Boris Gartner, LaLiga North America, CEO

Boris Gartner is a sports and media executive currently serving as CEO of LaLiga North America, a joint venture between Relevent Sports, a multinational media, sports, and entertainment group, and LaLiga, Spain’s top-flight soccer competition and professional association.

Previously, Boris served as COO for Grupo Televisa’s Content Division – the largest Spanish-language content producer in the world. In this position, he was responsible for corporate strategy, business management, and company operations for the group’s Content unit.

Prior to joining Televisa, he was part of the founding team that launched Fusion Media, a joint venture between Univision Communications and the Disney/ABC Television Group, and most recently served as its chief operating officer.

During his time at Univision Communications, Gartner served in different positions including VP and GM of its in-house digital studio and VP of strategy and new initiatives for Univision News.

Boris has been recognized as a NAMIC Luminary by the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications –NAMIC (2016), part of Cynopsis Digital’s 2016 “IT List” (2016), and Variety’s “Hollywood’s New Leaders: TV Executives” (2013).

Boris holds an Advanced Management degree in media and entertainment from IESE Business School and an Advanced Project Management degree from Stanford University. He earned a Masters degree in international business from Florida International University and a Bachelors degree in business administration from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia.

He is part of the 2017 Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, the 2013 Georgetown Leadership Seminar, a member of the Milken Institute Associates, the Paley Center Media Council, and Pacific Council on International Policy.

Heidi Pellerano, CONCACAF, Chief Commercial Officer

Heidi Pellerano joined CONCACAF in February 2019 and is responsible for leading the Commercial division. In this capacity, Pellerano is responsible for developing and managing strategic partnerships to maximize the commercial opportunities of the organization. She has direct oversight of the departments of Business Development, Partnership Marketing, Digital and Emerging Technologies, Media Distribution, and Broadcast Productions. She is also a member of the executive leadership of the Confederation.

Prior to CONCACAF, Pellerano was an executive vice president at Wasserman where she was responsible for leading Wasserman’s brands division and multicultural practice. During her tenure at Wasserman, Pellerano consulted for leading brand retainer and projects clients on a wide range of business challenges including sponsorship strategies, negotiations, digital amplification, and measurement across sports, entertainment, and lifestyle verticals. Additionally, she led Wasserman’s multicultural team in Miami with a focus on developing partnership and activation strategies for clients targeting the Hispanic segment.

Previously, Pellerano served as a director with Raleigh, North Carolina-based sports and entertainment consulting firm OnSport, which was acquired in 2007 by Wasserman. In that role, Pellerano was responsible for strategy and client management for Nokia’s sports and music properties including the development of a comprehensive music strategy that resulted in the successful launch of two venue partnerships including the Nokia Theatre LA LIVE and Club Nokia. Pellerano joined OnSport in 2004 as a member of the American Express team, where she was involved with the analysis of American Express’ portfolio of sports, venue, entertainment, and ticketing partnerships.

Pellerano began her career in sports marketing as a coordinator of player programs with the WNBA, where she developed promotional initiatives to raise the national profile of the WNBA. She also created the player development program to help prepare WNBA players for their post-WNBA careers.

Pellerano holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Duke University, a Master of Science in sports management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and an M.B.A. from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. She is a native of Puerto Rico and currently resides in Miami.

Boris Gartner, LaLiga North America, CEO

Boris Gartner is a sports and media executive currently serving as CEO of LaLiga North America, a joint venture between Relevent Sports, a multinational media, sports, and entertainment group, and LaLiga, Spain’s top-flight soccer competition and professional association.

Previously, Boris served as COO for Grupo Televisa’s Content Division – the largest Spanish-language content producer in the world. In this position, he was responsible for corporate strategy, business management, and company operations for the group’s Content unit.

Prior to joining Televisa, he was part of the founding team that launched Fusion Media, a joint venture between Univision Communications and the Disney/ABC Television Group, and most recently served as its chief operating officer.

During his time at Univision Communications, Gartner served in different positions including VP and GM of its in-house digital studio and VP of strategy and new initiatives for Univision News.

