ABOUT
With over 18 years of experience, Ken Whelan began his career in the sports industry with the Los Angeles Lakers working in the corporate partnerships department. During his tenure within that department, Ken serviced several blue-chip accounts including Sony Playstation, Nestle, Southwest Airlines, Verizon Wireless, etc. During his first 6 years with the Lakers, Ken was part of three NBA championships (1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02). Ken transitioned to the agency side of the business to work for Wasserman Media Group where he spearheaded the activation of T-Mobile's Summer X-Games sponsorship and where he also negotiated and managed the athlete endorsement partnerships (on behalf of T-Mobile) for athletes including Shaun White and Gretchen Bleiler. Ken also worked in corporate partnership sales for Mosaic Sports Management where he worked to increase revenue for the roster of athletes represented by Mosaic. After several years on the agency side, Ken eventually returned to the Lakers organization for two more seasons to head the business operations for their newly acquired NBA Development League affiliate team (the LA D-Fenders). Ken then made the move to the non-profit sector to drive corporate partnership revenue for the LA Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2012 Ken began consulting for IMG (Action Sports division) where he spearheaded the sponsorship sales for their portfolio of event properties including the Vans US Open of Surfing, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, Formula DRIFT, etc. Ken's roster of consulting clients includes professional athletes, event production agencies, content production companies, and non-profit organizations.
The consummate connector in the sports industry, Ken often advises and counsels industry executives on their career paths and "off court" passions. He also lends his expertise to LA based non-profits. Ken and his dog live in Manhattan Beach and during his free time he enjoys playing beach volleyball, stand up paddle boarding, body-surfing, attending sporting events, concerts and working out. Ken's dog is also a certified Therapy Dog and together they've done numerous hours of volunteer work at assisted living homes throughout Southern California.