Global Icons Eric Cantona, Karen Carney, Mary Earps, Draymond Green, DeAndre Hopkins, Flau’jae Johnson, Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce and More Confirmed to Attend Stagwell (STGW) Sport Beach 2024

NBA 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony to host Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity’s first-ever Wine & Spirits Festival at Sport Beach

Gatorade, The Kansas City Chiefs, Snapchat, BOSS and more world-class brands to deliver premier experiences at Sport Beach

NEW YORK and CANNES, France, May 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing, announced today a new roster of athletes and brand partners confirmed to activate at SPORT BEACH 2024 (June 17-20), the flagship sports business destination at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (Cannes Lions).

As sports, business, and culture increasingly converge, Stagwell will host conversations with athletes and brands working together to connect with consumers in an authentic way. Four-time NBA champion and media personality, Draymond Green, will be featured in programming. Manchester United legend Eric Cantona, former professional soccer player Karen Carney, professional soccer player Mary Earps, football player DeAndre Hopkins, basketball player Flau’jae Johnson, pilates instructor Amanda Kassar, Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowl honoree Jason Kelce, two-time Super Bowl champion and star NFL tight end Travis Kelce, and dancer and entertainment icon Jess King will also participate in featured programming and appearances. These athletes speak to several growing trends in sports and business, including the integration of sporting icons into the global apparel business, the growth of women’s sports and the proliferation of athlete-driven media.

“Sport Beach puts athletes and marketers together for real conversations – and serious play,” said Stagwell’s Chief Brand and Communications Officer Beth Sidhu. “Our attendees can expect Sport Beach to be a different kind of experience at Cannes Lions that capitalizes on the many intersections within sport, creativity and culture.”

Event Highlights

• Wine & Spirits Festival: NBA 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony and business partner Asani Swann will host the first-ever Wine & Spirits Festival at Cannes Lions on Thursday, June 20, featuring tastings of their flagship wine brand VII(N) The Seventh Estate, alongside:
  • Casa Azul Tequila Soda from two-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce
  • Garage Beer by Super Bowl champions and brothers Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce
  • La Fête du Rosé from co-owner and Golden State Warriors point guard Chris Paul
  • Le Portier premier cognac from NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe
  • The Paloma by Don Julio, the official cocktail of Sport Beach 2024
• Pickleball with the Pros: Patrick Mouratoglou, legendary tennis coach of Serena Williams and current coach of Danish star Holger Rune, and Recess Pickleball, will each lead a pickleball clinic at Sport Beach ahead of a team tournament sponsored by Snapchat.
• Podcast Recordings: Sport Beach will host recordings of some of today’s most popular podcasts including:
  • “A Touch More” with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe
  • “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce”
  • “Nightcap” with Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson
• AR Comes to Sport Beach: Stagwell’s ARound, a shared augmented reality platform for teams and stadiums, will showcase a new interactive experience at Sport Beach that unites fans and brands for an immersive and engaging event.

