Brad Bauer Named GM of On-Campus NIL Department
9/15/2022 9:03:00 AM | General
EVANSTON, Illinois – Altius Sports Partners, the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) launch program for elite athletics departments has hired sports marketing executive Brad Bauer as full-time, on-campus General Manager of Northwestern's exclusive NIL program. Joining from Learfield, Bauer will lead overall NIL strategy and education, and development of NIL opportunities for more than 525 Wildcats student-athletes.
"As the Name, Image and Likeness landscape rapidly changes and expands, it is critical to build a staff that is attuned to those adjustments and can help our department evolve," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Dr. Derrick Gragg. "We're excited to welcome Brad in this new role, as his familiarity with Northwestern, the Chicagoland market and our student-athletes will prove to be tremendous assets in supporting our advancement."
The Altius GM program, which launched in July 2022 with six institutions participating and adding full-time, trained Altius personnel on campus, represents the future of centralizing NIL support services as a standalone vertical within athletics departments. This includes comprehensive education of all stakeholders, as well as a bespoke approach for each athletics department in directly sourcing NIL deals based on institutional risk tolerance and applicable rules.
Bauer's responsibilities will also entail oversight of ongoing engagement and NIL support for all university stakeholders. Additionally, Bauer will lead identification, facilitation, and implementation of athlete-centered NIL deals along with marketing, personal branding, and content creation strategies to support those opportunities.
"As the world of college athletics continues to evolve, our department's dedication to evolve with it continues to be a game changer in providing the elite support we want for our young women," said Northwestern head volleyball coach Shane Davis. "As one of only six schools in the country to have this position, it empowers any athlete in our program seeking to become more involved in branding development. They're on a big stage with the unmatched competitiveness and audience of Big Ten volleyball, so we are thankful to now have exceptional in-house guidance as we all navigate this new layer of NIL."
Bauer served four years as manager of business development at Northwestern Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holder for the university's athletics department. In that role, he connected brands with Wildcat Athletics and established integrated marketing programs to maximize opportunities for students, alumni and supporters. Previously, he was manager of corporate partnerships for the Windy City Bulls, the NBA G League team of the Chicago Bulls, where he engineered partnership programs for local businesses while collaborating with the Bulls to create assets for NBA partners. He also served in sales positions with the Chicago Fire of MLS and the Milwaukee Bucks.
"Brad has a passion for Northwestern athletics and an incredible understanding of the university and its athletes," said Brittney Whiteside, Altius vice president of collegiate partnerships. "Combine that with his deep roots in brand relationships at the professional and collegiate level and we could not be happier to have him join Altius in this groundbreaking program."
Bauer earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Culture from Indiana University and a Master of Arts in Sports Administration from Northwestern.
As the landscape shifts to schools increasing holistic support services for athletes in identifying and sourcing NIL deals, there are numerous benefits from having personnel recruited, vetted, hired, trained, and managed by Altius on campus, in collaboration with institutional partners. Altius personnel offer the benefit of understanding the national landscape and reducing liability for school involvement as Altius can leverage its unrivaled experience in licensing, sponsorship, agents, employment, labor, collective bargaining, Title IX, and other impending issues.
"Soccer is a global sport with great appeal to so many audiences," added Wildats Head Women's Soccer Coach Michael Moynihan. "Our players will benefit from assistance and expertise in connecting to those groups. This service is a great advantage and allows our student-athletes to be on the cutting edge of new territory within college athletics."
Those interested in connecting with Wildcat student-athletes on NIL opportunities may complete the ICON Interest Form or contact Brad Bauer at Brad.Bauer@altiussp.com
###
About Altius Sports Partners
Altius is a leading NIL launch platform and external innovation department that delivers consulting, strategic planning, compliance support and education to its clients. An official partner of premier collegiate athletic departments and sports properties, Altius provides strategic solutions on topics ranging from NIL to the shifting landscape of employment and media rights within college athletics. Altius currently represents athletics departments at Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Georgetown, Indiana, Kansas, LSU, Marquette, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Northwestern, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, USC, Tennessee, Texas, Villanova, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Altius has also partnered with Women Leaders in College Sports. Providing all stakeholders – athletics departments, coaches, and college athletes – with resources they need to thrive in the new age of college athletics, Altius leverages its deep reservoir of sports business sophistication to help those impacted to prepare and excel. It has built a team of cross-disciplinary leaders to reach higher levels of education, higher access to opportunities and higher standards of excellence.
