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WME Sports brings in new property solutions chief

Joe Januszewski has been appointed to lead WME Sports’ full-service global property solutions team, which works with a number of the world’s biggest sports teams, leagues and organisations.

As senior vice-president and division head, Januszewski will lead a team that delivers naming-rights deals, premium hospitality offerings and suite sales strategies across the industry.

WME Sports has worked with teams including the Denver Broncos, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks on premium asset sales.

Januszewski was most recently the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball franchise’s executive vice-president, chief revenue and marketing. During his time at the Rangers, he played a central role in the development of the team’s new $1.2bn retractable-roof ballpark, Globe Life Field (pictured).

Januszewski had responsibility for the ballpark’s naming rights, partnerships, marketing and business analytics, as well as premium and ticket sales. His team also managed all partnerships around the recently developed $250m Texas Live! entertainment district.

During his 10-year spell at the franchise, his teams increased ticketing and marketing revenue by three-figure percentage points.

Before joining the Rangers, Januszewski held senior baseball business roles at the Boston Red Sox, as part of Fenway Sports Group, and the San Diego Padres. 

“Joe is a strategic executive uniquely capable of delivering bespoke solutions on a global scale,” said Karen Brodkin, co-head of WME Sports and EVP of content strategy and development at Endeavor, the agency’s parent company.

“He and his team will collaborate closely with Endeavor Analytics, On Location, 160over90, IMG’s media and events business and WME more broadly to bring the full power of the Endeavor network to bear for our clients as we continue to invest in becoming the industry standard for property representation.”

Januszewski, who will start in his new role on August 30, added: “I have been so impressed with the people and properties Endeavor leadership has brought on board the past few years. There is a tremendous opportunity both domestically and globally in the professional sports space.”

Image: Drone to Fly/CC BY 3.0/Edited for size

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