Boris has been recognized as a NAMIC Luminary by the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications –NAMIC (2016), part of Cynopsis Digital’s 2016 “IT List” (2016), and Variety’s “Hollywood’s New Leaders: TV Executives” (2013).

Boris holds an Advanced Management degree in media and entertainment from IESE Business School and an Advanced Project Management degree from Stanford University. He earned a Masters degree in international business from Florida International University and a Bachelors degree in business administration from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia.

He is part of the 2017 Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, the 2013 Georgetown Leadership Seminar, a member of the Milken Institute Associates, the Paley Center Media Council, and Pacific Council on International Policy.

Heidi Pellerano, CONCACAF, Chief Commercial Officer

Heidi Pellerano joined CONCACAF in February 2019 and is responsible for leading the Commercial division. In this capacity, Pellerano is responsible for developing and managing strategic partnerships to maximize the commercial opportunities of the organization. She has direct oversight of the departments of Business Development, Partnership Marketing, Digital and Emerging Technologies, Media Distribution, and Broadcast Productions. She is also a member of the executive leadership of the Confederation.

Prior to CONCACAF, Pellerano was an executive vice president at Wasserman where she was responsible for leading Wasserman’s brands division and multicultural practice. During her tenure at Wasserman, Pellerano consulted for leading brand retainer and projects clients on a wide range of business challenges including sponsorship strategies, negotiations, digital amplification, and measurement across sports, entertainment, and lifestyle verticals. Additionally, she led Wasserman’s multicultural team in Miami with a focus on developing partnership and activation strategies for clients targeting the Hispanic segment.

Previously, Pellerano served as a director with Raleigh, North Carolina-based sports and entertainment consulting firm OnSport, which was acquired in 2007 by Wasserman. In that role, Pellerano was responsible for strategy and client management for Nokia’s sports and music properties including the development of a comprehensive music strategy that resulted in the successful launch of two venue partnerships including the Nokia Theatre LA LIVE and Club Nokia. Pellerano joined OnSport in 2004 as a member of the American Express team, where she was involved with the analysis of American Express’ portfolio of sports, venue, entertainment, and ticketing partnerships.

Pellerano began her career in sports marketing as a coordinator of player programs with the WNBA, where she developed promotional initiatives to raise the national profile of the WNBA. She also created the player development program to help prepare WNBA players for their post-WNBA careers.

Pellerano holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Duke University, a Master of Science in sports management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and an M.B.A. from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. She is a native of Puerto Rico and currently resides in Miami.

Ivel Alfaro-Calvo, Telemundo Deportes, Executive Producer

Ivel Alfaro-Calvo joined Telemundo in 2000 and currently serves as executive producer for Telemundo Deportes. In her role, she is responsible for the production of specials, programming, and department scheduling.

A veteran of the sports division, Alfaro-Calvo has served in a variety of roles at Telemundo. She was instrumental in the production of Telemundo Deportes’ groundbreaking NBA national broadcast package in the early 2000’s, played a key role as a producer for Telemundo Deportes’ sports and entertainment studio show, Titulares y Mas when it launched 14 years ago, and has successfully led the department’s efforts related to NFL games and special productions for eight seasons, including two Super Bowl productions.

Over the past few years, Alfaro-Calvo has also contributed to Telemundo Deportes’ biggest productions including the planning and execution of the last four Olympic Games and the production of the 2018 FIFA World Cup that originated from Telemundo Center. She most recently led the network’s operations and production from Paris during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Alfaro-Calvo has been in the media industry for over 22 years and was recently named by Cynopsis Media as one of the top women in sports. She’s also a three-time Emmy Award winner for her work in sports production and a two-time Cynopsis Sports Media Award nominee.

Alfaro-Calvo holds a Bachelor in Science degree in television production from Florida International University and graduated with honors, receiving the Television Production Student of the Year Award.

