Burns specializes in a variety of celebrity services including, but not limited to, celebrity public relations (PR), celebrity advertising, celebrity appearances and celebrity hire for many occasions. Our staff is composed of people experienced in celebrity relations, advertising and appearances as well as celebrity brokering, marketing and celebrity hiring. Below are the biographies of our staff, feel free to look at the experience we offer our clients.
Bob Williams, CEO & COO
A graduate of Northwestern University majoring in Communication Studies, Bob worked in public relations representing consumer product companies. In 1993, Bob became President of Burns Sports Celebrity Service, Inc., the industry expert, overseeing the company and its operations. Today, Bob is recognized as an expert on the endorsement value of celebrity contracts. He has negotiated many endorsement contracts and speaking engagements including Peyton Manning, Colin Powell, Muhammad Ali and many others.
Doug Shabelman, President
A magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications, Doug received his Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and is fully licensed to practice law in Illinois. Formerly a talent agent, Doug heads Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, endorsement division and is responsible for matching advertising agencies and corporations with sports and entertainment celebrities for endorsement roles for television, print and radio.
Marc Ippolito, President/General Counsel
A magna cum laude graduate from Lehigh University with a BA in history, Marc received his Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and is fully licensed to practice law in Illinois. Marc heads Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, public relations division, contracting entertainment/sports, celebrities and industry experts with their talent agent for spokesperson campaigns, product launches, and media events. He also leads the personal appearance division in matching celebrities, athletes, bands and comedians for public and private events. Marc has negotiated contracts with such celebrities as Joe Montana, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Paula Abdul, Carmen Electra, Paris Hilton, John Elway, Magic Johnson, Ashley Tisdale, Tracy Morgan, and Kelly Rowland for such Fortune 500 corporations and top PR firms as Novartis, Unilever, Miller Brewing Company, P&G, Weber Shandwick, Golin-Harris, Burson-Marsteller, Cramer-Krasselt, Dig, Chamberlain and many others.
Lori Nelson, Senior VP, Entertainment & Music
A graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in Business Administration and a M.S. in Sport Management from Northern Illinois University, Lori interacts with many talent agents as the head of the Music Licensing Department for Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert. She has negotiated music by such artists as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Shakira, Wilco, amongst many others and also works in the endorsement division where she represents major corporations and agencies such as Arnold Worldwide, The Kaplan Thaler Group, Publicis, JWT and Unilever in negotiating celebrity talent for their advertising campaigns.
Keith Gelman, VP, Corporate Relations
A graduate of University of Kansas, Keith has been the Vice President of Corporate Relations for Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, since 2007. He is responsible for consulting with brand marketing teams, procurement and strategic sourcing departments to review their current process when buying celebrity talent/music, sponsorships and brand buzz opportunities. Keith's role is to educate companies on the value of working with Burns, specifically how we add efficiencies and cost savings to the talent/sponsorship process. Prior to joining Burns, Keith was the owner of KG-America where he worked as a Chicago-based marketing consultant. He worked with All-Star athletes in the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC to help develop their brand identity through sponsorship, endorsement and publicity. At KG-America, Keith also worked on public relations and event marketing campaigns for a variety of clients ranging from personal care products to electronics. Keith is also fluent in Spanish and assists with Hispanic-focused global initiatives for our clients at Burns.
Mike Newquist, VP, Corporate Relations
Mike joined Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc, the industry expert, after most recently serving as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at the Sears Centre Arena. Previously Mike spent 8 years in the National Football League with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (including their Super Bowl winning year) where he had oversight of all business operations including Sponsorships, Sales, Marketing, Public Relations, and Special Events. He is responsible for consulting with National & Global brand marketing teams, procurement and strategic sourcing departments in securing celebrity talent, sponsorships, and music licensing. Mike is a graduate of Lake Forest College with a BA in Business Administration.
Tanya Shaye Silverstein, Director of Entertainment Partnerships
A graduate of Oakland University with a BS in Marketing, Tanya is the head of Entertainment Partnerships at Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, working with celebrity seeding, film, television and entertainment partnerships. Tanya also works with numerous clients on talent negotiations and endorsements. Prior to joining Burns she worked with numerous luxury, consumer packaged goods and healthcare brands to advise and implement entertainment programs. Tanya has managed relationships for spokespeople as part of media relations and advertising programs with such talent as Cindy Crawford, Jaclyn Smith, Shania Twain, Camp Freddy, Big & Rich, Tony Hawk, Haylie Duff, Usher, Sean Combs, Doris Roberts, Diahann Carroll, Criss Angel, Chandra Wilson, as well as experts such as Bobbie Thomas, Guy Fieri, Sandra Lee, Katie Brown, Mo Rocca, Tyler Florence and more.
Brandon Gayler, Director
Brandon joined Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, after working as a corporate marketing and business development consultant for the Halsted Alliance. He works in the public relations and personal appearance division matching public relations agencies and corporations with entertainment & sports celebrities as well as industry experts and their talent agents. Brandon interned at Burns and graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in Communications.
Melissa Layton, Director
Having formerly worked for two notable PR agencies, Melissa joined Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, in January 2010 in the public relations and personal appearance division. Her strong background in and knowledge of media relations and campaign strategy/planning aid in assisting clients with the execution of talent agreements for spokesperson campaigns, product launches and media events. Melissa is a former collegiate athlete and graduate of Central Missouri State University with a B.S. in Public Relations and Communications.
Alison Stoneking, Senior Account Executive
After studying Political Science at Purdue University, Alison made the move to Chicago in hopes of pursuing a career in marketing and advertising. There, she graduated from Columbia College, earning a B.A. in Marketing with a concentration in Advertising. Prior to being hired by Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, Alison completed an internship with Burns while earning her degree at Columbia. Alison is now part of the endorsement division and is responsible for matching advertising agencies and corporations with sports and entertainment celebrities for endorsement roles for television, print and radio.
Margo Sarlo, Client Relations Manager - Campus Events
Margo joined Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, in 2008. She is responsible for securing sports speakers, motivational speakers and professional speakers for events and meetings for colleges, universities, non- profit organizations, associations and corporations. Her role at Burns is to represent colleges and universities, corporations and non-profits when booking celebrities and athletes for speaking engagements. Margo previously interned with Burns’ Speakers Division while earning her Bachelor of Science in Event Management from the University of Florida.
Lisa Streitmatter, Office Manager & Executive Assistant/Speakers Division
Lisa joined Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, in September 2009. Lisa manages the office and human resources. She leads the intern program while serving as liaison between Burns and its company vendors. She is the contact person for new business inquiries as well as new employees. Her responsibilities also include speaker sales and research for events and meetings for non-profit organizations, associations and corporations. Lisa develops relationships with potential non-profit organizations, associations and corporations by recognizing their speaker needs and requirements. Lisa comes to Burns with a variety of Executive Assistant & Office Manager experience in both private industry and non-profit organizations.
Michelle Harness, Administrator
Michelle joined Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc., the industry expert, in June 2008. She previously worked as an Office Manager for a local Event Production company. Michelle handles the company’s accounting and other various administrative tasks. Michelle graduated with a BS from Western Illinois University and a MA from Roosevelt University.