John Meindl

– President & CEO

John Meindl is founder and president of SPORTSBRANDEDMEDIA, INC., the company is a convergence of sport and entertainment. With expertise across all sports disciplines and media platforms, Mr. Meindl is a visionary and industry pioneer, creating ideas and solutions to meet the challenges of today’s changing sports landscape. John is the creator of the “sports” product placement and the first to combine that specialty with expertise in sport marketing, branding and coordination to provide total sports solutions in mass media.

With deep ties in both sport and entertainment, Mr. Meindl brings a unique perspective and sports business acumen to both industries. John and his company have provided sports solutions to countless major productions. John got his start in film as executive producer on an award winning indie starring three members of The Sopranos. John was recently executive producer of Johnny Got His Gun, and producer of Poet Pride, a documentary about Dunbar H.S. basketball. John is currently producing a number of projects. Next up for Mr. Meindl is The Pottsville Maroons, a co-production with Penny Marshall and Rowan Joseph – as well as Pure Shooter and Diary of a Champion.

John is presently an Asst. Professor of sport marketing- having recently developed a new sport business management curriculum for a NY area graduate school. With almost 20 years in the sports business, he is a published writer and speaker in the areas of sports marketing and sports production. In May, John addressed The Caucus of Producers, Writers & Directors in Hollywood where he spoke about “Turning Ideas Into Opportunities.”

A former soccer goalkeeper and college head coach, Mr. Meindl has been a strong advocate for inner city and underprivileged youth, “Using sport as a vehicle to include the excluded.” He is the youngest board member appointed to the Nassau County Sports Commission, where he was a member of the working selection committee for the first “John Mackey Award,” given to the nation’s top college tight end, along with legendary NFL tight ends and members of the sports media. Mr. Meindl was recently named to the Board of Directors of The School for Language and Communications Development, a school for children with autism spectrum disorder. He has also served on the Business Advisory Board, LIU-Southampton College, and the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greenpoint, NY. John holds a bachelors degree in political science and a master’s degree in sport marketing.
 

Peter Cummings

– Writer / Producer

Peter Cummings has over 10 years experience in major studio feature film production – with credits on over 25 features and numerous network television projects.

In his 3 ½ years with 20th Century Fox Feature Film Corp. he supervised productions for Legal Affairs while orchestrating and negotiating product placement on some of this studio’s biggest grossing shows (Night At The Museum 600M to date), most successful shows (JUNO 8M budget = 150M to date) and most remote shows (Mirrors, starring Keifer Sutherland shot in Romania).

After the success of JUNO, Peter was asked to return for the writer/producer Diablo Cody’s 2nd project, Jennifer’s Body – which has just completed shooting (May 2008).

From negotiating support from the US Department of Defense to laying the groundwork for major corporate promotional tie-ins, Peter has an in-depth, firsthand knowledge of how to make legally sound and commercially successful entertainment.

Peter recently worked on Roland Emmerich’s 200M blockbuster, Farewell Atlantis for Sony Pictures.

When not working as an independent contractor for studio features, Peter works as a writer and producer. In 2005, he contacted Irvine Welsh and negotiated an exemption from Andrew MacDonald and Random House to adapt and produce a story excluded from the 1996 movie adaptation of his novel, Trainspotting. Peter’s film, starring Alan Cumming – premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2005 and went on to win several awards. In 2006, he provided services as a un-credited writer on Fox’s Pathfinder. Prior to work in feature films, Peter worked as writer and producer on several art related film projects for renown Canadian artist, Stan Douglas - now in permanent collection at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC and the Serpentine Gallery in London.
 

