Chief Operating Officer
Managing Director, Sports & Entertainment Division
Michael J. Principe serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Blue Equity, LLC. As Chief Operating Officer, he is responsible for the operations and management of various business matters pertaining to Blue Equity, as well as the identification and development of new investments and opportunities.In addition to his role with Blue Equity, Principe also serve as the Managing Director of BEST, an industry leader in the sports agency and television and event production business. He brings over 10 years of experience in sports and entertainment operations and representation to his role as Managing Director. In such capacity, he is responsible for the overall management of the practice, which includes day to day operations, acquisitions and growth strategy.
Prior to joining BEST and Blue Equity, Principe held various executive positions in SFX Sports Group, including that of Executive Vice President and as General Counsel. During his tenure with SFX, he was responsible for the agency's business and legal affairs and was actively involved in the operation and management of its practices through his seat on the company's Executive Committee. He oversaw all SFX legal matters, discovered and cultivated new lines of business and created an integrated strategy of growth and development between its divisions.
Through his career, Principe led or played a material role in many of the sports industry's most considerable transactions. Such transactions, which have an aggregate value in excess of $500,000,000 include Black Canyon Productions, Cambridge Golf, Dynasty Sports Group, F.A.M.E., Game Seven Sports Marketing, Greg Norman Productions, ISI, ProServ, SFX Worldwide, Speakers of Sport, Sports Management Group, TCI, Tellem & Associates, The Marquee Group and Worldwide Football.
Principe's success in the mergers and acquisitions of these companies, combined with his operational and management experience, qualifies him as a leading authority in the industry. As such, he is a frequent lecturer and panelist and has been named to the Sports Business Journal's prestigious "Forty Under 40" list.
A member of the New York Bar and the Sports Lawyers Association, Principe is a graduate of the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri. As a Robert & Mary Welborn Scholar, he obtained his Juris Doctor in 1995. Principe received his Bachelor of Arts from Washington University, and graduated, cum honore, in 1992. He and his wife reside in Brooklyn, New York with their two daughters.
