Neal Pilson

Most people know Neal Pilson as the former president of CBS Sports, where he earned a reputation as a dogged negotiator and strategic thinker during his 13-year tenure through the 1980s and early 1990s.But it’s what Pilson did after being removed from that job — after he took early retirement at the age of 55 — that elevated his career to a new status and developed an industry that many would follow.

Literally the day after leaving Black Rock in June 1995, Pilson opened a sports consultancy that would change his image from a free-spending network executive to an industry consultant trying to convince other network executives to open their pockets. It’s a job that has helped Pilson rise to the top of his profession and established him as a consistent compass to the trends and vagaries of the sports media business (from Sports business Journal)