IT’S LIVE FROM NEW YORK! VOICE OF THE SEC AND SEC NETWORK PAUL FINEBAUM AND MELT FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO VINCE THOMPSON TO APPEAR TOGETHER TODAY AT 5:00 PM EST AT ESPN STUDIOS TO DISCUSS HOT TOPICS IN THE BUSINESS OF COLLEGE SPORTS
ATLANTA, GA – December 11, 2019 – MELT (www.meltatl.com), the award-winning sports, entertainment, culinary, event, and experiential marketing agency announced today that its Founder, Chairman, and CEO Vince Thompson will appear live today at 5:00 PM EST on The Paul Finebaum Show live from the ESPN Studios in New York City. The appearance can be seen or heard on the ESPN SEC Network Channel, Sirius XM Channel 81, as well as ESPN Radio. Finebaum and Thompson are both in NYC this week for many college football activities including The College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, The IMG/Learfield Collegiate Sports marketing conference and The Heisman Trophy announcement on Saturday.
Finebaum and Thompson, whose relationship dates back nearly 40 years first met one another when Finebaum was a reporter for The Birmingham Post-Herald and Thompson was a student-assistant in the Auburn University Sports Information Department, have had a season-long running conversation on the business of college football and college athletics. Topics expected to be discussed today include:
- Progress on the issue of student-athletes in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). How Congress’s involvement in this issue could be a game-changer and what is SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey’s role in the evolution of this issue?
- The current CBS-SEC deal and where the re-negotiations stand. CBS and The SEC are coming off their highest-rated season since 1990 – Who else are the main players in this process?
- The new ‘flavor” of the SEC with new and emerging coaches coming on to the scene including the new hire of Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin. What will Kiffin bring to the SEC West party?
- Where do the conference championships stand and how will they play a role long-term in the expansion of a College Football Playoff from four to eight teams?
“There’s a lot to cover with my dear friend Paul,” said Thompson. “There are so many fascinating things going on with college athletics, college football and student-athletes, so we’ve got a lot of ground to cover!”
About MELT
Founded by CEO Vince Thompson in 2000, MELT, LLC, is an Atlanta based fully-integrated sports, esports, entertainment culinary and lifestyle marketing agency offering clients advertising, original content development, digital, social media, event and experiential marketing, retail and consumer promotions, brand strategy and sports property evaluation and activation. MELT has won or has been nominated for the following industry awards since 2017:
- Chief Marketer Top 200 Marketing Agencies of 2020
- 2019 C2A Creative Communication Award
- 2019 BizBash Top 1,000 People in the U.S. Event Industry
- 2019 Bronze Stevie Award (American Business Awards) – Company of the Year: Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
- 2019 Drum Marketing Awards USA Finalist- Best Event/Experiential Strategy: MELT & IHG’s Avid Hotels Pop-Up Tour
- 2019 Interactive Marketing Awards – Shortlist
- Best Social Media Campaign: MELT & Coca-Cola College Gameday Snapchat
- Best Influencer/ Outreach Campaign: MELT & Coca-Cola Company Valser Influencer Strategy
- 2019 Atlanta Magazine – Top 500 Business Leaders: Vince Thompson
- 2018 BizBash500 List – Top 500 People in Events: Vince Thompson
- 2018 Event Marketer Top 100 “It List”- Top 100 Agencies
- 2018 Atlanta Business Chronicle Most Admired CEO: Vince Thompson
- 2018 Silver Stevie Award- Brand Experience of the Year- Consumer: Taste of the Tournament for Kroger, Hershey’s, Mondelez & The Coca-Cola Company
- 2018 PR News and Social Media Award- Best Use of Filter (Snapchat): Coca-Cola ESPN College Gameday
- 2018 Social Good Influencers- Honorable Mention: MELT University
- 2018 Cynopsis Sports Media Award – Honorable Mention for Use of Snapchat: Coca-Cola ESPN College Gameday
- 2018 Shopper Marketing Effie Award – Multi-Brand/Manufacturer Shopper Solution: Taste of the Tournament for Kroger, Hershey’s, Mondelez, & The Coca-Cola Company
- 2017 Experience Design and Technology Awards- Best Permanent or Pop-Up Retail Experience: The Coca-Cola Kitchen
- 2017 Stevie (American Business Awards) – Marketing/Advertising Agency of the Year