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Ensuring Community Sports Programs Survive and Keeping Your Kids Active

YourUpdateTV

Similar to so many other small business owners (restaurants, shops and other local services), the leaders running youth sports programs have faced an evolving multitude of challenges over the past 20 months as the pandemic continues to impact both the programs and the kids they serve. Recently, Olympic Gold Medalist Benita Fitzgerald Mosley participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss the importance of organized sports for every kid, family and community. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/3jFXybKQ8qA Latest data shows more than 25% of kids stopped playing sports & many sports programs have ceased operations or have returned in a limited fashion. The stark realities of the pandemic are that there are far too many kids that have been left without access to the physical, mental and emotional benefits sports offer and the lack of access to sports for kids in underserved communities has been exacerbated by the pandemic. For kids, spending time engaging in physical activity through organized sport, free play, at school, and with friends is vital to childhood development and society’s overall well-being. At LeagueApps, Benita leads a program called FundPlay to help address the systemic participation and accessibility gaps. Its mission is to support youth sports organizations and foster those important sports experience opportunities for young people in underserved communities. FundPlay, a National Youth Sports Strategy Champion, offers a quarterly grant program where it awards sports-based youth development organizations with FREE lifetime access to the LeagueApps youth sports technology platform, cash awards and other benefits to help youth sports leaders build organizational capacity. By the end of this year, under Mosley’s leadership, FundPlay will have awarded more than 100 grants, ensuring nearly 300,000 kids have access to sports. For more information, visit leagueapps.com/tour. About Benita Fitzgerald Mosley: Fitzgerald Mosley, an Olympic Gold Medalist, is responsible for stewarding the LeagueApps NextUp community and FundPlay program to support youth sports organizations and foster sports experience opportunities for young people from underserved communities. She also serves as the executive director of the PLAY Sports Coalition, a unique coalition of thousands of stakeholders across the national and community youth sports industry. Prior to joining LeagueApps, Fitzgerald Mosley served as Chief Operating Officer for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and Chief of Sport Performance for USA Track & Field. About LeagueApps: LeagueApps helps leading youth sports organizations operate and grow with the industry’s most comprehensive youth sports management platform. Powering thousands of leading organizations from professional leagues and teams to clubs and camps, LeagueApps is on a mission to bring the benefits of sport to kids everywhere. Through its NextUp program, LeagueApps goes beyond technology to provide industry leaders with opportunities for professional development and relationship building. LeagueApps also operates FundPlay, a program that supports sports-based youth development organizations to address issues of accessibility and equity. Learn more at leagueapps.com. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

October 22, 2021 11:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Tykes, Inc. Selects BEASY’s NFT Management Platform to Power New Tykeland Marketplace

