PromaxBDA to Honor Tony Ponturo With Lifetime Innovator Award at Inaugural Sports Media Marketing Awards November 18

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- PromaxBDA, the leading global association for marketing, promotion and design professionals working in the entertainment industry, announced today that Tony Ponturo will accept the prestigious PromaxBDA Lifetime Innovator Award at the inaugural Sports Media Marketing Awards.  The Awards, taking place November 18, 2010 in New York City, will honor the best and most creative work done in the field of sports marketing.

From 1991 to 2008, Ponturo crafted one of the most iconic sports and event marketing brands in the world, serving as the President and CEO of Busch Media Group and the Vice President of Global Media, Sports and Entertainment Marketing of Anheuser-Busch Inc.  Ponturo oversaw broadcast exclusives for the Super Bowl and the FIFA World Cup, as well as multifaceted relationships with the United States and International Olympic Committees among other landmark brand activation platforms for the industry.

"Tony Ponturo has been integral in shaping the entire sports and entertainment landscape over the last two decades," said Jonathan Block-Verk, president and CEO of PromaxBDA.  "His career at Anheuser-Busch is legendary and celebrating his body of work, and contribution to this industry, at the inaugural Sports Media Marketing Awards will be a true privilege for our organization."

Over his 26 years with Anheuser-Busch, Ponturo vastly expanded the company's dominance in the sports business, securing official beer sponsorships with Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer and NASCAR in North America, as well as precedent-setting international deals with Formula One Racing and the English Premier League in soccer.  Among his many honors, Business Week Magazine ranked Ponturo as the 14th most influential sports executive in the world, and Sports Business Journal named him the top executive in sports advertising.  He is currently president of Ponturo Management Group in New York, where he is the producer of the just-opened play "Lombardi," among other ventures.

Ponturo will receive the Lifetime Innovator Award at the Sports Media Marketing Awards ceremony, being held November 18th at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in New York City. The event will be hosted by respected actor and stand-up comedian, Jay Mohr, who will put his comedic chops to the test when he addresses some of the most innovative, forward-thinking visionaries in sports.  Mohr is well known to the event audience for his numerous acting and comedy credits, in particular for his memorable role as Bob Sugar, the not-so-well liked sports agent in the classic 1996 sports film, Jerry Maguire.

More information for the Sports Media Marketing Awards, including ticket availability, is available at SportsMediaMarketingAwards.com.

About Tony Ponturo

Sports and marketing executive Tony Ponturo's name and reputation have been synonymous with quality, innovation and attention to brand detail for over 30 years. First in the advertising world, then in a landmark career at Anheuser-Busch, and now as founder and CEO of the New York-based sports and entertainment consulting firm, Ponturo Management Group LLC, he has been responsible for some of the most influential partnerships that have shaped the sports and entertainment landscape as we know it today.

About PromaxBDA

PromaxBDA is a global, non-profit association dedicated to being the leading resource for education, community, creative inspiration and career development for marketing, promotion and design professionals within the entertainment/information industry. PromaxBDA's mission is to lead the conversation about the role marketing, promotion and design play in the value of media across content platforms. With a combined membership of over 3,000 companies and individuals drawn from more than 70 countries, PromaxBDA is a truly international organization uniting the individuals who will pioneer tomorrow's electronic and broadcast media.

SOURCE PromaxBDA