Leonard Armato

Sports and Entertainment Marketer and Entrepreneur

Leonard Armato is founder and CEO of Management Plus Enterprises (MPE) and a leader in developing, positioning, and building some of the biggest brands of the past generation.

He revolutionized athlete marketing by creating and building Shaquille O’Neal’s “Shaq” brand and the “Golden Boy” promotions brand for boxer Oscar De La Hoya. Armato was founder and commissioner of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, and created the FIVB World Championships of Beach Volleyball and the World Series of Beach Volleyball, the biggest sports/music/beach lifestyle event of its kind. Skechers became the world’s number two athletic footwear company the year after Armato joined the company as chief marketing officer, and both were featured in Advertising Ageas marketers of the year.

Armato’s love for technology inspired him to launch Digital Media Campus (DMC), the first incubator designed to grow digital sports and entertainment companies. Quincy Jones, Pamela Anderson, Shaq, and other entrepreneurs launched businesses there. In addition, Armato created the NBA Technology Summit with Adam Silver, now the league’s commissioner.

Armato regularly advises C-suite executives and is featured in ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary This Magic Moment and the HBO Shaq documentary. He lives in Manhattan Beach, California, with his wife, Holly McPeak, and has three children: Anthony, Elio, and Leonardo.