Stan “The Fan” Charles and Gary Stein talk with Aquarius Sports and Entertainment president and CEO Marc Bluestein about what sports marketing will look like when games return without fans and more.
Via PressBox Online
Ryan graduated from James Madison University in 2018 with a degree in Advertising and Corporate Communication, with a minor in Sport Communication. Some of his favorite memories include being able to call JMU Baseball games on the local radio station and studying abroad in Ireland. Transitioning from school, Ryan spent the first year of his professional career working in the agency world, building brands in Golf Media, on and off the course. His family tree consists of Bella the cockapoo, an older brother, younger sister, and attributes his life learnings to his parents Craig and Lisa. In his free time, Ryan enjoys going to concerts with friends, traveling, and playing intramural softball.
Who do you root for? The New York Yankees – growing up in New York, you were taught to love three things – your family, good food, and the New York Yankees
Bucket list item: Visit Italy
Riley was born and raised in Florida, and still considers the ocean one of her favorite places to be. After receiving her BA in Anthropology from the University of Florida, Riley completely changed career paths, earning two master’s degrees (Master of Sport Business Management and an MBA) from the DeVos Sport Business Management program at UCF. After graduating, Riley worked Event Management and Operations in the golf industry for a year and a half, moving from tournament to tournament throughout the country. In July 2017, she picked a permanent residence and joined the Aquarius team.
Riley considers her family her rock, noting there is no way she would have been able to change career paths and live in six different states without their love and support. Besides enjoying relaxing on the beach, Riley is an avid reader, loves volunteering at a local children’s hospital, and is working on getting her first marathon under her belt.
Who do you root for? The Florida Gators are far and beyond my favorite team! I grew up a Gator and my love only grew once I went there
Bucket list item: Attend all of the PGA Tour Majors
Shannon graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2016 with a degree in Finance and a minor in Constitutional Studies. After graduation, she joined the University of Michigan’s swimming and diving teams Director of Operations, where she spent two seasons. Shannon then returned to school at The George Washington University where she received her Masters in Sport Management in 2021. While working on her degree in the nation’s Capital, she spent time working with the Military Bowl, the Washington Nationals, and the NFL Players Association. One of her favorite memories was experiencing the Nationals’ World Series run in 2019. Shannon has a golden retriever named Brady and currently resides in Arlington.
Who do you root for? Notre Dame football and lacrosse. Go Irish!
Bucket list item: Hike the Appalachian Trail
Victoria is a California native who moved to the east coast to study at the George Washington University, School of Business. Following college, Victoria spent the first six years of her career working with Special Olympics International. During her time with the movement, Victoria was the day-to-day relationship manager for multiple corporate partners and a project manager for multifaceted global and national opportunities. Joining the Client Services team at Aquarius in 2019, Victoria works with clients on creative ideation and management of their robust partnership portfolios. When the out of office is on, Victoria enjoys spending time with friends, family, and traveling.
Who do you root for? Los Angeles Kings!
Bucket list item: Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
After growing up in Maryland, Sam graduated from Boston College in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. While in school, Sam worked in the Boston College Athletics Marketing Department for four years, also spending time interning with the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and Washington Kastles. He joined Aquarius in June of 2019 and currently supports various accounts as a Coordinator on the Client Services team. Outside of work Sam loves to spend time with friends, family, including his dogs, travel, and watch sports.
Who do you root for? I will do anything for the Boston Red Sox
Bucket list item: Visit the Egyptian Pyramids
Brandon joined the Aquarius team in 2015, and has managed the day-to-day account relationships for a variety of agency clients. Prior to working at Aquarius, Brandon served as a Regional Marketing Director at Sports International Football Camps, an organization which hosts youth football camps with NFL players across the United States. Prior to his three years with Sports International Football Camps, Brandon had various part-time experiences at Octagon, D.C. United, the Washington Redskins, and Events DC.
Brandon received his Bachelor’s degree at Syracuse University and his M.B.A. from the George Washington University. Brandon and his wife, Chanelle, are proud parents of Bailey, an extremely friendly German Shephard, and live in Rockville, MD. Brandon was born in Boston, MA and raised in Silver Spring, MD, leading to his split loyalty to both the D.C. and Boston sports teams. Outside of work, Brandon enjoys watching and attending sporting events in addition to staying active and working out.
Who do you root for? As a graduate of Syracuse University, I bleed orange – especially for Syracuse basketball!