Beasy, LLC

Blockchain Made Easy, LLC (dba BEASY) announced today it has signed a multi-year enterprise licensing agreement with Tykes, Inc., a leading provider of digital likeness artwork to professional and college athletes as well as university sports and recruiting programs. Through the licensing agreement, Tykes will adopt Blockchain Made Easy’s private-labelable core blockchain platform called BEASY Authentication ™ to NFT-enable Tykeland, Tykes soon-to-be released online marketplace. Using BEASY’s technology, Tykeland plans to offer limited edition Tykes designs for use by Tykes customers as NFTs, including sovereign digital names and identities for use on any blockchain-based marketplace. In addition to Tykes use of BEASY’s technology, BEASY is using Tykes designs as player avatars within BEASY’s flagship sports and entertainment application called AthleteChain™. “We’re thrilled to be working with Tykes,” says Bob Kramich, Founder and CEO of BEASY. “By transforming the Tykes they already trust and love into sovereign digital identity avatars, universities and athletes can jumpstart NFT collaboration and revenue generation with trust.” Designed specifically for the sports and entertainment industry, AthleteChain ™makes it easy for players, universities, teams, and sponsors to generate NFTs directly from their own computers, then sell and track them on any website or NFT marketplace. The first of its kind in sports, BEASY AthleteChain ™ is a multi-party consensus network (MPCN), designed to verify and maintain the true state of asset ownership across all permissioned users, while also enabling users to buy, sell, trade or transfer intellectual property rights for physical and digital goods directly with one another. “Through BEASY’s solution, our customers can use their existing Tykes to jumpstart new revenue streams while also learning about blockchain, NIL, and NFTs in a way that’s already aligned with how they recruit and operate today,” says Jason Woullard, CEO and Founder of Tykes, Inc. “Offering blockchain-authenticated Tykes to our valued customers is a natural extension of the work we are already doing for them,” Jason adds. # # # About BEASY ™ Blockchain Made Easy ™, LLC is a Massachusetts-based technology and professional services company empowering retail and business customers with the ability to deploy customized blockchain-based strategies through easy-to-use blockchain software products. The company’s core product, BEASY Authentication ™, is a permissioned blockchain platform and associated wallet solution allowing users to seamlessly create, sell, and track digital goods in addition to a broad range of other applications such as digital identity management, fractional and whole digital asset ownership, royalties management, contract-to-smart contract management and more. BEASY is committed to making blockchain adoption easy. For more information, go to www.BEASY1.com. About BEASY AthleteChain ™ BEASY AthleteChain ™ is a turnkey SaaS software product enabling users in sports to create and manage NFTs directly from their personal computers and sell on any NFT marketplace or Shopify-enabled website using both credit cards as well as cryptocurrencies. A comprehensive yet extremely easy-to-use blockchain enablement platform, AthleteChain™ benefits aspiring athlete entrepreneurs with business benefits such as personal brand trademarking and proof-of-use, quality-at-the-source contract-to-smart contract creation and control, business partner and friend network administration, perpetual revenue tracking, contract compliance verification, and more. For more information go to https://beasy1.com/athletechain About Tykes, Inc. Founded in 2014, Tykes is a design-centered messaging company which creates ‘art that articulates’ for professional and college athletes, universities and global brands. Tykes digital avatars and designs enable everyone from individuals and entrepreneurs, to Fortune 500 enterprises to break through marketing clutter and connect with target audiences in relevant, intelligent and timely ways. Tykes branded designs are proven to increase customer engagement, brand loyalty and revenues. Connect with Beasy Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeasyInc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beasy-blockchain-made-easy-llc/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beasy1859/ Connect with Tykes https://www.mytyke.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tykeland Twitter: https://twitter.com/tykeland Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mytyke/ Contact Details Beasy, LLC. David Kaupp info@beasy1.com Tykes Jason Woullard, CEO info@mytyke.com Company Website https://www.beasy1.com

October 21, 2021 04:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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News Release

