Clio Sports Announces Its Juries for 2023 Awards

Clio Sports announced its 2023 Juries today, with eight leaders in the space serving as chairs—a first for the awards program. The awards show will take place on Dec. 6 in New York City.

Digital, Social Media, Esports:

• Ian Trombetta, SVP Social, Influencer & Content Marketing, NFL (Chair)
• Kristin Connelly, VP Global Brand Marketing, Activision Blizzard
• Kenny Gold, Managing Director, Head of Social, Content and Influencer, Deloitte Digital
• Shahbaz Khan, Global Director, Flagship Social Media Activation, Nike
• Paul Mascali, Head of Gaming and Esports, PepsiCo
• Nick Rago, Executive Director – Digital & Social Production, FOX Sports
• Sean Dennison, VP, New Media, WHOOP
• Arica Kress, VP, Marketing, Esports Engine
• Nick Jackman, Co-Founder, Fifty Digital
• Jenna McNaney, Lead, Sports Partnerships, TikTok
• Julie Uhrman, Co-Founder and President, Angel City Football Club
• Nicole Williams, Director of Social Media, Omaha Productions
• Varoon Bose, Director of Social Content, Bleacher Report
• Martin Nance, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Minnesota Vikings

Direct, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Use of Data:

• Deadra K. Rahaman, EVP, Client Partnerships & Strategy, Hero Collective (Chair)
• Andrew Lynch, VP, Strategy, Motive
• Adriano Lombardi, Executive Creative Director, VMLY&R Commerce Mexico
• Jazmin Burrell, Director of Strategy, Obsidianworks
• Gen Kobayashi, Chief Strategy Officer EMEA, Weber Shandwick
• Lyle Yetman, Executive Creative Director, McKinney
• John (JP) Pollard, Head of Sports, Entertainment, and Events – Display Division, Samsung Electronics America
• Surf Melendez, VP, Executive Creative Director, Tennessee Titans
• Donna Lupton, Director, Cultural Partnerships, DoorDash
• Evan Brady, Head of Sports Marketing Strategy, Prime Video & Amazon Studios
• Sulmaan Ahmad, International Strategy Partner, TRO
• Kay Bradley, VP, Marketing, U.S. Soccer

“With the shift towards digital marketing, an increased focus on fan engagement, greater use of data analytics, partnerships with influencers and content creators it is ever more imperative that sports brands identify partners and create work that not only has a pulse on culture, but is rooted in a deep understanding of who the cultural amplifiers are that influences today’s new majority consumer,” says Rahaman.

Fan Engagement, Social Good:

• Jess Park, Chief of Brand & Fan Engagement, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (Chair)
• Bridget Sponsky, Executive Director, Brand and Sponsorships, Ally
• Ronnie Patt, Executive Creative Director, Jung Von Matt SPORTS
• Nilay Shah, SVP, Marketing & Brand Strategy, New York Giants
• Julie Haddon, Chief Marketing Officer, National Women’s Soccer League
• Heidi Browning Pearson, Senior EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, National Hockey League
• Ariel Abramovici, Executive Creative Director, GUT Los Angeles
• Kurt Hunzeker, EVP, Commercial Operations, National Lacrosse League
• Gustavo Lauria, Chief Creative Officer, We Believers
• Alex-Gunnar Ferrer Kristjansson, Senior Director, Marketing & Communication, Euroleague Basketball
• Jim McCoy, AVP, Sports Marketing, Nationwide

Film:

• Glenn Cole, Founder & Chairman, 72andSunny (Chair)
• Steve Horn, Group Creative Director, Translation
• Amanda Chin, VP, Brand Marketing, Golden State Warriors
• Chris Bellinger, VP, Creative & Digital, Frito-Lay North America, PepsiCo
• Bill Zorr, SVP, Brand & Digital Marketing, Arizona Coyotes
• Tim Greenberg, EVP, Production & Branded Content, World Surf League
• Amy Anderson, Head of Content Strategy, NASCAR
• Anthony J. Cortese, VP, Editorial, Definition 6
• Molly Jamison, Creative Director, Arts & Letters Creative Co.
• Noah Lerner, Creative Director,  MLF Productions
• Donna Lamar, Executive Creative Director, Spotify
• Eugene Fuller, Group Creative Director, 72 And Sunny
• Jimmy Smith, Chairman, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer, Amusement Park Entertainment
• Ray Smiling, Director, division7
• Gerardo Ortiz, VP, Creative Director, UNINTERRUPTED/The SpringHill Company

