Setting Goals with a World-Renowned Brand

It’s not often in your professional life you are given the opportunity to collaborate with a respected and reputable worldwide brand, a name that is shared and repeated hundreds, maybe thousands, of times a day on traditional and social media, an icon of world football. The brand?  FC Bayern Munich. 

That was the opportunity I was awarded some 10 weeks ago when I was asked to help promote the launch of “BayernBlizzard”, a new project, born from an international grassroots partnership agreed between Toronto Blizzard, a local soccer academy, and the record-breaking Bundesliga soccer champions.    

What followed since that announcement has been truly rewarding. I have been privileged to have collaborated with the FC Bayern public relations team in the US and Germany. I’ve had the opportunity to meet members of the Bayern International program, who conducted youth soccer camps earlier this month in the Greater Toronto Area. I’ve had a chance to learn about the development models and principles of play promoted by the club. And I’ve had an opportunity to be involved in a series of exciting launch activities that have piqued the interest of both local and national media.

Photo Credit: Veronica Jouaneh

“BayernBlizzard” is a 365-day program that incorporates player identification and summer camps as well as technical visits and assessments that offer young Canadian soccer players new pathways to a professional career.

The collaboration has been very rewarding for me both personally and professionally. In my capacity as Media & Communications Liaison for Canada, I have engaged in a variety of activities including drafting and distributing media releases, coordinating media interviews, arranging special events, conducting interviews, posting on social media, contributing photography and videography, providing web support, and many more tasks.

As we begin to transition from summer activities to fall and winter programs, I’m excited to see what the future of this “BayernBlizzard” collaboration holds and what impact this program will have on the long-term development of Canadian male and female soccer players in the future.

Photo Credit: Veronica Jouaneh

An Update to the Groundbreaking “BayernBlizzard” Project

Just over a month ago, German soccer powerhouse FC Bayern Munich and local soccer academy Toronto Blizzard jointly announced a significant sporting partnership that could dramatically enhance professional playing opportunities for Canadian youth. The two organizations agreed to a comprehensive grassroots program with the aim to provide young soccer players the chance to learn and develop as an FC Bayern player and open new pathways for Canadian athletes.

Awarded the role of media relations director for this new “BayernBlizzard” project, I was assigned with the important task of creating awareness of this new partnership within the soccer and sports media community in Ontario. In collaboration with the FC Bayern public relations team in Germany and in the US, a joint media release was issued on May 19, which included a video featuring Canada’s own superstar Alphonso Davies and some of his FC Bayern teammates. Within a matter of hours, I had already begun to arrange media interviews with Toronto Blizzard Technical Director Joe Parolini, who is the principle spokesperson for the partnership.

Since that date, the news of this exciting new program has appeared on a number of soccer-specific and general sports media, including the Footy Prime Podcast, one of the top-rated soccer shows in Canada, CityNews 680, Vibe 105, Soccer 360 Magazine, LPC Media and Torstar Metroland community weeklies. I have also been supplementing coverage in local and regional broadcast and digital media with regular updates across the Blizzard’s own social media platforms.

The next phase of the launch of this new program will be the lead-up to a series of one-week camps in July, which will feature members of the FC Bayern technical staff and will take place at venues across the Greater Toronto Area.  Information on which German coaches will be attending these camps should be released in the coming days. 

This has been a very rewarding experience for me as I have been able to execute a comprehensive media plan, which has produced results for the “BayernBlizzard” project, generating a significant amount of media coverage. I am very proud to have been selected to help lead the communications efforts for this project and I look forward to working closely with the FC Bayern PR team on many more future initiatives. 

Here are just some of the links to the news coverage of the “BayernBlizzard” project: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/news-such-canmnt-crush-cura%C3%A7ao-bayern-munich-have-their/id1482039221?i=1000565998220

https://soccer360magazine.com/the-bayern-way/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apn1CVMv0K8

http://www.newspapers-online.com/auroran/toronto-blizzard-partners-with-fc-bayern-munich-to-improve-grassroots-soccer-for-boys-and-girls/

Service: Podcasting

While most of my career has been spent in television, my very first job in the media industry after graduation was in radio. It was short lived as I quickly transitioned to the visual medium but I have always enjoyed appearing on and contributing to radio programs throughout my career.

That’s why I was thrilled when, in late 2019, an old colleague of mine asked me to join a new streaming service called Itoc Media to develop and host original Canadian content for digital audio.

I had several projects in mind and a couple that I originally intended to develop for video but, with the pandemic disrupting production schedules and travel, I pivoted, as we all did, and began producing that content for digital audio. 

From March 2020 to June 2021, I originated and hosted three distinct sports talk podcasts, over 50 episodes in all, as well as an hour-long sports documentary. 

I had dabbled in podcasting previously but had never had an opportunity to create audio content on a regular basis for a national streaming service. I was proud of the three programs I produced, particularly the 10-part interview series “Podium”, which allowed me the opportunity to speak to many emerging, young Canadian athletes, most of whom were accomplished or aspiring Olympians. 

