How This Sports and Entertainment Brand Shop Became a Major Player

Who: (L. to r.) Iciri Rai, global account director; vp, partnership marketing Chris Farrell;  svp, integrated marketing Mandy O’Donnell; President and CEO Ben Sturner; COO Chris Brown; Patricia Jorge, general counsel
What: Sports and entertainment sponsorship agency
Where: New York

When it comes to crafting fun and engaging sports and entertainment executions for brands, Leverage Agency has it nailed. It counts NFL Alumni as a client, has worked with Dancing With the Stars and the U.S. Open, and executed a Super Bowl event for PepsiCo’s Sabra hummus in 2013, declaring it the “Official Dip of the NFL.”

Last year, it developed ads with Jimmy Kimmel Live! and DiGiorno for Super Bowl 50 starring Kimmel’s security guard, Guillermo.

While the agency is sitting out the big game this year outside of a few hospitality events, Leverage’s most recent sponsorship work with Trident, Welch’s, Boston Market and Kawasaki can be seen on the new Celebrity Apprentice starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“We love working on that show because it’s a true integration,” Sturner said. “There aren’t many opportunities that give you a whole hour of prime time to talk about a brand. It’s fun to be able to sit with a brand and get their message out there like that.”