League Adds New Media and Sports Execs from Time Inc., Discovery, Major League Soccer
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 26, 2007 – Major League Gaming (MLG), the world’s first professional video game league, has expanded its executive leadership team with three key additions in digital media and sales. This addition of talent and experience will help MLG continue to lead and shape the exploding competitive video gaming market.
Todd Unger, Peter Cosco, and John Lane have joined the company. Todd Unger, a veteran digital media and marketing executive with a decade of digital experience at Time Inc., Lifetime Entertainment and AOL, will lead MLG’s online efforts as EVP and general manager, digital. Peter Cosco will bring extensive sales management experience from Discovery and Viacom to serve as EVP of global sales and partnerships for MLG. And John Lane will round out the MLG sales team as an SVP of global sales from Major League Soccer.
“Todd, Peter and John bring a wealth of experience from major industry leaders that will help us continue to grow MLG as a digital sports media business. We’re proud that we can attract new executives of the caliber of these three new hires, and look forward to the contributions they will make to the company as MLG expands,” said Matthew Bromberg, president and COO of MLG.
Todd Unger – EVP and General Manager, Digital
Todd is responsible for growing Major League Gaming’s digital properties and building the MLG brand and audience through its marketing initiatives. Todd most recently served as SVP, digital at Time 4 Media, Time Inc.’s multi-platform entertainment division (recently purchased by Bonnier Corporation), where he oversaw digital content development, sales, production, and business development and drove significant gains in traffic and revenue. Previously, he was the SVP, brand extensions and GM, online for Lifetime Entertainment, as well as GM of AOL Local/Digital City, where he managed Digitalcity.com to recognition as Yahoo! Internet Life’s “Best City Guide on the Web.” Unger also has a decade of consumer marketing and advertising experience at the Leo Burnett Company and Procter & Gamble and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Peter Cosco – EVP, Global Sales and Partnerships
As EVP of global sales and partnerships, Peter will direct the overall sponsorship and advertising sales activities for MLG for both new and existing partners. He was most recently the VP of partnership sales for the Discovery Kids Company, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc. that he helped create. In that role, his team was responsible for establishing corporate alliances and generating and managing revenue for all lines of business. He was also part of the launch team in establishing the sales development area for Discovery’s ad sales division. Prior to Discovery, he held the position of national director of sales and business development for Nickelodeon, running that Viacom division which drove $50 million in new business annually. Peter also has extensive publishing sales management experience, including prominent roles with Time Inc.’s Money Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Fast Company, Tennis Magazine and Runner’s World Magazine.
John Lane – SVP, Global Sales and Partnerships
John is focused on expanding MLG’s current stable of blue chip commercial partners and developing MLG’s unique league-integrated marketing platform in order to further expand its ability to target the growing gaming marketplace. He has spent the last nine years with both Major League Soccer and more recently with Soccer United Marketing, the preeminent commercial soccer company in the United States, which represents such premier properties as Major League Soccer, U.S. Soccer Federation, Mexican National Team, SuperLiga™ and the FIFA Men’s & Women’s World Cup media rights. During that time he held the position of Senior Director, New Business Development & National Media Sales – primarily overseeing sponsorship sales for Major League Soccer and ABC/ESPN advertising sales for the FIFA World Cup. In addition, he also has spent time in the cable advertising sales industry working for various networks as well as in the network buying group at J. Walter Thompson.
ABOUT MLG (Major League Gaming)
MLG is the first professional video game league. By raising video game competition to the level of professional sport, the company is creating a sports media business that provides players, developers, publishers, media partners, and advertisers a unique connection to the video game lifestyle enjoyed by 168 million Americans. With the support of major sponsors including Boost Mobile and GameStop, MLG operates a pro tour that makes several stops in major cities across the U.S., exclusively featuring the best gamers in the world. MLG produces a variety of online and broadcast-quality programming that showcases MLG’s pros and this exciting new sports entertainment phenomenon. More information can be found at www.mlgpro.com.