Bucket list item: Visit Hawaii
Shauna Gillem serves as Aquarius’ Senior Vice President and Chief Client Officer, working closely with other members of the agency’s executive team to manage day-to-day business operations while overseeing the agency’s Client Services team. Named a 2017 Sports Business Journal “Game Changer” honoree amongst other women in senior sports leadership roles, Shauna’s 15 years of industry experience includes roles on both the agency and property sides. While at MKTG, Shauna managed the FedExField naming rights partnership on behalf of client FedEx. A 2007 graduate of the George Washington University with a dual BBA in finance and sports management, Shauna enjoys traveling, dining out, pilates and spending time with friends and family. Shauna resides in Arlington, VA with her husband, Leu, and dog, Kymba.
Who do you root for? Providence College basketball, Wisconsin football…and somehow still for the Washington Redskins
Bucket list item: Traveling to the Greek isles
David serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Aquarius, providing oversight and leadership for all financial, accounting and administrative activities. David graduated from the McDaniel College before receiving his M.B.A from the University of Baltimore. He joined Aquarius in 2014, bringing over 20 years of finance experience from previous roles, most recently at Words & Numbers. David has two young daughters, Aoife and Bria, with his wife Vanessa. Outside of work David is an avid Baltimore sports fan and never misses a home game for the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Staduim.
Who do you root for? Baltimore Ravens
Bucket list item: Visit Australia
Signe serves as Vice President, Client Services, helping to oversee the Client Services team and handling activation of client sponsorship and experiential marketing platforms. Prior to joining the Aquarius team in 2016, Signe spent seven seasons in the NFL working as Game Entertainment Director for the Washington Redskins. She got her start in Major League Baseball, working in Special Events and Public Relations with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Signe has over 10 years’ experience in professional sports, handling large scale events, executing League initiatives, and enhancing the fan experience. She received her B.S. in Business Administration from Chapman University and her M.S. in Leadership from Duquesne University.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Signe enjoys visiting her family in Denmark, travelling for both business and pleasure, and training for her next half marathon. She resides in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. with her husband Nick, an Air Force Veteran and current student at Georgetown Law School.
Who do you root for? Los Angeles Dodgers & Washington Nationals
Bucket list item: Hike the Swiss Alps!
Marc “Blue” Bluestein is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aquarius Sports and Entertainment, an award-winning sponsorship consulting, activation and experiential marketing agency based in the Washington, D.C. market. A self-described sports aficionado, Blue has spent the last twenty-plus years developing and negotiating integrated sponsorships spanning the Super Bowl, Olympics, NCAA
Men’s Final Four, PGA Tour, NASCAR and multiple NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA local franchises, their venues and major events. Aquarius, most recently, was named to the 2019 Chief Marketer 200 List as a Top Marketing Agency and recognized as a 2019 Best Employer in Sports by Front Office Sports; previously the agency was recognized in 2018 as a Chief Marketer 200 agency, 2017 and 2015 as an Event Marketer Top 100 Agency, 2016 Promo Magazine Top Shop, 2014 Sports Business Award Finalist for Best Sports and Experiential Marketing Agency and was named to Inc. Magazine’s 2014 and 2013 Inc. 5000 list of fastest- growing companies in the U.S.
Before launching Aquarius in 2007, Blue served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Sportsworx, where he oversaw corporate marketing and sales for Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, the Nationals’ Radio Network, and the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals. He previously served as Senior Director of Sponsorship Sales for Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, the regional sports network (RSN) serving the Washington area. Prior to that, Mr. Bluestein managed integrated sponsorship sales for the nation’s recognized leader in sports journalism, Sports Illustrated. Blue began his career in the sports marketing arena by handling sports media planning and buying for the prominent agency Mediavest Worldwide, where he negotiated sports marketing sponsorships for top consumer brands including Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Philips Norelco, among several others.
Creating Aquarius to combine his passion for sports and brand management, “Blue” leads business development and supervises the day-to-day operations for the agency, having worked directly with the agency’s clients including: AAA, Advent Health, Baptist Health, Target Corporation, Hershey’s, Kraft Foods, M&T Bank, MedStar Health, Emory Healthcare, Virtua Health and others. A strong believer in community service, Blue is a past member of the U.S.A. National Board of Trustees for the United Way, the world’s largest non-profit organization, where he acts as the Board Liaison for the non-profit organization in its long-standing relationship with the National Football League. Blue is also active in the sports marketing industry currently serving as an Board Member of Most Valuable Kids, the University of Central Florida’s DeVos Sport Business Management and University of South Florida’s Sports and Entertainment Management Master Programs, a past Board of Director member of the National Sports Forum, the largest annual gathering of team sports marketing, sales, promotions and current member of the National Sports Marketing Network.
Blue attended the University of South Florida, majoring in Business Administration and Marketing. He loves to travel, coach youth baseball and spend time with his wife Randi and two sets of twins (15-year-old Allie and Bryce and 13-year-old Colby and Delaney) at their home in Sandy Spring, MD.
