The Collaborative: Power in Sports Mixer

6600 Alastair Drive,Sandy Springs GA 30328

02 September, 2022

Description

Network with seasoned professionals in the Sports Industry through Speed Networking Sessions, a live Q&A Panel, Raffles and more! This event is open to all groups, ages and occupations. All ticket sales are final. The Collaborative is hosted by Sydnee Walker and Ryan Ballis and is focused on connecting the Sports and Entertainment Industry with Journalists and PR professionals via Zoom fireside chats. Over the course of a year, they have had 37 guests ranging from ESPN’s Marcus Spears, Laura Rutledge and Ryan Clark to New Orleans Saints Defensive End, Cameron Jordan and MLB Hall of Famer, John Smoltz. Join us as we hear from Bob Rathbun - Atlanta Hawks Play-by-Play Announcer, Lauren Walsh Buckner - EVP Marketing and Branding, Solid Foundation Management/Quality Control, Melissa Proctor - EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena and Christen Lockett - CEO, Lockett Up PR | Editorial Supervisor, Peacock TV. Additional guests coming soon! Tickets are limited, so get yours before it’s too late! Your ticket includes food, drinks, swag and 1:1 access to our guests. The appropriate attire for this event is business casual. Schedule: 6-7: Mingle + Light Appetizers 7-7:05: Welcome 7:10-8:10: Live Panel with Guests of Honor 8:15- 8:45: "Speed Date" Networking 8:45-9: Raffle/Closing Remarks GUESTS OF HONOR Bob Rathbun is a 13-time Emmy award winning sportscaster in his 26th season as the signature play-by-play voice of Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast. One of Bally Sports’ most popular and decorated play-by-play announcers, Bob is the voice of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Bob is back for his 35th season calling the action for Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) basketball for Raycom Sports and is Bally Sports South’s long-standing college football, basketball, and baseball authority - broadcasting well over 100 games and events annually. An eight-time Sportscaster of the Year in Virginia and Georgia, Bob has been inducted into the media wing of the Catawba College Sports Hall of Fame, Salisbury-Rowan Sports Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame for his broadcasting excellence. Bob’s basketball work with the NBA has earned him opportunities to call games for TNT and NBA-TV. His collegiate resume includes stints with CBS (NCAA basketball tournament), ABC, ESPN (College basketball plus college football and the College World Series) and FOX Sports Net. Bob has served as the college basketball play-by-play announcer for the ACC Television Network through Raycom Sports since 1988, and has called games for both the ACC and the SEC on Bally South since 1996. Bob’s nationally televised football work began in 1987 for ESPN when he called the inaugural season of Arena Football with Lee Corso. Rathbun and Corso also worked a full-season of CFA college football that fall for ESPN. Since that time, Bob has broadcast college football in the SEC, ACC, and Big East for Bally Sports South and Raycom. He has done college football play-by-play over the past 29 years. Bob’s baseball resume includes 10 years as Bally Sports South’s voice of the Atlanta Braves, three seasons in Detroit with the Tigers on WJR Radio, and part time work for the Baltimore Orioles on Home Team Sports (now MASN). Since 2004, Bob has expanded his work into the realm of motivation, leadership, and team building as a host and speaker first with John Maxwell's Maximum Impact Club and the Atlanta Hawks Speaker’s Bureau. Bob spends considerable time serving as a keynote motivational and inspirational speaker for civic groups, youth, and businesses across the country. His latest achievement, The Fast Forward Winner™, is a 6-step program designed to help catapult dreamers into the winner’s circle. The program is available in audio and print wherever books are sold. Bob is a graduate of Catawba College with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Speech. He is the National Spokesperson for the Young World Obesity Campaign and currently resides in the Atlanta area with his wife Marybeth. They are the proud parents of two adult children, Court and Grace. Lauren Walsh is the Executive Vice President of Branding and Marketing for Solid Foundation Management, the management services arm of Quality Control Music, which is the world's leading independently owned record label and recently formed sports agency. With over 20 years of experience in the world of brand strategy and sports marketing, Lauren has worked with a wide array of NFL, NBA, and MLB players ranging from first round draft picks to hall of famers, Super Bowl Champs, and All-Stars. She has negotiated deals with some of the top brands and handled intense crisis management for high profile NFL players. Prior to joining Quality Control, Lauren built and ran her own successful boutique branding and marketing agency where she developed and monetized personal brands for some of the most sought after athletes in the game including Jerami Grant, Myles Garrett, Kirk Cousins, Terrell Owens, Matt Carpenter, Tim Anderson and Nick Ahmed; working with internationally recognized brands like Beats by Dre, Under Armour, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shopify, Pepsi, Essentia, Waiakea, Vosges, DoorDash, YouTube, and Express. She is also the founder and creator of Branding 101, an interactive program geared towards college student-athletes that combines all of Lauren’s knowledge and experience working at the pro