Here is a link to the full catalogue of my digital audio productions for Itoc Media: https://italian.itoc.ca/podcastfilter/alf-de-blasis-podcast/

Podcasting is an effective way to promote and build awareness for your business or organization through regular presentations or discussions concerning the type of specialized services or product you offer consumers. If you are considering expanding into podcasting as a promotional tool for your business, reach out to me by e-mail at: alfdeblasis@gmail.com.

Service: Voice Over Artist

Throughout my professional career, my voice has been one of my most praised assets. Since my earliest days in broadcasting, I have lent my voice to a number of diverse projects, from documentaries to commercials, from sports play by play to corporate videos.

In addition to voicing hundreds of soccer matches and game highlights for both OMNI TV and TLN TV, I was also the bilingual (English & Italian) network TV voice for Telelatino’s station ID’s and program promotions for over a decade. During that time, I was also a regular contributor to dual-language original programming as well as commercial voice-overs.

Over my career, I have also lent my voice to multi media advertising campaigns for several corporate Canadian name brands such as Canadian Tire and Holt Renfrew, as well as prestigious Canadian arts institutions like Luminato and Mirvish Productions.

Besides my work with multilingual broadcasters, my voice has also been heard on a number of conventional broadcasters including CBC Sports, TSN Radio, Sportsnet’s The Fan 590 and currently, OneSoccer, the Canadian sports streaming service, for which I provide play by play commentary on Canadian Premier League and Canadian Championship soccer matches: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZJLMSX3PzcVZsdS5rDXhRVwBhn9yRyYA.

While the majority of my career has been spent in television, I have always enjoyed contributing to other media as well and, recently, I had the opportunity to express myself through my voice on digital audio, developing and hosting three distinctly Canadian sports talk shows, in addition to contributing to special programs, exclusively for the Itoc Radio streaming service: http://italian.itoc.ca/podcastfilter/alf-de-blasis-podcast/.

If your organization is developing content and looking for an experienced, professional, and authoritative voice-over artist, with a level of fluency in up to four languages, reach out to me by email at: alfdeblasis@gmail.com.

Service: Media Consultation

One of the areas in which I can assist your organization is in the development and distribution of customized communications to local and national media. If your group has created a new product, established a new program, or introduced an innovative new strategy you would like to share with your immediate community, or even with a national audience, I can help you achieve that.

Recently, I began collaborating with Toronto Blizzard, one of the most iconic brands in Canadian and North American soccer. The organization, now a youth academy devoted to setting a path for young women to enter Canadian or American University programs, just announced a comprehensive new grassroots partnership with another iconic brand, FC Bayern Munich, the record-breaking German soccer powerhouse.

In the past month, I have been working with the Bayern media team in Germany and the United States, to help launch this new partnership in Canada. I’ve been responsible for contributing to a media release that outlined the details of the new agreement and distributing graphic and video links that featured one of the most recognized Canadian athletes, superstar Alphonso Davies (link).

I have also coordinated a series of media interviews across several TV, radio and podcast outlets, including CityNews and Vibe 105 (link), as well as print and digital publications, such as The Auroran and the Caledon Citizen (link). I’m also responsible for contributing to the organization’s newly rebranded website and social media accounts.

If you would like your message to achieve the same level of circulation and have the same impact in your community, let ADB Creative Consulting help you develop a professional communications strategy. Reach out to me by email at: alfdeblasis@gmail.com.

Service: Moderator/Keynote Speaker

Among the many specialized services I can provide your organization, in the context of personal and professional development, is the role of a moderator or keynote speaker. I have several years’ experience as a speaker, host and master of ceremonies, at various functions ranging from cultural festivals to sports events to panel discussions. I have the ability to inform and entertain audiences, all the while maintaining structure within a pre-determined format.

In 2021, I had the opportunity to present a live Zoom webinar to 100 members of Cambridge Youth Soccer. Based on a previous webinar I presented to the National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada (NSCAC) earlier in the year, I shaped the presentation to address the ever changing digital and technological distribution of the game of soccer and also explore the advantages of a prospective career in media.

I engaged the group with an online power point presentation highlighting the evolution of televised soccer from my personal experiences as a sports TV producer early in my career to the widespread digital diffusion of the game across various platforms in the present day. At the conclusion of the presentation, I welcomed questions from the group interested in both the future of televised sports and the prospect of pursuing a career in the media industry.

Through stimulating dialogue and topical conversation, in a virtual or live setting, I have the ability to keep audiences engaged, informed and entertained. If you are an organization that promotes a range of activities focused on core educational themes, from personal and professional enrichment to career opportunities in sports and media, then I can assist you. Reach out to me by email at: alfdeblasis@gmail.com.

The Birth of BayernBlizzard

I’m thrilled to announce that I have been retained as a media consultant for “BayernBlizzard”, the new international partnership, just announced, that brings together one of the world’s most decorated soccer clubs, FC Bayern Munich, and Toronto Blizzard, one of Canada’s legendary soccer franchises and currently Ontario’s premier high performance soccer academy.

