Driving range
The Wasserman Media Group, one of the leading entertainment marketing and athlete management groups in the world, has acquired one of Canada's top sports and entertainment consulting agencies, Catalyst Sponsortship Consulting, Inc.
Founded in 2005 by Steve Marshman, Catalyst has worked with major corporate brands such as RBC, CN, Manulife and Bell, helping to develop and build their brand when it comes to golf in Canada and abroad. It was Marshman who brought RBC into golf in a major way in 2007, helping to establish the Team RBC brand ambassador program which teamed the bank with leading and emerging golf professionals such as Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Hunter Mahan and Morgan Pressel. Ames, Mahan and Pressel are also clients of Wasserman. RBC has also been the title sponsor of the RBC Canadian Open since 2008 and recently extended that partnership through 2017.
This past June, Marshman assisted Manulife Financial in its planning and execution of the inaugural LPGA Tour event in Waterloo, Ont. The tournament recently picked up several awards from the Tournament Owners Association in the areas of Marketing & Sales Materials, Sponsorship Activation and Overall Tournament Experience. The CN Canadian Women's Open was also awarded the Gold Driver Award for excellence in overall marketing programs.
"Steve has built a significant consulting business over the past several years, bringing together marketers and properties in the world of sports and entertainment," said Wasserman founder Casey Wasserman. "The integration of Catalyst into Wasserman's Canadian operation supersizes our ability in Canada to connect brands with the powerful sports lifestyle imprint, and deliver for clients on an increasingly global basis."
Catalyst's business is compatible and complimentary to the majority of the programs Wasserman develops for clients involved with the PGA Tour. In addition, Wasserman also manages the careers of some of the most prominent golfers in the sport.
"For the past seven years, Catalyst Sponsorship Consulting has had a 'client first' approach and I take great pride in our business and everything we have accomplished," said Marshman, who is tasked with growing golf, and the business in general for the company in Canada in his new role as executive vice-president. "In joining Wasserman, our capabilities and resources have just expanded exponentially and I think clients will feel that impact immediately. I'm very excited about this next chapter, growing the business and helping our clients build their brands for years to come."
Chris Armstrong, who headed up Wasserman's Canadian operation, has been elevated to the role of senior vice-president in the newly merged operation.