President/CEO of Anthem Sports & Entertainment

Leonard Asper

• 30 years media industry experience

  • Founder/CEO of Anthem Sports & Entertainment 2011-

  • CEO Canwest Global Communications Corp., 2000-2010 - multinational media company  $3b revenue, $2b market cap, TSE listed) with holdings in Canada, U.S., Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Ireland, Europe and parts of Asia

  • COO 1997-1999

  • VP Corporate Development/M&A 1993-1997

  • Associate General Counsel 1991-1993

• Chairman Rumble Gaming

• Chairman Asper Foundation

• Graduate of University of Toronto Law School, Member of Ontario Bar

Chief Corporate Officer, President of Sports Media Group

Ed Nordholm

• Appointed President of Sports Media Group in August 2019 overseeing Fight Network, IMPACT Wrestling, Invicta FC, Game+ and Pursuit Channel

• President of IMPACT Wrestling since Anthem acquisition in 2017

• Board member, general counsel and executive of Anthem since 2010

• Member of original financing to launch Fight Network and served as President of Fight Network from 2008 to 2010

• Former Co-lead of Tricap Restructuring Fund, Brookfield Asset Management’s first special situations fund and former Partner of Torys LLP

Chief Financial Officer

Niral V. Merchant

• 10+ years experience as CFO to companies in industrial and technology space

• Formerly with KPMG

• Expertise with numerous corporate finance and M&A transactions

• MBA from INSEAD in France/Singapore, CFA charter holder, CPA(CA) from Ontario, Canada and B.Com from University of Toronto

HR Advisor

Michelle Hall

• As an independent advisor, Ms. Hall provides advice to Anthem on human resources policies, programs, and operational matters

• A senior human resources executive with over thirty years experience implementing human resources initiatives including, organizational development, change initiatives, people development strategies, communications, corporate reorganizations and labour relations strategy

• Spent 8 years as a senior executive and ultimately Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer with Postmedia Network Inc, a publicly listed Canadian news media company representing more than 125 brands across multiple print, online, and mobile platforms

• Worked 6 years CanWest Global Communications Corporation, a diversified international publicly listed media organization within the  broadcast,  print and online sectors, with the final role of policies, Senior Vice President People

• Performed various additional human resources roles in the financial, manufacturing and recruitment sectors

General Manager, AXS TV & HDNET MOVIES

Frank J. Tanki

• More than 20 years of entertainment and television experience

• Oversees all business strategy and day-to-day operations for both brands

• Former G.M., Country Music Television (CMT) and TV Land at Viacom, under his leadership, both networks experienced major growth in ad revenue, digital engagement, and brand partnerships

• Former EVP of Marketing & Creative at Spike TV, led the rebrand of the network and launched mega-hit series, “Lip Sync Battle,” and grew ratings records for “Ink Master,” “Bar Rescue” and Bellator MMA

• Former SVP, Marketing at Nickelodeon:

  • Oversaw global hits “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Dora The Explorer”

  • Brokered numerous strategic partnerships with the NFL, MLB, NBA, NASCAR and Sony Music (among others)

  • Served on the Viacom Marketing and Diversity & Inclusivity Councils at Viacom

President, Game TV, VP Operations, Anthem Sports & Entertainment

Anthony Cicione

• More than 30 years of broadcast and digital media experience​

• Oversees all operations including playout, traffic, signal distribution and facilities for Anthem

• 10 years as VP of Programming & Production at The Score Television Network

• 10 years as sports producer at Global Television Network

• Various roles within Olympic Broadcast Services since 2010

• Instructor and Advisory Board Member at College of Sports Media

Senior Vice President of Distribution

Randy Brown

• 30-year senior executive in video content distribution and marketing

• Currently manages all distribution of Anthem channels in North America

• Executive Vice President of Distribution for ONE World Sports

• Executive Vice President of Affiliate Sales & Marketing for Outdoor Channel, including launching global expansion adding 10.5 million overseas subscribers across 52 Asian and European markets in six languages

• Senior Vice President of Distribution for Tennis Channel, six years from inception to carriage in 47 of the top 50 markets

• 15 years at ESPN, overseeing domestic distribution of ESPN’s networks in 17 states and developing distribution strategies contributing to the successful launches of ESPN2 and ESPNEWS

Senior Vice President, National Ad Sales

Chris Ledwith

• More than 25 years’ experience with Comcast NBCU in national linear and digital advertising-sales

• At NBC Sports group, executed deals in excess of several hundred million dollars on sports properties including the Olympics, NFL, NHL, NCAA Football, NASCAR, English Premier League and PGA

• Led sales team at E! Entertainment TV for 6 years

• Successfully transitioned advertisers from the G4 Network as it re-branded to Esquire