On behalf of the new venture, I’m coordinating media relations with various sport media outlets across Ontario and also contributing to social media posts, which feature one of Canada’s most recognizable athletes, Alphonso Davies.

Our first initiatives are summer academy camps which will operate in York Region and Peel-Halton in July and will feature members of the FC Bayern Munich technical staff.

This is one of those unique opportunities that inspires and offers both professional and personal satisfaction because it promotes the development of our youth within sport and soccer, in particular, something I have always been passionate about.

Thank you to Toronto Blizzard Head Coach and Director Joe Parolini, a long time acquaintance, for entrusting me with this important role. Here’s to a long and fruitful relationship between these two storied soccer clubs and brands.

#Canada #soccer #youth #development #media #consulting #socialmedia #BayernBlizzard

Service: Web Design & Content Development

One area of digital media which I’ve embraced and a space in which I’m continuously learning is in website layout, design and content development. Over the past several years, I have been frequently engaged in designing and developing a web presence for various organizations, including http://nscac.ca, the web home of the National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada.

Writing original content, uploading photo and video files and overseeing the sale and placement of advertising, working within the expansive Wix platform, were among the many tasks I was asked to perform for the NSCAC, a national non-profit organization.

I have also built, entirely on my own, two of my personal websites, my sports business site, sportstrategies.ca and, more recently, this very website on which you’re reading this blog, using the comprehensive WordPress platform. Accessing the extensive catalogue of templates and customizing them to suit one’s personal tastes allows for a unique, distinct and multi-layered display. I have also had the opportunity to develop content on the DigitalShift platform. 

All of these recent experiences have helped me become more digitally literate and confident in the knowledge that I have the capability to create, enhance or fine tune a website for any organization that uses its web presence to attract, engage and inform its client base.

If you are looking for an experienced creative designer and content developer for your website, reach out to me by email at: alfdeblasis@gmail.com.

Service: Event Host

Drawing on my 30+ years of experience as a television, radio and podcast host, I have a natural ability to engage with audiences across many media platforms and live settings, from television and radio studios to large conference rooms to smaller, more intimate venues. Over the years, I have hosted dozens of milestone events from awards festivities to media conferences to product unveilings.

In April 2021, I was fortunate to host the opening day of the first ever edition of the Toronto Artistic Food Expo, a celebration of the culinary arts and hospitality industries, featuring food demonstrations, cooking and baking tips, cultural specialty foods, and performances. I worked with the non-profit organizations Saffron Hub and the Artists and Artisans Development and Network to bring a unique, culturally diverse, virtual event to viewers on Facebook and YouTube.

The Toronto Artistic Food Expo featured established Canadian and international chefs like Roberto Marotta, Marianna Romano, and Nuit Regular, as well as special appearances by MasterChef Canada judges Michael Bonacini and Claudio Aprile. The event was organized to support local restaurants and small businesses in the food industry during Covid and allow chefs and culinary creators an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Here is a link to the virtual event: https://www.facebook.com/artistsandartisansnetwork/videos/1185759991854207

If your company or organization is in need of a host for your live, virtual or on-location event, I can assist you. Reach out to me by e-mail at: alfdeblasis@gmail.com.

Service: Creative Writing & Editing

I started my career as a broadcast journalist and I have written extensively for television and radio news and sports productions. But, over the years, I’ve also written scripts for various program interstitials, miniseries, promotions and commercials.

I also have the advantage of being able to write in another language and, for many years, as a producer within the multilingual broadcast community, I was tasked with contributing translations of English text to Italian and vice versa.

I’ve also expanded beyond the scope of broadcast media and demonstrated my writing skills for a variety of print and online publications as well as my own soccer blog and sports business website. I’ve also been a feature writer, columnist and magazine editor for nationally distributed publications.

In 2017, as Director of Marketing & Communications for the non-profit National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada (NSCAC), I was asked to create a biannual Journal exclusively for the organization’s members. With the help of layout artists, graphic designers, and contributors all across Canada, I oversaw the completion of two editions of the “Journal for Soccer Coaches”, the official publication of the NSCAC, which was distributed to thousands of soccer coaches and technical directors across Canada and the United States.

The Journal contained original features, guest editorials, training tips, and articles on coaching methodology. As the managing editor, it was my responsibility to collect the dozens of contributions that were submitted, edit them for length and clarity, and organize them in a meaningful fashion across the pages of the Journal, all while working towards a fixed deadline for printing. The end product was very satisfying and rewarding and drew extremely positive feedback.

Here is a link to the second issue of the NSCAC’s “Journal for Soccer Coaches” released in fall of 2017: https://www.nscac.ca/_files/ugd/d67de7_bf394d9e29674b89a06a96444f346d8c.pdf

As a multi media creative writer, with knowledge of and experience working with a variety of publishing tools, I am able to contribute my skills to a broad range of media outlets from broadcast media to print and web-based publications to social media platforms.

If your organization is looking for an experienced creative writer or editor for an existing publication, or if you’re looking to develop a new web-based digital platform, I can assist you. Reach out to me at: alfdeblasis@gmail.com.