"As the Name, Image and Likeness landscape rapidly changes and expands, it is critical to build a staff that is attuned to those adjustments and can help our department evolve," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Dr. Derrick Gragg. "We're excited to welcome Brad in this new role, as his familiarity with Northwestern, the Chicagoland market and our student-athletes will prove to be tremendous assets in supporting our advancement."
The Altius GM program, which launched in July 2022 with six institutions participating and adding full-time, trained Altius personnel on campus, represents the future of centralizing NIL support services as a standalone vertical within athletics departments. This includes comprehensive education of all stakeholders, as well as a bespoke approach for each athletics department in directly sourcing NIL deals based on institutional risk tolerance and applicable rules.
Bauer's responsibilities will also entail oversight of ongoing engagement and NIL support for all university stakeholders. Additionally, Bauer will lead identification, facilitation, and implementation of athlete-centered NIL deals along with marketing, personal branding, and content creation strategies to support those opportunities.
"As the world of college athletics continues to evolve, our department's dedication to evolve with it continues to be a game changer in providing the elite support we want for our young women," said Northwestern head volleyball coach Shane Davis. "As one of only six schools in the country to have this position, it empowers any athlete in our program seeking to become more involved in branding development. They're on a big stage with the unmatched competitiveness and audience of Big Ten volleyball, so we are thankful to now have exceptional in-house guidance as we all navigate this new layer of NIL."
Bauer served four years as manager of business development at Northwestern Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holder for the university's athletics department. In that role, he connected brands with Wildcat Athletics and established integrated marketing programs to maximize opportunities for students, alumni and supporters. Previously, he was manager of corporate partnerships for the Windy City Bulls, the NBA G League team of the Chicago Bulls, where he engineered partnership programs for local businesses while collaborating with the Bulls to create assets for NBA partners. He also served in sales positions with the Chicago Fire of MLS and the Milwaukee Bucks.
"Brad has a passion for Northwestern athletics and an incredible understanding of the university and its athletes," said Brittney Whiteside, Altius vice president of collegiate partnerships. "Combine that with his deep roots in brand relationships at the professional and collegiate level and we could not be happier to have him join Altius in this groundbreaking program."
Bauer earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Culture from Indiana University and a Master of Arts in Sports Administration from Northwestern.
As the landscape shifts to schools increasing holistic support services for athletes in identifying and sourcing NIL deals, there are numerous benefits from having personnel recruited, vetted, hired, trained, and managed by Altius on campus, in collaboration with institutional partners. Altius personnel offer the benefit of understanding the national landscape and reducing liability for school involvement as Altius can leverage its unrivaled experience in licensing, sponsorship, agents, employment, labor, collective bargaining, Title IX, and other impending issues.
"Soccer is a global sport with great appeal to so many audiences," added Wildats Head Women's Soccer Coach Michael Moynihan. "Our players will benefit from assistance and expertise in connecting to those groups. This service is a great advantage and allows our student-athletes to be on the cutting edge of new territory within college athletics."
Those interested in connecting with Wildcat student-athletes on NIL opportunities may complete the ICON Interest Form or contact Brad Bauer at Brad.Bauer@altiussp.com
###
About Altius Sports Partners
Altius is a leading NIL launch platform and external innovation department that delivers consulting, strategic planning, compliance support and education to its clients. An official partner of premier collegiate athletic departments and sports properties, Altius provides strategic solutions on topics ranging from NIL to the shifting landscape of employment and media rights within college athletics. Altius currently represents athletics departments at Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Georgetown, Indiana, Kansas, LSU, Marquette, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Northwestern, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, USC, Tennessee, Texas, Villanova, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Altius has also partnered with Women Leaders in College Sports. Providing all stakeholders – athletics departments, coaches, and college athletes – with resources they need to thrive in the new age of college athletics, Altius leverages its deep reservoir of sports business sophistication to help those impacted to prepare and excel. It has built a team of cross-disciplinary leaders to reach higher levels of education, higher access to opportunities and higher standards of excellence.
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