level, to help student-athletes understand how to harness and build their own personal brand for long term success whether they plan to go pro on or off the field after college. Her program has been successfully taught at a wide array of colleges and universities including Purdue University, Pepperdine, SMU, and IUPUI. Lauren has a strong passion for giving back to the next generation of women who want to build successful careers in sports and entertainment which led her to launch the Empowering Women in Sports Mentorship program which has helped hundreds of women find themselves and their place within the industry. Lauren is a graduate of Purdue University and former Captain of the Purdue University Cheerleading squad. Lauren has been featured in: Associated Press, MSN, CNBC, HLN, Fox Sports, Huffington Post, Front Office Sports, and Chicago Tribune. Melissa McGhie Proctor is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena. In this role, Proctor oversees the day-to-day operations of the club’s marketing, Hawks Studios, live experience and production, brand merchandising, creative services, corporate social responsibility, brand communications and basketball development teams. She also works closely with executive leadership to provide strategy for the organization. Proctor joined the organization in June 2014, when she was named Vice President of Brand Strategy. In her former role, she was responsible for brand development and building marketing & business plans that propelled the organization’s long-term strategy. Throughout her tenure with the Hawks, she has played an instrumental role within the company, spearheading internal corporate employee initiatives and executive communication. Beginning her career with the Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., Proctor served in brand development and strategy positions for Turner Entertainment Networks (including TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), truTV and Peachtree TV), Cartoon Network and Turner Media Group. Additionally, she helped to create the first Corporate Social Responsibility division in Turner’s UK office. Among her accomplishments, she was responsible for managing the naming and identity for the rebranding of Court TV as truTV, and leading corporate culture initiatives to foster employee engagement, collaboration and innovation. Part of the NBA since high school, Proctor was the first “team attendant”/ ball girl for the Miami Heat organization, and in later years, returned to work for the Heat in the basketball operations division. Over her career, Proctor’s professional achievements have earned her accolades from a multitude of publications and organizations. She has been recognized with Leaders and Aspire Academy’s Leaders Under 40 Award; was selected as part of the Sports Business Journal/Daily’s 2020 class of Forty Under 40 and honored with the 2021 Adweek CMO Award. A published author, in 2020, Proctor released her first book titled From Ball Girl to CMO. Proctor is on the board for The High Museum of Art, The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Atlanta BeltLine Partnership and 48 in 48 in addition to serving in an advisory capacity for The Dagger Agency. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Wake Forest University and a master’s degree in design studies/branding from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design at The London Institute. A native of Miami, FL, she now resides in the City of Atlanta Christen Lockett is no stranger to sports and entertainment, brand management, and the power of social media influence. With experience in marketing, social media and brand strategy, Christen has helped several athletes, influencers, and small business build and grow sustainable brands by monetizing their social media platforms through name, image, and likeness. She has also helped several clients get placements in major publications, speaking engagements, merchandise, and more. She is the owner and founder of Lockett-Up PR and the Editorial Supervisor for Peacock TV at Digital Media Management. Venue: Aria Spirits and Wine 6600 Alastair Dr Ste 100, Sandy Springs, GA 30328 Meet the Founders of The Collaborative! Founder & Co-Host: Sydnee Walker Every brand has a story behind it - whether that is one that leaves customers feeling informed and educated, or one that sparks joy and delight. Sydnee Walker is passionate about not only defining and articulating that story, but also developing and implementing plans which companies can utilize to tell that story and maximize their reach. Walker’s passion for communication drew her to public relations, where she graduated from the University of Oregon with a double major in Journalism and PR. Walker is currently a NCAA Digital Marketing and PR Trainee at Turner Sports, where she assists in day to day operations of Turner Sports’ MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA properties. Co-Founder and Co-Host: Ryan Ballis Ryan Ballis graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022 with a B.S. in Advertising and a double minor in Sports Business and Entrepreneurship. A native of Tucson, Arizona, Ballis grew up surrounded by sports and has had a passion for it ever since. Ballis looks to push the boundary of brands and finds unique ways to create experiences between a brand and its consumer base, specifically with collegiate athletes across the country. Additionally, Ballis is the Founder and Owner of 1 of 1 Branding, an athlete first branding and marketing agency, striving to grow and develop brands to their fullest potential.