On today's show I sat down with Wes Zirkle, founder of Zirkle Advisors and an outside general counsel in sports and motorsports, about his unconventional legal path and major deal stories.
He describes his start at CMG Worldwide, working in celebrity licensing and infringement, and doing an early motorsports deal with the 2001 Aerosmith Indy 500 car. He then joined Just Marketing Inc. (JMI), growing with the agency internationally, and meeting Bernie Ecclestone during F1 work. He was also present when IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard received Jeffrey Katzenberg's pitch that became DreamWorks' Turbo.
After leaving agency life and opening his own firm in 2020, Zirkle discusses representing teams and drivers, including deals involving Ed Carpenter Racing and managing Christian Rasmussen's career and visa while fundraising through Road to Indy.
If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.
You are going to learn about:
- General Counsel in Motorsports
- Opening a Firm
- IndyCar Sponsors and How Drivers Profit
Check out these great clips from the show:
00:32 Guest Introduction: Wes Zirkle, Zirkle Advisors
02:44 Law School Unconventional Path
05:10 Celebrity Licensing Explained
08:12 Aerosmith Indy 500 Deal
14:44 Building Sponsorship Activation
26:19 Turbo Movie Pitch
28:24 Private Equity Exit
30:28 Starting Own Firm
32:58 First Client Big Exit
33:53 New Company Stake
34:04 Ed Carpenter Connection
35:26 Tony George Praise
36:46 Outside General Counsel
37:54 ECR Majority Sale
40:03 Meeting Christian Rasmussen
41:10 Bad Management Contract
45:12 Helping a Foreign Driver
47:38 P1 Visa and Official Manager
48:37 Funding IndyNext Season
50:49 Scrambling for Sponsors
54:06 Winning and Finding IndyCar Seat
55:29 Road to Indy Costs
57:53 When Drivers Earn Money
59:28 Indy 500 Sponsorship Math
01:02:25 Biggest IndyCar Sponsors
01:04:26 Why Brands Choose IndyCar
01:05:46 Java House Sampling Strategy
01:06:37 Splenda Ads And Usage
01:06:57 Lundgaard Stardom Talk
01:07:28 Indy 500 Favorites And Testing
01:08:02 Prize Money And Bonuses
01:11:24 Do Drivers Really Profit
01:13:03 Merch Money And Licensing
01:16:20 Chuck Berry Guitar Deal
01:23:13 Indiana Memory On Grid
01:26:14 Hidden Gem Center Lake
01:27:07 Hoosier Spotlight Obvious Shirts
01:31:02 Why Indiana Feels Like Home
