Alex Morgan, Diplo To Headline Variety Sports & Entertainment Event

Variety’s annual Sports & Entertainment Breakfast, presented by City National Bank, will return on July 17 in Los Angeles. 

This year’s programming will feature a Fireside Chat with two-time World Cup champion and Olympic Gold Medal winner Alex Morgan, alongside Dan Levy, EVP, the collective & Olympics, Wasserman. Diplo, the Grammy Award-winning producer, DJ, entrepreneur and founder of Diplo’s Run Club, will be joined by his management team for a conversation, including Renee Brodeur, partner & EVP, TMWRK Management; Sam Hunt, EVP & managing executive, Wasserman Music; and Todd Palmerton, VP talent, event & IP Creation, Wasserman. 

Randie Brooks, senior vice president and team leader with Entertainment & Sports Banking, City National Bank will interview Tina Thornton, EVP, creative studio and marketing, ESPN and Mina Kimes, NFL analyst, senior writer, podcast host and television contributor, ESPN about their vision for the platform’s new streaming service launching this fall. 

The “Women Sports in the Zeitgeist” panel will feature voices who are taking women’s sports to new heights, including Jennifer Cohen, athletic director, USC; Jessica Hammond-Graf, president, Women’s Elite Rugby; Liz Gray, co-head, CAA Brand Consulting, CAA; Susie Piotrkowski, VP, women’s sports programming & head of espnW; and Ilona Aman, CMO, Athleta.

Other programming includes the “Sports Programming Visionaries” panel which has top executives in programming exploring how the genre is evolving. Headlining that panel is: Colin Campbell, Head of Development, Omaha Productions; John Dahl, SVP content, NASCAR; Gotham Chopra, filmmaker and co-founder, Religion of Sports; Meredith Batten, VP head of content planning and programming, NFL; Stephanie Medina, director, FOX NFL Sunday, Fox Sports; Jon Miller, president, acquisitions & partnerships, NBC Sports. 

“At City National Bank, we are dedicated to serving the financial needs of athletes, entertainers and the organizations that support them,” said JaHan Wang, executive vice president and head of Entertainment & Sports Banking at City National Bank. “That’s why we’re honored to continue our partnership with Variety’s Sports & Entertainment Breakfast, which serves as a catalyst for connection between these industries and drives meaningful conversations for what’s next in sports and entertainment.” 

“We’re honored to bring together these exceptional leaders and creators who are actively shaping the future of sports and entertainment,” said Dea Lawrence, Chief Operating and Marketing Officer, Variety. “Thank you to City National Bank for their continual partnership.”