AWARD-WINNING CHIMNEY VIGOR GROUP ADOPTS NEW CORPORATE NAME: EDISEN - THE UNSKIPPABLE CONTENT COMPANY

Edisen

Global production and marketing services company, Chimney Vigor Group (CVG), today announced it will be rebranding under a new name, Edisen, the unskippable content company, to reflect its expanded creative and technology capabilities. Powered by its proprietary technology platform, Edisen offers clients genuine 360° services and builds upon the company’s creative foundation by delivering high-quality, premium content. “Rebranding as Edisen represents a new dawn for our business and the services we offer our clients,” said Edisen Global CEO Henric Larsson. “Our mission is to ideate, develop and produce content that is impossible to ignore. Technology enhances and empowers the creativity that is at the forefront of our business. Given our recent acquisitions, our 25-year heritage and the development of our own proprietary technology platform, our new name better reflects our unique combination of creative and technological innovation which enables us to deliver clients the world’s most powerful and impactful content.” “The Edisen offering is built on three key pillars: creativity to mesmerize, cloud technology to organize and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize,” said Larsson. “The Edisen technology platform was purpose-built to solve major industry issues by adding efficiencies to the creative production process, thus saving time and money, as well as optimizing the creation, delivery and performance of breakthrough, undeniably engaging and high-performing content.” “Brands are demanding quality content that also draws an emotional response from viewers in every market of the globe. What we’ve built at Edisen is a creative tech stack that combines brilliant minds, a unique platform and AI capabilities. It enables us to develop great work, optimize it, and then deliver it with precision, efficiency and impact,” said Magnus Sorlander, Chairman at Edisen. The origin of Edisen began nearly 25 years ago as Chimney: a top resource for the world’s most recognized brands, for its ability to craft award-winning stories and campaigns. The company’s work has earned accolades and recognition ranging from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (Oscars), The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), The Cannes Lions, The Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, The Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, and PromaxBDA. The adoption of the Edisen name marks the company’s continued global growth and success, fuelled by its excellent work, as well as a robust acquisition and innovation strategy. In 2019, the company merged with media management specialists OneVigor to become CVG, completing its remit to offer clients end-to-end marketing services, from concept right through to distribution. In June 2021, the company acquired Tonik+, a revolutionary new platform powered by video intelligence technology that identifies and analyzes video content scene by scene before automatically repurposing it and serving it back into the market, improving viewer ratings by up to 50 percent. To learn more about Edisen and the company’s latest capabilities, visit www.edisen.com About Edisen Edisen, the unskippable content company, is an independent, global specialist in production and marketing communications that creates content that can’t be ignored. Content that can be managed from inception to delivery through a worldwide collaboration platform. Content that can be optimized, adjusted and improved in-market through cutting-edge AI. With a legacy of 25 years of best-in-class entertainment and award-winning services (with the Oscars and Cannes Lions to prove it), coupled with a roster of 100+ clients in the marketing space, Edisen offers clients a range of production services within three integrated business areas: entertainment, marketing and technology. Privately-held, Edisen is powered by 13 global offices and 400 passionate creative people, all creating unskippable content for clients including Ikea, H&M, Dyson, Absolut, Shutterstock, Netflix, ViacomCBS and Universal Studios. Contact Details Shania Roper +1 843-693-7161 shania@kitehillpr.com

