Past Judges

Theo started his career as a truly terrible reporter for BBC local radio but had the good fortune of being let go by the Beeb just as a small Californian outfit called Google launched its UK office. At Google, Theo worked at YouTube managing the Major record labels, bringing Channel 4 onto the platform and launched the Queen’s YouTube channel. Seven years and several stone heavier he left the company to head up Digital at Simon Cowell’s production company Syco before leaving Cowell for the bright lights of Twitter where he heads up the sport partnerships team focussed on video monetization. He has no idea how to verify anyone on Twitter (before anyone asks) but will happily speak to you about video opportunities on the platform.

Sébastien is Head of Sports at Canal OTT, the digital division of Canal+. After 15+ years in linear broadcasting as a host, announcer and editor in chief he joined in 2015 the digital division as the head of the sports department. In this role, he handles all digital content output on social media and on the proprietary platform MyCanal. Two years ago he launched Canal OTT’s first dedicated social talk show, #LePetitDebrief, reviewing the football week live exclusively on Facebook, Twitter and Dailymotion.

Neil is a senior product leader with over 15 years’ experience creating and managing digital content services for the multi-award winning BBC Sport and BBC News propositions. In his current role as Head of Product for BBC Sport, he leads the digital product development of the UK’s biggest and best sport offering. Based at MediaCityUK in Salford, they shape, deliver and run all of BBC Sport’s digital products from the responsive web to the portfolio of mobile and Connected TV apps and the off-site social media offering. This includes the international and commercial versions of their services. In addition to this, they lead on digital live event coverage for the BBC – known as ‘BBC Live’. The products regularly reach millions of users in multiple languages during major news, sports, TV and cultural events from the General Election, to Glastonbury and the Olympics.

Guy-Laurent Epstein is the Marketing Director of UEFA Events S.A. set up in 2009 as a wholly owned UEFA subsidiary company; it manages the marketing and commercial interests of UEFA.
In 2002, Guy-Laurent joined UEFA as TV & Sponsorship Manager and soon became Head of Marketing Activities. In 2005, he created the Media Rights unit which is responsible for the overall sales of broadcast rights for UEFA competitions. Thereafter in 2010, he was appointed Marketing Director, responsible for the on-going development of all marketing and commercial activities, including brand, media and sponsorship, across all UEFA competitions.

Andrew Hall is Digital Product Director at ATP Media, responsible for the company’s award-winning subscription OTT product, Tennis TV, which offers consumers around the world live HD tennis across mobile, web and streaming devices. The latest incarnation of Tennis TV was launched in time for the 2017 season, and offers subscribers up to 2,000 live matches from 64 ATP tournaments every year as well as on-demand replays, highlights, features and classic matches.

Ben joined DAZN in 2015 as Chief Product Officer. In this role, he oversees all product innovations and new features for the revolutionary sport streaming service that is available on over 96% of devices in all live markets. Prior to DAZN, he was at Amazon as product leader for the Amazon Video Store. Ben has also worked at LOVEFiLM where he was the Digital Product Director launching their streaming video service on web, mobile and TV devices; which was acquired by Amazon. Before this he was at the BBC where he created BBC iPlayer. Ben has been named as one of the top ten technology and Internet innovators in the world by The Observer.

Ben joined DAZN in 2015 as Chief Product Officer. In this role, he oversees all product innovations and new features for the revolutionary sport streaming service that is available on over 96% of devices in all live markets. Prior to DAZN, he was at Amazon as product leader for the Amazon Video Store. Ben has also worked at LOVEFiLM where he was the Digital Product Director launching their streaming video service on web, mobile and TV devices; which was acquired by Amazon. Before this he was at the BBC where he created BBC iPlayer. Ben has been named as one of the top ten technology and Internet innovators in the world by The Observer.

Andrew Hall is Digital Product Director at ATP Media, responsible for the company’s award-winning subscription OTT product, Tennis TV, which offers consumers around the world live HD tennis across mobile, web and streaming devices. The latest incarnation of Tennis TV was launched in time for the 2017 season, and offers subscribers up to 2,000 live matches from 64 ATP tournaments every year as well as on-demand replays, highlights, features and classic matches.

