mateo and Midwest City. Crear is also an experienced television producer and mostly recently served as the executive producer for The House of Carters.
Donald Dell
Group President, Television, Tennis & Events
No history of professional sports could be complete without a chapter devoted to the contributions of ProServ Founder and Chairman, and SFX Senior Vice President, Donald L. Dell. In fact, the history of tennis, particularly the sport’s Open era, might as well be a chronology of Dell’s career in sports marketing, management and television.
In 1968 and 1969, Dell had just captained the United States Davis Cup team to its second consecutive World Championship. The team’s players, however, faced an uncertain future as tennis was turning into a professional sport -- the beginning of "Open Tennis". Two players who would dominate the game for much of the next decade, Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith, turned to Dell, an accomplished Washington D.C. attorney, asking him to further their opportunities in the sports marketplace and represent them in their future professional careers.
At the time, Dell had become fascinated with the growth potential of sports, and recognized athletes’ need for sound career management. He also anticipated the need of major corporations for assistance in developing effective sports marketing programs. Soon thereafter Dell founded ProServ, which quickly assumed a leadership role in the sports marketing industry. ProServ’s success led to its being acquired in 1999 by SFX as an integral part of the SFX Sports Group. Dell joined with Blue Equity, LLC in 2006 to purchase several properties from SFX, including SFX Media &Events and SFX Tennis.
Over the course of his career, Dell has developed some of the most significant and longest-lived partnerships between sponsors and sports properties. He has negotiated nearly one billion dollars in sponsorships and endorsements throughout his career, including the 2001 FedEx Naming Rights deal with the Washington Redskins ("FedEx Field"), over $205 million, the largest in NFL history. He currently oversees and distributes many of BEST’s properties including the French Open, The U.S. Open, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, the Boston Marathon and 20 ATP tennis telecasts on FOX Sports Net.
Dell also served as a trial lawyer with Hogan &Hartson and as a political aide to Robert F. Kennedy. He attended Yale University, the University of Virginia Law School and received an Honorary Doctorate from St. John’s University.
In 1989, Dell published Minding Other People’s Business, a book chronicling many of his experiences and lessons learned from his career working for and with clients. Dell currently serves on the Board of Jesuit Volunteers International, as the Vice Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and as an adjunct professor in Sports Law at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Brooks Downing
Executive Vice President, Collegiate Properties
Downing brings to BEST more than 20 years of experience in media, public relations, marketing and business management with a primary emphasis in collegiate sports. Prior to joining BEST, he partnered with Jason Charney to create Game Seven Sports Marketing, a boutique agency specializing in events and client management.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky with a BA in Telecommunications, Downing has become one of the nation's foremost experts in public relations and marketing, and is a luminary in the areas of corporate partnerships and event management. While a member of the University of Kentucky athletics department, he managed all publicity efforts for the nations’ winningest college basketball program, while also overseeing the day-to-day management of the home basketball games at historic Rupp Arena. Downing served as Sports Information Director for both Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith as the Wildcats played in three consecutive National Championship games, winning two NCAA titles. During his tenure at UK, Downing was honored with seven national publication awards, served on a variety of panels throughout collegiate sports and was a public relations committee member for the Southeastern Conference.
Downing previously served in a similar capacity at the Kentucky High School Athletic Association after launching his career as an editor and producer for Hall of Fame broadcaster Cawood Ledford. Active locally, he serves as Vice Chairman of the Lexington Area Sports Authority Board and as a member of the Executive Committee for the Get Healthy Kentucky Bluegrass State Games. He and his wife Cassie have twin daughters.
Kim Grillier
Vice President, Basketball
Kim Grillier, along with Bill Strickland, oversees all of the strategic and operational objectives of BEST basketball. As a certified contract advisor for the NBA, Kim helps negotiate all of the contracts for BEST basketball. In addition, Kim coordinates all other management services required by the client involving business, financial and personal affairs, both pre-and post-NBA Draft.
With over 15 years of experience in the industry, prior to joining BEST, Kim worked for Fred Slaughter Management Group and CSMG Sports. During his career, Kim has recruited and advised some of the best talent playing in the NBA; for example, Dwayne Wade, Devin Harris, Ronnie Brewer, and Chris Bosh to name a few. In 2007, Kim and Bill teamed to sign Corey Brewer, Chris Richards and Joakim Noah from the National Champions Florida Gators. Kim’s extensive career in basketball representation along with playing college basketball, affords him a valuable network within the industry. Kim attended Western Michigan University and graduated with a B.A from Springhill College.
Ken Meyerson
President, Tennis
Kenneth Meyerson brings over 20 years of international experience in representing athletes and Grand Slam winners on the ATP and WTA Tours. In this time, he has managed Olympic gold medalists and champions of the US Open, French Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Meyerson began his career with Donald Dell at ProServ in 1987. He managed ProServ’s international tennis business and worked with high-profile players including Stefan Edberg, Jimmy Connors and Yannick Noah. In 1990, Meyerson left ProServ to run MBD’s tennis representation business in Switzerland. While there, he signed Michael Stich, who won Wimbledon in 1991.