October 21, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

MIDEA BOOSTS GLOBAL MANCHESTER CITY PARTNERSHIP

Midea

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Media OutReach - 21st October 2021 -Today, Midea and Manchester City today announced an amplification to its global partnership which kicked-off in January 2020. Throughout this partnership, Midea has produced engaging digital content, which has been extremely popular with City fans around the world. Most notably, the #MideaHomeChallenge that kept fans entertained during lockdowns when several Manchester City players challenged fans to show their football skills interacting with their home appliances in unique ways. “Here in the U.S., we aim to show all City and soccer fans our wide range of smart home appliances that enable them to feel even more at home, as our slogan states ‘make yourself at home’” said Kurt Jovais, president of Midea North America Corp. “That said, apart from bolstering our global brand presence, we look forward to igniting excitement and bringing Americans together throughout the season, enjoying their homes even more.” This season, hand in hand with the Etihad Stadium’s new top-notch and world leading two-tier LED display system, Midea now has 12 LED slots at every Manchester City home match to showcase their extensive range of smart home appliances across all categories to over hundreds of millions global consumers and football fanatics. Also, the Midea #WorldClass Awards campaign that celebrated the Club’s, and especially players’ #WorldClass performances during the 2020/21 season. Midea’s innovative, humorous and funny award show, moderated by City legends Paul Dickov and Shaun Wright-Phillips, attracted millions of views and engagements from fans when nine different #WorldClass trophies were voted on, and subsequently awarded to, their favourite City players. “ Although we have high ambitions, Midea’s global visibility is still fairly small. Partnering with Manchester City - awarded the most innovative sports team in the world and with their philosophy to combine playing the most attractive football to watch, with a very successful outcome – gives us great global visibility and a business partner with the same high ambitions towards the future.” said Eric Wang, VP Midea Group and President & CEO of Midea Group’s International Business Division. “There are 55,000 fans in the stadium, but millions of Manchester City fans among the 3.5 billion football fans all around the world watching on TV and Social Media at home – and home is where we are. Hence, in Midea we are delighted to showcase our commitment and ambitions to millions and billions of fans who are enjoying football from their homes. “Manchester City’s partnership with Midea has gone from strength to strength and we are delighted to further deepen our relationship. Midea has shown great understanding in how to engage with City fans around the world by producing some of our strongest performing social media content in recent seasons and we’re now looking forward to expanding this partnership into community outreach and further smart product integration.” said Roel de Vries, City Football Group’s Group Chief Operating Officer. Midea will also extend its relationship to help support the community by partnering with the Club’s renowned ‘City In The Community’ programme, to explore ways to tackle social challenges. Over the coming months, the Club will also be integrating industry-leading Midea smart home appliances across the Etihad Campus to provide enhanced facilities for players and fans alike. In addition to the commitment with the Manchester City Men’s team, Midea is also the exclusive global Home Appliances, White Goods and HVAC partner of the Manchester City Women’s team and a main partner of Manchester City’s City Football Group sister club, New York City FC which plays in the MLS. About Midea North America Midea America is headquartered in Parsippany, NJ and has a Research and Development Center in Kentucky, as well as an Emerging Technology Center in California. Midea understands that the home is a special place, and the moments people spend there are precious. The Midea brand’s promise to all its U.S. consumers is to provide surprisingly friendly solutions to treasure those tiny moments at home. Therefore, the company creates home appliance innovations, that not only perform a function but have a meaningful impact for those who use them. For more information, visit Midea at www.midea.com About Manchester City Football Club Manchester City FC is an English Premier League club initially founded in 1880 as St Mark’s West Gorton. It officially became Manchester City FC in 1894 and has since then gone onto win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, seven League Championship titles, including five Premier League titles (2012, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021), and six FA Cups. Manchester City FC is one of 11 clubs comprising the City Football Group and counts New York City FC and Melbourne City FC among its sister clubs. Under manager Pep Guardiola, one of the most highly decorated managers in world football, the Club plays its domestic and UEFA Champions League home fixtures at the Etihad Stadium, a spectacular 55,000 seat arena that City have called home since 2003. Today, the Stadium sits on the wider Etihad Campus, which also encompasses the City Football Academy, a state-of-the-art performance training and youth development facility located in the heart of East Manchester. Featuring a 7,000 capacity Academy Stadium, the City Football Academy is also where Manchester City Women’s Football Club and the Elite Development Squad train on a daily basis and play their competitive home games. For more information, please visit www.mancity.com. About Midea & Midea Group Midea is one of over 10 brands within the smart home appliance business of Midea Group – a leading global high-technology company ranked #288 at 2021’s Global Fortune 500. Midea Group’s business goes beyond home appliances and comprises of five business pillars: Smart Home, Electro-Mechanical, HVAC & Building Technologies, Robotics & Automation, as well as Digital Innovation. All businesses of Midea Group are striving for one credo: #HumanizingTechnology. The Midea brand offers one of the world’s most comprehensive product ranges in the smart home appliance industry, specializing in air-treatment (commercial and residential air conditioning solutions), refrigeration, laundry, large kitchen and cooking appliances, small kitchen appliances, water appliances and floor care. Midea believes in providing surprisingly-friendly solutions by adopting a consumer-centric and problem-solving approach. Going above and beyond for the future, constantly exploring, and inventing to meet the ever-changing consumer demand. Midea is, among many others, the world’s #1 Air Treatment Brand [1], the world’s #1 Small Cooking Appliances Brand [2], the world’s #1 Air Coolers Brand [3], the world’s #1 Cooling Fans Brand [4], and the world’s #1 Rice Cookers Brand [5]. Midea’s globally 34 production centers and over 150,000 employees in more than 200 countries and regions generated an annual revenue of more than USD 41.4 billion in 2020. Midea’s 28 worldwide innovation centers and the strong commitment to R&D have resulted in more than 62,000 authorized patents to-date. For more information, please visit https://www.midea.com https://www.midea-group.com/Our-Businesses/home-appliances/midea https://www.midea-group.com/newsRoom/News/MIDEA-BOOSTS-GLOBAL-MANCHESTER-CITY-PARTNERSHIP [1] “Midea – World’s No.1 Air Treatment Brand”Source: “Euromonitor International (Shanghai) Limited; Consumer Appliances 21ed, retail volume sales in units, 2020 data” [2] ”Midea – World’s No.1 Small Cooking Appliances Brand”Source: “Euromonitor International (Shanghai) Limited; Consumer Appliances 21ed, retail volume sales in units, 2020 data” [3] “Midea – World’s No.1 Air Coolers Brand”Source: “Euromonitor International (Shanghai) Limited; Consumer Appliances 21ed, retail volume sales in units, 2020 data” [4] “Midea – World’s No.1 Cooling Fans Brand”Source: “Euromonitor International (Shanghai) Limited; Consumer Appliances 21ed, retail volume sales in units, 2020 data” [5] “Midea – World’s No.1 Rice Cookers Brand”Source: “Euromonitor International (Shanghai) Limited; Consumer Appliances 21ed, retail volume sales in units, 2020 data” Contact Details Coyne PR Christine Azzolino midea@coynepr.com Midea Group America Susan Lanza Susan.Lanza@midea.com Midea Group – International Business Division Brando Brandstaeter Brando.Brandstaeter@Midea.com City Football Group Stephanie Borthwick stephanie.borthwick@cityfootball.com

