Sara Levinson

{{short description|American entrepreneur}} {{COI|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = | name = Sara Levinson | honorific_suffix = | image =  | landscape =  | alt =  | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | pronunciation = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|08|23}} | birth_place = Portsmouth, Virginia, United States | baptised =  | disappeared_date =  | disappeared_place = | disappeared_status = | death_date =  | death_place = | death_cause = | body_discovered = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates =  | burial_place =  | burial_coordinates =  | monuments = | other_names = | education = Cornell University<br>Columbia Business School | alma_mater = | occupation = Business executive<br>Entrepreneur | years_active = 1976-present | era = | employer = | organization = | agent =  | known_for = President, NFL Properties (1994-2000)<br>Co-President, MTV (1991-1994) | notable_works = | style = | height =  | television = | title =  | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | movement = | opponents = | boards = | criminal_charge =  | criminal_penalty = | criminal_status = | spouse = Charles Hairston | partner =  | children = Avery Hairston<br>Jason Hairston (stepson) | parents =  | mother =  | father =  | relatives = | family = | callsign = | awards = | website =  | module = | module2 = | module3 = | module4 = | module5 = | module6 = | signature = | signature_size = | signature_alt = | footnotes = }}

'''Sara Levinson''' (born 1950) is a former executive and American entrepreneur in the fields of entertainment, media, sports and technology. She was responsible for MTV's global expansion and orchestrated the NFL's outreach to women and kids.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Sellers|first=Patricia|date=2000-05-29|title=Ex-NFL Exec Becomes a Full-Time Mom DITCHING THE MACHO STUFF - May 29, 2000|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/05/29/280619/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202211633/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/05/29/280619/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 2, 2024|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Fortune}}</ref> She is co-founder of the tech startup Katapult and serves on the board of Harley Davidson and Macy's.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Macy's Inc. - Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/M/company-people/executive-profile/22838|access-date=2020-08-03|website=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

== Early life == Levinson was raised in Portsmouth, Virginia,<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Sell|first=Dave|date=1994-09-28|title=FROM MTV TO NFL: HOT PROPERTIES|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1994/09/28/from-mtv-to-nfl-hot-properties/9f8d40da-a0ce-4f23-8db3-210e6aade92a/|access-date=2020-08-03|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> where she graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=1967-05-06|title=Folk-Rock Musical Sounds To Fill Auditorium May 20|url=http://www.wwhsalumni.com/wwhs_student_May6_1967.html|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Woodrow Wilson High School Alumni}}</ref> She is the fourth of five children, born to Seymour "Sy" Levinson, a chemist, and Esther Levinson, a high-school history teacher.

In 1972, Levinson earned a Bachelor of Science from the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University.<ref name=":1" /> In 1976, she received a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.<ref name=":2" />

== Career == After graduating Columbia, Levinson worked as an Account Executive at Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), an advertising firm in New York City, from 1976 to 1978.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=A Fish Out of Water Learned to Swim with the Sharks|url=https://zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu/event/a-fish-out-of-water-learned-to-swim-with-the-sharks/|access-date=|website=Baruch College - Zicklin School of Business}}</ref>

=== Viacom (1978-1994) === Levinson worked for 16 years at Viacom across multiple divisions including Showtime, Viacom Cable, Viacom Corporate, and MTV Networks.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=1990-01-01|title=40 Under 40 - Sara Levinson|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/sara-levinson|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Crain's New York Business|language=en}}</ref>

==== Showtime Entertainment (1978-1980, 1984-1986) ==== Levinson initially joined Viacom in 1978 under its subsidiary, Showtime, a then two-year-old premium television network.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jensen|first=Jeff|date=1994-07-18|title=MTV EXEC TAKES THE FIELD FOR NFL UNIT|url=https://adage.com/article/news/mtv-exec-takes-field-nfl-unit/90923|access-date=2020-08-03|website=AdAge|language=en}}</ref> She first served as Showtime's Advertising and Promotion Manager before becoming Director of Marketing.

Levinson transitioned to Viacom Cable in 1980 and returned to Showtime four years later for a second stint as EVP of Business and Strategic Planning.

==== Viacom Cable (1980-1982) ==== In 1980, Levinson was recruited internally away from Showtime to become Director Marketing Corporate for Viacom Cable. In 1982, she briefly left Viacom to serve as VP of Marketing at GW Satellite Communications, a newly-formed cable network group, responsible for the marketing and distribution of various cable networks.

==== Viacom Corporate (1983-1984) ==== In 1983, Levinson was hired back to Viacom the following year as Director of Corporate Development where she pursued Viacom's expansion through acquisition of several television, radio, and cable properties, including MTV Networks.

==== MTV Networks (1986-1994) ==== In 1986, Levinson was hired as EVP of New Business Development for MTV Networks, where she orchestrated the strategy to further expand MTV Networks.<ref name=":3" />

In 1990, Levinson moved into a role as EVP MTV Business Director. She most notably oversaw MTV's global expansion, bringing the network to almost every continent and into publishing, merchandising, and licensing.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Conty|first=Melanie|date=Fall 1999|title=Belle of the Ball|url=https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/sites/articles/files/hermes-fall-1999.pdf|access-date=|website=Hermes - Columbia Business School}}</ref> She launched MTV in Asia, Japan, Brazil, Latin America, and Australia. She is credited with hastening the network's global development by pursuing agreements for a host of products and ancillary businesses, such as an MTV record club, a Nickelodeon production studio, and MTV's Spanish language program, ''MTV Internacional''.<ref name=":3" /> During this time, she was named to Crain's New York Business 40 Under 40.<ref name=":3" />

In 1993, Levinson was named Co-President of MTV.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1993-10-27|title=MTV Names Presidents|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/27/business/mtv-names-presidents.html|access-date=2020-08-03|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Under her management, MTV reached 239 million households in 63 countries, including 59 million in the United States.<ref name=":2" />

During her tenure, she served on the board of MTV Europe and Comedy Central's predecessor, The Comedy Channel.

