Curtis Friends

Curtis Friends is the Sr. Director of Live Sports Marketing at ESPN. In his role, he oversees the Marketing efforts for NFL, College Football, ACC Network, SEC Network, Men’s College Basketball, NBA, NHL, and Combat Sports including UFC and Top Rank Boxing. This includes developing campaigns that authentically connect with all types of sports fans, driving consumption of the sport and events, and maintaining marketing relationships with the Leagues and Conferences. Prior to his role with ESPN, Curtis was a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble leading the Head & Shoulders Sports Marketing work out of Cincinnati, Ohio and eventually the P&L for the Wella Professionals Brand in Los Angeles, California. As a native of Atlanta, Georgia, he is a proud Morehouse College Alum and obtained an MBA from Georgia Tech. Curtis married into an athletic family, and is currently raising three high-caliber athletes in swimming and football.