- NIL (name, image, likeness) continues to captivate headlines as athletes forge ahead with profit-churning ventures while still in school thanks to the NCAA's new rules. Sedona Prince of the Oregon Ducks is a rock star as she became a sole proprietor and is building her own empire, brand along with merchandises. She has been dubbed as the official poster child for NIL, a rightfully earned title with more than 246 thousand followers on Instagram and a staggering 2.8 million on Tik Tok. Can we expect to see a lot more of these rising student athlete prodigies?
- There has been a flurry of activities of celebrities investing in holistic wellness and health initiatives. LeBron James invests in smart home gym company Tonal. Ashton Kutcher invests in cultivated meat company MeaTech 3D to support the meat alternatives movement. Steven Van Zandt launches a wellness focused cannabis product line. Cody Rigsby partners with Chobani to promote a limited edition complete shake. As emerging health and fitness trends keep evolving, we can probably expect to see celebrities continue to promote the latest and greatest of wellness.
Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships &
Investments
Kevin Durant and Utah Jazz
Billionaire Get Behind SeatGeek
October 13, 2021 via Bloomberg – News (subscription may
be required)
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and Qualtrics International Inc.
Co-Founder Ryan Smith, the billionaire majority-owner of the Utah
Jazz, are among investors backing ticketing platform SeatGeek's
merger with blank-check firm RedBall Acquisition Corp.
DraftKings Signs NHL, Turner
Sports Deals as Hockey Season Starts
October 13, 2021 via Sportico – Business (subscription
may be required)
DraftKings is deepening its relationship with the NHL as the league
drops the puck on a new season—with new U.S. TV partners. The
Boston-based gaming operator announced Wednesday (October 13) a new
partnership with Turner Sports, including Bleacher Report, to be
the exclusive sportsbook for the company's new NHL
coverage.
LeBron James Invests in Smart
Home Gym Company Tonal
October 13, 2021 via Sportico – Business (subscription
may be required)
Ahead of the NBA season's tip, King James is expanding his
endorsement empire. LeBron has invested in at-home smart gym
company Tonal and will be the face of its upcoming campaign.
Steven Van Zandt Launches
Wellness-Focused Cannabis Product Line
October 13, 2021 via leaderpost
Musician, actor and writer Steven Van Zandt, perhaps best known as
a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and for
playing the role of Silvio Dante on The Sopranos, is the latest
celebrity to enter the cannabis industry.
'These Forests Should
Live Long and Prosper': Star Trek Captain Chides B.C. Premier
on Old-Growth Forests
October 12, 2021 via CTV - BC News
Canadian actor William Shatner, who famously played Capt. James T.
Kirk in the original Star Trek TV series, is one of more than 200
celebrities, scientists, artists, and Indigenous and political
leaders who have joined a campaign to pressure the NDP government
to protect B.C.'s irreplaceable and iconic tall trees.
Checkers & Rally's
Becomes Official Partner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the
2021-2022 Season
October 12, 2021 via Nation's Restaurant News
Tampa-based Checkers & Rally's, an iconic and innovative
drive-thru restaurant chain known for bold and flavorful food,
announced it has partnered with the 2021 NFL Super Bowl Champion
Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2021 season.
10 Celebrities Who Are
Successful Cryptocurrency Investors
October 12, 2021 via Frisky, The
Many people were not aware of cryptocurrency when it was in the
initial stages. The big Boom of crypto happened in 2020, and from
then, its popularity has been escalating restlessly. Now the value
of one Bitcoin is nearly $50,000.
Chobani Launches Its
First-Ever Celebrity Co-Branded Product With Cody
Rigsby
October 12, 2021 via WWNYTV
Chobani announced a limited-edition Complete Shake featuring
Peloton instructor and fitness star Cody Rigsby.
Ernest Owens Signs Lucrative
Endorsement Deals With Top Brands
October 11, 2021 via MarketWatch - All Company Press Releases
News & Commentary
After playing basketball in Europe for the Westfalen Mustangs,
Ernest Owens took acting professionally and is mostly known for
guest-starring on the popular BET show "Boomerang." He
recently announced his partnership with Medicleaf, which creates
sustainable remedies for athletes and enhances the overall quality
of life while bringing cannabinoid awareness to all.
DeChambeau's Instagram
Find Leads to Advanced Workout Tech
Investment
October 11, 2021 via Sportico – Business (subscription
may be required)
The story of Bryson DeChambeau's investment in Proteus
Motion's training system started with a $20 Instagram ad
buy.
Lady Gaga-Endorsed Couture
House, Schiaparelli, Opens First Retail Outpost Beyond Place
Vendôme
October 9, 2021 via Forbes - Business
Surrealism is returning to New York City. The clothing label
started by original fashion surrealist Elsa Schiaparelli is setting
up shop outside of its original Maison located in the heart of
Paris at Place Vendôme for the first time over 60 years.
Chicago Rap Legend Lil Durk
Becomes First Rapper to Be Sponsored by
Glock
October 9, 2021 via MENAFN - Top Stories
Infamous rapper, singer-songwriter Lil Durk has become the first
musician to receive a sponsorship from Glock, the most recognized
handgun manufacturer in the world.
Lena Waithe Inks Multiproject
Podcast Deal With Audible (EXCLUSIVE)
October 7, 2021 via Register Citizen
Lena Waithe, the Emmy-winning actor, writer and producer, is diving
into audio programming in a new partnership with Audible. Audible,
Amazon's premium audio storytelling service, announced a
multiproject development deal with Hillman Grad Productions,
founded by Waithe and Rishi Rajani.