Athletes

• Eric Cantona (soccer) – Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., through the Snapdragon® processor brand, is bringing Manchester United legend Eric Cantona to Sport Beach. Eric Cantona is one of Manchester United’s most iconic players and a legend of the game. After joining the club in 1992, signing from United’s bitter rivals, Leeds United, he went on to win four Premier League titles in five years including two League and FA Cup Doubles. He wore Manchester United’s iconic No. 7 shirt and was known for turning up his collar – a trademark look. He is also affectionately nicknamed by Manchester United fans as “King Eric.” In 2003, Cantona was voted as Manchester United’s greatest ever player by Inside United magazine. He was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and in 2021 Cantona was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
• Karen Carney (soccer) – Karen Carney is the lead female analyst and pundit for men’s & women’s football on Sky Sports and ITV Sport – working across the Premier League, The WSL, The FA Cup and men’s & women’s tournament football. Karen played professional soccer for Arsenal, Chelsea, Birmingham City, Chicago Red Stars and has 144 caps for England. In 2023, Karen chaired the recent UK governments report into the Future of Women’s Football, where she led the review and continues to work with the government to help futureproof the sport.
• Mary Earps (soccer) – Mary Earps is an English professional footballer who plays goalkeeper for Manchester United in the Women’s Super League and the England national team. She was awarded FIFA Best Goalkeeper in 2023 and again in 2024. She also founded MAE27, a clothing line focused on empowering others.  
• Draymond Green (basketball) – Draymond Green is an American professional basketball player for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Green is a four-time NBA champion, four-time All-Star, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, two-time All-NBA Team member, seven-time All-Defensive Team member, and two-time Olympic gold medalist.  As an active player, Green is a prominent media figure, hosting and producing “The Draymond Green Show” podcast, broadcasting for TNT, and featuring in commercials, shows, films, interviews and events.  Green’s on-air and executive producer success ignited his creation of the media and production company, “The New Media.”
• DeAndre Hopkins (football) – DeAndre Hopkins is an American football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. Hopkins is a five-time Pro Bowler, has been named to five All-Pro teams and signed with IMG Models.
• Flau’jae Johnson (basketball) – Flau’jae, a multifaceted superstar from Savannah, Georgia, shines both as an LSU women’s basketball champion (2023) and a rising music artist. With a rich musical heritage inherited from her late father, Camouflage, a renowned recording artist, she has signed a distribution deal with Jay Z’s Roc Nation (EQ). Celebrated for her performances on “The Rap Game” and as the first rapper to earn the Golden Buzzer on “America’s Got Talent,” Flau’Jae continues to captivate audiences. Her recent single “AMF” featuring NLE Choppa precedes her upcoming debut EP “Best of Both Worlds,” showcasing her diverse talents. An influential social media figure, Flau’Jae engages over 3 million engaged followers across platforms, building a strong community known as “The Flauk.”
• Amanda Kassar (pilates) – Celebrity pilates trainer Amanda Kassar has been cultivating a loyal group of clients at her exclusive private pilates studio, Pilates By Amanda, for over seven years. As a certified pilates trainer for over ten years, Kassar has been able to refine her technique and teaching style by listening to her clients and honing in on their feedback they respond most positively to. Amanda is also the founder of Core Club, a video-based class subscription app.
• Jason Kelce (football) – Jason Kelce is a Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowl honoree who recently retired from the Philadelphia Eagles. Jason and his brother Travis teamed up in 2022 to launch the wildly popular original series, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” which recently reached #1 on the Spotify sports chart and #1 overall on the Apple podcast charts.  In 2022, Jason founded Underdog Apparel, with all proceeds benefitting Jason’s non-profit, the (Be) Philly Foundation. Jason has also given significant time and resources to benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation. Jason will be making his broadcast debut this season on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown.
• Travis Kelce (football) – The star NFL Tight End, Travis Kelce, is a 3x Super Bowl Champion and 9x Pro Bowler with the Kansas City Chiefs. Consistently ranked as the #1 Tight End in the league, this future Hall-of-Famer continues to break records for 11 seasons straight. In March 2023, he took to the stage at NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” as one of the few athletes ever invited to do so. In addition to launching his podcast “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce” with his brother Jason, Travis developed a clothing line “Tru Kolors,” hosted his first sold-out music festival, “Kelce Jam,” and launched 87 & Running, a foundation to empower underserved youth to achieve success by providing resources and support to their communities. 
• Jess King (dancer & entertainment icon) – Jess King is a fitness, wellness, and entertainment icon, notably recognized as a founding instructor at Peloton, a celebrity DJ, wellness entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. Known for her energized and music-loving rides and runs on the Peloton bike and tread, Jess channels her passion for revolutionizing fitness by bridging the gap between fitness and entertainment, exemplified in her signature Peloton ride series, the Jess King Experience. Beginning her journey on the bike in 2014, she has since amassed an international following of riders and runners.

