A new sponsorship company called 1986 has been launched by Matt Stevenson and Tom Bazeley. 1986 will work with both brands and rights holders on the creation and activation of sponsorships in
the world of sport, music, gaming, film and television.
Stevenson and Bazeley have decided to call the company 1986 because that’s when they first met
at school, and have been best mates ever since.
Stevenson (pictured left) has worked in marketing and sponsorship for the last 25 years at brands such as Nike, O2, Orange, EE and most recently BT. He left The BT Group in March of this year where he was Head of Sponsorship, Hospitality & Events.
Whilst at BT, Stevenson was responsible for the sponsorship of Glastonbury, BAFTA, Wembley Stadium, Scottish Rugby and the England football team.
Bazeley (pictured right) has worked in digital, advertising and film production for the last 25 years. He co-founded award-winning agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine in 2004, which was later sold to M&C Saatchi, where he became CEO of the London advertising agency. Since departing M&C Saatchi, Bazeley has worked in film production, and most recently, farming.
The guiding principle of 1986 is Crowd Pleasing Sponsorship, which is built upon a simple logic: if a
person likes a thing, and a brand also likes the thing, then the person will like the brand more. 1986
will create sponsorships that prove the brand loves the thing as much as the people do.
Matt Stevenson said: “I’ve spent the last 25 years client side. It’s been great, and I’ve worked on some of
the biggest and best sponsorship properties out there. But I’ve always wanted to use my knowledge and experience to help brands create exciting, innovative and ultimately successful sponsorships. It’s now the time to step away from corporate life and do exactly that with my mate.”
Tom Bazeley said: “I tried farming for a year, but it didn’t pay that well, so I’m jumping back into the more fertile world of marketing. I’m looking forward to working with clients who know sponsorship works, but suspect it’s held back by a lack of creativity, innovation and more generally, oomph.”
-ENDS-
Available assets: launch film, photography
For more information / additional comment, please contact:
Matt Stevenson
+44 (0) 7793 856905
Tom Bazeley
+44 (0) 7733 303342
