Former Turner executive Mark Lazarus has joined Career Sports & Entertainment as president of media and marketing of the Atlanta-based company.
Lazarus, who was serving as president of Turner Entertainment Group when he left the programming giant in January, will report Lonnie Cooper, the founder and CEO of Career Sports, a full-service sports and entertainment shop specializing in TV production, corporate sponsorships and client representation.
To that end, Lazarus has brought NASCAR Media Group on board as a client, with Career Sports developing long-term strategic plans across a number of industry and business objectives.
“I am thrilled to welcome Mark to Career Sports & Entertainment,” said Cooper in a statement. “His track record of success in developing businesses will help us create strong content and marketing plans for our existing clients and those whose business we will earn.”
Noted Lazarus: “I have known Lonnie for 10 years, and have watched with respect what he and his team have built. My experience in branding, marketing and sales will complement this strong foundation and allow for growth in content creation, marketing and consulting against every media platform. Our first goal is to continue exceeding the expectations of our current clients, and then expand our footprint and lines of business.”
At Turner Entertainment Group, Lazarus managed all programming, original content, production, sales and marketing for TBS, TNT, Turner Sports, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies and Tru TV( formerly Court TV) and their attendant digital businesses. As president of Turner Sports, he negotiated the cable rights to the NBA, NASCAR, MLB, Wimbledon and the British Open and also acquired the Internet rights to NASCAR.com, PGATOUR.com and PGA.com.
CS&E’s Media Services Media Services division, which provides content across all media platforms with full TV production capabilities, provides more than 200 annual hours of outdoors programming to ESPN. Its corporate marketing unit serves such companies as Aflac, AT&T, the Atlanta Falcons, New Jersey Nets and Kellogg Co. with marketing, property consulting, public relations, event and creative services. A sample of CS&E’s corporate clients include Aflac, AT&T, the Atlanta Falcons, Kellogg Company and the New Jersey Nets. The Client Representation division represents more than 200
On the representation side, CS&E’s roster includes Boston Celtics coach Doc River, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo, Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz and PGA Tour player Ryuji Imada.