Tommy Polley

– Producer / Director of Football Operations

Tommy Polley, a superb two-sport athlete, graduated from Dunbar in the mid 90’s. While in High School his teams won state titles in basketball and football. Tommy attended Florida State University on a football scholarship. The Seminoles won a National Championship in 1999. While at FSU he was a two-time all ACC selection and member of 4 conference championship teams. Selected in the 2nd round of the NFL draft out of Florida State University, Tommy played six pro seasons in the NFL for St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, and the New Orleans Saints. He started in the Super Bowl in only his first season and garnered all-rookie honors in 2001. Tommy is committed to assisting the community he grew up in. He founded the Tommy Polley Foundation which focuses on life skills and mentoring, in addition to football instruction. His camps are free and attract 500+ or more kids a year and many volunteers. Since leaving the game of football, he has immersed himself into the “Poet Pride” Documentary, a story with local significance and a national message.



 

Lorraine Bittles

– Vice President of Marketing and Development

Lorraine Bittles comes to SportsBrandedMedia with experience as both an athlete and a ten year marketing executive. As a three time NCAA participant, two-time first team All-ACC pick, and National Rookie of the Year finalist for the University of Maryland Tennis Team; Bittles brings the professionalism and the ‘product’ knowledge of a top athlete in the world of sports. Bittles’ experience in sports marketing, product management and her business background provide a unique platform for successfully molding sports and business ventures.

Lorraine obtained her B.S. from the University of Maryland and M.B.A from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.



 

Ronnie Sanders

– Vice President of Recruiting

As a former football coach with deep ties to the fabled “coaching fraternity,” Ronnie Sanders brings a vast array of knowledge gained from his experiences in athletics and sports media.

Sanders has over a decade of experience working with some of the biggest names in college football at four major FBS programs: Auburn, LSU, Florida and Southern Miss. From 2005-2008, Sanders was the Director of Recruiting for the Southern Miss football program. He came to Southern Miss after spending three years at Florida under current Illinois Head Coach Ron Zook. Before that, Ronnie spent one year at LSU as the graduate assistant working under current Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. From 1996-98, Sanders worked at Auburn under current North Alabama Head Coach Terry Bowden and current ESPN analyst Tommy Tuberville.

He is also acutely immersed in the world of sports media, where he owns and operates six websites, four of which are ESPN affiliated. Sanders co-hosts a weekly radio show and is a much sought-after radio guest throughout the Southeast where he offers biting, cutting-edge analysis on college football and its ever-spinning coaching carousel.

Sanders spent two summers as a training camp intern in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Redskins.

Mr. Sanders is a graduate of Auburn University.



 

Henry Yi

– Membership Director

Ever since he was forced to listen to AM sports talk radio due to his highly reliable car radio in high school, Henry Yi has been enamored with the world and business of sports. In 2002, he received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and started his career as a technology consultant at Ajilon Consulting. Henry has 5 years of experiences working with designing and developing enterprise applications of all kinds for Fortune 500 companies such as 3M. He then decided to pursue his passion in sports and received his Masters in Sport Management from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009. Henry has experiences in sponsorship acquisition, event coordination, internet marketing, and market research.

Since joining SPORTSBRANDEDMEDIA, INC., Henry has consulted on generating marketing solutions, creating sponsorship proposals, research market opportunities, and analyzed internet marketing effectiveness for a variety of projects.

When not working, Henry is an avid runner and recreational basketball player. Apart from loving movies, he loves to try new restaurants and when given the opportunity, he also likes to dabble in testing out food recipes.




 

Shaun Leddy

– Lacrosse Coordinator / On-Air Talent

Shaun Leddy, a recent graduate of Bryant University, is a Two Time All American, 4 Time All Northeast Conference Player, Two Time All Conference Academic Player and still holds the record for most career goals scored at Bryant.

Shaun’s passion for sports did not end with graduation, however. With a resume already stacked with Sports Broadcasting experience, she transitioned from student athlete, gaining valuable experience at ABC Sports in NYC.

Lacrosse continues to play a vital role in the life of Ms. Leddy. Shaun is a Volunteer Coach for Cranford High School Women’s Lacrosse, plays in a Post-Collegiate Lacrosse League in Hoboken, New Jersey and stays in top shape as a competitive Marathon runner throughout the NorthEast.

An athlete first and foremost, Shaun’s tremendous talent, energy and drive –is a welcome addition to the SportsCine / SPORTSBRANDEDMEDIA, team.