Brad Baker, United Soccer Leagues, VP, Broadcast

After graduating from the North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking, Brad Baker spent several years in Los Angeles working for the producer of the Rush Hour franchise before finding a marriage of passions while working for the NFL Network: sports and filmmaking. After two seasons in the NFL as production manager for the Washington Redskins, he spent the following four years developing and building the video production department with IMG and the University of Georgia. Baker then invested the next five years taking a small, second-division soccer club, Minnesota United, to Major League Soccer, overseeing all video production, in-stadium entertainment, and broadcasting for one of the league’s biggest brands. Currently, Baker is the vice president of broadcast for USL, managing broadcast operations for 46 teams across two leagues and managing the league’s relationship with their current broadcast partner, ESPN.

Kevin Bovet, Vizrt, VP, Head of Sports

As vice president, head of sports, Kevin Bovet leads the sports unit in the Americas region at Vizrt, a global company that has been at the top of visual storytelling technology for over two decades. Notably, he engages with rights holders to foster business development, while advising the evolution of current value propositions to meet future industry trends.

Bovet, a Swiss native, holds a master’s degree in sports management and marketing from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Kevin Callahan, Fox Sports, Director of Technical Operations

Kevin Callahan oversees Fox’s World Cup operations and engineering, as well as operations for Fox’s entire soccer portfolio. In this role, Callahan is tasked with providing coverage of events large and small, both on location and from the studio. He joined Fox Sports Media Group in the summer of 2013 to oversee the technical planning and development/deployment of new technology.

For the previous seven years, Callahan was the engineer in charge of Game Creek’s Fox trucks. In that time, he served as EIC for the NFL on Fox, including Fox’s coverage of Super Bowl XLII, Super Bowl XLV, and NASCAR on Fox. Callahan has worked with vendors and Fox to migrate to a tapeless workflow on site, and expand a tape-based workflow from site to the studio. Prior to joining Game Creek Video, Callahan worked for NBC News Tech Ops providing live coverage of news events from around the world.

Rafael Castillo, TVU Networks, VP and GM of Latin America

Rafael Castillo leads TVU Networks in Latin America and the Caribbean. He brings over 20 years of executive experience in media and digital content acquisition, management, production, and distribution. Castillo has led the Latin American region for some of the most successful technology companies for the media and entertainment industry. Most recently, he served as the vice president of Latin America and Caribbean for Snell Advanced Media, as well as vice president of Latin America for SeaChange International. Previously, Castillo worked for Grass Valley for 18 years, including seven years in the role of SVP, Latin America. He is entrepreneurial and passionate about driving dynamic teams on a sustainable path of success.

Rubén Centineo, TV Azteca, Director of Visual Technologies

Rubén Centineo joined TV Azteca in 2004 and is director of R&D and visual technology. He develops and integrates a strong graphics platform that includes real-time graphics, real-time augmented reality with remote or on-location insertion, virtual sets, and combined virtual and practical sets; as well as to virtual production, VFX, and product placement. Centineo also leads operations for the Scenography and Lighting Departments.

As production’s technologies R&D director, he is responsible for advising and suggesting value propositions that meet the actual trends to keep along with the future of the industry.

Centineo’s career of more than 30 years counts being involved in thousands of TV shows, commercials, films, and documentaries throughout different countries of Latin-America. He stands out for leadership, innovation, creativity, and driving teams to achieve success.

Michael Cohen, Bizzy Signals Entertainment, President/Executive Producer

Multiple Emmy award-winning television executive and producer Michael Cohen’s career has ranged from successful start ups to major events, show creation, and talent development. His credits include some of the biggest events in television for all major networks including NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and ESPN. He has been a part of the production team for the World Series, Super Bowl, Indy 500, Kentucky Derby, Wide World of Sports, 9 Olympics Games, 14 NFL Drafts, and the inaugural X Games.

For over 30 years, Cohen has dedicated himself to enhancing the production and business of soccer in the media and has played a significant role in the growth of the game in America.

Cohen produced the inaugural game for Major League Soccer and was a founding executive of Soccer United Marketing. He was executive producer for 2 FIFA World Cups, a FIFA Women’s World Cup, 15 MLS Cups, and All Star Games. While at MLS, Cohen worked on the creation of the League’s broadcast division and production plan to have every game broadcast on TV. In 2012, he was hired by Fox to build their World Cup division which included the 2015 coverage of the Women’s World Cup final match which remains the highest rated show in soccer history in the USA. Cohen also created the USL digital media platform in 2016 and then worked with league executives to negotiate the current deal with ESPN for linear broadcasts and digital shows on the ESPN+ platform.