• Led sales for the launch of MSNBC

Chief Revenue Officer, Sports Media Group

Jaime Pollack

• Oversees all revenue generation for Sports Media Group, including Fight Network, IMPACT Wrestling and Invicta FC

• Vice President of Media and Business Development at Activision Blizzard, overseeing esports media and distribution of the Overwatch and Call Of Duty Leagues, brokering the first major esports digital streaming deal on Amazon’s Twitch platform, and securing broadcast partnerships with ABC, Disney XD, and ESPN Networks

• Media Attorney at NBCUniversal Television Group​

• Senior Vice President, Global Content & General Manager of Latin America at UFC, in addition to other high-level executive roles:

  • Oversaw UFC’s launch in Brazil and launched UFC NETWORK

  • Under his leadership, UFC conducted major global televised events, created platforms for blue-chip sponsors, and developed local fighters

  • Drove production of first international seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter”

  • Served as President of Pride Fighting Championship in Japan

President, Invicta Fighting Championships

Shannon Knapp

• Oversees operations, production, talent relations and live events for Invicta FC

• Founded Invicta Fighting Championships in 2012

• 20+ years MMA industry experience with leading MMA organizations including the UFC, Strikeforce, Affliction, IFL, King of the Cage, WFA and SportFight

President, Game+, VP Programming & Production

Chad Midgley

• More than 22 years of media programming experience​

• 15 years as VP Programming & Content at Fight Network

• 7 years in programming at The Score Television Network

• Conceptualized, launched Fantasy Sports Network (now Game+) and Fight Network

• Key roles on events involving, among others NBA, MLB, NHL, CFL, PGA Tour, UFC and multiple combat sports promotions

General Manager, Fight Network

Ariel Shnerer

• Oversees Fight Network operations with focus on revenue generation, building digital products, new platform launches, driving expansion to new markets and leading the evolution of a new programming strategy

• Executive Producer of FN Originals, Fight Network’s original production group

• Senior Director of Programming, Global Distribution & Communications for Anthem, overseeing growth initiatives and content strategy for assets across the Anthem portfolio, including execution of licensing agreements with major studios, distributors and content producers, as well as international launches across North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East

• Head of distribution for IMPACT Wrestling, spearheading the launch of the IMPACT Plus digital subscription platform, digital expansion with Pluto TV and Twitch, as well as international broadcast partnerships

• Former combat sports analyst for FOX Sports and The National Post

• More than 15 years of broadcast and media experience, covering programming, production, digital, technical infrastructure, marketing and communications

GM Digital

Larry Schwartz

• More than 25 years in MET (media, technology, and entertainment)

• As GM of Digital, responsible for the development, expansion and monetization of Anthem’s digital footprint

• Transformed a content producer to a digital media venture with 4x growth in revenue YoY. Represented client in structuring and AOL venture company; Direct-to-consumer social media platforms

• President at Wordwave, a Highland Capital portfolio company, developing early voice search technologies; sold into customers including Cisco, Thompson Financial, and Wells Fargo.

• Former management positions with Disney, General Electric (Six Sigma Certification), and Bloomberg; P&L responsibilities, key driver to $50M increase in revenue, market expansion

Vice President, Sales

Anthony Burroughs

• More than a dozen years of media sales experience

• Oversees all Canadian ad sales

• Nearly a decade selling for Canada’s leading sports networks -- Rogers Sportsnet and Bell Media - TSN

• Helped launch TVA Sports for Quebecor Media

• Managed sales for sporting events including NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, MLB World Series, NBA Finals, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, World Jr. Hockey Championships, UEFA Euro Soccer, FIFA World Cup Soccer, and the CFL Grey Cup.

VP, Europe

Gultekin Uckun

• 25+ years in media and marketing in Europe​

• Oversees Anthem properties in Europe, including UK, Italy and Southern Europe

• Entrepreneur and founder of various media assets in Turkey and Europe

• Various leadership roles as CEO and or founder, in media and marketing communications

• Senior management positions with media companies including The Health Network, Canwest Media, Dogan Media, Omnicom Group agencies

Executive VP, Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions

Scott D’Amore

• 25+ years in business and the professional wrestling industry producing TV/PPV broadcast events in the U.S.

• Oversees operations, production, talent relations and live events for IMPACT

• Creative Director TNA Wrestling (now IMPACT) in addition to other production and management roles during TNA program run on Spike and Fox Sportsnet:

  • Oversaw launch of TNA on Spike

  • Created all female, “Knockouts Division”

  • Produced episodic and commercial content for Spike/MTV

• In 1993, co-founded Border City Wrestling and Can-Am Wrestling School, which has launched or helped further the careers of many top national, international and local professional wrestlers