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Zeno Group · 23 hours ago

Senior Account Executive, Sports & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

Full-time

Hybrid

Mid, Senior Level

$67K/yr - $78K/yr

5+ years exp

Zeno Group is a fiercely independent and global integrated communications agency seeking a Senior Account Executive for their Sports & Entertainment team. The role involves leading media relations programs, managing client relationships, and overseeing campaign development to drive strategic communications for various clients.

Brand MarketingPublic RelationsService Industry

Responsibilities

Lead and support media relations programs and activations surrounding campaigns for both Zeno Group and Sports & Entertainment clients across numerous verticals, including but not limited to, Consumer/Brand, Corporate, Healthcare, Technology, etc

Lead campaign/activation research and assist in vetting sports and entertainment talent across different territories, including but not limited to, NFL, NCAA, PGA, LPGA, Film/TV, Music, Fashion, Lifestyle, etc

Serve as a primary point of contact for clients, providing strategic counsel and maintaining trusted relationships

Lead and facilitate brainstorms, campaign development and cross-functional collaboration

Manage account teams and project workflows, ensuring timelines, budgets and deliverables are met

Demonstrate strong supervisory skills by guiding junior staff with clear expectations, constructive feedback, and support to ensure high-quality work. Coach junior staff, providing feedback, mentorship, and development opportunities

Lead earned media outreach and pitch stories to reporters (via email and verbally) across different mediums (i.e., online, print, broadcast and radio) and verticals (i.e., sports, consumer, industry trades, entertainment, music, etc.); Identify opportunities, coordinate media interviews, send timely pitch updates, etc

Lead strategic and creative thinking around activations and campaigns through attending brainstorms for a variety of the agency’s consumer clients

Develop press releases, visuals, media lists, presentations and additional collateral for a variety of clients alongside the full S&E team

Lead/assist with coordination of talent media interviews, including identifying targets, securing interviews, drafting talking points, staffing interviews and managing logistics

Support development of talent and influencer agreements and contracts

Monitor news and industry trends that are relevant to client industries and competitors; Leverage insights to provide strategic thinking and recommendations to client teams

Support client activations and track media efforts surrounding major media and pop culture moments (i.e., Super Bowl, NFL Draft, remote media tours, award shows, film festivals, etc.)

Lead the development of the monthly Zeno S&E newsletter to highlight the department’s ongoing work and available talent partnerships

Lead status grid updates and take notes during weekly client status calls

Participate in new business opportunities for the S&E team and agency as a whole

Manage time effectively and meet deadlines, communicate project statuses with team

Work in conjunction with the S&E team to develop and execute short and long-term plans and goals while tracking progress against goals

Qualification

Media relationsStrategic communicationsCampaign developmentEarned mediaClient relationship managementPress release writingTeam collaborationCreative thinkingProblem-solvingTime management

Required

At least 5+ years of PR or communications experience; Mandatory 3+ years of experience within a PR agency and/or in a related Sports & Entertainment OR Brand/Consumer communications role

Work within the Zeno office at least 2 days a week

Demonstrates deep knowledge of client businesses, including industry landscape, brand positioning, audience behaviors and competitive threats

Builds and maintains strong relationships with key media and influencer contacts; drives proactive and reactive media relations strategies

Proactively contributes bold, creative ideas and participates in solution-driven thinking that challenges the status quo

Balances thoughtful risk-taking with client needs; encourages peers to be open-minded and adaptive in problem-solving while operating effectively under pressure

Oversees creation and quality control of press materials, executive messaging, and internal communications

A proactive, hardworking professional who possesses a solid work ethic and the drive to identify opportunities, solve problems and deliver results independently and in group settings

Led communications/marketing team-related administrative tasks, including overseeing agency news monitoring reports

Enjoy building relationships with internal partners, vendors, and third-party stakeholders, acting as a liaison between agency and client

Bring a positive, collaborative attitude to the agency and a willingness to work well with other Zeno teams and clients

Be well-versed in the world of celebrities, pop culture and top-tier influencers and corresponding trends

Ability to critically think about how trends and news may influence client programming, perceptions, positioning, etc

Preferred

Preferred applicants will have previous experience in earned media, media relations and writing

Benefits

Medical, dental and vision insurance with prescription plans

Short and long-term disability

Paid subscription to Headspace

Access to mental health providers and other services through a best-in-class employee assistance program

Generous vacation

Paid holidays and self-care time

401(k) plan

Pretax flexible spending accounts

Tuition assistance

Life insurance

Free access to a certified financial coach

Monthly allowance to fund activities in your personal life that bring you joy and keep you healthy

Company

Zeno Group

Glassdoor3.4

Zeno Group, a PR and communications company, offers services including reputation management, corporate communications and brand marketing. It is a sub-organization of DJE Holdings.

Founded in 1998

Chicago, Illinois, USA

501-1000 employees