October 21, 2021 06:12 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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First “Sports Equinox” of 2021 Presents Rare Opportunity for Jock MKT Users to Buy and Sell Shares of Athletes in Five Sports Simultaneously

Jock MKT

With the Los Angeles Dodgers victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, the sports world is guaranteed a “sports equinox” on Thursday, Oct. 21. For the first time in 2021, all four major sports leagues, plus the PGA Tour, will be in action. The occurrence marks a milestone for the stock market of sports. For the first time since they launched in 2020, Jock MKT (Jock Market) will offer fans the ability to buy and sell shares of their favorite athletes in five major sports at the same time. The only other date when all major U.S. leagues could play on the same day this year is Oct. 31, pending the World Series reaching five games. On this Thursday alone, Jock MKT will offer the opportunity for users to invest real money in shares of athletes participating in three NBA games, 10 NHL games, Game 5 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Braves, a Thursday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns, and the PGA Tour’s ZOZO Championship. “Every week, we continue to welcome thousands of new users to Jock MKT,” said Tyler Carlin, Co-Founder and CEO of Jock MKT. “We are anticipating this weekend to be our biggest weekend ever with all five sports happening simultaneously. ” Founded in 2017 and launched in 2020, Jock MKT’s main differentiator is its cash market format – this unique offering gives users more flexibility and optionality versus typical daily fantasy contests. Users can join at any time and for any dollar amount. They can buy and sell shares of athletes in real-time, cash out early by selling to another user in-game or hold to the end and receive fixed Jock MKT payouts tied to final player rankings based on overall fantasy scoring. Each cash market starts with an “Initial Player Offering,” or an IPO, where users have their first opportunity to bid on shares before any contest. A recent example of Jock MKT’s cash market is the NFL’s Thursday Night Football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 14. In the IPO stage, shares of running back Leonard Fournette sold for $8.54. Fournette finished first in fantasy points and his shares paid out a maximum of $25 per share for a 193% return. On the contrary, shares of Tom Brady sold for $17.25 in the IPO, but paid out $12.00 per share after finishing fourth in fantasy points, for a loss of 30%. The biggest return on Jock MKT in recent weeks came via Atlanta Braves right fielder Joc Pederson, whose shares increased 1,047% on Oct. 11 when he hit a 3-run home run to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers. About Jock MKT Headquartered in Boston and launched in 2020, Jock MKT ( JockMKT.com ) is a skill-based fantasy gaming platform where users can make real money – every minute, every second, of every game. Inspired by a traditional stock exchange, Jock MKT allows users to buy and sell shares of athletes in real-time. Jock MKT was co-founded by Tyler Carlin and investors include Left Lane Capital, Will Ventures, Ryan Moore, Brandon Adams, Benjie Cherniak, Tim McSweeney, and Alumni Ventures Group. Available in the U.S. in 35 states, Jock MKT offers gaming options for events tied to the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and PGA Tour. Contact Details Eric Nemeth +1 602-502-2793 nemeth@ericpr.com Company Website https://jockmkt.com/