=== NFL (1994-2000) === In 1994, Levinson left Viacom to run the NFL's marketing, licensing, and sponsorship arm, representing the league and all 32 teams.<ref name=":2" /> As President of NFL Properties, she became the first female president and highest ranking woman in major league sports.<ref name=":4" />

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue tasked Levinson with making football more youthful and "iconoclastic".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=|first=|date=1997-08-18|title=Tackling the Competition|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/08/18/tackling-the-competition|access-date=2020-08-03|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-us}}</ref> To this end, she is credited with expanding the league's marketing message, targeting women and children for the first time in League history.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=|first=|last2=|date=2019-09-02|title=100 people who grew the NFL's business|url=https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com:443/en/Journal/Issues/2019/09/02/People/100%20People.aspx|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Sports Business Daily|language=en}}</ref>

Levinson built the NFL's first marketing research departments and introduced development programs to expand the league's viewership among casual fans.<ref name=":4" /> In 1999, Levinson made the NFL an official national sponsor of the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, to further the league's appeal with its 68 million female viewers.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Poole|first=Mel|date=1999-03-01|title=NFL becomes national sponsor of 99-event Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure awareness and fund-raising program.|url=https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com:443/en/Journal/Issues/1999/03/01/No%20Topic%20Name/NFL%20Becomes%20National%20Sponsor%20Of%2099%20Event%20Susan%20B%20Komen%20Breast%20Cancer%20Foundation%20Race%20For%20The%20Cure.aspx|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Sports Business Daily|language=en}}</ref> Under Levinson's direction, the NFL started a network of flag-football leagues called Play Football and a girls-only division of Punt, Pass and Kick. As a result of her promotional efforts to women and kids, Advertising Age named the NFL the Promotional Marketer of the year.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=1996-03-04|title=PROMO MARKETER OF YEAR;: NFL;LEVINSON LEADS GRAYING LEAGUE IN COHESIVE PROGRAM TOWARD YOUTH|url=https://adage.com/article/news/promo-marketer-year-nfl-levinson-leads-graying-league-cohesive-program-youth/80023|access-date=2020-08-03|website=AdAge|language=en}}</ref>

During Levinson's tenure at the NFL, she led NFL properties to sign Nike to a five-year licensing deal valued at an estimated $200 million<ref>{{Cite news|date=1995-10-09|title=PRO FOOTBALL; Nike Signs N.F.L. Deal|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/09/sports/pro-football-nike-signs-nfl-deal.html|access-date=2020-08-03|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and secured other name-brand sponsors such as Visa and Motorola,<ref name=":4" /> pushing the division to over $3 billion in retail sales.<ref name=":2" />

As a result of her work in the league, Levinson was awarded the Advertising Age 1995 Promotional Marketer of the Year,<ref name=":6" /> Women In Sports and Entertainment (WISE) Woman of the Year Award 1995,<ref>{{Cite web|title=1995|url=https://www.wiseworks.org/1995|access-date=2020-08-03|website=WISE|language=en}}</ref> and The Sporting News' 100 Most Powerful People in Sports from 1996-98.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=1998-12-08|title=Rupert Murdoch Heads the Class as the Sporting News Names the 100 Most Powerful People in Sports|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1998-12-08/rupert-murdoch-heads-the-class-as-the-sporting-news-names-the-10|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Bloomberg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|last2=|date=1997-12-17|title=THE SPORTING NEWS "100 MOST POWERFUL" LIST|url=https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com:443/en/Daily/Issues/1997/12/17/Sports%20Industrialists/THE%20SPORTING%20NEWS%20100%20MOST%20POWERFUL%20LIST.aspx|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Sports Business Daily|language=en}}</ref>

=== Club Mom (Cafe Media) (2000-2002) === After 7 years, Levinson left the NFL to become CEO and Chairman of ClubMom (later named Café Media), a dot-com era e-commerce/marketing company for moms.<ref name=":0" />

Levinson stepped down in 2002, but remained on the board of directors until the company was sold to Zelnick Media in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roof|first=Katie|date=2018-05-31|title=Blogs Owner CafeMedia Acquired by Zelnick Media for Over $250 Million|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/blogs-owner-cafemedia-acquired-by-zelnick-media-for-over-250-million-1527766210|access-date=2020-08-03|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

=== Rodale (2002-2005) === As President of the Women's Publishing Group at Rodale,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lefton|first=Terry|date=2002-10-24|title=Former NFL Exec Joins Rodale Publishing Company As President|url=https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com:443/en/Daily/Issues/2002/10/24/Sports%20Industrialists/Former%20NFL%20Exec%20Joins%20Rodale%20Publishing%20Company%20As%20President.aspx|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Sports Business Daily|language=en}}</ref> Levinson oversaw some of the world's largest publishing brands in the health and wellness field, including ''Prevention Magazine'', ''Organic Gardening'', and ''South Beach Diet''.

== Board memberships == * 1996–Present - Harley-Davidson (first female board member) * 1997–Present - Macy's * 2013–Present - Katapult, Co-Founder * 2000-2018 - Cafe Media (previously Club Mom)

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levinson, Sara}} Category:1950 births Category:People from Portsmouth, Virginia Category:Cornell University alumni Category:Columbia Business School alumni Category:Woodrow Wilson High School (Portsmouth, Virginia) alumni Category:Living people

Sara Levinson

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