Victoria Cotton is BBC Sport’s Executive Editor for live streaming. She is responsible for the commissioning of content and for further developing the live digital strategy that delivered over 3000 extra hours of live sport to BBC platforms last year. She is also their BBC women’s sport lead and oversees Get Inspired, the BBC Sport’s participation strand.

VP of Strategy & Operations at NFL Media; Gil oversees the Owned & Operated DTC business, including new product development.

Prior to joining the NFL, Gil was a Partner at a top-tier consulting firm in the Media & Entertainment practice, during which he worked with major Hollywood studios, national distributors, major OTT platforms, etc.

Gil’s experience spans internationally having lived and worked in many different countries (UK, Spain, Italy, Israel, Australia, Kenya).

Heading up all content creation for Gfinity, Amanda comes with over 20 years’ experience in the production industry. Prior to joining Gfinity, Amanda was the UFC’s Director of Production across EMEA where she led all original content initiatives and built a world-class production team to deliver every live UFC event across the region.

Prior to that, Amanda was Head of Production Operations for ITV Sport, the UK’s leading terrestrial broadcaster where she was responsible for overseeing the channel’s sports output, including the live coverage of UEFA Champions League, England Internationals, French Open tennis, IPL, Boxing and Motorsport and documentaries including the critically acclaimed Sports Life Stories series.

Guy-Laurent Epstein is the Marketing Director of UEFA Events S.A. set up in 2009 as a wholly owned UEFA subsidiary company; it manages the marketing and commercial interests of UEFA.
In 2002, Guy-Laurent joined UEFA as TV & Sponsorship Manager and soon became Head of Marketing Activities. In 2005, he created the Media Rights unit which is responsible for the overall sales of broadcast rights for UEFA competitions. Thereafter in 2010, he was appointed Marketing Director, responsible for the on-going development of all marketing and commercial activities, including brand, media and sponsorship, across all UEFA competitions.

Sky has appointed Nathan Homer as Director of Trading, Broadband & Sports on the company’s NowTV business.

He will lead the commercial trading team, overseeing customer growth and revenue as well as contributing to the business’s overall strategy on sport and on broadband.

Homer’s previous experience includes work on FMCG, finance and sport brands, after spending 14 years at Procter & Gamble where he ran Gillette’s UK business and the 2012 Olympics campaign, “Proud Sponsor of Mums”. He then moved to Barclays’, heading up the bank’s sponsorship portfolio across sport and entertainment propositions, including the Premier League and ATP Tour Finals.

In her role, Marion establishes and nurtures successful distribution partnerships with publishers across the EMEA region. Prior to joining Roku, Marion held senior business development and partnership management positions at several entertainment companies, including: Orange, MK2 and Musiwave. For the majority of her time at Orange Marion was responsible for all content distribution deals with American entertainment studios and major streaming services. Marion holds a master’s degree in Intellectual Property law from the Bordeaux IV University plus a master’s degree in European Business Law from the University of West England.

Sébastien is Head of Sports at Canal OTT, the digital division of Canal+. After 15+ years in linear broadcasting as a host, announcer and editor in chief he joined in 2015 the digital division as the head of the sports department. In this role, he handles all digital content output on social media and on the proprietary platform MyCanal. Two years ago he launched Canal OTT’s first dedicated social talk show, #LePetitDebrief, reviewing the football week live exclusively on Facebook, Twitter and Dailymotion.

Theo started his career as a truly terrible reporter for BBC local radio but had the good fortune of being let go by the Beeb just as a small Californian outfit called Google launched its UK office. At Google, Theo worked at YouTube managing the Major record labels, bringing Channel 4 onto the platform and launched the Queen’s YouTube channel. Seven years and several stone heavier he left the company to head up Digital at Simon Cowell’s production company Syco before leaving Cowell for the bright lights of Twitter where he heads up the sport partnerships team focussed on video monetization. He has no idea how to verify anyone on Twitter (before anyone asks) but will happily speak to you about video opportunities on the platform.

