Career
As the NHL’s chief operating officer since August 2008, Collins is responsible for strategic leadership and oversight for all of the League’s global business, marketing, sales, broadcast and digital media operations. Collins joined the NHL in November 2006. In May 2007, he earned the title of Senior Executive Vice President, Business and Media. His work with the NHL has led to a record number of sponsors and television viewers, resulting in a jump in total revenues from $2 billion in 2008 to $3 billion in 2011, with a 147% increase in league-centric revenue-sponsorship products.
In 2010, Collins was named an “Executive of the Year” by the American Business Awards, winning a Stevie Award for his success with the NHL. In May 2011, the NHL was named Sports League of the Year by the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. In a press release about the award, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, "In 2010, more people than ever found more reasons than ever -- and more ways than ever -- to connect with our great game and our outstanding athletes.”
Prior to joining the NHL, Collins spent 15 years with the National Football League. In 2004, Collins was hired as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Browns, succeeding then retiring Carmen Policy. That year he was also named one of the top 20 sports advertising executives by Sports Business Journal.
Starting in 2002 with the inauguration of the "NFL Kickoff" celebration at Times Square, he steered the NFL's focus toward big events, ultimately increasing NFL sponsorships by $1.9 billion, and doubled annual corporate sponsorship revenues to more than $200 million in 14 months. He also presided over the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show featuring U2. These successes led to Advertising Age naming him one of America's top 50 marketers in 2003.
Collins began his career in professional sports with NFL Films, where he helped introduce programming such as HBO’s Hard Knocks and Inside the NFL. Collins later teamed up with HBO Sports and its 24/7 reality franchise to develop “24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic,” which won a Sports Emmy Award for “Outstanding Edited Sports Special” in May 2011. The program is now repeated annually for every Winter Classic. Collins eventually became Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for the NFL, where he led all marketing, programming, sponsorship, and advertising sales functions and was a key member of the team that launched the NFL Network. Collins' career began at advertising agency DDB Needham. At the NFL, Collins negotiated billions of dollars of marketing and advertising deals, including a landmark, 10-year, $1.2 billion league-wide deal with Pepsi.
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