Robby Robinson Still “Voice of the Rams”, Shifts into New Role at Property
RICHMOND, Va. – Learfield IMG College, the multimedia rightsholder for VCU Athletics, has appointed Erik Lowery to serve as general manager for VCU Sports Properties, its locally-based team dedicated to serving the Rams.
Lowery relocated to Richmond from New York, where he spent six years leading the Learfield IMG College multimedia rights team for the St. John’s University Red Storm in Queens. Lowery, whose entire career has been spent inside college athletics, also previously served two years representing University of Central Florida (UCF) with IMG College. Lowery, who graduated from the University of Maryland and earned his master’s from Ohio University, spent two years on the multimedia rights team representing the Ohio Bobcats. Early in his career he was a graduate assistant with the CBS Collegiate Sports Properties multimedia rights team at Maryland and a marketing assistant with the Big South Conference.
Concurrent with this move, Robby Robinson will continue to serve VCU Athletics’ corporate partners as Director of Business Development for VCU Sports Properties, as well as focus on the Rams’ broadcast operations and play-by-play responsibilities.
“We are excited to have Erik join us as the GM for VCU Sports Properties,” said Ed McLaughlin, VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics. “Our success as an athletics program and as a property allow us to make this enhancement to reflect our current growth. More corporate members in our community than ever want to partner with the Rams. Keeping our current staff intact and adding Erik to oversee the team will help grow our property even more and provide more resources for our student-athletes to excel.”
“Erik has done a tremendous job leading the multimedia rights team at St. John’s, and we’re excited to have him be a part of the great things happening at VCU,” said Learfield IMG College Vice President, Multi-Media Rights Keith Bradshaw. “The ideas and expertise he brings from St. John’s, along with his previous experiences from UCF and Maryland, will be invaluable as we continue to align with the outstanding growth of VCU Athletics and the university.”
Learfield IMG College represents VCU through its Richmond-based team, and Lowery will work closely with McLaughlin and the entire athletics administration. VCU Sports Properties oversees strategic sponsorships with local, regional and national businesses looking to align with the Rams, as well as the comprehensive rights relationship which includes signage, digital, radio, hospitality and promotions.
Learfield IMG College unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform. The company’s extensive content and commerce solutions create ultimate opportunities for fan engagement. The Learfield IMG College suite of services includes licensing and multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, broadcasting, digital and social media; ticket sales and professional concessions expertise; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, the company has long had the privilege of being an advocate for intercollegiate athletics and the student-athlete experience. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.