Indiantelevision.com Team

(31 March 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Omnicom Media Group is aligning its sports and entertainment marketing companies in North America under Fuse Sports & Entertainment Group.

This brings together a combination of resources that include consulting, strategy development, content creation and distribution. Steve Grubbs is the CEO of Fuse Sports and Entertainment Group North America.

* Optimum Entertainment, a entertainment marketing consultancy that works with some of the best known consumer brand clients to create and execute entertainment strategies across TV, film and digital platforms. Guy McCarter continues as director of Optimum Entertainment.

* Optimum Sports, which merges sports marketing with media strategy and buying expertise. As a US sports media buyer, Optimum Sports develops and stewards sports sponsorships. The company also serves as a consultant for rights negotiation and property development for several sports leagues. The operation is led by Co-Directors Ray Katz and Tom McGovern.

* Full-Circle Entertainment is a content development and production company specialising in brand marketing integration. Full-Circle is led by by CEO Robert Riesenberg.

* Highway Entertainment is an international distributor of content, which continues to be led by president Brian Ross.

The Fuse network of sports and entertainment companies now has offices in more than 20 countries across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Omnicom Media Group chairman and CEO Robert Riesenberg says, "As its name suggests, Fuse allows us to offer clients fully integrated sports and entertainment solutions that encompass everything from ideation to final distribution.

"Or, depending on their needs, individual expert services ... whatever the right combination is to deliver against their unique objectives. Steve's deep experience in this area, combined with his reputation with media companies and advertisers, puts Fuse Sports & Entertainment Group in a great position to bring new and innovative ideas to clients."

Grubbs says, "Fuse contains the component parts necessary to create a superior and compelling resource for our clients. I am thrilled to be working with the leaders of these four companies in two disciplines, sports and entertainment, that I have always felt passionate about over my career."