October 20, 2021 09:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time

ElementalTV Surpasses 1B+ CTV Ad Impressions in First Year of Business; Company Debuts ELM, a New Proprietary CTV Ad Platform, to Accelerate Expansion

ElementalTV

ElementalTV, an emerging media technology company and a division of Adoppler, has generated more than one billion connected TV (CTV) advanced ad impressions in its first year in the market, as the company pursues its mission to provide leading brands, advertisers and publishers with the tools necessary to unlock the full potential of the CTV ad experience. Today, ElementalTV immersive ad experiences reach 57% of CTV households in the U.S. and, after just one year of providing its proven CTV advertising solutions to some of the world’s top brands and content partners, ElementalTV is now debuting its new, proprietary Engagement Lift Media (ELM) platform to a wider marketplace. The ELM platform is the first and only fully vertically integrated platform, offering advanced ad decisioning, a demand-side platform (DSP), creative optimization, transcoding and stitching capabilities. This unified offering enables ElementalTV’s partners to deliver cost-effective, next generation CTV ad experiences, from localizing national video ad creatives via its innovative SmartFrame technology, to adding dynamic messaging within ad units, and contextual ad targeting. “CTV is the fastest growing medium today, but its ad experience is suboptimal,” says Omer Latif, CEO at ElementalTV. “We built our platform to reimagine the future of CTV advertising -- to create innovative and smart tech solutions for brands, to help publishers realize the full value of their content, and to pioneer a new and improved viewing experience for growing CTV audiences worldwide. Our approach is bold and breaks barriers. Through the ELM platform’s product suite, we enable our partners to leverage the addressability of digital to evolve audience engagement to a new standard.” The success over the past year and increasing demand for the new ELM platform are behind ElementalTV’s decision to accelerate the scaling of its business, including broadening its strategic partnership with top programmatic firm MPW Digital. The partnership with MPW Digital expands the company's efforts to introduce advertisers to the next generation of advanced CTV advertising capabilities and formats. “Our next phase of growth requires having the right partners who share our vision of being true pioneers and innovators in CTV advertising technology,” says Albert Yu, VP Analytics & Monetization at ElementalTV. “MPW Digital has been on this journey with us and we’re excited to have them play a critical role in our expansion.” “Over the past year we've seen ElementalTV’s ability to rapidly innovate and grow. It has been exciting to see their SmartFrame technology add value to advertisers' CTV campaigns,” says Marcus Weiss, COO at MPW Digital. “This is just the beginning and we’re looking forward to serving as a close extension of their team as they advance into the next phase of commercialization of ELM and continue to transform the CTV ad experience.” ElementalTV, a division of Adoppler, was started in 2020 to focus on technology solutions for CTV, creating breakthrough ad experiences for CTV audiences while delivering innovation and added value to advertisers and publishers. Today, through the ELM platform, ElementalTV is delivering more than 100 million advanced ad impressions per month. To learn more about ElementalTV and its solutions, visit www.elementaltv.com. About ElementalTV: Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Pasadena, CA, ElementalTV is pioneering the next generation of CTV ad innovation. ElementalTV pushes the boundaries of how technology can immerse an audience’s advertisement experience. Its proprietary vertically integrated platform, ELM, combines a wide range of capabilities including advanced ad decisioning, demand-side platform (DSP), creative optimization, transcoding, and stitching to allow for seamless, next generation ad experience. To learn more, visit elementaltv.com. Contact Details Kite Hill PR Angelina Kaliszak angelina@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://www.elementaltv.com/

