George Pyne (business executive)

George Pyne (born September 2, 1965) is a global business executive and founder of Bruin Sports Capital, where he serves as CEO.[2] Pyne is also Non-Executive Chairman of Courtside Ventures which specializes in early stage sports, media and technology investments. Previously, Pyne was the President of IMG Sports and Entertainment and a board member.[3] Prior to IMG, he was Chief Operating Officer and on the Board of NASCAR.[4]

George Pyne
Born (1965-09-02) September 2, 1965
Milford, Massachusetts
Alma materBrown University[1]
OccupationBusiness Executive
EmployerFounder, Bruin Sports Capital[2]
WebsiteOfficial biography

Early life and education

Pyne grew up in Milford, Massachusetts[5] and after graduating Choate Rosemary Hall, attended Brown University, where he played football for the Brown Bears and majored in Political Science.[1] While at Brown, he earned All-Ivy League and All-New England honors and served as the team's captain.[1]

Early career

After graduating from Brown, Pyne worked for his family's real estate company in New England,[5] before moving to Atlanta, Georgia to work with the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. As a part of this work Pyne analyzed the fiscal operations and budget of the Atlanta Public School system and issued a 250-page report which led to school reforms.[6] One of the local business leaders that worked with Pyne on the school report was the president of the Portman Cos, who subsequently hired Pyne to work for the commercial real estate and trade show company.[6] There Pyne led the team that oversaw a $2 billion debt restructuring.[6] He also turned commercial space owned by Portman into a corporate hospitality environment for the 1994 Super Bowl XXVIII.[4] Following the event, he created AMC Events to manage and market sports related properties, with Pyne being executive director of the division.[4] One of his early clients for AMC Events was NASCAR, whom he would later join.[4]

George Pyne

NASCAR

In 1995,[6][7] he joined NASCAR as head of new business development for NASCAR. He later became Chief Operating Officer and the second non-family member in 50 years to join its Board of Directors.[4] At NASCAR he negotiated a $4.5 billion television rights deal in 2005, the $750 million sponsorship of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2004, investments by 100 of the Fortune 500 companies, and the creation of a $2 billion licensing business.[8][4][9][10]

IMG

Pyne began working with IMG in 2006, as President of Sports and Entertainment and Board Member. There he oversaw client management, college sports, consulting, IMG Performance (IMG Academy), licensing and U.S. business development.[11][5][7][12] IMG grew from its $750 million purchase price in 2004 to its $2.4 billion sale to William Morris Endeavor in 2014.[11][13] Pyne left IMG in 2014.[14]

Bruin Sports Capital

In January 2015 Pyne founded Bruin Sports Capital with a $250 million investment[15] that came from Dan Gilbert, WPP, and other investors. By 2019 the company had 37 offices with about 1700 employees.[16] It owns Deltatre, Engine Shop, Soulsight, OverTier and is lead investor in On Location Experiences. Courtside has made 35 investments in start-ups as of that year.[17] As a part of his work with Bruin, Pyne has appeared as a commentator on CNBC. [18]

Recognition
George Pyne speaking at the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

Pyne is a member of both the National Football Foundation's Leadership Hall of Fame[7] as well as the Sports Business Journal's Hall of Fame. Pyne was a recipient of the 2014 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.[1] In 2015 he was honored by the Ivy League Football Association for lifetime achievement.[19] Pyne currently serves on the board of the National Football Foundation and the National Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of New York.[20]

Personal life

Pyne comes from a family of athletes who have played in the National Football League.[4] His father, George Pyne III, played for the Boston Patriots (predecessor to the New England Patriots) of the American Football League in 1965.[21] His grandfather, George Pyne II, played for the Providence Steam Roller of the NFL in 1931. His brother, Jim Pyne, also played in the NFL from 1994 to 2001, making the Pynes the first family to play three generations of professional football.[21] Additionally, Pyne's father-in-law, Paul Harney, was an American professional golfer who won six PGA Tour events, finished in the top eight at the Masters four times and was inducted into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame.[22]

References
  1. "NCAA Names 2014 Silver Anniversary Award Winners". NCAA.org. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  2. Hall, Emma (6 January 2015). "WPP Leads $250 Million Investment Round in Sports Marketing Start-Up". Ad Age. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  3. Ozanian, Michael (18 December 2013). "IMG Sold For $2.3 Billion To William Morris Endeavor And Silver Lake Partners". Forbes. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  4. Hughes, Jed (4 August 2003). "Pyne didn't follow a playbook on way to NASCAR executive suite". Sports Business Daily. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  5. Borchers, Callum (5 March 2013). "Milford native a leader in selling collegiate brands". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  6. King, Bill (4 November 2002). "George Pyne". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  7. "NFF Leadership Hall of Fame inducts George Pyne". Atlanta Business Chronicle. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  8. Block, Zachary. "From the Gridiron to the Pits: George Pyne '89". Brown Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  9. Branham, H.A. (2010). Bill France Jr, The Man Who Made NASCAR. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781623687137.
  10. "NASCAR COO George Pyne Leaving Organization For IMG". Sports Business Daily. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  11. Ozanian, Mike (18 December 2013). "IMG Sold For $2.3 Billion To William Morris Endeavor and Silver Lake Partners". Forbes. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  12. Wong, Glenn M. (2012). The Comprehensive Guide to Careers in Sports. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. ISBN 9781449602031.
  13. Smith, Michael; Tripp Mickle (10 January 2014). "George Pyne, Ben Sutton Leaning Toward Staying At IMG Following WME Acquisition". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  14. Atkinson, Claire (12 August 2014). "George Pyne to uproot from WME-IMG". New York Post. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  15. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/img-sports-head-george-pyne-761313
  16. http://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/george-pyne-bruin-sports-capital-interview
  17. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sports-media-investor-george-pyne-theres-going-rupert-murdoch-digital-104606275.html
  18. https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/04/05/bruin-sports-capital-ceo-on-his-ratings-prediction-for-the-golf-masters.html
  19. "Brown's George Pyne '88 To Be Honored By Ivy Football Association". Brown Bears. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  20. "A Leadership Celebration for IMG and George Pyne". National Football Foundation. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  21. Harris, Mike (2006). Game of My Life Virginia Tech: Memorable Stories of Hokie Football and Basketball. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 9781596700048.
  22. Megliola, Lenny (12 May 2013). "Milford's Pyne is atop the sports world". Metro West Daily. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
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