When partner and co-founder of SMAC Entertainment Constance Schwartz says that she can handle anything, she isn’t kidding.  In the early 1990s, Schwartz spent a decade working as a marketing and branding executive at the NFL. Considered the ultimate “boys club,” she worked hard to earn her stripes, which has provided her with a “bring it on” attitude that serves her well when putting together deals or working in Hollywood. Schwartz worked her way up in the NFL, one of the world’s most well-known brands, holding positions in television programming, corporate sponsorships, special events and sports management. There is no graduate school that could have taught her what she learned from that first-hand experience.  What she ultimately saw at the NFL was her future, converging the worlds of sports and entertainment and growing her own company.

But before weaving that dream into a reality, Schwartz still had a bit of road to travel. She made a major decision to relocate to LA from her native New York to join The Firm, a high-profile artist and talent management company.  At the time, The Firm was rife with success with divisions devoted to TV and film production, management, apparel licensing, beverages, video games and recordings. It was the perfect opportunity for Schwartz to put her convergence skills to work to make the most of branding opportunities inside and outside the company, as well as initiating synergies among its divisions.  

Creating the first strategic marketing and sponsorship division at The Firm, Schwartz was responsible for identifying and securing partnerships and sponsorship opportunities for all of The Firm’s music and theatrical talent.  In addition, she also added client manager to her responsibilities leading the team that oversaw rapper Snoop Dogg’s career. Bringing her broad business and branding talents into play, she elevated Snoop Dogg’s visibility to new heights by securing endorsement deals, launching his clothing line and producing an E! television show in which he starred.

In 2010, with a vast cache of experience in her pocket, Schwartz joined forces with retired NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and launched SMAC Entertainment (Sports, Music and Cinema), a multi-dimensional talent management, music, branding and production company. Currently, Schwartz oversees a multitude of television projects setup with primetime cable and broadcast networks. For the past three years, she has produced the highly rated and critically acclaimed Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards (which returns for its fourth installment this summer), in addition to the HBO documentary series State of Play: Happiness, which explored athletes’ retirement transition in relation to larger society, and Play It Forward, a documentary about famed football tight end Tony Gonzalez and his brother, which premiered as the opener of the 2015 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival and was acquired by Showtime. She also engineered the launches of Collection and MSX by Michael Strahan, two men’s clothing and accessory lines with J.C. Penney. Alongside Sony Pictures Television, Schwartz produces the highly-rated $100,000 Pyramid for ABC, and is working on additional primetime programming for the network. Last fall, she co-produced Religion of Sports, an original documentary series that examines unique examples of sports’ cultural and spiritual impact in regions around the world. It aired exclusively on the AUDIENCE Network on both DIRECTV and AT&T U-verse, and has been picked up for a second season. As has the NFL Network series she co-executive produces, Tackle My Ride, about current NFL players helping to restore dream rides for fellow auto enthusiasts.

Constance Schwartz is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego, and resides in Los Angeles and New York City. She serves on the board for the Jam Master Jay Foundation, Cedar Sinai Sports Spectacular and launched the Snoop Youth Football League. She currently serves as a mentor for the non-profit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Speaking on: A-List Unscripted