October 19, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Premier Rugby Sevens Hosts Landmark Inaugural Event – Sets Sights on 2022

Premier Rugby Sevens

Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) officially launched their new league on Oct. 9, marking several firsts within the sports industry and rugby community. As the first U.S. sports league to launch with men and women earning equal pay, PR7s also broke gender barriers in the rugby community as the first professional women’s rugby league in North America. Supported by six league sponsors, 18 games were broadcast live in a single day via Fox Sports in the United States, TSN in Canada, and Facebook Watch around the world. “This is only the beginning,” said Owen Scannell, CEO of Premier Rugby Sevens. “What started as an idea early in the pandemic became a reality on Saturday thanks to a team of incredibly talented staff, athletes, coaches, broadcast partners, sponsors, and fans. We will reveal our 2022 plans soon and look forward to growing PR7s into a league that offers both women and men an opportunity to compete at the highest level. Thousands of fans experienced the excitement live in the stadium and thousands more consumed it live on televisions, tablets, and cell phones thanks to our partners at Fox Sports and TSN. An incredible foundation is in place and we’re ready to grow our league with more cities and events next year.” Fifteen Olympians from the 2020 Olympic Games competed in the inaugural event. With 120 total players, six men’s teams and four women’s teams debuted in Memphis. Led by rugby legend Perry Baker, the Experts won the first PR7s men’s championship. And as one of the most dominant players in the world, Alev Kelter led the Loonies to the first women’s championship. Competing in games that last 14 minutes, the two champions played four times each en route to their titles on Saturday. Full game results can be view at PRSevens.com/results. Samurai Sportswear, Kane Innovations, Inc., Sperry Rail, Inc., Campbell Clinic, Ghost River Brewing Co., and Memphis Tourism sponsored the inaugural event. The partnerships included jersey logos for Kane Innovations and Sperry Rail. Ghost River Brewing sponsored the daylong festival. PR7s features six men’s teams and four women’s teams that play multiple games in one location on a single day. Team brands include the Loonies (men and women), the Loggerheads (men and women), the Experts (men and women), the Headliners (men and women), the Locals (men), and the Team (men). The league’s first captains featured stars from both the Men’s and Women’s U.S. Olympic Rugby Sevens teams, including Perry Baker (Experts men), Danny Barrett (Team men), Abby Gustaitis, (Loggerheads women), Alev Kelter (Loonies women), Matai Leuta (Locals men), Folau Niua (Headliners men), Naya Tapper, (Headliners women), Stephen Tomasin, (Loonies men) and Kevon Williams (Loggerheads men). About Premier Rugby Sevens Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) is a groundbreaking professional sports league in North America that debuted on Oct. 9, 2021, on Fox Sports and TSN. PR7s is the first league of its kind with both women’s teams and men’s teams under one umbrella with equal pay. With a focus on accessibility and entertaining content for fans, the league showcases the electrifying sport of rugby sevens through a single-day touring format in cities across the United States and Canada. To learn more about Premier Rugby Sevens, go to PRSevens.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Contact Details Eric Nemeth eric.nemeth@prsevens.com Company Website https://prsevens.com/

October 14, 2021 09:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Lensbaby Announces “Shoot Extraordinary” Photography Conference

