We transform sports organizations, brands, and athletes into modern media & entertainment businesses.

We are an integrated global sports & entertainment strategy and activation agency

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We optimize the power of digital for the world’s biggest brands, sports properties, and athletes

We fuel end-to-end business transformation, growth, and revenue.

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We are trusted by iconic global brands, and are fiercely dedicated to their success.

Services

DIGITAL STRATEGY

We develop and execute insight-led growth strategies through content, innovative partnerships, and activations that grow brands, engage fans, and drive commercial opportunities

Client Examples

NY Knicks / AS Roma / Boston Celtics / Golden State Warriors / Real Madrid / Chicago Bulls / Juventus

DIGITAL ACTIVATION

We develop custom activation campaigns that seamlessly integrate brands with sports properties and athletes, delivering measurable results
Client Examples

Netflix / Fortnite / Rocket League / Nike x RCD Mallorca / Milwaukee Bucks

PREMIUM CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

We’ve produced award-winning short, mid, and long form storytelling for some of the most iconic brands in sports & entertainment
Client Examples
Wimbledon / Real Madrid / Pelé / Rocket League

Our Work

Rafa Nadal x NIke

Partnership Activation

Making a kit launch a cultural moment

RCD Mallorca wanted to create a kit launch campaign that would transcend football, and align with the global brand appeal of Nike.

Measurable Results

$670,000
Digital Media value across RCD Mallorca and third party channels (433, Tennis Channel, etc.)

11.2M
Organic views across all content during the week-long strategic launch campaign

#2 Most Engaged Club in La Liga*
The month of the launch campaign, trailing only FC Barcelona in avg. engagement per post
*courtesy of Blinkfire Analytics

ReAL MADRiD

Digital Transformation

Transforming the world’s biggest football club into a digital leader

Immersive 3+ year engagement evolving the Club’s digital business and global audience with a core focus on increasing both global and regional market value.

Measurable Results

100M Likes
First brand to reach this Facebook milestone, and winner of the Digital Clasico (Real Madrid v. FC Barcelona)

€15M
Industry-first match day social media content sponsorship

12x Revenue Increase
Total increase in direct social media revenue over three seasons

FootbalL x FORTNITE

GLOBAL ACTIVATION

Launching the world’s biggest sport in the world’s biggest game

Epic Games wanted to make a statement launching Fortnite x Football, setting a gold standard for competition and crafting a narrative that would seamlessly connect Fortnite gamers with global football fans.

Measurable Results

$1M+ 
Digital media value delivered across Fortnite, Pele, and Athlete social channels

7.5M 
Organic video views across Fortnite, Pele, and Athlete channels in just over 48 hours

#12 Video on YouTube
Our custom Pele x Fortnite launch video was the #12 trending global video on YouTube for 48 hours

NETFLIX

Documentary Launch Campaign

Creating a cultural moment to launch a sports documentary

Netflix wanted to create a breakthrough content piece that would resonate with multiple generations of football fans

Measurable Results

5.3M
Views across Neymar, Netflix, and athlete channels

70%
Average view increase for participating athlete IGTV content

$750k+
Total organic digital media value delivered across social media channels

Turner Sports x NHL

Rights Submission Strategy & Analysis

Using a fresh approach to craft a broadcast rights bid

Turner Sports wanted a digital-led perspective on how to develop a compelling bid for NHL broadcast rights.

Measurable Results

“Rebel Ventures was able to distill our advantages into a roadmap that our executive team used to craft the best possible NHL rights bid. We wouldn’t have secured the NHL rights without their help.”

–Pete Scott, VP of Emerging Media, Warner Media

Secured NHL Rights
Through a competitive bidding process, Turner Sports secured broadcasting rights for NHL games over the next 7 years.

Pelé

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Connecting the world’s greatest football legend with the next generation of fans

Multi-year project to preserve Pele’s legacy and increase his brand value, building connections with the next generation of fans through optimized social media content and ground-breaking partnerships.

Measurable Results

+40%
Organic audience growth in one calendar year across all social channels

Award Winning

$2M+
Organic digital media value generated across Pele’s social channels for his 10 day digital-only 80th birthday celebration

KC CHIEFS SUPER BOWL

GLOBAL CAMPAIGN​

Leveraging a global event to reach and grow audience

The Kansas City Chiefs wanted to take advantage of the global spotlight of the Super Bowl to build a meaningful connection with a broader global audience.

Measurable Results

9.7x
More tags/shares than Chiefs other Super Bowl week content

200%
More views than average of all content on Chiefs’ channels

Global Impact
Fan engagement across 41 countries on 6 continents

Fortnite x Euros

Global Event Activation

Content led storytelling around a major sporting event

Epic Games wanted to create a connection between Fortnite x the Euros by partnering with two iconic footballers.

Measurable Results

$538,000
Digital media value delivered across Fortnite and athlete social media channels

5.2M
video views across 19 unique pieces of content

#1 Most Watched*
Hero video asset was the #1 most viewed video on Harry Kane and Marco Reus IG in 2021

*at the time of posting

WIMBLEDON

"PURSUITS" CONTENT SERIES​

Creating an award-winning fan focused digital content series

Wimbledon wanted to build premium contemporary storytelling to support their strategic digital business objectives, and celebrate their global fan community.

