Michelle Bella is vice president, sports marketing for ESPN. In this role, she leads, develops and manages all aspects of consumer marketing for a portfolio of live sports properties that includes MLB, Formula One, PGA, The Masters, Boxing, all domestic and international soccer leagues such as UEFA’s EURO and Nations League, MLS, Bundesliga, Serie A, and others. Additionally, Bella oversees marketing strategy for the US Hispanic business initiatives, including ESPN Deportes, one of the leading Spanish-language sports cable networks as well as International Marketing, to expand ESPN’s brand reach to US Hispanic and international audiences and sports fans.

Prior to her current role, Bella served as vice president, sales and consumer marketing for ESPN Deportes, winning several industry awards for creative excellence in engaging with today’s US Hispanic fans and sponsor brands.

Bella is a media industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, setting strategy and steering marketing teams across multiple platforms within top media companies. She started her career in media at Communications Equity Associates, a cable TV brokerage firm in New York. Moving to the distribution side of the business, she joined Century Communications, a multiple-system operator serving 65 DMAs as Director of Public Affairs, where she oversaw cause-marketing campaigns to grow subscribers, winning several industry awards for excellence in marketing and public affairs.

Bella transitioned into broadcast television at Univision as vice president, affiliate marketing and was assigned to market and gain distribution for Univision’s broadcast, cable and digital networks. She then joined NBC Universal’s Telemundo Network in Miami as senior vice president, consumer marketing where she ran marketing strategy, creative and media for Telemundo and Mun2.

Bella returned to New York City as vice president, sales marketing for NBC Universal Hispanic Media Group where she developed creative and innovative multiplatform opportunities for advertising partners, as well as oversee the annual Upfronts and all B2B marketing.

Bella is a graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and Dartmouth’s Executive Leadership Institute through WISE (Women in Sports and Entertainment), a program for the advancement of female executive in the sports industry. She is a mentor inside ESPN’s Power of Women initiative and a member of The Walt Disney Company’s Multicultural Women’s Network. Bella is also actively involved in ESPN’s Business and Employee Resource Group as a New York-based champion for all nine ERGs.

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