ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen, the Author of “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN,” To Deliver Keynote Address At 2011 Kellogg Marketing Conference

Philadelphia, PA – January 18, 2011 – Bill Rasmussen, the legendary entrepreneur who founded ESPN and the author of “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN,” will deliver the keynote address at the 2011 Kellogg Marketing Conference at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, in the Donald P. Jacobs Center in Evanston, Illinois.

Rasmussen, who will speak at approximately 9:15 a.m. Central Time, joins a prestigious group of business leaders at the 2011 Kellogg Marketing Conference, including David Webster, Chief Strategy Officer of Marketing for Microsoft; Sona Chawla, Senior Vice President of E-Commerce for Walgreens; Josh Epstein, Senior Vice President of Ad Sales & Strategy for MTV Networks, Mike Brennan, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Customer Service for Peapod; Mark-Hans Richer, Chief Marketing Officer for Harley Davidson; Sheryl Connelly, Global Consumer Trends and Futuring Manager for Ford Motor Co., and Isabelle Ortiz-Coche, Chief Marketing Officer for Bel Brands.

On September 7, 1979, ESPN went on the air for the first time. Entrepreneurial daring, irrepressible enthusiasm and a dash of good luck gave the world the first 24-hour television network. Once unleashed upon sports fans, ESPN’s impact forever changed the way we watch television. Rasmussen is the man who had the dream, the founder of ESPN. A life-long entrepreneur and sports fan, Rasmussen’s innovations in advertising, sports and broadcasting are numerous and include the creation of “Sports Center,” wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular-season and “March Madness” college basketball, and coverage of the NFL Draft. He broke the advertising barrier to cable television by signing Anheuser Busch to the largest cable TV advertising contract ever.

Rasmussen’s inside account of how ESPN came to be, “Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN” is available at ESPN Founder.com, Amazon.com and at bookstores everywhere.

A gifted raconteur and a popular public speaker discussing American entrepreneurship, innovation, and the birth of ESPN, Rasmussen is also a frequent guest on radio and television shows, including recent appearances on the nationally-syndicated radio shows “Sports Byline USA with Ron Barr” and “The Dennis Miller Show.” He is scheduled to be a guest on an upcoming episode of the syndicated cable television interview show, “It’s Your Call with Lynn Doyle,” and will be profiled in an upcoming issue of SUCCESS Magazine as well as an upcoming issue of The Sports Business Journal.

In October, 2010, Rasmussen delivered the keynote at the 17th annual CEO Forum at the University of Saint Francis (Fort Wayne, Ind.). He also was guest of honor for an “Evening with ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen” at the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. Rasmussen delivered the keynote address at the 2010 Maastricht Institute of Entrepreneurship at Missouri Valley College (Marshall, Missouri) in April, 2010. In August, 2009, he delivered the keynote at the Centennial Celebration of Lambda Chi Alpha in Indianapolis,

Rasmussen’s recent speaking tour has also included engagements at Bay Path College, Princeton University, Quinnipiac University’s School of Law, the University of Florida School of Law, Azusa Pacific University, Lindenwood University, Saint Xavier University, Indiana Tech, and The Center for Sports Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University, among others.

Rasmussen will be in Philadelphia Wednesday, February 2nd to speak at a business breakfast and book signing sponsored by the Philadelphia Business Journal, the Sporting News and First Financial Group. On Thursday, Feb. 10th, Philadelphia’s Center City Proprietors Association and the law firm Zarwin, Baum, DeVito, Kaplan, Schaer & Toddy, P.C. will host "An Evening with ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen."

On March 30th, Rasmussen will be honored as one of the 2011 class of The Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business, an award from the Sports Business Journal and the Sports Business Daily recognizing the architects and builders of sports, during a special ceremony at the IMG World Congress of Sports in Miami.

Additional information about Rasmussen, including his upcoming schedule of speaking engagements and information on how to purchase copies of his books, is available at http://www.ESPNFounder.com.

Media Contact:
Jim DeLorenzo
Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations
Phone: 215-564-1122
E-mail: jim@jhdenterprises.com