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Fanatics hires new CEO for collectibles division
Fanatics has hired former Dick Clark Productions CEO Mike Mahan to lead Fanatics Collectibles, including the Topps brand and Candy Digital NFTs.
Mahan was previously an investment banker for Bear Stearns before joining Dick Clark Productions, which produces such TV events as the Golden Globe Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. Since 2020, he has been with working in private equity. A graduate of UCLA, he has been an investor in several media, sports, gaming, and consumer properties, including the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A affiliate of the LA Dodgers), Axiomatic’s Team Liquid, Next VR and Aviation Gin.
Fanatics, the nation’s largest sports apparel and merchandise company, acquired the licensing rights last year to produce trading cards for MLB, NFL and the NBA. It later purchased Topps for $350 million.
Fanatics Collectibles also owns Candy Digital, which produces NFT digital collectibles for MLB, and zerocool, a trading card brand focused on pop culture, art and entertainment.
“Our collectibles business has seen tremendous growth since launching last year, and we couldn’t be more confident in bringing Mike on board to shape the bright future of this division and its alignment within our larger Fanatics digital sports platform,” Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin said in a statement.
“As a collector and passionate sports fan, Mike’s vision for both the trading cards hobby and emerging digital collectibles properties, driven by exceptional products, will further position Fanatics as a leader in these categories, creating incredible opportunities for fans, collectors, hobby shops, retailers and our partners.”
In his new role, Mahan will develop the overall vision and corporate strategy for Fanatics Collectibles and oversee its full portfolio of physical and digital collectibles brands,
He also will be tasked with executing the global, exclusive rights and future rights for Fanatics Collectibles, including preeminent players associations, sports leagues, professional and college teams, top student-athletes, brands and entertainment properties.
A long-time collector, he will report directly to Rubin.
“I could not think of a more perfect next step in my career than to lead the incredibly talented teams within Fanatics Collectibles, where I’ll have the opportunity to combine my entrepreneurial passions that lie within sports, marketing and content creation with my love for trading cards and collectibles at large,” Mahan said in a statement. “The worlds of trading cards and digital collectibles have been forever reshaped over the past several years, and these new assets and the connections they create have the ability to bring fans and collectors closer than ever before to the players, teams and entertainers they love.”
