NEW YORK, N.Y., Feb. 22, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE:MSG) today announced that long-time senior executive Joel Fisher has been promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president of Marquee Events and Operations. The new position will allow Mr. Fisher to take a larger role in spearheading high profile, special initiatives, while continuing to oversee the company’s prominent college basketball and boxing events, as well as other live sporting events such as bull riding, wrestling, and tennis.
“Joel has played a critical role in some of the largest and most well-known events and initiatives Madison Square Garden has undertaken in recent years – from our three-year Transformation, to the NBA All-Star event and the Pope’s historic visit,” said Mr. David O’Connor, president and chief executive officer, The Madison Square Garden Company. “This new role allows Joel to focus on future undertakings that will help define MSG as an industry leader, while continuing to utilize his expertise to manage and build on our outstanding tradition of delivering live world-class sporting events.”
In his new role, Mr. Fisher will play a lead role in helping to secure and execute significant initiatives and events across the company. In addition, he will continue his oversight of the company’s sporting events, including two of the Garden’s oldest franchises – college basketball and boxing, utilizing his key relationships to ensure that the company continues to attract the very best in live sports.
“I’ve been honored to be a part of The Madison Square Garden Company for more than 30 years, and over that time I have had the privilege to be involved with some of the most unforgettable and moving events in modern Garden history,” said Mr. Fisher. “My new role really formalizes what I’ve been doing for the last several years, enabling me to focus on important, once-in-a-lifetime events and initiatives that continue to build on MSG’s celebrated legacy.”
Mr. Fisher first joined MSG in 1984, and held a number of positions over his more than three decades with the company. He most recently served as executive vice president of Sports Properties, where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the department and all business operations for the Westchester Knicks, MSG’s NBA D-league team which was acquired in March 2014. The company’s Sports Properties includes all live sporting events outside of MSG’s teams such as college basketball, hockey and wrestling, boxing and tennis.
Over his tenure Mr. Fisher has played a vital role on numerous MSG special company projects. In addition to overseeing the historic three-year Transformation of the Madison Square Garden Arena, and the celebrated visit of His Holiness Pope Francis in 2015, he brought back the NCAA East Regional in 2014, which marked the first time the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament played Madison Square Garden in more than 50 years. He also oversaw the NBA and the WNBA All-Star Games, including the first NBA All-Star Game played in the transformed arena in 2015 and the inaugural WNBA All-Star Game played in 1999, as well as the NBA and NFL Entry Drafts; the 39th Annual Grammy Awards in 1997 and the 45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003. Mr. Fisher also supervised the 2004 Republican National Convention.
Mr. Fisher serves on the boards of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, which works closely with MSG on brightening the lives of children facing obstacles, and Big Apple Basketball Inc., which is dedicated to assisting young people in attaining their educational and professional goals. He also serves on the Executive Committee Board for NYC & Company and the 34th Street Partnership.
About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live sports and entertainment with a portfolio of legendary sports teams, exclusive entertainment productions and celebrated venues. MSG Sports owns and operates some of the most widely recognized sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA), along with two development league teams - the Westchester Knicks (NBADL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also presents a broad array of world-class sporting events, including: professional boxing, college basketball, tennis, bull riding and e-gaming events. MSG Entertainment features exclusive, original productions that include the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the Rockettes New York Spectacular, both starring the Rockettes, and presents or hosts a wide variety of live entertainment offerings, including concerts, family shows and special events, in the Company’s diverse collection of iconic venues. These venues are: New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, California; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
Contacts:
Dan Schoenberg / 212-465-6367 / Dan.Schoenberg@msg.com
Larry Torres / 212-631-5178 / Larry.Torres@msg.com