In 2017, Cohen joined A+E Networks to create a live production division and currently serves as executive producer for the networks broadcast and digital coverage of the National Women’s Soccer League.

Some of the properties Cohen has developed include the Nickelodeon Soccer Superstar series; the Nickelodeon Games and Sports Play of the Week; MLS Cup/ABC Sports musical halftime performances highlighted by Grammy award winner Christina Aguilera; the MTV Tres Rock N Gol event; and Univision’s MLS Sueno, which airs on the Republica Deportiva series. He was the consultant for three soccer themed films, Once in a Lifetime (story of the NY Cosmos) for academy award winning director John Battsek, Game of their Lives (the 1950 USA Soccer team who defeated England in the World Cup), and HBO’s highly acclaimed Dare to Dream (the story of the USA Women’s Soccer team).

Cohen created the sports broadcasting curriculum at Queens College in NYC and is a frequently a guest lecturer at Universities that include NYC School of Business, Columbia, and Fordham. He has been a member of the Sports Video advisory board since SVG was founded.

Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of Digital

Brandon Costa covers the sports video production industry with a focus on live streaming, over-the-top (OTT), social media, and other digital distribution technologies and platforms. He also directs SVG’s internal digital strategies launching the company’s video outfit, ‘SVG On Demand,’ designing and overseeing its mobile application, ‘SVG Mobile,’ and serving as executive producer and host of The SVG Podcast. Costa serves as program director of networking events serving the SVG College and SVG Digital communities. Prior to his time at SVG, Costa spent five years producing digital content for MLB Advanced Media.

Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief Editor

Jason Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations, including the thrice-weekly SVG Insider newsletter and SVG’s annual print publications. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as program director for SVG’s RSN Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT event. Prior to joining SVG, he spent three years covering local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and two years on the production staff of SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information Department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he also earned a B.A. in media communications and cinema studies.

Mike Davies, Fox Sports, SVP, Technical and Field Operations

Mike Davies manages all day-to-day aspects of live broadcast operations and oversees the integration of new and emerging technologies for Fox Sports and Fox Sports 1. With over two decades of experience in sports television, Davies specializes in technical production and innovation for large sporting events. As the head of field and technical operations, he manages a highly talented team of individuals responsible for the thousands of live sports broadcasts yearly at Fox, including the technical execution of Super Bowls XLII, XLV, XLVIII, and LI. In addition to technical design and oversight, Davies also works within the Fox Sports Lab, a designed approach to exploring technical partnerships to enhance the viewing experience.

Previously, Davies oversaw Fox Sports broadcasts of the Daytona 500, the US Open, the MLB All Star Game and World Series, and the productions of various live VR events.

Before joining Fox Sports in 2006 as director of field operations, Davies was with HBO Sports for 10 years. He has won multiple Sports Emmy Awards for his work with both Fox Sports and HBO including technical team remotes for NASCAR, MLB, and NFL coverage, as well as long form sports programming. He currently serves as chairman for the Sports Video Group.

Mike Flathers, IBM Aspera, CTO

Currently CTO of Aspera, an IBM Company, Mike Flathers has more than 20 years of software development experience. He has a passion for pushing the technology envelope and has been a primary contributor and visionary for Aspera FASPStream.

Throughout his career, Flathers has focused on enabling third-party technology integrations by creating software solutions and APIs. He has deep video experience having been CTO at Sorenson Media prior to joining Aspera. At Sorenson Media, Flathers led the development of Sorenson VCast, one of the industry’s first online video delivery platforms, and Sorenson VRS, a video relay service empowering communication for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Flathers also spent 14 years at Novell after the company acquired Excelan. He was a lead developer for the LANWorkplace product, the first suite of TCP/IP utilities for DOS and Windows.