Media Partners

• Ben Lyons is a Senior Creative Advisor to Stagwell and Sport Beach. He is a multi-platform, award winning On-Air Talent, Producer, and Marketing Strategist at the center of elevated sports storytelling. 
• Page Six is a world leader in celebrity and entertainment news. As a daily must-read for those who want to stay in the know, Page Six features breaking news and the inside scoop on the latest top stories. Page Six has evolved into an iconic and powerful brand reaching audiences across all platforms including digital, video, print, social, podcast and TV.
• Sports Business Journal (SBJ) sits at the epicenter of the sports industry. SBJ provides the news, the networking and the data to equip the most powerful executives in sports business to make more informed decisions, deals and partnerships. SBJ’s award-winning media content is delivered via multiple media platforms, unparalleled networking opportunities through its hallmark events and awards and market-leading data.
• The Athletic, founded in 2016 and acquired by The New York Times in 2022, is the world’s leading direct-to-consumer digital sports media company committed to elevated sports storytelling. The Athletic has the world’s largest sports newsroom, with 500 full-time employees covering more than 250 professional sports and collegiate teams in the US and globally.  Through a personalized subscriber experience built around the teams and leagues that fans follow, The Athletic delivers content and insight across a range of formats from written to audio, video and social – delivering powerful stories and smart analysis that bring sports fans closer to the heart of the game. From breaking news and live commentary to deeply reported long reads and exclusive interviews, subscribers rely on The Athletic for every sports story that matters.

