Ben Welch Email and Phone Number

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES• Develop and oversee social media strategy for ESPN UK and ESPN Africa. • Hire and develop staff.• Lead a team of social media producers and video editors working across ESPN UK, ESPN Africa, ESPN FC and ESPN F1.• Work with marketing and sales teams across branding, paid campaigns and sponsorship opportunities.• Work collaboratively with ESPN’s global teams.• Create a portfolio of social-first video formats.• Managed the delivery of branded content for key commercial partnerships including bet365, Vodafone, 2K, FedEx and STATSports.• Arrange access to elite athletes.GROWTH• Formulated and implemented a social-first video strategy that generated a 113% increase in Facebook video monetisation (YOY).• Increased social media following by 114% (3.5 million, Nov 21 > 7.5 million, September 23)• Devised a TikTok channel launch strategy that helped build an audience of 1.5 million in 15 months.• Grew video views and reach on Facebook and YouTube to be No.1 in the UK, ahead of Sky Sports, BT Sport and SPORTbible.AWARD NOMINATIONS• Best Social Media Campaign at the 2022 Broadcast Sport Awards. • Short-Form Content of the Year at the 2022 Broadcast Sport Awards. • Best in Social at the 2022 Football Content Awards.• Best Use of Video at the 2023 Digital Publishing Awards.• Best Digital Publisher at the 2023 Sports Journalism Awards.• Best Media Organisation at the 2023 Football Content Awards.• Best Media Organisation at the 2024 Football Content Awards.

• Formulated and oversaw SPORTbible’s video strategy.• Day-to-day management of video department. • Hired and developed video staff.• Developed and produced original content.• Used analytics to inform ideation and content creation.• Organised and managed access to athletes, influencers and content creators.• Built relationships with PR agencies, brands and sporting organisations that helped develop the SPORTbible brand.

• Devised, led and implemented SPORTbible’s brand strategy.• Led ideation and production of branded content for blue chip brands including Puma and Coca-Cola.• Co-created Beasted!, an eight-part body transformation show commissioned by Facebook that generated 10 million views.• Changed the perception of the SPORTbible brand through the production of premium content with Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt, Steph Curry and Andy Murray.

• Set-up FourFourTwo’s first-ever video department.• Devised video strategy and managed budget.• Managed all aspects of video output pre- through post-production, including ideation, field producing, commissioning and edit notes.• Briefed external production crews and produced field shoots with big-name footballers.• Hired, managed and led a video team of editors, designers and presenters.• Launched FourFourTwo Films documentary series that generated more than 9.4 million views in 220 countries on YouTube and was syndicated to Emirates Airlines.

• Content planning and strategy across digital and print for Performance.• Managed and developed staff writers and video editor.• Held freelance budget and commissioned writers, photographers and illustrators.• Developed story ideas and wrote long-form features.

Launched new sub-brand, Performance, that helped amateurs with tips from elite players and coaches on fitness, conditioning, nutrition, psychology, technique and tactics.

• Published in The Independent, The Guardian, Men’s Health, World Soccer, Stuff, The Blizzard, Football Punk and the official England match day programme.• Covered top level matches with live text updates and on-the whistle match reports for Sky Sports, The Daily Mirror and Eurosport.• Senior Creative Producer for the Florida Cup: Scripted and co-hosted daily podcast and oversaw output across Instagram and Twitter to help drive ticket sales.• Copywriter for Nike, Umbro, Nivea For Men, Lucozade, Powerade, ESPN, Sony Ericsson and EA Active.

Sports reporter for The Ilford Recorder.

Launch editor of FourFourTwo's Sunday League football community, Weekend Wonders.

News and sports reporter for The Docklands.

Sports reporter for The Welwyn & Hatfield Times.

News and sports reporter for The Essex Chronicle.