Lensbaby

Lensbaby, the leader in award-winning creative effect camera lenses, is excited to announce its 2021 virtual photography conference taking place Dec. 7-9. Join us for the Lensbaby “Shoot Extraordinary” Photography Conference 2021 on December 7th! Click here to register and claim your free spot today. Registered conference attendees will be automatically entered to win prizes including a grand prize worth over $2500. For 16 years, Lensbaby has been an ally of the unusual, and an advocate for the unique — this three day conference will be a testament to our passion for blazing your own trail. With 16 speakers and top Lensbaby educators from around the globe, there is something for everyone. Conference attendees can expect to learn the ethos of the Lensbaby “Shoot Extraordinary” motto, while learning the nuances and uncommon qualities of its photo and video lenses. For a full list of course topics, visit our 2021 virtual photography conference page. How Do You #SHOOT EXTRAORDINARY with Lensbaby? Register for your FREE ticket to our virtual photography event where you'll have access to three days of Lensbaby and creative photography education. About Lensbaby // Lensbaby creates tools that enable photographers and videographers to find their unique visual voice. For over 16 years, they have been manufacturing high-quality creative effects lenses, optics and accessories out of their Portland, Oregon headquarters. Lensbaby sells its products on its website as well as through a worldwide network of retailers and distributors. For more information, visit www.lensbaby.com Lensbaby, “Shoot Extraordinary” ### Learn more and register for free here. For a look into what to expect, you can check out the Lensbaby 2020 Photography Conference here. Contact Details VP Sales and Marketing, Lensbaby Michael Anthony Michael@lensbaby.com PR & Marketing, M&P Digital Creative Agency Andrea Larson andrea@mcmillanphillips.com Company Website https://lensbaby.com/

October 13, 2021 11:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Graton Resort & Casino Names Industry Veteran William Becker Vice President of Food and Beverage

Graton Resort & Casino

Graton Resort & Casino has named William Becker as vice president of food and beverage. Becker will oversee all food, beverage and restaurant facilities at the 65-acre resort. “William will spearhead culinary innovations at Graton and we’re excited to implement his strategy and expansion ideas in our restaurants and lounges,” said Lana Rivera, vice president and general manager at Graton Resort & Casino. “Graton Resort & Casino is a premier Sonoma County destination, and our guests enjoy the wine country experience they expect when they walk through our doors. William’s 20-plus years of experience helps us to continually exceed guest and team members’ expectations in food and beverage.” “Graton Resort & Casino is truly a place where creativity in food and beverage can bloom and the team here is amazing,” said Becker. “I look forward to leading a new era of excellence for a destination that is already highly acclaimed for its dining, resort, gaming and amenities.” Guests at Graton Resort & Casino have a complete range of dining options to satisfy every appetite, in addition to multiple lounges: 630 Park Steakhouse - fine-dining steak and seafood, with an extensive wine list Tony’s of North Beach and Tony’s Slice House - Italian fare with pastas, pizzas, antipasti, and salads all prepared from Tony’s famous recipes. Tony’s was recently awarded “Best Pizzeria in America” by Forbes. Daily Grill - classic, fresh American fare Boathouse Asian Eatery - fresh Asian cuisine Marketplace - fast-casual dining Lounges and bars: Sky Lounge, G Bar, Lobby Bar, Pool Bar, 8 Bar and 630 Park Bar (located in the 630 Park Steakhouse) “We are so pleased to have William Becker join our wonderful team,” said Greg Sarris, tribal chairman for Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. “We have done an excellent job thus far earning us a Four Diamond rating and William Becker is the man who can take us even higher to the next level of excellent service.” For more information on Graton Resort & Casino or to book a stay, visit www.gratonresortcasino.com. ### MEDIA, PLEASE NOTE: To request further information and interviews or for additional images, please contact Robin Carr at graton@landispr.com or (415) 971-3991. About Graton Resort & Casino Located in Sonoma County, Graton Resort & Casino has a commanding presence among the rolling hills of Northern California's wine country. Owned and operated by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Graton Resort & Casino features table games, the latest slot machines, upscale and casual dining, plus entertainment options for visitors and locals alike. For more information, please visit www.gratonresortcasino.com. Contact Details Landis Communications Inc. Robin Carr +1 415-971-3991 graton@landispr.com Company Website https://www.gratonresortcasino.com/

October 12, 2021 04:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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