Golden Knights hire new chief marketing officer

Image

L.E. Baskow

The Golden Knights display a giant inflatable as they show off their new uniforms to the fans gathered at the Welcome To Las Vegas sign on Tuesday, June 16, 2017.

Published Wed, Jul 26, 2017 (10:25 a.m.)

Updated Wed, Jul 26, 2017 (2:59 p.m.)

To fill their vacant chief marketing officer position, the Golden Knights brought in someone with valuable experience in an entertainment-rich market.

The team this morning announced it has hired Brian Killingsworth as vice president and chief marketing officer.

Killingsworth previously worked with the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL, and the Tampa Bay Rays of the MLB, and will replace Nehme Abouzeid, who left the team earlier this month.

Killingsworth’s 15 years of experience building brands for professional sports teams in Florida should be a solid foundation for helping launch the Golden Knights in Las Vegas.

“There are a lot of comparable things in those markets,” Killingsworth said. “Tampa is a transplant town, similar to Las Vegas, so no one is from there. There are a wealth of entertainment options in Tampa and here, so you have to create value by offering something no one else can. In this case, it’s the experience of the adrenaline-filled sport of hockey.”

The University of South Florida graduate started with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2002 as the senior director of marketing and promotions. In five of his first six seasons with the Rays, the team finished last in the American League East Division.

“I’ve had the opportunity to go through some great experiences,” Killingsworth said. “There were some lean years with the teams I was with, especially the Devil Rays when they started. You have to learn to market the experience and things you can control.”

As an expansion team, the Golden Knights may struggle in the early years.

“You can’t control what happens on the ice, but you can make it a world-class entertainment experience for everyone in attendance, and that’s what I’ll be focused on,” Killingsworth said.

After a decade with the Rays, Killingsworth worked for the St. Louis Rams from 2012 to 2015 and then moved back to Tampa Bay to work with the Buccaneers.

Multiple candidates were interviewed for the position in Las Vegas.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brian to the Vegas Golden Knights family,” said team President Kerry Bubolz. “Brian possesses an impressive marketing background highlighted by successful tenures in both the National Football League and Major League Baseball. His creativity, strategic thinking and overall vision will help drive our business forward and take our marketing efforts to new heights.”

Killingsworth said he’s watched the birth of the Golden Knights from afar and has been impressed with the season ticket sales and the team’s logo and uniform design.

“It’s a great organization with genuine people, especially (Chairman and CEO) Bill Foley and Kerry Bubolz,” Killingsworth said. “For me as a marketer, this is a dream scenario — to create a franchise’s tradition from scratch. Throughout my career in NFL and MLB, I’ve focused on growing the sport through families and kids, and that will be a lot of what we do here.”

Back to top

SHARE