LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Talent agency Wasserman announced the hire of Marisela Rodriguez, who joins the company as Vice President, Brand Creation & Licensing and Todd Palmerton, who joins Team Wass as Vice President, Event Creation & Management.
Rodriguez will be based out of Wasserman’s Brooklyn office and take on oversight of Wasserman’s consumer product and brand licensing strategies. Before joining the talent agency, she served as Director of Hard Goods for Major League Baseball, overseeing the sports organization’s product line development, brand extensions and business strategy for all 30 teams.
Before MLB, she was Director of Toys & Games at Nickelodeon where she played a key role in developing licensing programs for the network’s high profile intellectual property such as Dora, SpongeBob, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
“Wasserman’s roster of athletes and artists is diverse, expansive, and rich with opportunities to creatively strategize in regard to consumer products on a global scale,” said Rodriguez. “My background in entertainment and consumer products is an organic fit and perfect match with the sports clients and music artists who are part of the Wasserman family. I’m thrilled to join Team Wass, and excited to get started.”
Palmerton, who will be based in San Francisco, will develop live events on behalf of Wasserman’s sports talent clients and music artists globally.
Palmerton joins Wasserman after a stint at Live Nation, where he served as Vice President of Business Development, expanding platforms and driving revenue from music festival streaming and providing input on international live distribution models.
Before Live Nation, he was Sr. Global Director of Live Music for beverage maker and lifestyle company Red Bull, where he developed global marketing campaigns, experiential event series, live broadcasts, content creation, and partnerships with complementary brands. Palmerton’s resume also includes tenures in artist management at Deckstar Management in Beverly Hills, and as a concert promoter and venue owner in San Francisco.
“I look forward to working hand in glove with my colleagues to bring sports and music together through innovative events that build commerce for our talent clients and raise awareness for Wasserman’s differentiating approach to the business,” said Palmerton. “Rarely do you find a company that puts its clients above everything, while maintaining values that celebrate progress and that rewards its employees for driving innovation and pushing culture forward.”
“Marisela and Todd expand and strengthen our industry-best service offerings to sports talent clients and music artists, each bringing decades of high-level experience and proven work in the sports, entertainment, and marketing spaces,” said Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Talent Jason Ranne.
“Marisela’s history of success with building and licensing brands will strengthen our ability to create these types of opportunities for our clients, and Todd’s extensive experience creating events with strong intellectual property value will help our clients create and own special live experiences to engage their fans,” added Senior Vice President, Operations, Music Joe Rosenberg.
Both Rodriguez and Palmerton officially started in their new roles at Wasserman last week.
