After 15 years devoting his professional life to cultivating relationships with the biggest national advertisers on behalf of CBS, Rich Calacci took the plunge and joined online startup BleacherReport.com… and is loving every minute!
Calacci began his career in ’93 as the Director of Marketing for the Mobil Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas and joined InterSport Television in Chicago the following year. A position with MLB moved him to NY in ’95 and was then hired by CBS Television in March ’96 as a Sports Account Executive.
Calacci was promoted in August of 2000 to the position of Vice President, Midwest Sales and relocated to Chicago. After a two and a half year term, he rejoined the New York sales team to assume the role of VP, Primetime Sales, a position he held from 2003 – 2007.
In 2007, Calacci was promoted to Senior Vice President, CBS Interactive where he was able to combine his passion for sports with his interest in emerging media. Under his management, CBSSports.com enjoyed record sales, despite the challenges of a fiercely competitive marketplace.
In June of 2011, Calacci joined forces with industry veteran Brian Grey (Fox Sports ) and holds the title of Chief Revenue Officer. Bleacher Report is the fastest growing independently owned sports site on the web, and advertisers are quickly taking notice. In just six months, B/R has doubled both the size of its sales force and their net billings.
On August 6, 2012, Bleacher Report was successfully acquired by Time Warner’s Turner Sports division. This marks the beginning of a new era for Bleacher Report, and an exciting new challenge for Calacci as SVP, Turner Digital Ad Sales.
Calacci is a 1991 graduate of Wabash College and an All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-American selection in football. He serves as an active member of its Board of Trustees.
Calacci, and his wife Katie Calacci, have two children, Katherine Mae (7) and Christopher William (4) and reside in New York City.