David Arroyo has led the Dorna Digital team since late 2017 covering MotoGP and the entire portfolio of Championships in Dorna Sports. Since then, MotoGP have radically changed their digital content  strategy obtaining record viewing and engagement figures. Having quickly progressed through the Dorna ranks from web editor, Live Content Specialist and a Media Sales Executive, David was from 2015 to 2017 the Media Director for World Superbike, setting up the entire media team from scratch including Content, Communication, TV Production and Media Sales. From 2011 to 2014, David was also part of the team launching the Mobile Advertising business for Telefonica Digital.

As Commercial Director, ESPN Europe and Africa, Charlie oversees The Walt Disney Company’s commercial activities in sport across Europe & Africa, as well as leading the ESPN team in London. Charlie has been with ESPN since 2013 in a variety of marketing, commercial and strategy roles, and also serves as a trustee of London Sport as well as on the NSPCC Sports Board.

Prior to joining ESPN, he worked for rights owners the RFU and The FA, looking after some of the most iconic brands in English sport including England Rugby and The FA Cup.

After a career spanning e-commerce start-ups and stints in both B2B and B2C publishing, Charlie joined Seven League in 2015, bringing a wealth of commercial digital experience to the sports sector. He has worked with some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment across a variety of projects including devising overall digital strategies; monetising digital channels; selling digital sponsorship; specifying, procuring and delivering digital products; evaluating and improving content performance; devising localisation strategies; planning esports market entry strategies and advising on organisational and team composition.

Clark Pierce is an accomplished, Emmy Award-winning producer and technology industry thought leader who has spent his career in the media and entertainment industries blending business acumen with technical expertise to create innovative digital solutions for his clients and business units.  Pierce spent the majority of his career at FOX Sports, most recently as the architect and general manager of FOX Sports GO.  Pierce is the founder of Emerging Media Technologies, a consulting and service integration company focused on the intersection of live TV, innovation, and technology in the media. He is currently working with sports leagues, startup companies, and larger service providers to maximize the opportunities to help them better connect with their consumers through technology.

Anouk oversees ELEVENS’ market & business operations globally. Anouk joined ELEVEN when the platform launched in 2015 to lead the Belgium division, before taking on the role of  Group COO in 2019. She has previously held senior roles with cable platform Telenet and media company Sanoma in Belgium.

Anouk combines her ELEVEN duties with the role of Managing Director for ELEVEN’s sister company NEO Studios. NEO is a production studio dedicated to telling great sport and lifestyle stories.

Sébastien is Head of Sports at Canal OTT, the digital division of Canal+. After 15+ years in linear broadcasting as a host, announcer and editor in chief he joined in 2015 the digital division as the head of the sports department. In this role, he handles all digital content output on social media and on the proprietary platform MyCanal. Two years ago he launched Canal OTT’s first dedicated social talk show, #LePetitDebrief, reviewing the football week live exclusively on Facebook, Twitter and Dailymotion.

Blake Stuchin is Vice President of Digital Media Business Development at the National Football League, where he leads the league’s digital and social media licensing and distribution strategy.

Prior to the NFL, Blake was a member of the Media Investment Banking group at Jefferies, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions and raising capital. Prior to Jefferies, Blake was an Analyst at Access Capital, an institutional source of non-bank funding to entrepreneurially-run growing businesses throughout the country. He started his career at Digitas, one of the world’s leading integrated marketing agencies, where he led campaigns for Turner Broadcasting and Pfizer.

Outside of work, Blake enjoys rock climbing and is a partner in Pine Brook Fitness, home to The Rock Club, New York’s largest indoor rock-climbing gym. He holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Blake lives in New York City with his wife Stephanie and their two children.

Andrew Hall is Digital Product Director at ATP Media, responsible for the company’s award-winning subscription OTT product, Tennis TV, which offers consumers around the world live HD tennis across mobile, web and streaming devices. The latest incarnation of Tennis TV was launched in time for the 2017 season, and offers subscribers up to 2,000 live matches from 64 ATP tournaments every year as well as on-demand replays, highlights, features and classic matches.

