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Sport, entertainment leaders spoke at USF lecture series

Hundreds of students, faculty and friends of the university came out to the second annual University of South Florida Sport & Entertainment Lecture Series. The free lectures brought together top industry professionals to discuss global sport and entertainment industry topics on Jan. 13 and 14 in the USF Marshall Center Oval Theater.

The first lecture began with Kenneth Feld, CEO of Feld Entertainment. For 30 years, Feld has been at the helm of Feld Entertainment, which owns and operates famous productions. Feld Entertainment productions entertain more than 30 million people in 75 countries on six continents, with as many as 5,000 shows each year.

Sport and entertainment leader Sheila Johnson shared her experiences as the CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, vice chair of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, and president and managing partner of the Washington Mystics WNBA team. The first African-American woman to be an owner or partner in three professional sports teams, she is also known as the first black female billionaire in the United States.

On Wednesday, Don Marinelli, author of The Comet and the Tornado and co-founder of the "Dream Fullfillment Factory," kicked off the day's sessions. Marinelli helped create masters programs at Carnegie Mellon University in arts management, acting, and entertainment technology.

Sports agent, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur and head of the FAME agency David Falk finished the series. He was among The Sporting News list of "100 Most Powerful People in Sports" for 12 consecutive years. His reputation as a marketing innovator stemmed from a host of groundbreaking campaigns, beginning with coining the "Air Jordan" nickname while negotiating Michael Jordan's hugely successful endorsement deal with Nike.

The lecture series was hosted by the USF Sport & Entertainment Management Program, FOX Sports Florida, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.