Biographies

Key Members of the PRCG | Sports Team

Jim Rocco

Managing Director, PRCG | Sports

Jim Rocco is Managing Director of PRCG | Sports. Jim has a broad background in sports marketing, branding and public relations. He is also active in crisis communications in sports and entertainment matters and is an accomplished sales professional. 

Jim’s experience includes more than 15 years at HBO Sports where he implemented marketing strategies for live boxing programming, documentaries, and studio shows such as On The Record With Bob Costas, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Inside the NFL, and Hard Knocks. He coordinated with  HBO’s internal creative team and outside agencies to create sports marketing, branding and promotional materials. Jim also served as a talent coordinator for HBO Sports where he handled the arrangements for appearances and promotional shoots.  

Jim served as Director of Marketing at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, one of the premier sports and entertainment destinations in the tri-state area. In that role, he devised innovative sports marketing campaigns for a variety of events, including boxing matches and college basketball tournaments such as the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament and the ACC Championship. He negotiated with boxing promoters and the commissioners of athletic conferences, and also coordinated public relations and paid media efforts.

For the last several years, Jim has been responsible for the acquisition, development and management of sports industry business for PRCG | Sports. He is the co-author of the book, “Sports Crisis Communications: Cases and Controversy”, designed to help communications professionals and students better understand the unique aspects of managing crises in the sports world. Jim is also the host and content creator for the “Crisis Communications in Sports” podcast which features interviews with luminaries from across the sports landscape who share their insights on developing stories and trends.

Cristopher Bruce

Senior Account Executive

Cris Bruce is a Senior Account Executive at PRCG | Haggerty LLC and its sports brand, PRCG | Sports. He is also a producer of the PRCG | Sports podcast, “Crisis Communications in Sports,” which features in-depth interviews with some of the top newsmakers in the sports industry.

Cris has a background in politics, fundraising and city government, beginning his career as an assistant to Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona. He went on to become Finance Associate at Angerholzer Broz Consulting, where he developed and fostered relationships with corporations, unions, trade associations, and other organizations. Early in his career, he worked on the Philadelphia-area congressional campaign of Scott Wallace, and as a canvasser for PennEnvironment. An avid sports fan, he was also an intern at War Room Sports, where he created social media strategies and content for sports platforms.

Cris holds a B.S. in Political Science from Arizona State University, with a minor in Communications.

Joe Grigas

Account Coordinator

Joe Grigas is an Account Coordinator at PRCG | Haggerty LLC and its sports brand, PRCG | Sports. He is also a producer of the PRCG | Sports podcast, “Crisis Communications in Sports,” which features in-depth interviews with some of the top newsmakers in the sports industry.

Joe has a background in marketing, social media management, content creation, and graphic design. He is a graduate of DeSales University, where he holds a B.S. in marketing and management. During his time at DeSales he was a four year member of the varsity baseball team and was responsible for the team’s social media management and content creation. As an avid sports fan, Joe has broad knowledge in a variety of fields, and is well-versed on issues across the field of sports. Joe also has experience collaborating with  marketing departments at nonprofit organizations, including The Special Olympics and Girls on The Run.