In 1991, Meyerson established a partnership called MS Consulting, which was based in Salzburg, Austria. It was a successful tennis representation business that primarily represented German tennis players. In addition, MS consulting represented five of the top 100 players. MS Consulting also operated tennis events throughout Germany.
Meyerson founded Sports Advisor Services in Miami in 1997. He represented tennis players and consulted to manufacturers including Puma. During this time, Meyerson also negotiated Serena Williams’ first Puma deal.
In 1999, Meyerson joined SFX Sports Group to become the President of SFX’s tennis division. SFX Sports Group was then part of part of Clear Channel. Meyerson grew this division from a handful of noteworthy clients to now include marquee players such as US Open Champion Andy Roddick, Australian, French and US Open Champion Justine Henin, Olympic Gold Medalist Fernando Gonzalez, Mardy Fish, Shahar Peer, Guillermo Canas and the No. 1 ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan as well as phenoms Sam Querrey, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki. In 2006, Meyerson united with Blue Equity, LLC to purchase the tennis division from SFX and continue as the President of the BEST Tennis.
Meyerson graduated from the American University in Paris with a BA in business administration. He currently lives in Miami, Florida with his wife and daughter. Meyerson is fluent in French and speaks conversational Italian and German.
Jeff Newman
Senior Vice President, Events
Jeff Newman brings over 14 years of experience in the creation, planning, organization and execution of major sporting events. Newman began his career in sports working for the Georgia State Olympics before being hired by Donald Dell at ProServ, Inc. in 1995 as a Tournament Associate for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. Just four years later, he became the youngest Tournament Director within the ATP Tennis Tour worldwide and still currently holds that distinction. During Newman’s tenure as Tournament Director, tournament profits have increased seven-fold, ticket sales have jumped by over 70%, and over $1.2 million dollars have been raised for the Washington Tennis &Education Foundation programs which assist at-risk youth.
Other events within Newman’s portfolio include: Tennis- Champions for Charity, Rock-n-Racquets, Andy Roddick’s "My Ride" Tour, Andre Agassi Celebrity Tennis Challenge, Davis Cup and Fed Cup Semifinals (Washington, DC), TD Waterhouse Cup, AT&T Tennis Challenge; Golf- ADT Golf Skills, Exelon Golf Invitational, GOLF MAGAZINE Amateur Challenge; Volleyball- AVP Louisville Open, Miller Lite King of the Beach; College Basketball- BB&T Classic; Running- Sallie Mae 10K; Olympics- Georgia Games (state Olympics); Ice Skating- Olay presents Ice Wars.
Newman currently resides in Bethesda, MD with his wife and two sons. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Marketing. Newman is also a Founding Member, Board of Director and Treasurer for Books, Bears &Bonnets, Inc. — a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and adults cope with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses by bringing caring gifts, thoughts and information to people fighting for their lives.
Joel Segal
President, Football
Joel Segal’s background as a lawyer provides his clients with an invaluable mastery of contract law and negotiation. His extensive experience in negotiating numerous contracts under the current rookie and veteran salary caps is impressive. His contract philosophies have been chronicled on national television and in print. Segal has represented numerous 1st Round top NFL draft choices since 1992, including eight since 2001, and has negotiated over one billion dollars in player contracts. He was also named 14th most influential agent among all major sports by Sports Business Journal in 2006.
Notable, are the recent record-setting player contracts. For example, over the last years Segal has set the record for highest paid player in NFL history at four different positions: Wide Receiver (Antonio Freeman), Safety (Darren Sharper); Quarterback (Michael Vick) and Running Back (Reggie Bush). The 2004 contract for Michael Vick set the record for biggest contract in NFL history and the largest fully-guaranteed bonus in NFL history and the recent 2006 Rookie contract for Reggie Bush set the record for highest paid RB in NFL history and highest contract in Saints team history.
In addition to his work with top NFL clients, Segal serves as an adjunct law professor at Hofstra University School of Law in New York.
Dennis Spencer
Executive Vice President, Television
Dennis Spencer has been in the sports television industry for over 25 years. During that time, he has worked in virtually every area of sports television and received numerous accolades and awards.
He began his career in professional tennis as the first road manager and publicity director for the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). While there, he co-founded International Tennis Weekly and championed many innovations that are still part of the sport today.
As senior vice president for ProServ Television, Dennis developed the first wave of advertiser-supported sports television and was the executive in charge of production for numerous award-winning specials and series including A Hard Road to Glory (Emmy and Freedom Foundation); Sports Probe, SportsWoman, Countdown to 88 and The Year in Sports (ACE); Joe Louis, Heavyweight (Image); Dravecky: Courage and Grace (Evangelical Film of the Year) and Rubinstein Remembered (New York Film Festival and Golden Eagle).