Irantzu Díez Gamboa, Mediapro, U.S. CEO/Country Manager

In 2005, Irantzu Díez Gamboa joined Mediapro as corporate director of Grupo Globomedia. Prior to this, she was senior manager in the M&A department of PricewaterhouseCoopers in London and Madrid. She holds a degree in business administration from the Universidad de Deusto, a general management program from IESE Business School, and was selected to participate in the third edition of the Promociona Project in ESADE.

James Gambrell, Supponor, CEO

James Gambrell has over 25 years of experience in technology covering operations, finance, strategy development, implementation, international business development, turnaround, and re-positioning. He works with technology companies and start-ups in the software, technology, new media, telecom, and sports media sectors to successfully scale businesses on a global basis.

Before joining Supponor, Gambrell was the CEO of Fits.me, a company he successfully exited after leading an MBO. Prior to this, he was executive chairman of Atego, which he founded after leading an MBO of Artisan Software Tools where he was CEO. Gambrell previously also spent time as CEO of Adaptive, an enterprise software company providing the leading repository technology for metadata management, enterprise architecture, and business process management solutions for Global 100 financial services companies and governments.

Gambrell is a chartered director with both the UK’s Institute of Directors and the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors. He also has a doctorate in business administration from the International School of Management (Paris, France); an M.B.A. from Baylor University (Texas, USA); and a B.Sc. in business administration from the State University of New York.

Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services

Ken Kerschbaumer is co-executive director of editorial services for the Sports Video Group and SVG Europe. He was a co-founder of SVG along with Paul Gallo and Marty Porter in 2005 and has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991. Kerschbaumer began his career in 1991 at Television Broadcast magazine before joining Cahners where he was founding editor of Digital Broadcasting magazine. In 2000, he joined Broadcasting & Cable magazine as senior editor of technology where he covered all aspects of broadcasting, cable, and internet content creation and distribution.

William Mao, Octagon, Vice President, Global Media Rights Consulting Division

William Mao is VP of Octagon’s Global Media Rights Consulting division. Leveraging IPG and Octagon proprietary data, research, and technology, Mao advises rightsholders, broadcast platforms, technology companies, and the investment community within the sports media space.

A recognized expert on the intersection of sports and digital media, Mao was named “30 Under 30” in sports by Forbes in 2015, and is a recipient of both the SportsPro Media “10 NEXT in Sport” and Cynopsis Media Rising Star awards. He has been a featured panelist at the Intercollegiate Athletics Forum, SXSW, and Sportel, and has guest-lectured at Columbia University and the London Business School. Mao is also a member of Sports Video Group’s Digital Advisory Committee.

Mao was previously VP Digital at MP & Silva, where he brokered foundational media distribution deals for MPS client properties, and advised on event development and brand expansion opportunities for the agency. He has also worked in Content Partnerships for YouTube, where he oversaw the college sports business. At YouTube, Mao developed high-impact digital content partnerships with major rightsholders, broadcasters, leagues, athletes, and multi-channel creator networks on the world’s largest video platform. He originally joined YouTube in Google’s London office, where he reported directly to YouTube’s head of football.

A graduate of the London Business School, where his M.B.A. studies focused on strategy, Mao was president of the London Business School Student Association and led an executive team that managed an annual operating budget in excess of £1 million. Prior to his M.B.A., Mao spent 4 years as a management consultant with Novantas, and held positions with IMG and Masterplan Group International.

Mao completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University, earning a B.A. in psychology with honors. Originally from Los Angeles, he speaks both Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

José Luis Montero, Tedial, LATAM and EMEA Sales Director

An accomplished industry veteran with 25+ years’ experience, José Luis Montero combines a strong background in electronic engineering with his proven ability to bring complex sales projects to fruition. His reputation for integrity and professionalism was earned from successful tenures as a regional sales manager for Quantel (now SAM), and SGO Mistika. Montero currently serves as a regional sales director for Tedial, the leading independent MAM technology solutions specialist, responsible for Latin America and the Middle East. He is leading Tedial’s sports initiative in his territories by introducing organizations to the benefits of SMARTLIVE, the company’s award-winning automated sports and live events production solution that automates the creation of highlights and clips.

