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Sandler Capital Management and Robert M. Gutkowski today announced
the creation of Marketing Group International (MGI), a venture
that will seek to acquire companies in the fast-growing event
marketing and experiential marketing sectors.
MGI intends to bring together highly-regarded companies including
event marketing, sports and entertainment marketing, public
relations and other specialized marketing and promotions companies
to create a global, integrated, full service events and experiential
marketing provider. Acquired companies will retain their individual
operations and brand identities within the MGI platform. MGI
is in active discussions with several potential acquisitions
and partners. It is anticipated that MGI will acquire companies
totaling $100 million in value over its first two years of
operation.
Gutkowski, former President of Madison Square Garden and Founder
of The Marquee Group, a worldwide sports and entertainment
marketing firm, will serve as Chief Executive Officer of MGI.
"Today's brand marketers face tremendous difficulties
in conveying their messages," said Gutkowski. "The
fragmentation of mass media, the ability to bypass television
commercials, the emergence of new media devices and the overall
intrusiveness of advertising have conspired to inhibit the
effective use of traditional messaging. In response to these
challenges, forms of marketing communications such as events
represent a large and growing portion of corporate communications
budgets."
"As investors in media, we are constantly looking for
high quality businesses that can benefit from our industry
expertise and financial resources," said Michael Marocco,
Managing Director of Sandler Capital. "Today, there are
hundreds of small, creative, independent companies on the
event marketing front lines that would add value to MGI's
portfolio. Throughout his career, Bob Gutkowski has shown
an ability to build assets and enterprise value, maximize
the potential of management teams and ensure that a group
of highly talented, entrepreneurial executives works together
toward a common goal. Based on that track record and the changes
we see in the marketing sector, we believe MGI presents an
excellent opportunity for value creation."
Over the past 24 years, Bob Gutkowski has had a successful
history in the sports and entertainment industries. After
serving in various sales and programming positions with NBC,
ESPN and Paramount Television, Gutkowski served as President
of MSG Network from 1985-91, executing a groundbreaking $486
million rights agreement with the New York Yankees. Named
President of Madison Square Garden in 1991, he was responsible
for a multi-faceted operation that included the New York Knickerbockers
basketball team, the New York Rangers hockey team, which won
the Stanley Cup Championship in 1994, boxing, events and television
and radio broadcast entities.
In 1995, Gutkowski founded The Marquee Group, a worldwide
sports and entertainment firm that managed, produced and marketed
sports and entertainment events and provided representation
for athletes, entertainers and broadcasters. The Marquee Group
became a public company in 1996, and was acquired by SFX Entertainment
in 1999. Since then, Gutkowski has been an industry consultant,
most recently with the YES Network, the regional sports network
that Gutkowski helped create for New York Yankees principal
owner George Steinbrenner.
Sandler Capital Management has managed both hedge funds and
private equity funds since 1980 and 1989, respectively. The
firm has $1.5 billion in combined assets under management
and uninvested commitments. Sandler's private equity effort
focuses on the media, communications, entertainment and technology
industries. Sandler's investment professionals have over 200
years of combined experience as research analysts, portfolio
managers, financial advisors, investment bankers, and private
equity investors.
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