Brand Partners

• Apollo Jets revolutionized the private jet charter industry and continues to set new standards. We are known for our commitment to providing tailored service and access to the largest network of private jet operators. As one of the largest and most respected charter brokers in the US, we have the resources and expertise to deliver world-class service that exceeds expectations.
• BOSS is made for bold, self-determined individuals who live life on their own terms, with passion, style, and purpose. Collections offer dynamic, modern designs for those that embrace who they are fully and unapologetically: as their own BOSS. The brand’s heritage tailoring, performance suiting, casualwear, denim, athleisure, and accessories cater to the style needs of the discerning consumer. Licensed fragrances, eyewear, watches, and kidswear complete the brand. The world of BOSS can be experienced in over 489 own stores worldwide. BOSS is the core brand of HUGO BOSS, one of the leading companies positioned in the premium segment of the global apparel market. The group offers collections in 131 countries at around 7,800 points of sale and online in 73 countries via hugoboss.com. With approximately 19,000 employees worldwide, the company, based in Metzingen (Germany), posted sales of EUR 4.2 billion in the fiscal year 2023.
• Channel Factory is a global technology and data platform that maximizes both performance efficiency and contextual suitability and alignment, turning YouTube’s 5 billion videos and 500 hours per minute of new content into brand-suitable, efficient advertising opportunities. Channel Factory’s mission is to create a suitable video ecosystem that connects creators, brands, and consumers – by enabling advertisers access to the most relevant videos, channels, and creators.
• DIRECTV Advertising is a pioneer in the converged addressable space, delivering industry leading audience-based, digital, and innovative media solutions. Employing our decades of experience, we empower advertisers to address and engage their audience at scale while continuously measuring campaign impact against brand goals to unlock insights and optimize future campaigns.
• Eastside Golf focuses on the future of the game with a deep respect for its past. We recognize that golf, once an exclusive domain, is now a space for everyone, offering its benefits and values to all. Under the progressive and inclusive leadership of Olajuwan Ajanaku and Earl Cooper, we are committed to making golf accessible and welcoming to everyone. All the while growing our brand and delivering premium luxury apparel that speaks to a variety of golfers.
• Gatorade returns to Sport Beach as the official hydration partner for the second year. The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo, provides sports performance innovations designed to meet the needs of athletes at all competitive levels and across a broad range of sports.  
• Kansas City Chiefs – Founded as the Dallas Texans in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) by sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the franchise moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became known as the Kansas City Chiefs. The team currently competes in the West Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL) and has won four Super Bowl championships. Under the guidance of the Hunt Family and the leadership of Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, the mission of the Kansas City Chiefs is to Win with Character, Unite our Community, Inspire our Fans and Honor Tradition. For more information about the Kansas City Chiefs, visit www.Chiefs.com.
• LG Ad Solutions is a global leader in connected TV and cross-screen advertising, helping brands find hard-to-get unduplicated reach at optimal frequency across the fragmented streaming TV landscape. We bring together LG’s years of experience in delivering world-class smart TVs to consumers worldwide, with big TV audience data and Video AI designed to connect brands with audiences across all screens. Learn more at lgads.tv.
• OpenX is an independent omni-channel supply-side platform (SSP) and a global leader in supply-side targeting, transparency, and sustainability. Through its 100% cloud-based tech stack, OpenX powers advertising across CTV, app, mobile web, and desktop, enabling publishers to deliver marketers with improved performance and dynamic future-proofed solutions. With a 15-year track record of programmatic innovation, OpenX is a direct and trusted partner of the world’s largest publishers, working with more than 130,000 premium publisher domains and over 100,000 advertisers. As the market leader in sustainability, OpenX was the first adtech company to be certified as CarbonNeutral™ and third-party verified for achieving its SBTi Net-Zero targets. Learn more at www.openx.com.
• PadSquad is a leading innovator in digital advertising, specializing in interactive and engaging ad experiences across screens. With a focus on high-impact strategies for digital, PadSquad empowers brands to connect with consumers in meaningful ways through innovative ad formats and cutting-edge technology.
• Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. through the Snapdragon brand is bringing Manchester United back to Sport Beach. Snapdragon processors power many of the devices you love from smartphones to PCs and XR devices to vehicles, and so much more, and has been bringing extraordinary experiences to fans of the No. 1 sports team in the world. Don McGuire, Qualcomm CMO, and Eric Cantona, Manchester United legend, will share how Snapdragon and Manchester United are taking their partnership to the next level with never-before-seen exclusive content – the intersection of technology and sports will never be the same.
• Relo Metrics is an AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform that enables brands to track and optimize their sponsorship investments and powers teams and leagues with the insights they need to retain and grow revenue. The company tracks sponsor exposure across live broadcasts, social media, and streaming platforms and delivers actionable insights via a fast, single-solution platform. For more information, visit www.relometrics.com
• Samba TV has transformed the TV from a pane of glass on the wall to a window into the heart of audiences. We are the global leader in television technology powering real-time insights and audience targeting to enable unparalleled marketing efficiency and effectiveness. Our proprietary first-party data from tens of millions of opted-in televisions, across more than 20 TV brands sold in over 100 countries, provides advertisers and media companies a unified view of the entire consumer journey. Our independent measurement has future-proofed advertising for the next generation, empowering advertisers to connect with their audiences on any platform, across every screen. To learn more, visit www.samba.tv.
• Snapchat enhances relationships with friends, family, and the world. To help us connect during one of the busiest industry events of the year, they’ll be bringing us together through sport as the official sponsor of the Sports Beach pickleball tournament. Sport Beach will also leverage Snapchat’s proprietary in-stadium Camera Kit integration—the same technology found at SoFi Stadium and the Barclays Center—which allows fans to experience the joy of Snapchat’s most popular Lenses on the Jumbotron together.
• The Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA) is a non-profit 501c3 professional membership organization comprised of Black CxO’s. Members are committed to four key pillars; share, learn, elevate and pay it forward in order to create opportunity, access, and equality for the current and next generation of Black marketing leaders.
• Vacation® Inc is an award-winning sunscreen company from Miami USA on a mission to make sunscreen fun. Founded by Marty Bell, Lach Hall, and Dakota Green, the trio works alongside Dr. Elizabeth Hale, Board Certified Dermatologist and an SVP of The Skin Cancer Foundation, as well as world-renowned perfumers Carlos Huber and Rodrigo Flores-Roux to create products that are both unique in the category – take their whipped cream-inspired “Classic Whip Sunscreen Mousse” – and which make the wearer look, feel, and smell like they’ve been to paradise and back. Vacation® Inc launched in June 2021 and quickly became a viral sensation, beloved for its “leisure-enhancing” sunscreen and nostalgic 360-degree brand world inspired by the sun-soaked days of 1980s beach culture. You can find Vacation® sunscreen products at retailers nationwide including Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom, and Target, and on www.Vacation.inc.
• Wilson Sporting Goods Co. is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company brings more than a century of innovation and heritage to the world of sport – celebrating the iconic moments made possible by Wilson across Racquet Sports, Baseball, Softball, American Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Golf. Wilson is part of Amer Sports Group, a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.
• Zillow Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated partners and agents, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences.

For the full roster of leaders, innovators, and cultural influencers joining Sport Beach 2024, visit sportbeach.com.

To learn more about partnership opportunities on the ground at Sport Beach, reach out to [email protected]. Sport Beach will be produced by TEAM in partnership with Cheerful Twentyfirst.

About Stagwell
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

Media Contact
Kara Gelber
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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.