Emili Planas Quintana, Mediapro, CTO and Operations Manager

Emili Planas Quintana is the CTO and operations manager at Mediapro. He has been a member of the Mediapro Consultant team for operations and technical resources optimization since 2000. He acts as a consultant for the ESPN Production Center in Buenos Aires, Imagina US in Miami, and SLA & HR (operations) implementation in control. He is also an operations optimization adviser for international projects.

In 2004, Quintana launched laSexta, a playout center in Barcelona for live channels, among others: GolT, Fox Sports EU, LaLigaTV, Marca TV, F1 LatinAmerica, BeIn ESP, Eleven Sports Poland and Belgium, and 8TV. Quintana started as the operations manager of LaLiga TV productions in 2008. Since 2015, Quintana has worked in operations and engineering of UHD-HDR LaLiga productions, which produce about 76 productions per season.

Since 2007, Quintana has worked in new projects and applied technologies, remote production, and R&D implementation in daily operations. He designs, implements, and manages video over IP networks connecting all Mediapro production centers and field production venues (up to 63 sites worldwide).

Quintana has been an advisory board member of SVG Europe since 2016.

Dana Rubin, National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), ESPN Producer

Dana Rubin started her career at Major League Baseball Productions working on features and documentaries. She earned Emmy awards as the producer of various Yankeeographies, and was most notably nominated for one as the creator and producer of one of the most critically acclaimed programs at MLBP – Letters from Jackie. While most of Rubin’s career has been spent in post production, for the last two years, she has moved on from America’s pastime to the World Game Soccer.

Rubin was hired by A+E Networks to help build Lifetime’s NWSL media division for their live coverage of the National Women’s Soccer League. While she still oversees all post production elements of the broadcasts, Rubin is now working as the live game producer as the series has moved to ESPN Networks for her third season with the program.

Rubin began her career in sports after graduating from Boston University’s College of Communications. After over a decade of work, she started her own production company, Leapworks Productions, through which she continues to help push the boundaries of sports television.

Alexis Salinas, TUDN, Senior Director, Technical Creative Services

Alexis Salinas serves as senior director of technical creative services for TUDN (Univision), the leading media company serving Hispanic America.

Salinas is responsible for developing, producing, and deploying real-time graphics and graphic content for TUDN , Univision’s leading sports media brand. His additional responsibilities include overseeing all graphics functional groups and processes with the ultimate aim of bolstering the TUDN (Univision) brand on air and enhancing the production’s ability to tell compelling stories and engage with viewers. Salinas is also charged with creating the bridge between the production, production operations, and engineering teams for the sports graphics pipeline operation.

During his tenure at Univision, Salinas has served as manager of graphics management technology, technical manager, VizRT programmer, and senior 3D animator. Prior to joining TUDN (Univision) in 1996, he worked as a CGI director at EDEFX Group, where he was accountable for the operations, graphics systems, and network management and administration for the computer graphics department. He also worked as a 3D animator at Canal Uno Producciones in his native Venezuela.

Salinas earned a Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela. He is also a certified project management professional.

Oscar Sanchez, CONCACAF, Director of Broadcast Operations

Oscar Sanchez is a broadcast professional with 20 years of experience in the industry. The last 5 years he has been leading the broadcast operations for CONCACAF with the successful production of the last 3 editions of Gold Cup, Copa America Centenario, and more than 2,000 soccer games in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Sanchez was a Sports Emmy Award winner in 2017. He worked in world class productions like the last 5 FIFA World Cups, Olympic Games in London 2012, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA EURO 2012.

Orlando Silver, Fox Deportes, VP, Production

Fox Deportes, the first and longest-running Spanish-language sports network in the United States, appointed Orlando Silver as VP of production. Silver leads production and operations for the network, reporting to Carlos Sanchez, Fox Deportes EVP and GM, and Michael Davies, SVP of field and technical operations for Fox Sports.

Silver joins Fox Deportes from Univision Deportes Network, where he served in a variety of roles since the network launched in 2012. During his time at Univision Deportes Network, Silver was an integral member of the network’s flagship programs.