ProServ Television later joined Clear Channel Entertainment, where Dennis oversaw the SFX Television division as Senior Vice President. Throughout this career, Dennis has employed his international expertise to work with many of the top sporting events and leagues including the US Open Tennis Championships, NBA, Tour de France, NCAA Final Four, International Baseball Association, United States Olympic Committee and the Boston Marathon. He continues to work with many of these properties today.
Dennis graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in speech from Greenville (Ill.) College. He is married with three sons. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Heart of a Champion Foundation and on the March of Dimes Sports Luncheon committee.
William L. Strickland
President, Basketball
Bill Strickland is recognized in the industry for his integrity, vision and for being one of the most knowledgeable and respected negotiators in all of sports. Bill was the first African-American agent to be named by The Sporting News to its list of the "100 Most Powerful People in Sports." He has also been recognized by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the "50 Most Powerful African-Americans in Sports" and as one of the top black lawyers in the nation.
Bill’s 24 years of experience representing professional athletes includes co-founding and heading Strickland &Ashe Management for over seven years; a five and one-half year tenure as President of the Basketball Division at IMG, the world’s largest sports management company; and over eight years with ProServ, at the time the world’s second largest management company, where he rose to become Chief Operating Officer of its Team Sports Division. During his prestigious career, Bill has successfully negotiated hundreds of NBA and NFL player contracts.
Bill has served as an adjunct professor teaching a course on the topic of Negotiation/Dispute Resolution for the Legal Studies Department at the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Sports and Entertainment Labor Law. Bill also serves on the Agent Advisory Committee for the National Basketball Players Association.
Bill holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University where he currently serves on the Board of Regents and on its Athletic Director’s Council. He also holds an MBA in Finance from UCLA and his Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania Bars.
Brad Tilford
Director, BEST
Brad Tilford brings years of experience in building and leading successful and profitable marketing organizations.
While still in college, Tilford managed the day-to-day operations of United Fame, a national tours and special events company. He spearheaded all sales, marketing, advertising and business development. In addition, Tilford promoted artists such as Midnight Star, George Clinton, The Deal, Patti Labelle, Run DMC and countless others, while orchestrating sponsorships with Fortune 500 companies nationwide. United Fame’s revenue increased 36% during Tilfords’s leadership.
In 1987 Tilford founded Communigraphics, a full service advertising company. Within the first six months, the company exceeded revenues of $1 million with clients such as Toyota Motor Manufacturing and Square D Company.
Triad Media Corporation, an interactive media company, was established in 1992 and grossed over $3 million dollars in the first year. In 1995, Tilford merged Triad Media Corporation with Blackstone Media Arts, which was a film production company. Under his direction, Blackstone Media Arts released two documentaries exclusively for the Croatian Embassy, Tudjman and Croatia, directed by Jakov Sedlar and narrated by Martin Sheen.
Blackstone released several feature films Bullethead - directed by Mark Burson and starred Colin Gray O’Hara; Jacked Up -directed by Tim Fulsome and starred Ron Reaco Lee, Bizzy Bone, Alexis Fields, Annemarie Horseford, Brandon Thomas; Money Power Respect - directed by Nemo Larry and starred Fat Joe of Cypress Hill and Fernando Vargas. Blackstone also released several soundtrack albums including Jacked-Up and Bullethead.
Tilford has also consulted for numerous gold and platinum artists, athletes such as Evander Holyfield, Tyrone Hill, Dale Davis, Corey Stringer, record labels including Rap-A-Lot/J Prince, Maddvibes, Image Farm, management companies such as The Firm, Management 1, Norwood &Norwood and law firms in successful legal cases for Destiny’s Child members, H-town, Big Mike.v
John Tobias
Vice President, Tennis
John Tobias is regarded as one of the top young executives in the professional sports marketing industry. In 2005, Tobias was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 30 sports industry executives under the age of 30. He has also been recognized by the Sports Business Journal as one to the top "up and coming" leaders in professional sports.
Tobias’ seven years of experience in sports marketing began with Pro Serv and industry legend Donald Dell. Over the course of several acquisitions, Pro Serv became SFX and Tobias quickly rose up the corporate hierarchy to Vice President. In 2006, SFX Tennis joined with Blue Equity, LLC, to purchase the tennis representation practice from Clear Channel Entertainment.
Tobias has personally represented the likes of top tennis stars Mardy Fish, Mike &Bob Bryan, Sam Querrey, Vera Zvonareva and Anna Chakvetadze. He has also spent several years playing a key assisting role on the all-encompassing Andy Roddick account and in 2005 began working with 5-time Grand Slam Champion Justine Henin. During the course of his successful career at Pro Serv and later SFX, Tobias has negotiated hundreds of contracts clients on both the ATP and WTA tours.
Tobias holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California at San Diego where he currently serves on the athlete alumni council. While at UCSD, he was a member of the men’s basketball team and earned recognition among the University’s top student athletes. In addition, Tobias was named to the UCSD Dean’s list on multiple occasions. He is currently a registered athlete agent/representative in multiple states around the nation.