NEW YORK, NY | March 7, 2024: Elevate, an award-winning, full-service consulting firm supporting high-performing organizations in sports and beyond, has today appointed Craig Martin to the role of Chief Partnerships Officer. Reporting to Elevate CEO | Chairman Al Guido, Martin will be responsible for leading Elevate’s global Partnership Sales and Solutions; driving partnership strategy, asset valuation, sales, and negotiations for Elevate’s diverse, international client roster; and utilizing bespoke data and storytelling to connect brands with sports and entertainment’s marquee teams, leagues, and events through dynamic partnerships and activations. Martin has played a significant role in Elevate Partnership Sales and Solutions for the past five years, during which time the agency has closed and supported major partnerships with professional sports teams in the EPL, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NWSL, and more.
Martin’s appointment follows a landmark series of partnership announcements between Elevate clients and ambitious brands over the past 40 days, including MLB’s Kansas City Royals youth literacy-driven jersey entitlement partnership with QuikTrip; the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and the New Nissan Stadium Cornerstone Partnership with Verizon; two community-focused partnerships between the MLS’s Real Salt Lake and the NWSL’s Utah Royals and Intermountain Health and Select Health, which included uniform sleeve entitlement for both teams; the NHL’s New Jersey Devils’ home jersey and community youth hockey-driven partnership with RWJBarnabas Health; and the continued building of the commercial program for Everton FC’s new 52,888-seat stadium, the most highly anticipated in the EPL.
Over his nearly two-decade career, Martin has represented many of the sports and entertainment industry’s most compelling teams and organizations, including the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and 49ers Enterprises, The College Football Playoff National Championships, Palace Sports & Entertainment, the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, and the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. Martin’s proficiency in utilizing data-driven insights to generate powerful, new asset valuations for brands has become an industry hallmark; as has his dedication to partnerships and activations connecting brands with fans authentically, impactfully, globally, and with the opportunity to champion community and social betterment.
“Craig’s experience and record-breaking success in, notably, the NFL and NBA, equipped him with the appropriate perspective and pace to drive effective brand-to-property partnerships across our international client roster; his transition five years ago from the NFL to our agency was extremely natural, as is his appointment today. His adoption and integration of Elevate’s bespoke, original data to generate dynamic valuations across a diverse array of teams, properties, and assets is unparalleled, and a major differentiator in Elevate’s Partnership Sales and Solutions process,” said Elevate CEO | Chairman Al Guido.
“Throughout my career, and notably at Elevate, it has been an honor to represent, steward, and collaborate with some of the world’s most dynamic sports and entertainment teams, properties, and events as we forge compelling and long-lasting relationships with innovative brands,” said Elevate’s Chief Partnerships Officer, Craig Martin. “Today, Elevate Partnership Sales and Solutions represents clients across the EPL, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NWSL, and many more. Our globally expanding executive team remains dedicated to creatively collaborating with our clients and brand partners, driving meaningful causes and authentic fan connection, and educating through bespoke, industry-leading data.”
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About Craig Martin:
Craig Martin is the Chief Partnerships Officer for Elevate, an award-winning, full-service consulting firm supporting high-performing organizations in sports and beyond. Martin is responsible for leading Elevate’s global Partnership Sales and Solutions; driving partnership strategy, asset valuation, sales, and negotiations for Elevate’s diverse, international client roster; and utilizing bespoke data to connect brands with sports and entertainment’s marquee teams, leagues, and events through dynamic partnerships and activations. Over Martin’s five-year tenure with the agency, the nearly 20-year industry veteran played a critical role in the strategy, support, sales, and negotiation of marquee brand partnerships (including naming rights, jersey entitlement, and founding partnerships) for professional sports teams in the EPL, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NWSL, and more.
Martin’s proficiency in utilizing data-driven insights to generate powerful, new asset valuations for brands has become an industry hallmark; as has his dedication to partnerships and activations connecting brands with fans authentically, impactfully, globally, and with the opportunity to champion community and social betterment. Driven by a passion to connect brands in meaningful ways with passionate fans and consumers, Martin’s partnership agreements have generated thoughtful and impactful marketing solutions for brands including Verizon, PayPal, Purina, QuikTrip, InterMountain Health, Select Health, and more over the past five years alone.
Prior to joining Elevate, Martin was Director of Partnerships with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and 49ers Enterprises, where he oversaw the Partnerships Sales Team, drove record-breaking sponsor agreements, and led the club to achieve the No. 3 position in partnership revenue across all NFL teams. Martin has also held positions in partnerships with Palace Sports & Entertainment, the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, and the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals; and supported properties including the College Football National Championships, NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Martin’s expertise, thought leadership, and history of record-breaking partnerships earned him a position behind the podium at notable sports industry conferences and events, including the National Sports Forum and AdAge. He received his Bachelor’s in Public Relations and Advertising from The University of Central Florida. He and his wife, Rebekah, and two dogs Maddie and Tank, recently relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to Nashville, TN, anticipating a future Elevate headquarters in the same city.
About Elevate:
Elevate is an award-winning, full-service consulting firm supporting high-performing organizations in sports and beyond with innovative, data-driven, revenue-generating solutions. Elevate’s unparalleled combination of agency and operating experience, along with proprietary technology solutions, data sources, and software products, maximizes efficiencies in Consumer Insights, Research, Strategy and Analytics; Brand Representation and Activation; Partnership Sales and Consulting; Executive Talent Strategy, Recruitment, Performance, and Organizational Optimization; Creative Consultancy and Experiential Design; Property, Premium Hospitality, and Ticketing Strategy and Sales; Feasibility and Revenue Consultation for New and Renovated Venues; and more. Established in 2018 with the goal of providing comprehensive solutions to organizations across the global sports and entertainment ecosystem; today, the agency supports over 1,000 of the world’s most ambitious organizations across sports, entertainment, media, technology, gaming, lifestyle, and consumer sectors. For more information, follow Elevate on X (@OneElevate_), LinkedIn, and Instagram.