Squid Game Actress Jung
Ho-Yeon Named Louis Vuitton's Global
Ambassador
October 7, 2021 via Straits Times
Model-turned-actress Jung Ho-yeon, who catapulted to international
fame in K-drama Squid Game, is now one of Louis Vuitton's
global ambassadors.
Texas Longhorns Latest to
Sign Broad 10-Year Fanatics Deal
October 7, 2021 via Sportico – Business (subscription may
be required)
The Texas Longhorns are the latest top-tier college sports brand to
sign a 10-year fan apparel deal with Fanatics.
Ashton Kutcher Invests in
Cultivated Meat Company
October 7, 2021 via The Beet
Ashton Kutcher and talent manager Guy Oseary just announced that
they are investing in cultivated meat company MeaTech 3D to develop
"clean meat" alternatives for the masses.
Film & TV
Can Turner Sports, ESPN Help
Turn the NHL's Stars Into Household
Names?
October 11, 2021 via Morning Consult News
The NHL will reportedly more than double its annual media rights
revenue, thanks to the start of new seven-year deals with the Walt
Disney Co.'s ESPN and AT&T-owned Turner Sports. The new
distribution model could provide the league with new opportunities
to expand its audience and grow the profiles of the league's
young stars.
Music Biz
Blackstone and Hipgnosis Song
Management Launch $1 Billion Partnership to Invest in Songs,
Recorded Music, Music IP and Royalties
October 13, 2021 via Financial Buzz - Top Stories
Blackstone and Hipgnosis Song Management Ltd today (October 13)
announced a new partnership, backed by funds managed by Blackstone,
which will initially deliver $1 billion to acquire music rights and
manage catalogues.
KC & The Sunshine Band
Co-Founder Sues EMI Over Copyrights
October 8, 2021 via Reuters - Top Stories (General)
Richard Finch, co-founder and bassist of classic disco-funk group,
KC & the Sunshine Band, sued Sony Music-owned EMI Longitude
Music in Los Angeles federal court on Friday, seeking a declaration
that he can recover a share of copyrights in the band's
music.
After 'Verzuz' Series
Success, Timbaland Creates Beatclub
October 7, 2021 via The Columbian - News Headlines
Timbaland paved his own way as a hit-making producer for elite acts
like Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z, but now he's creating a lane
for aspiring music creators to collaborate with the industry's
biggest performers.
Canada's Kilometre Music
Group Closes Catalog Deals Encompassing Drake, Dua Lipa
Hits
October 6, 2021 via Billboard
Canadian music rights management fund Kilometre Music Group has
closed two new Canadian song catalog deals with copyrights to 383
songs, giving them a stake in hits from Drake and Dua Lipa to
Camila Cabello.
Band Condemns British PM for
Using Its Song Before Keynote Speech
October 6, 2021 via National Newspaper
Indie band Friendly Fires members say no one asked to use their
song at the Conservative conference.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
SpongeBob, Star Trek, and
South Park Digital Tokens May Soon Be Available as ViacomCBS Enters
the NFT Market
October 13, 2021 via Business Insider - Top Stories
ViacomCBS is teaming up with NFT startup RECUR to sell digital
tokens based on its shows. The media company owns franchises such
as SpongeBob SquarePants and South Park, among others.
Dapper Labs Partners on NFTs
with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman
October 13, 2021 via Venturebeat
Dapper Labs is teaming up with NBA star Kevin Durant and his
longtime sports manager Rich Kleiman on a collaboration with Dapper
Labs' NBA Top Shots.
Coinbase Launching NFT
Marketplace
October 13, 2021 via Fox Business - Latest News
Coinbase Global Inc. is on a mission to make it a breeze to create,
buy, advertise and learn about nonfungible tokens – and the
company aims to do so by starting a new NFT marketplace by the end
of the year.
New Venture Lets Fans Invest
in Music Through NFTs
October 8, 2021 via Yahoo Finance - Top Stories
EDM artist Justin Blau and JD Ross, a co-founder of home-buying
startup Opendoor, are looking to make investing in music accessible
to everyone, using blockchain technology, by launching a new
platform on October 21 called Royal, which will sell rights to
songs through nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
Sorare Signs Bundesliga: You
Can Buy Haaland's NFT and Play Him in Crypto Fantasy
Game
October 7, 2021 via Forbes - Business (subscription may be
required)
Sorare signed a license agreement with Germany's Bundesliga
soccer league, the company announced in a public statement
Wednesday morning. The new deal will bring tradable and playable
NFT cards of soccer stars like Dortmund's Erling Haaland or RB
Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku to the Ethereum-based game.
Right of Publicity
Trump Threatens Legal Action
Against a $5-a-Week 'Uncensored' Social-Media App That He
Claims Uses His Name and Image, a Report
Says
October 13, 2021 via Business Insider - Top Stories
Donald Trump has threatened legal action over an app called 2nd1st,
claiming it uses his profile to attract users for $4.99 a week.
'The Poster Child for the
NIL:' Sedona Prince Has All Eyes on Her Entering Junior Year
With Oregon Ducks
October 8, 2021 via Yahoo! News
Thanks to the NCAA's new rules on Name, Image, and Likeness
(NIL), athletes now have a chance to profit while still in school,
and Oregon's Sedona Prince is taking advantage of that. She has
incorporated herself, built a brand, and is selling merch.
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