Victoria Cotton is BBC Sport’s Executive Editor for live streaming. She is responsible for the commissioning of content and for further developing the live digital strategy that delivered over 3000 extra hours of live sport to BBC platforms last year. She is also their BBC women’s sport lead and oversees Get Inspired, the BBC Sport’s participation strand.

Guy-Laurent Epstein is the Marketing Director of UEFA Events S.A. set up in 2009 as a wholly owned UEFA subsidiary company; it manages the marketing and commercial interests of UEFA.
In 2002, Guy-Laurent joined UEFA as TV & Sponsorship Manager and soon became Head of Marketing Activities. In 2005, he created the Media Rights unit which is responsible for the overall sales of broadcast rights for UEFA competitions. Thereafter in 2010, he was appointed Marketing Director, responsible for the on-going development of all marketing and commercial activities, including brand, media and sponsorship, across all UEFA competitions.

Jean Manuel Jimenez launched Pulse after 20 yrs. of experience in brand building and commercial development. He was integral to Inter Miami CF’s expansion journey, playing a key role in establishing its digital content identity and reputation for bold, digital, and broadcast ideations. Launching the first MLS’s club owned streaming service, Jimenez brings a wealth of industry success launching OTT immersive fan experiences. Led content and digital for Concacaf for 6 years prior where he significantly redefined their digital platforms to better connect with the game and fans across the region. He has worked in numerous global tournaments including Copa America, Concacaf Champions League, and Gold Cup.

The Dominican Republic native comes from a solid commercial and business development background, stemming from years servicing brands across the U.S. Hispanic market and Latin America with Mobile Messaging Solutions (MMS), a mobile marketing agency.

Jimenez also worked for OZ Sports leading the commercial department, a broadcast and production company that leverages robotics and artificial intelligence to deliver white label OTT solutions. He holds a degree from State University of New York College at Plattsburgh and lives in Miami with his wife and three kids.

Clark Pierce is an accomplished, Emmy Award-winning producer and technology industry thought leader who has spent his career in the media and entertainment industries blending business acumen with technical expertise to create innovative digital solutions for his clients and business units.  Pierce spent the majority of his career at FOX Sports, most recently as the architect and general manager of FOX Sports GO.  Pierce is the founder of Emerging Media Technologies, a consulting and service integration company focused on the intersection of live TV, innovation, and technology in the media. He is currently working with sports leagues, startup companies, and larger service providers to maximize the opportunities to help them better connect with their consumers through technology.

After a career spanning e-commerce start-ups and stints in both B2B and B2C publishing, Charlie joined Seven League in 2015, bringing a wealth of commercial digital experience to the sports sector. He has worked with some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment across a variety of projects including devising overall digital strategies; monetising digital channels; selling digital sponsorship; specifying, procuring and delivering digital products; evaluating and improving content performance; devising localisation strategies; planning esports market entry strategies and advising on organisational and team composition.

Justin Hoyman is the Product Director for FloSports where he leads development and innovation strategies for the Apps team. His work focuses on creating engaging user experiences across the company’s iOS and Android apps but also native applications on other devices including Roku, Fire TV, smart TVs and more. Justin has a long-spanning career in technology and sports having constructed immersive app experiences while working with CBS Sports. While there, he managed a suite of core products including the flagship app and other OTT platforms that streamed Super Bowl 50.Justin is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. He also played professional baseball for the Cleveland Indians. While studying at the University of Florida, he was the SEC Pitcher of the Year, an All-American and 2nd round MLB draft pick in 2004.

More than 30 years in industry focussed on internet distribution for some of the biggest media brands including the BBC, Financial Times and News International. Now working at BT where I’m accountable for its TV & Sport distribution as well as building the media network that underpins contribution and distribution for some of the worlds most recognisable media brands.

Mike is an accomplished digital & commercial leader with 20+ years general management experience across the sports media, data & digital landscape.