Film Craft:

• Laura Sampedro, Executive Creative Director, MullenLowe U.S. (Chair)
• Will Shanahan, Creative Director, Diamond View
• Sinan Dagli, Executive Creative Director, Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
• Tony Muller, Head of Creative, Madison Square Garden Sports
• Matt Miller, SVP & Executive Producer, Global Production, ONE Championship
• Sergio Gordilho, CEO/CCO, Africa Creative
• Zack Browne, Creative Director, Johannes Leonardo
• Brandon Hampton, VP, Creative Director, Dagger
• Alice Blastorah, Creative Director, Special U.S.
• Kia Heinnen, Creative Director, Freelance

Innovation, Design, Out of Home:

• Michael A. McCullough, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Miami HEAT (Chair)
• Caleb Jensen, Executive Creative Director – Nike, Wieden + Kennedy
• Christoph Bielefeldt, Executive Creative Director, Accenture Song
• Tina Mahal, VP, Brand Marketing, Frito-Lay
• Suzana Apelbaum, Head of Creative and Innovation, Google
• Michael Shaw, VP, Marketing, Miami Dolphins & F1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix
• Xavier Murillo, Creative Director, Major League Baseball
• Sy-Jenq Cheng, Executive Creative Director, Head of Art & Design, FCB New York
• Meredith Batcheller, Head of Global Sports Marketing, Adobe, Inc.
• Reese Fitzpatrick, Global Head of Marketing, Bayer Consumer Health

Partnerships & Sponsorships, Branded Content, Sports Betting:

• Ricardo Marques, VP Marketing, Michelob ULTRA, Anheuser-Busch Inbev (Chair)
• Heidi Noland, SVP, Global Brand and Creative, UFC
• Olivia Witherite, VP, Digital & Marketing, The Game Day
• David Evans, Partnerships Manager, Liverpool FC
• Jennifer Prince, Chief Commercial Officer, Los Angeles Rams
• Tammy Henault, Chief Marketing Officer, National Basketball Association
• Victoria Isley, VP, Partnership Solutions, Philadelphia 76ers
• Shiz Suzuki, VP Global Brand Sponsorships & Experiential Marketing, American Express
• Deanne Pownall, Managing Director, Corporate Partnerships, USTA
• Marisstella Marinkovic, Chief Marketing Officer, Nissan USA
• Tony Isetta, Head of Content Marketing, NFL Media
• Meg Ryan, VP – Channel Marketing, DraftKings
• Nick Kelly, VP, Sponsorships & Partnerships, Verizon

“I’m honored and incredibly excited to be amongst the first group of Jury Chairs in the history of Clio Sports,” says Marques. “I’m now looking forward to being inspired by the work and engaging in a lively discussion with my fellow jury team members.”

Public Relations, Experiential, Integrated Campaign:

• Troy Dunn, President & Chief Creative Officer, Dunn&Co. (Chair)
• Amy Ferguson, Chief Creative Officer,TBWAChiatDay NY
• Laura Gentile, EVP, Marketing, ESPN
• Michelle Spivak, Group Creative Director, Rethink
• Shana Stephenson, Chief Brand Officer, New York Liberty
• Gerdine Lindhout, Head of Marketing Operations & Event Promotion, FIFA
• Melanie Wallner, VP, PR & Marketing, Drone Racing League
• Gavin Lester, Chief Creative Officer, Zambezi
• Jillian Tapper, Director, Momentum Worldwide
• Ashley Andrews, Group Creative Director, R/GA
• Bill Moseley, Director – Sponsorships & Experiential Marketing, AT&T

“When sports brands recognize the fan community in their work and try to galvanize this group in an interesting, novel way, this effort normally perks up the ears of the Clio judges,” says Dunn.

“Fandom is one of the most emotional, passionate, devotional expressions there is, and so trying to create work that captures the synergy between fans and teams is the ultimate goal in sports advertising. It’s pretty simple. There’s no sport without fans. Great sports advertising includes a nod to how the game makes fans feel, and if the advertising includes fans as participants in an engaging, unique way, that’s the Holy Grail for sports brands.”

For more information about Clio Sports, and to enter work, please click here.