Fanatics employs previous Dick Clark Productions CEO to lead Topps, NFTs

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Fanatics hires former Dick Clark Productions CEO to lead Topps, NFTs

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Dick Clark Productions CEO Mike Mahan (R) and visitor participate in the 2018 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jeff Kravitz|Filmmagic, Inc|Getty Images

Sports platform Fanatics stated Thursday that it has actually tapped previous Dick Clark Productions CEO Mike Mahan to lead its trading cards and digital antiques company.

Fanatics Collectibles, which introduced in 2021, includes its NFT arm Candy Digital, sports trading card brand name Topps, and zerocool– a trading cards brand name entirely concentrated on popular culture, art and home entertainment.

Mahan stepped down from his function at Dick Clark Productions, understood for significant tv occasions like the Golden Globe Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, in2020 Starting his profession as a financial investment lender for Bear Stearns, he most just recently struck a handle male grooming business Manscaped to take it public in a $1 billion SPAC offer– yet to be finished– through his blank check business Bright Lights Acquisition Corp.

“Our collectibles business has seen tremendous growth since launching last year, and we couldn’t be more confident in bringing Mike on board to shape the bright future of this division and its alignment within our larger Fanatics digital sports platform,” Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin stated in a declaration.

Mahan will report straight to Rubin.

“As a collector and passionate sports fan, Mike’s vision for both the trading cards hobby and emerging digital collectibles properties, driven by exceptional products, will further position Fanatics as a leader in these categories, creating incredible opportunities for fans, collectors, hobby shops, retailers and our partners.”

Fanatics is the bulk owner of Candy Digital, and Mike Novogratz, creator of crypto merchant bank Galaxy Digital, likewise owns a stake. The business’s board members consist of Novogratz, Rubin, and financier GaryVaynerchuk Investors consist of SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2, Insight Partners and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

Though it will stay as its own entity, Candy Digital CEO Scott Lawin will report to Mahan within the Fanatics Collectibles reorganization.

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“I could not think of a more perfect next step in my career than to lead the incredibly talented teams within Fanatics Collectibles, where I’ll have the opportunity to combine my entrepreneurial passions that lie within sports, marketing, and content creation, with my love for trading cards and collectibles at large,” Mahan stated in a declaration.

“The worlds of trading cards and digital collectibles have been forever reshaped over the past several years, and these new assets and the connections they create have the ability to bring fans and collectors closer than ever before to the players, teams and entertainers they love.”

Last week, Fanatics revealed that Topps is releasing a line of trading cards including college professional athletes this fall, an offer that the business stated will cut some gamers in on the revenues and match them up with school logo designs on cards for the very first time.

Fanatics most just recently raised a $1.5 billion financing round in March that values the sports platform business at $27 billion. The business rankedNo 21 on this year’s CNBC Disruptor 50 list.

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