Elevate Communications (www.elevatecom.com) today announced the appointment of Terry Lyons to the position of senior vice president and managing director, global communications. In this newly created role, he will report directly to Elevate founding Principals John Gates and Keith Gainsboro.
Lyons, a 26-year industry veteran and leading innovator in international sports marketing communications, has joined the firm after serving as Vice President of International Communications for the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Lyons will direct Elevate’s agency operations and work with the firm’s seasoned public relations leadership to fuel the national and global growth of its burgeoning sports marketing communications practice. He will be responsible for driving program innovation, establishing new expertise and thought leadership, identifying and nurturing talent and providing counsel to the agency’s clients.
Lyons joins Elevate after a 26-year career at the NBA where he was part of the league’s remarkable growth from a small organization to one of the most recognized brands in the world with offices spanning the globe. He served in a number of senior leadership positions in the NBA’s communications department, first helping to grow and expand awareness for the NBA brand domestically then leading its international public relations efforts to support the league’s global sports and business initiatives.
“Terry has built an impressive reputation as a creative thinker who has the ability to drive brand awareness into uncharted territory across the globe,” said Elevate Principal Keith Gainsboro. “His track record for building new capabilities, extending awareness of one of the world’s most admired brands and working in the international arena will be a tremendous asset to our clients as we look to enhance our global leadership in this core practice area. His breadth of experience, relationships and reputation in the sports marketing industry are unparalleled.”
“Over the course of his 26-year career, Terry has helped make the NBA’s communications group one of the finest and most respected in all of sports - working to grow it from a small sports information shop to a full-service, multi-disciplinary global communications organization with business relationships on every continent,” said Elevate Principal John Gates. “We are excited to have him as part of our senior leadership team as we continue to add new capabilities and services to address our clients’ growing national and international communications needs.”
During his tenure with the NBA, Lyons gained expertise in a wide range of communications functions – from marketing to television production. In his most recent role as Vice President of International Communications, Lyons was responsible for all of the league’s communications efforts outside of the United States.
Lyons was instrumental in the effort to integrate NBA players into the Olympic movement prior to 1992. Those efforts helped propel the NBA onto the global stage at an exponential rate: most recently, NBA players represented eight of the 12 counties in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens and 15 of the 24 countries in the 2006 World Championship in Japan.
Lyons served in a communications role with USA Basketball, while working in a senior management capacity for the NBA at the Olympics Games held in 1992 (Barcelona); 1996 (Atlanta); 2000 (Sydney) and 2004 (Athens). He worked in similar roles for USA Basketball and the NBA at FIBA World Championships in 1994 (Toronto); 2002 (Indianapolis) and 2006 (Sapporo & Saitama/Tokyo). From 1992 to 2007, He served as a liaison to the United States Olympic Committee and FIBA, the international governing body for basketball.
"I believe that Elevate Communications is the perfect fit for my skills," said Lyons. "Elevate is poised for long-term growth, and I look forward to drawing upon my knowledge and experience in the national and international media markets to better serve our clients."
Throughout his career, Lyons helped launch NBA.com, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA TV and the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). In addition, he managed broadcast and public relations relationships with ABC/ESPN, NBC Sports, CBS, CNN and Turner Sports. In 1986, he created and organized NBA Photos to assist NBA Entertainment in chronicling photographically the league’s growth and history.
Lyons began his career in sports management in 1981 as an NBA public relations intern while a student at St. John’s University. He was Director of Media Relations from 1989 to 1993 before being promoted to Vice President and concentrating his efforts on the NBA’s international growth. He also played a role in the NBA’s many community service initiatives, including “Don’t Foul Out,” “Stay in School,” “NBA Cares,” “USA Basketball’s Hoops for Troops” and “Basketball without Borders,” the league’s premier basketball and community outreach initiative on four continents.
“Terry had a myriad of career options after leaving professional basketball and we are excited that he chose to join the Elevate team,” said Gates. “His role in helping to build the NBA brand into one of the world’s most highly regarded sports and entertainment properties makes him an ideal fit for us.”
About Elevate Communications
Founded in 2003, Elevate Communications (www.elevatecom.com) is a full-service public relations agency that provides strategic public relations counsel and results-driven marketing communications programs for some of the region’s most renowned brands. Elevate clients include Atlantic Associates Inc., (AAI), the Boston Celtics, Fenway Sports Group, The Head Of The Charles Regatta, The Deutsche Bank Championship, Whaleback Systems, the Lyons Group, Champions Cup Boston, Hot Stove, Cool Music and Theo and Paul Epstein’s Foundation to be Named Later.