Ben Sturner is the CEO and Founder of Leverage Agency. In 2005, Ben started Leverage in his New York City apartment and immediately brokered a 5-year, multi-million deal with Reebok that kick-started the sponsorship growth of the National Lacrosse League. 18 years later, Ben’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion have propelled Leverage to leadership status in sports and entertainment with global initiatives, owned-and-operated events, world-class clients and a one-of-a-kind mentorship program.

Ben and Leverage have been at the forefront of sports and pop culture through strategic and opportunistic endeavors. Among his many achievements over the last decade, Ben brought cricket to America through the Cricket All-Stars series, secured primary sponsors for American Pharoah’s electrifying Triple Crown run and Rich Strike’s 80-1 Kentucky Derby win, and own and produce the annual hockey game at Madison Square Garden between college’s most famous rivals – Harvard and Yale.

Ben elevated his passion for mentorship by creating the Manhattan Sports Business Academy in 2014, which brings students to NYC for internships with premium sports organizations and immersion into the sports business world. He secured partners such as Gatorade, Fila, MLB, NBA, MLS and NFL. The inaugural class featured 25 students and applications are in the hundreds for this year’s class.

Ben and the Leverage team were featured in this 2017 issue of AdWeek with the headline: “Leveraging the Moment: From the Super Bowl to the Celebrity Apprentice, Leverage Agency has become a Major Player in Sports and Entertainment.” He has made television appearances on ESPN, NBC, CBS and CNBC, and has been quoted in top newspapers and trades including USA TODAY, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, AdWeek and Sports Business Journal.

Prior to starting Leverage, Ben was the Director of Marketing for Bennett Global Marketing Group where he worked on sponsorship deals for clients such as Dunkin' Donuts, Reebok, Manchester United and Level Vodka.

Ben sits on the board of advisors for a variety of organizations including Boston University Athletics, Brooklyn's High School of Sports Management, Ivy Sports Symposium and the Sports Executive Association. Ben earned his bachelor's degree with cum laude honors from Boston University where he played on the tennis team. He resides in Orlando, FL, with his wife Kimberly and two young sons, William and Cameron.

Chris has more than 25 years experience in sports and entertainment consulting to global brands like Coca-Cola, UPS, Kellogg’s, IBM, and GE. An experienced entrepreneur, Chris has built and sold five sales and marketing companies including two global sports marketing agencies. At Leverage, Chris manages all of the strategic, operational, and administrative functions of the agency.

Jake has been with the company for ten years, serving as both Vice President and Director. Jake oversees the companies most premium and high-profile clients and focuses on specialized clientes such as Kentucky Derby, US Open, NASCAR, Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He also works with talent such as Travis Kelce, Guy Fieri, Rob Gronkowski, Shaquille O'Neal, and Daymond John on experiential marketing and festivals.

Over the last few years, Jake has secured eight figures worth in gross sponsorship revenue.

Jake graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a double major in Legal Studies and Political Science. He enjoys a good beach and boat day more than anyone.

Bob Dudelson is VP Media Sales & Sponsorships at Leverage Agency. An industry vet with more than 30 years of experience, Bob has served in senior sponsorship and advertising sales and operational leadership roles with an extended track record of success. During the past two years at Leverage, Bob has secured more than $10 million in gross sponsorship and advertising revenue, ranging from 5- to 8-figure deal amounts.

Prior to joining Leverage, Bob spent 12 years at the International Management Group (IMG) where he was responsible for all media and sponsorship sales for the Television and Events Division, which produced over 500 hours of sports programming nationwide. In addition to leading the acquisition and sales efforts for numerous national and global clients, Bob negotiated the four-year $10 million BCS Sugar Bowl sponsorship deal on behalf of Nokia, generating over $1 million in annual revenue.

Omar has had a 25-year career in the sports and entertainment marketing sectors. Prior to joining Lycamobile as their Global Head of Sponsorship and Events, he sold his 10-year-old business to Capitalise in 2012. He has served as CEO for Trinidad Red Steel in the Caribbean Premier League and has consulted for WPP, Chime Sports Marketing and IMG, as well as advising Bet 365, Cockspur Rum, Northern Trust, Kingfisher Beer and Lycamobile on successful marketing partnership campaigns.

Don is a professional services management veteran specializing in agency operations, organizational development, and business leadership. At Leverage, he is responsible for HR, Finance, and operational management for the firm.

Don has significant experience driving corporate growth and developing strategic business initiatives. He also has expertise in tracking inefficiencies, HR management and compliance, information technology and telecommunications, facilities and office management, and benefit plan selection.

Don is also president of Your COO, an operations management consulting company. Previously, he held executive level positions at several major professional services firms, implementing new budget forecasting and modeling that improved financial decision-making and reduced operational costs significantly. He also sharply reduced employee turnover by improving recruiting processes, enhancing employee welfare benefits, and implementing employee training and development programs. Don’s work for clients has resulted in significant increases in revenue and profitability through the execution of operational improvements.

Don has an MBA from Iona College and a BA from Montclair State University.

Ian is a seasoned Global Strategic Marketing & Sales Professional with strong CPG & B2B brand building experience; that has delivered double digit growth across the Americas for brands such as: Heineken, Kellogg’s, Mars Confectionery and Coats Textiles. He’s a passionate brand builder, innovator & storyteller at heart; while meticulous in his strategic thinking & problem solving. He has successfully recruited and managed a multitude of professional associates into the Leverage Growth Accelerator, providing up & comers with the hard/soft skills needed to exceed.

A sports marketing and media specialist, Larry is a problem solver and strategic thinker. He's created groundbreaking positions in sports marketing and has helped develop some of the more memorable marketing and media campaigns. He is a leader in commercial (digital & linear) program integration and has worked with leading producers such as Ben Silverman and Mark Burnett. He's spent most of his career building brands.

Larry was named the 15th Most Influential Person in Sports Advertising by the Sports Business Journal. He developed the VISA NFL Halftime on FOX and the VISA Triple Crown to name a few. His passion for brand building is second to none.

Luiza provides social media management and consulting services for Leverage clients. Within this framework, she identifies areas for improvement, provides actionable insights, and creates and manages content strategies to enhance our clients’ social media presence.

Prior to joining Leverage, Luiza played golf for the University of Miami and then professionally on the Ladies European Tour. During this period, she managed four social media pages, handling various aspects such as content creation, engagement, posting schedules, graphics, and data analytics. Throughout her professional golf career, Luiza secured over 15 brand partnership deals, handling all negotiations and effectively managing sponsor relations. Luiza holds a Business Foundation Specialization from Wharton University of Pennsylvania.

Ben is a Partnership Strategy Lead at Leverage Agency, developing brand marketing and sponsorship strategies on behalf of Leverage’s global and US clients. Internally, he has helped to maximize efficiency by integrating the company’s current communications and CRM platforms. Having graduated from the program himself, Ben takes great pride in managing the Leverage associate program.

Ben grew up in London, England and earned his bachelor's degree from Duke University.

Chris has over 15 years of commercial partnership experience in the UK having worked with some of the most reputable sports businesses and major sporting events including; IMG, London 2012 Olympics & Paralympics, Rugby World Cup 2015, TRM Partners (now Two Circles) and Formula 1. Chris has delivered hundreds of millions of pounds in commercial revenue.

As Graphic Design Coordinator, Luisangela develops creative and strategic solutions for Leverage clients branding, marketing, and social media needs. She has past experience as an Art Director where she produced captivating visual content for various international projects and platforms including Gran Turismo, redvital and Funcamama.