Measurable Results

250K+
Views across Facebook Watch in the first 48 hours of posting each video

Award Winning

91% 
Positive sentiment

 

Clients

PRESS

New Digital Strategy For Golden State Warriors Pushes Revenue Up 300%

“The Warriors enlisted digital strategy agency Rebel Ventures to look at how the marketplace was buying and valuing certain content. The goal was to change the team’s business and content model. The results have been dramatic. Overall team sponsorship revenue has increased 25% annually in recent years, but digital sponsorship revenue is up 300% this season.”

This Photo Campaign Captures the Beautiful Calm Before the Wimbledon Storm

“In a rare glimpse into the tournament’s history, Rebel Ventures, a sports digital strategy and tech venture firm, brought together photographers to let fans experience Wimbledon like never before in celebration of the tournament’s 150th year anniversary.”

SportsPro Live 2020: A Conversation with Gary Neville and Craig Howe

Kicking off the second day of SportsPro Live in a wide-ranging discussion covering everything from his ownership of Salford City to 90s British culture, the former England international said athletes need to think independently and take ownership of their content.

“We should encourage free speech, contentious speech to an extent,” he said. “The most interesting interviews that you’ll ever hear are by athletes who have got a personality and a character that make you think something different, that you don’t always agree with.”

Inside Real Madrid’s Game Plan For Digital Domination

“The team is currently fighting on the pitch through La Liga and the Champions League, but despite individual wins or losses, the club is playing the long game when it comes to worldwide fan domination. Over the last year, the club has brought on digital strategy agency Rebel Ventures…and forged close ties with the likes of Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and others to put itself at the cutting edge of these platforms.”

Fortnite Kicks Off Its Largest Sports Partnership with 23 Global Soccer Clubs

“Introducing Pelé to millions of young gamers on their terms provides an entirely new platform to grow his legacy,” says Craig Howe, CEO of Rebel Ventures, “We’re excited to see Pelé seamlessly integrated into the Fortnite universe, and continue to build on his incredible life and football journey.”

Why The Miami Heat Organization Was Completely Overhauled To Focus On Content & Data

“The shift was put into motion roughly eighteen months ago with guidance from Rebel Ventures, a firm specializing in sports franchises and leagues, and the modifications continue through this date.”

THE REBELS

Rebel founder and digital industry veteran involved in key strategic planning and top agency initiatives. Serial digital entrepreneur with stints at NFL, Real Madrid, and SnappyTV (now part of Twitter).

Craig Howe

Founder & CEO

Paid and organic digital media expert with 10+ years of experience across top consumer brands like Levi's and Nissan. Drives client media and valuation strategies to maximize revenue and results.

Diana KLOCHKOVA

CO-FOUNDER AND STRATEGIC ADVIsOR

Early partner and EVP of Marketing & Strategy at Refinery29 for 8+ years.  Works at high level with Rebel clients to map their digital strategy and advise on digital media transformation.

Patrick Yee

Chief Strategy Officer

Two decades of experience leading entertainment legal and business affairs for some of the top TV networks and properties in history including BBC,  Dancing with the Stars, Paramount television, and more.

Liz FLYNN

Head of Legal & Business Affairs

Andrew has been at the leading edge of sports media innovation for nearly a decade, driving the integration of digital technology and fan experiences. At Greenfly, he manages relationships with key customers along with strategic partnerships. He joined Greenfly from Major League Baseball Advanced Media, where he started and led the growth of MLB’s social media strategy, execution, integrations and strategic relationships. Andrew was recognized by Cynopsis as the Best Digital Executive in Sports in 2020.

Andrew Patterson

Strategic Advisor / Board Member

+20 years of Business development and entrepreneurship experience in the video game industry leading studio operations and sales for some of Sweden’s top game development studios including: Stillfront, Starbreeze Studios, and more.

Nicklas Dunham

Consulting Client Development Lead, Europe

Former Team USA athlete and professional figure skater specializing in digital content marketing and strategy. Drives effective project management results for clients through planning, communication and coordination.

Leah Rosenfield

Project Manager

Former Head of Creative Strategy at BuzzFeed and Director of Branded Content at The Players’ Tribune. Will help architect, package, and produce all creative activations.  Expert in general best practices on content and innovation.

Joe Puglisi

VP, CREATIVE AND BRAND PARTNERSHIPS​

Former Head of Digital Marketing for Real Madrid from 2011 until 2019 and CRO for FC Bordeaux from 2019 to 2021. Will oversee global partnerships and bring digital and revenue expertise to sports organizations across EMEA and LATAM.

Rafa De Los Santos

Consulting VP of EMEA & LATAM

A UNC & Wake Forest graduate who competed in swimming for nearly 20 years now specializes in sports broadcasting, audio production & content creation. Will help Rebel clients ideate and execute creative activations.

Candace Cooper

Creative Producer

Media Liaison at Wimbledon and Digital Marketing at Bayern Munich U.S. Graduate of Columbia’s Sports Management program, specialising in content analysis and digital media strategy.

TOM Mackay

RESEARCH & STRATEGY ANALYST

Built and led Strategic Insights and Analytics teams to drive fan engagement and growth for Real Madrid FC and NFL International. Will help Rebel clients marry audience insights, actionable strategies and impactful activation.

Julian Mellini

VP, Strategy and Growth

Sport Management Undergraduate from Loughborough University with an international marketing background. Works with the Rebel Strategy team on global projects, research, and insights.

Roberto Biffi

Consulting Associate, Strategy

CONTACT

We’re ready to help you and your team win. Get in touch and we’ll draw up some plays together.

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