Owner & Commissioner, AVP - Professional Beach Volleyball Tour
Leonard Armato has been playing at the highest level in the sports representation and marketing business for over 20 years. His clients have included some of the world’s most famous athletes such as the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 2 times NBA MVP, Hakeem Olajuwon, and boxer Oscar De La Hoya. He also represented Shaquille O’Neal for over 10 years where from the inception of Shaq’s career, Armato developed and implemented a “brand building” formula for transforming Shaq into a worldwide icon. Armato has also represented companies involved in the business of sports, including L.A. Gear, during its reign as the #2 shoe company in the world, and Fila International, when it made its initial inroads in the footwear and apparel industry in the United States. For L.A. Gear, Armato did all of the celebrity driven marketing deals including the likes of Michael Jackson, Paula Abdul, Heather Locklear, Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone. He was also one of the first to recommend that athletic shoe companies sponsor colleges and engage in grassroots programs to receive increased exposure and growth. Today, this is commonplace.
In the summer of 2001, Armato acquired the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour (AVP) and turned his “brand building” attention to the sport of beach volleyball. He assumed the role of AVP Commissioner and CEO where he consolidated the men’s and women’s beach volleyball tours under the AVP umbrella and has unified over 200 of the top players in the world, both men and women. Armato also mandated a “fan” and “brand” focused approach to sports marketing. Today’s AVP is known for its world class athletes who have won gold medals at each of the Olympic games since the sport was introduced in 1996. In addition to being an authentic sport, Armato’s vision for AVP includes leveraging its compelling lifestyle to provide fans with a full entertainment experience. From an advertiser’s perspective, Armato insisted that the AVP integrate these advertisers or “brands” into every aspect of the AVP sports platform. This strategy has been working and each year under Armato’s leadership, the AVP has enjoyed dramatic growth in number of events, on-site attendance, prize money, television exposure and sponsorship support.
Leonard Armato resides in Manhattan Beach, California with his wife Holly McPeak, three time beach volleyball Olympian, and his two children Anthony and Elio. He earned a Juris Doctorate with honors from University of San Diego and a B.A. with honors from University of the Pacific, where he received All-PCAA honors as point guard for the UOP basketball team.