GKB Names LA & NYC Managers
• Good Karma Brands (GKB) announced the appointment of Market Managers for the company’s newly acquired ESPN affiliates in Los Angeles and New York — GKB partner & Senior Vice President Sam Pines is the new Market Manager of KSPN (ESPN 710)/Los Angeles, and former ESPN Audio Sr. Director of Sales Vinny DiMarco joins GKB as Market Manager of WEPN-AM/FM (ESPN 98.7 & 1050)/New York.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have both Sam and Vinny in their respective roles,” said Craig Karmazin, Founder & CEO of Good Karma Brands. “Sam has distinguished himself as a leader both inside and outside the company, and will bring creativity and take a relationship-focused and marketing savvy approach to ESPN Los Angeles. Vinny’s background at ESPN New York and his relationships within New York City and throughout both Good Karma and ESPN make him a well-liked and respected leader who will keep teammates, advertising partners and our fans at the forefront of all that we do and achieve.”
Pines (left) joined GKB in 2000, and since 2006 has led ESPN Cleveland as a Market Manager and Sales Manager. DiMarco (right) joins GKB from ESPN, where he managed multi-market, multi-platform sales across ESPN radio affiliates, and oversaw emerging categories, including sports betting and crypto-currency. He started his ESPN career at ESPN New York as General Sales Manager.
Pines remarked, “It’s rare that an opportunity comes along where we can invest our resources in a place that has such a well-established foundation of great local sports talk, significant play by play rights, including the 17-time champion Lakers, the Super Bowl Champion Rams, LAFC and the Angels, and the power and reach of ESPN’s digital assets. I’m looking forward to bringing a marketing-first approach to working with advertisers to such a great city and sports community.”
DiMarco commented, “After working closely with GKB for so many years, inside Disney/ESPN, I’m thrilled to join the team and return to my roots in the local NY market. 98.7 ESPN and 1050 ESPN’s collection of assets is second to none. Our on-air talent is among the best in the business, and they resonate with every NY sports fan. Add to that our play-by-play partnerships with the Jets, Knicks, Rangers and Islanders and you have some of the most compelling content in all of Sports.”
