Corporate Vision • Portfolio Evaluation (Existing & New) • Business Segment Deep Dives • Competitive Analysis • Operational Optimization & Cost Savings
STRATEGIC CONSULTING FOR THE SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES
WATERSHED (noun)
wa·ter·shed | ˈwȯ-tər-ˌshed, ˈwôdərˌSHed,ˈwädərˌSHed
A crucial period or event marking a turning point in the state of affairs. A unique or important historical change of course upon which important developments depend. A critical transformation in how people do or think about something.
The term “Watershed” epitomizes our ambition for working with clients: We are passionate about engaging with both individuals and companies (from venture to late stage) that are at a historical moment in their development. We strive to support you when making strategic decisions at key forks in the road. We aspire to help you revolutionize your business, conquer important challenges and elevate your performance.
Corporate Strategy
Business Development & Planning
Business Development & Planning
New Business Verticals • Build vs. Buy vs. Partner • Business Plans • Partner Evaluation
Advisory
Mergers & Acquisitions
Mergers & Acquisitions
Strategic Opportunity Evaluation • Negotiations & Structuring • Deal Execution
The team at Watershed has conducted strategies, transactions and advisory services across a broad range of business verticals and product platforms within the Sports, Media and Entertainment industries.
"Matt has an incredible mind for strategy and operations. When I started my company, I knew that Matt had the perfect background to provide the support needed for us to grow our business. He's been an invaluable voice in our strategic planning, execution and evolution."
DERRICK HEGGANS / Founder & CEO, Global Sports & Entertainment Business Academy
"Matt was an instrumental part of the Corporate Development team in a rapid growth and development phase. Matt's strategic insights, hard work and business acumen have been an invaluable resource for our company."
BRENT RICHARD / Chief Corporate Development Officer, Endeavor
"Matt has a unique blend of big firm pedigree / training and entrepreneurial spirit. In this way, he can provide executive-level support for both Fortune 500 / financial institutions and start-ups. While his skills can be applied to a wide range of industries, he has tremendous value for the global sports industry. We are very fortunate at Athleta-Ed to have Matt as part of our team.”
HANY SYED / CEO, ATHLETA-ED
"Matt was instrumental in helping the UFC re-shape the content strategy and user experience for UFC Fight Pass. His work led to a highly successful new event series and the launch of a curated 24-7 linear stream on our platform that significantly improved subscriber engagement. Matt’s strategic vision and dynamic insights are incredible assets that produce great results, no matter the project. He continues to be a coveted advisor and confidant today.”
JOE CARR / President, World Surf League; Former SVP, Head of Content & International, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
"Matt was a terrific contributor for the NFL. His insights, strong business judgment, passion, and work ethic were extremely valuable in advancing many League corporate development initiatives. He was specifically involved in League strategic planning, stadium development (including in Los Angeles), team sales, video game development, the launch of NFL Ticket Exchange, mobile apps, among many other strategic business initiatives. Matt continues to be someone whose judgment I highly value.”
NEIL GLAT / President, New York Jets; Former Head of Corporate Development, National Football League
"As a trusted Board Advisor, Matt has provided keen and invaluable insight on our business model, capital raise, and strategic growth. With high-level relationships across sports, tech, and entertainment, Matt is the rare executive adept at advising startups, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between. We’re proud to have him on our team.”
JARED MILRAD / Founder & CEO, A SHOW FOR A CHANGE
MATTHEW SCHUSTER
FOUNDER & CEO
Matthew Schuster is the Founder and CEO of Watershed Sports & Entertainment. Schuster has an extensive background as a corporate strategy executive, consultant and venture investor, focused primarily on the Sports, Media and Entertainment industries. He holds various Advisory roles in the areas of Sports, Education, Music and Social Impact (e.g., Athleta-Ed, Global Sports & Entertainment Business Academy, World Surf League, A Show For A Change). He is also a Virtual Mentor for Capital Factory, a venture accelerator and investment fund for entrepreneurs in Texas.
Previously, Matt was the Vice President of Corporate Strategy and M&A for Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG). Schuster joined WME in 2013; in this role, he identified and evaluated potential investment opportunities and worked across all divisions of the company to strategically optimize the businesses and develop new commercial venture opportunities. He supported the Company through transformational transactions and post-deal strategies, such as the acquisitions of IMG, PBR, UFC, IMG Live/Fusion, the restructuring of IMG China, the exploration and launch of E-Sports opportunities and the company’s ultimate rebirth as Endeavor. In his final year at Endeavor, Matt spent significant time working as a strategic liaison for the UFC and its direct-to-consumer digital subscription platform, UFC Fight Pass. In this capacity, he worked to optimize the content strategy, ideate and launch Dana White’s Contender Series and enhance the user experience through new platform features, such as a 24-hour curated linear stream.
Prior to joining Endeavor, Schuster worked at The Walt Disney Company, focusing on strategy, investments and business development in the sports, media, entertainment and consumer products sectors. He engaged on key initiatives, such as ESPN competitive strategy, international strategy & TV channel acquisitions, China content strategy, Consumer Product Licensing strategy, Consumer Product Evolution Opportunities, Video Games and Mobile App strategies. Prior to Disney, Matt was a Director of Corporate Development at the National Football League. His experience at the NFL included areas such as new stadium development & financing, launching the NFL Ticketing Exchange (secondary ticketing platform), partnerships with in-stadium mobile apps, video game deal negotiations (e.g., Madden NFL), new video game product launches (e.g., EA Sports Active – NFL Training Camp), new sponsorship categories (e.g., state lottery), International Regular Season Games initiative and other “blue-sky” new business opportunities. Schuster also has experience working in various positions in corporate strategy, business development and mergers & acquisitions at General Electric Company and Goldman, Sachs & Co.
A graduate of Indiana University, Schuster also earned an MBA from Columbia Business School. Originally from Fort Worth, TX, he currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Tara, son Grayson and dog Lucy.
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