Prior to Univision Deportes, Silver was president of Silvertouch Productions, where he developed projects for a wide range of domestic and international sports broadcasters including ABC, ESPN, Univision, Swiss TV, NHK, and many others. Silver has covered three FIFA World Cups (1998, 2006, and 2010) and the UEFA Euro 2008 Final.

Silver began his career with Prime Deportiva-Fox Sports Americas, which was later rebranded as Fox Deportes in 2011.

A native of Mexico City, Mexico, Silver lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, with his wife and two daughters.

Mario Sousa, Mediapro US, Head of Sales and Marketing

Marioa Sousa is head of sales and marketing at Mediapro North America.

In 2001, Sousa co-founded wTVision in Portugal. In 2005, he set up wTVision Belgium, in 2008 wTVision Spain and wTVision Middle East, in 2010 wTVision Brazil, in 2012 wTVision India and wTVision USA, and in 2016, wTVision Bolivia.

Before joining the Group, Sousa was a partner and executive director of Infordesporto, a Portuguese company bought by Portugal Telecom in 1999.

Sousa has a degree in physical education and sports.

Larry Tiscornia, MLS, VP, Broadcasting

Currently in his 20^th season at Major League Soccer, Larry Tiscornia has been an integral part in the rapid growth of MLS, focusing primarily on the presentation of the league to a domestic and international audience. He manages the production and broadcast operations for over 1,000 productions annually league-wide, overseeing the local productions with its current 24+ clubs; managing its relationships with MLS’s national broadcast partners: ESPN, FOX Sports, Univision, TSN, and TVA Sports; as well as handling all international broadcasts distributed globally to over 170 countries.  Tiscornia has also been intimately involved on the broadcast side for the construction of over 17 soccer specific venues since 2000, with 5+ more currently in the process of being built over the next few years. In addition to his duties with MLS, as part of Soccer United Marketing, Tiscornia is overseeing the production of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, which will air in its entirety (83 matches) for the first time ever on ESPN Plus in 2019.

Eli Velazquez, Telemundo Deportes, EVP, Sports Content

Eli Velazquez is executive vice president of programming, production, and content for Telemundo Deportes. In his role, Velazquez leads the division’s multimedia content strategy including programming, acquisition, production, and editorial efforts. He is also responsible for coordinating resources across the company to provide Telemundo Network, Universo, and the respective digital platforms with high-quality sports content. Working closely with NBC Sports on major events, Velazquez also ensures collaboration across divisions and businesses.

Over the last two decades, Velazquez has played an integral role in the planning and production of Telemundo Deportes’ marquee sports events including the Olympic Games, Premier League, Confederations Cup, and FIFA World Cup, among other FIFA tournaments. He spearheaded the production of Telemundo’s historic coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia that delivered record audiences across its linear and digital platforms. Under his leadership, Telemundo Deportes continues to establish itself as the destination for the biggest, best global sports programming in Spanish-language.

Previously, Velazquez served as senior vice president of sports for Telemundo, where he oversaw all sports programming and operations for the network. He also led the strategic initiatives related to domestic growth and integration of the department’s content beyond broadcast, as well as helping to develop new ways to evolve the sports brand across multiple platforms.

Velazquez joined Telemundo in 1999 as a producer for Boxeo Telemundo and was the first to produce Titulares Telemundo. He progressed to roles of increasing responsibility, including senior producer, director of sports, and vice president of sports. Velazquez is a four-time National Emmy Award winner and over the years has helped secure historic programming agreements, earning prestigious, industry-wide recognition for the network.

Velazquez is a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University, New Orleans, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communications.

Phil Ventre, Ncam Technologies, VP, Sports and Broadcast

Phil Ventre heads up the sports and broadcast team for Emmy award-winning Ncam Technologies. Ncam offers a complete and customizable augmented reality platform that enables photorealistic virtual graphics in real-time. At its core is a unique camera tracking solution that offers film and TV productions virtual and augmented graphic technology without limits.

A passionate sports fan, Ventre’s own soccer career was curtailed by an ability that did not match his ambition. He can often be found following Liverpool FC when not delivering projects for Ncam.