Management Team
Gene Pizzolato, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer
As executive vice president, sales, marketing & business development, Gene Pizzolato is responsible for all sponsorship areas across all GOLF CHANNEL revenue lines, including endemic and non-endemic advertisers, online and new media, and grassroots efforts (Mutual of Omaha Drive, Chip & Putt presented by the GOLF CHANNEL and The Viewers Cup). He has been instrumental in the double-digit growth of GOLF CHANNEL through a strategic focus on brand partnerships, involving the Network's programming and production areas. He manages further growth through his leadership in the areas of marketing, promotions, public relations and events. As one of the first employees hired by the GOLF CHANNEL in 1994, Pizzolato played a critical role in the launch of the Network and led its repositioning efforts from a pay service to basic cable. He left his position of senior vice president of sales and marketing in 1996 to lead business development for NBC's division of owned-and-operated networks. As a senior vice president of sales and marketing, he focused on the Olympics and other sports programming. He returned to the GOLF CHANNEL in 2002 as senior vice president, non-endemic sponsorships. Originally from Old Greenwich, Conn., Pizzolato earned a bachelor's degree in 1981 from the State University of New York, Oswego. He is married with two children.
Shannon O'Neill, General Manager, New Media Group
As senior vice president of new media and business development, O'Neill investigates and secures new business partnerships for the Network, with a special focus on new media space. O'Neill joins the GOLF CHANNEL after working for Comcast as the vice president of their Emerging Networks Group, where he was responsible for developing and launching new cable networks. O'Neill was a key member of the team that created FEARnet video on demand, while also working closely with Comcast's online network, and developing the mobile strategy for the brand. Before joining Comcast, O'Neill co-founded a startup venture that developed a proprietary system for capturing, filtering, and tagging financial information on the Web. O'Neill has also worked for Ernst & Young, and is a graduate of the University of Delaware.
Jeff Foster, Senior Vice President of New Media Sales
As senior vice president of new media sales, Foster is responsible for driving revenue across all silo's in the new media space. He manages the Network's new tee time business, GOLF CHANNEL Amateur Tour operations, digital sales and an emerging travel business. Foster joined GOLF CHANNEL in 1997 and previously held the titles of national sales manager and vice president of digital sales, travel and events. A native of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., he earned a bachelor's degree in advertising from Augusta University. Foster, his wife and three children live in College Park, Fla.
Brian Kemp, National Sales Manager Tee Times
Brian Kemp currently serves as national sales manager where he provides savvy e-marketing solutions to clients, growing their revenue. Since he joined the GOLF CHANNEL team in November 2006, Kemp has worked as director of events, and national sales manager to the golf industry. Before joining the Golf Channel team, Kemp worked as tournament director for with the PGA TOUR, where he managed premiere events including: Presidents Cup, Players Championship and Tour Championship. He ran championship tours in Oklahoma City, Grand Rapids, Michigan and Myrtle Beach. Most recently, Kemp spent two years working as tournament director for the Commerce Bank Championship in Long Island. Over the past 15 years, Kemp has worked more than 30 professional golf tournaments. Kemp graduated from the University of Florida in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in sports administration. He currently lives in Orlando, FL with his wife and children. Kemp continues to compete in amateur golf tournaments in the Central Florida area.