Mike is the OTT expert at CA, leading its OTT investigation, strategy development and subsequent trial in FY21. He brings a deep understanding of the dynamic OTT, digital & media rights landscape and how OTT fits into the bigger picture. He has a strong understanding of the broader organisational benefits that OTT can deliver, and what is needed for success from both a rights holder, vendor and fan perspective.

Richard has 16+ years’ experience in sales, partnerships, commercial and senior leadership roles across the Asia-Pacific region, including 8 years at Google and YouTube and 7 years helping to transform and commercialise global streaming/OTT and influencer marketing startups.

As one of the early team members at RugbyPass in Singapore, Richard established the content and audience network business and helped expand live streaming operations to nearly 100 countries, leading to an acquisition by Sky New Zealand.

Having relocated home to New Zealand, Richard continues to drive new business opportunities for RugbyPass in North America and APAC, whilst running media partnerships and helping to establish new digital revenue streams for Sky.

Outside of work, Richard is an Advisor to influencer marketplace FlashFomo and a Co-Founder of the New Zealand Podcast Awards, whilst working through governance training with the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

I am the ex-CTO of fuboTV who led product development and operations until the end of 2020. During my tenure, we created in-house signal acquisition and trans-coding capabillities, stabilized SSAI, added 4K capabilities, expanded client availability on all major consumer devices, and added recommendations, search and many other major features.

Formerly of UEFA, I joined Deltatre in 2013. Since then, I have proven myself in various leadership roles including Managing Director, International Football, President Global Football, and LIVE Division, President.

In 2020, I became President, Video Experiences, where I am now responsible for delivering cutting-edge OTT products and services for many of the best-known names within the sport and entertainment industries.

A successful and respected sport and media leader, I have extensive experience in the field as well as substantial relationships with senior leaders and experts across OTT.

As VP, Business Operations and Affairs at Sportsnet, Imran Khan oversees all aspects of the Canadian sports media giant’s OTT portfolio. An accomplished business professional with more than 15 years of leadership experience across finance, marketing, strategy, and business operations, Imran has been instrumental in growing leading media and technology companies like IBM, Bell, and Rogers Communications. A Certified Management Accountant with a BA in Economics from the University of Toronto, Imran is an analytical and strategic leader with a proven track record of results, not to mention a diehard sports fan.

Paolo is a widely recognised thought leader having spent the past 20 years in telecoms, media and technology (TMT) research. Starting as a research analyst at Ovum in 1999, Paolo went on to join IDC as research manager in 2001. In 2007 he joined CCS Insight where he worked as Vice President, Multiplay and Media until June 2018. He specialises in connectivity, content and changing consumer behavioural patterns across cable, telecom and online video operators. Paolo is a frequent speaker at industry events as well as providing commentary on radio and TV broadcasts. He is regularly cited in numerous key financial and trade publications.

As Senior VP of Strategy, Data, & Products at Rogers Sports & Media, Alfredo Tan is accelerating the industry’s digital transformation.

Over the past two decades, Alfredo has led companies through changing digital landscapes, evolving consumer expectations and behaviours. Most recently, he was the Chief Marketing Officer and the first Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at WestJet Airlines, and previously was a founding executive at Facebook & Instagram in Canada.

Alfredo sits on the Advisory Board on Innovation at McMaster University, where he is also a professor in Strategic Management. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Toronto, an MBA with a specialization in Information Systems & Technology from McMaster University, and a Master of Laws with a concentration in Innovation & Technology from the University of Toronto.

During my time as MD of deltatre I was responsible for some major OTT product launches- Star Sports (the forerunner to HotStar), Tennis TV and the BT Sport Champions League launch and SKY Sports Event Centre. Post this I left deltatre to set up an OTT business unit at IMG which later became Endeavor Streaming- we launched 4 d2c OTT products to the market in the space of 18 months including the successful Strive football channel. I currently acquire streaming rights for commercialisation in the betting industry for Stats Perform. I am a passionate, optimistic business leader that enjoys finding creative solutions to business challenges in the sports industry.