Mike Vest

Mike Vest
Born (1978-03-20) March 20, 1978
Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Nationality American
Alma mater University of Kansas
Occupation Sports executive
Known for Co-founder of Lionsbridge FC and former senior executive at Big Ten Network, IMG and Atlantic 10 Conference.

Mike Vest is an American sports executive who co-founded Lionsbridge FC, and previously held senior-level roles at the Atlantic 10 Conference, IMG and Big Ten Network. Vest has been at the forefront of new trends at the intersection of sports, social media and media rights.

Early Life

Vest graduated from Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kan., in 1996. He earned a bachelor's degree in 2000 from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.[1]

Career

While still an undergraduate, Vest began his career at the University of Kansas under the tutelage of future CoSIDA Hall of Famers Doug Vance and Dean Buchan[2].

From 2000-07, Vest worked in the athletic department at Wake Forest University, most closely with the men's soccer, baseball and football programs.[3]

In 2007, Vest moved to Chicago to help launch the Big Ten Network as one of its original 25 employees.[4] He managed public relations and publicity for network executives and talent.[5] Vest also oversaw social media and developed one of the television industry's first Second Screen experiences with BTN Connect in conjunction with Spredfast.[6]

In 2014, Vest joined the Atlantic 10 Conference as Associate Commissioner for External Affairs.[7] There, Vest led negotiations that led the Atlantic 10 Conference to become the first NCAA conference to sign a media rights agreement with Facebook.[8] Since then, such content deals have become more commonplace in college athletics.[9]

In 2017, Vest partnered with Newport News business executives Kevin Joyce and Dan Chenoweth to begin planning to launch of Lionsbridge FC.[10][11][12]

Personal Life

Vest is a lifelong fan of Kansas City sports, specifically the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs. He is also a fan of the Chicago Cubs and Red Panda, a college athletics performer.

References

  1. ↑ "Player Bio: Mike Vest :: Genrel". www.wakeforestsports.com. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  2. ↑ "Wake boys are from KU". KUsports.com. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  3. ↑ "Player Bio: Mike Vest :: Genrel". www.wakeforestsports.com. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  4. ↑ Wharton, David (2007-08-21). "Big Ten Network finds starting up is a challenge". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  5. ↑ amertz2@madison.com, Adam Mertz | 608-252-6474 |. "A major production: Nine hours inside a Big Ten Network broadcast". madison.com. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  6. ↑ Director, Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial. "BTN CONNECT ties Twitter, Stats, to Broadcast". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  7. ↑ "Mike Vest Named Atlantic 10 Conference Associate Commissioner for External Affairs". Atlantic10.com. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  8. ↑ Digital, Troy Dreier, Contributor, Streaming &. "Atlantic 10 Looks to Facebook Live To Share Basketball With More Fans". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  9. ↑ Perez, Sarah. "Facebook will live stream over a dozen college football games this year". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  10. ↑ Yanchulis, Kate. "Semipro soccer coming to Newport News in form of Lionsbridge FC". dailypress.com. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  11. ↑ "Peninsula Pride: Mike Vest of Lionsbridge FC". American Pyramid. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  12. ↑ TEGNA. "Professional soccer team coming to Newport News". WVEC. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.