• Rossi joins BLAST following senior commercial leadership roles at Activision Blizzard, the National Football League (NFL) and Univision Communications

• He will drive BLAST’s next phase of commercial growth following a record-breaking 2025, which included global expansion and new offices in New York City, Malta and Mumbai

BLAST, one of the world’s leading esports and competitive entertainment companies, has appointed Steve Rossi as Senior Vice President of Brand Partnerships, strengthening its commercial leadership team as the business continues to scale globally.

Rossi brings more than 20 years of experience building high-impact strategic partnerships across complex IP rights, sponsorship, and media portfolios. A commercially driven executive and recognised relationship builder, he has led strategic revenue growth initiatives for some of the world’s most iconic brands and IP holders across sport, gaming and entertainment.

In his new role, Rossi will lead BLAST’s global commercial brand partnerships strategy, overseeing Sponsorship Sales and Partner Management & Activation globally. He will be responsible for driving revenue growth and long-term value creation through strategic brand partnerships, as BLAST continues to expand its premium live events, broadcast content and competitive entertainment formats worldwide.

Throughout his career, Rossi has held senior leadership roles at Activision Blizzard, the National Football League (NFL), and Univision Communications, where he helped design, sell, and activate integrated sponsorship and media partnerships across digital, linear, and live platforms. Most recently, he served in a senior partnerships role at PlayVS, operating at the intersection of competitive gaming, youth esports, and brand engagement.

Most notably, at Activision Blizzard, Rossi played a key role in the global expansion of Activision Blizzard Esports, supporting commercialization efforts by working closely with global brand partners, agencies, and regional sales teams across North America, EMEA, and APAC. Earlier in his career, he helped drive integrated sponsorships for the NFL across NFL Network and digital platforms, collaborating with Fortune 100 marketers and leading media agencies.

Based in New York, Rossi will lead BLAST’s global brand partnerships group, supporting the company’s continued growth across key international markets and working closely with publishers, partners, and internal teams to deliver commercially impactful, fan-first experiences and partnerships. 

Steve Rossi, Senior Vice President, Brand Partnerships at BLAST, said: “BLAST has built a truly premium proposition at the intersection of entertainment, gaming, sport and culture. The team has established real global momentum, and the opportunity to build on that foundation and lead the next phase of global partnerships strategy at a company with such creative ambition and international scale was incredibly compelling. I’m excited to work with the team to build long-term, high-impact partnerships that deliver real value for brands, publishers and fans alike.”

Leo Matlock, Chief Business Officer at BLAST, added: “Steve brings deep experience across esports, sport, media and entertainment, combined with a proven ability to scale global commercial partnerships. As BLAST continues to grow its international footprint and evolve its partnership offering, Steve’s leadership will be instrumental in driving sustainable revenue growth and long-term value creation. The last 12 months have seen us expand globally while delivering record output in the process, Steve is joining BLAST at an incredibly exciting time.” 

The appointment follows a record-breaking year for BLAST in 2025, with increased broadcast hours and more world-class arena events. The company staged 15 arena events across eight countries, broadcast to millions of fans across more than 100 territories and 30 languages, while expanding its global footprint with new offices and studios in key gaming and media hubs including Mumbai, New York City and Malta. Alongside continued investment in core esports titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Rainbow Six, PUBG, Rocket League, Fortnite and Brawl Stars.