Axcess Granted

Dear Friends,

We hope you’re enjoying a great start to the summer.

This past quarter, I’d like to highlight a major milestone for one of our long standing Axcess family members: Global Critical Logistics (GCL). I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with GCL’s CEO, Daniel Rosenthal, for nearly 20 years, and it’s been rewarding to see this next chapter come to life.

In June, GCL announced a strategic controlling investment from Providence Equity Partners, a private equity firm with deep experience in live entertainment and media. Providence joins as majority shareholder, with ATL Partners continuing as a minority investor. This move signals the next phase of growth for GCL, which now serves over 160 countries as a global leader in mission-critical logistics across live events and luxury goods – supporting everything from the FIFA World Cup and touring productions to fine art, fashion, and motorsports. Axcess, along with our creative partner Creature, part of the 25madison family, has had the opportunity to support GCL on several important initiatives these past few years.

Also in this issue: I encourage you to read the recent WWD profile on Sandy Sholl, co-founder of MadaLuxe and founder and CEO of Zelig. I’ve been involved with Zelig since its inception and serve on Sandy’s advisory board. Her dynamic leadership and vision for AI-powered personal styling are driving meaningful innovation in the retail space.

A shoutout to my special friend Stephen A. Smith on his new multi-year agreement with ESPN (see news release below). Beyond well deserved and the best is yet to come!

Finally, we’re excited to welcome Generation by Osmo to the Axcess family. We were introduced to Osmo through our good friends at Lux Capital. Osmo is pioneering a new category at the intersection of AI, scent, and sensory design, leveraging Olfactory Intelligence to create custom fragrance experiences across hospitality, retail, travel, and luxury. Our team is partnering with Osmo on business development and strategic growth, with a focus on high-impact partnerships that bring this innovation to life.

We remain tremendously grateful for our Axcess community, and as always, we invite you to reach out if there are meaningful opportunities to collaborate with the brands highlighted here or any of our Axcess family members.

Warm Regards,

Kirk, Brett, and the Axcess Team

Creature Tackles Healthcare Inequity with Aon’s Accelerate Labs

Creature, our performance creative partner, was chosen to be the design and facilitation partner for Aon Health’s new innovation think tank, Accelerate Labs. Each lab focuses on a unique challenge in the healthcare industry and is designed to ignite fresh ideas and foster collaboration in the chaotic healthcare industry.

The inaugural lab focused on the inadequate and unequal access to care for women. Over two days, the Creature team led groups of industry veterans through a series of exercises to identify, address, and solve specific challenges that are preventing women from getting the care they deserve. At the end, each team presented a novel solution for potential further development into a market-facing solution.

This kind of lab isn’t just for healthcare. The approach works across industries, especially when the problems are complex and the solutions aren’t obvious. If that sounds like something your team could use, Creature would love to partner with you to get ideas flowing and solutions brewing. Reach out to craig@creaturestudio.com.

GCL Announces Strategic Controlling Investment from Providence Equity Partners

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GCL (the “Company”), a global leader in live events and luxury goods specialty logistics, today announced a strategic investment from Providence Equity Partners, L.L.C (“Providence”), a premier private equity firm with significant experience investing in and supporting the growth of companies in the entertainment and media sectors.

Providence will become the majority shareholder of GCL, and ATL Partners, the current majority owner, will retain a minority equity stake in the Company. GCL will continue to be led by President and CEO Daniel Rosenthal, with global headquarters in New York. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. (Read More)

Stephen A. Smith, ESPN agree to $100M contract

Stephen A. Smith has agreed to a new contract with ESPN worth at least $100 million for five years, an agreement that will result in Smith continuing to star on “First Take” on ESPN while scaling back some of his other required appearances on the network, which would free him up to talk even more about politics, sources briefed on the agreement told The Athletic.

Smith will remain a fixture on “First Take,” his daily morning flagship show on ESPN, but will be less omnipresent on the rest of the network, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms of the agreement were not expected to be announced publicly. Smith will not be a regular on ESPN’s premiere NBA pregame show anymore, though he could still make occasional appearances on top basketball studio programs, as well as the “Monday Night Football” pregame or during other big time events. (Read More)

Is AI Ready to Revolutionize Personal Styling? 

Sandy Sholl talks to WWD about the innovations happening in fashion that are poised to revolutionize the shopping experience. Sandy Sholl, founder of MadaLuxe Group and founder and chief executive officer of Zelig, sees a bright future in AI. Her virtual try-on and styling technology company Zelig, which launched in 2023 intending to revolutionize the shopping experience, has been a disrupter in the space, reimagining how AI can be used to support consumers’ style and self-expression.

While AI for personal styling is still in its early days, Sholl told WWD that she sees areas for growth and opportunities for transformation. Notably, Sholl said that Zelig launched a beta version with one of the world’s leading fashion e-commerce players, known for its advanced technologies. With this partnership, the companies have openly shared data and insights that have helped fine-tune Zelig’s technology in real time. (Read More)

After 20 years as Vikings owners, Wilfs’ last goal remains a SB

EAGAN, Minn. — The Wilf family closed its deal to buy the Minnesota Vikings 20 years ago this summer. On their first full day of ownership — June 13, 2005 — brothers Zygi and Mark Wilf, along with their cousin Leonard, entered the team’s dilapidated practice facility.

A replica Viking ship sat in the parking lot, its wood rotting and its sails faded. The building’s air-conditioning unit was so inadequate that a portable supplemental system sat in the loading dock, pumping cool air through a hose and into the locker room via a hole that had been cut through a door. After spending $600 million to buy the team and the facility, the Wilfs made their first big decision: They would rebuild the Viking ship and replace the building’s central HVAC unit. (Read More)

Professional Fighters League Names John Marin as Chief Executive Officer

NEW YORK — The Professional Fighters League is proud to announce the appointment of John Martin as its new Chief Executive Officer. Martin is an accomplished and respected media, entertainment, and sports executive with decades of CEO and CFO leadership at the largest media companies. Martin will bring his management expertise, operational skills, financial and capital acumen, and a passion for MMA to his new role leading the next chapter of growth at PFL.

“John Martin is THE ideal CEO to lead the next chapter of growth at PFL – he is a proven media, content, and sports executive who is a respected global leader and business operator at scale.” said Donn Davis, PFL Founder and Chairman. “I am thrilled to work closely with John to deliver on the vision to make PFL everything the fans, fighters, and sport of MMA deserves.” (Read More)

TGL presented by SoFi Announces Expansion with Seventh Team: Motor City Golf Club

Owners of Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos Partner with New TGL Team. TGL presented by SoFi, the primetime, team golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports, announced the formation of its seventh team: Motor City Golf Club (MCGC), representing Detroit and starting in TGL’s third season in 2027. The announcement was made today by Mike McCarley, CEO and founder, TMRW Sports and TGL.

Motor City Golf Club’s ownership group is led by Middle West Partners, which was awarded the opportunity to expand TGL’s footprint and is led by principals Michael Hamp, Peter Hamp and Kevin Kelleher, who all have Detroit roots. The Hamp family has been longtime co-owners of the Detroit Lions with Sheila Hamp currently serving as principal owner and chairwoman. For this new TGL team venture, Mrs. Hamp, along with her husband, Steve, are co-owners of Motor City Golf Club. (Read More)