• by Fern Siegel , August 14, 2024

Sports marketing agency Civitas named John Paulson as managing director and Shawn Francis as executive creative director. Based in the New York City area, they establish the Columbus, Ohio agency’s presence there.

Most recently, Paulson was president and chief revenue officer at OvareGroup, a private media and marketing communications holding company. Before that, he held senior posts at Deluxe Entertainment, Tag Worldwide and Grey Group, part of WPP.

Francis has led social media and creative teams through influencer, experiential and content projects. He launched MTV’s debut social media handle, helming the brand’s first social media activation. Francis also led U.S. social content creation for Nike Soccer through a World Cup cycle.

“The addition of Shawn and John deepens our capabilities in sports and soccer marketing, as well as the ever-expanding digital content services that we deliver to support our brand partners’ sports activations,” said Jacob Taylor, Civitas CEO.

“Today, sports represent the pinnacle of live events for brands and marketers, one of the few appointment-viewing experiences. Civitas is uniquely positioned to help brands step into that space where fandom and live sports intersect.” 

In 2023, Columbus hosted the Major League Soccer Cup and the Women’s NCAA March Madness tournament. Next year, the NHL brings its Stadium Series to the city’s Ohio Stadium.Civitas' client work includes Apple, Klarna, Fifth Third Bank and Major League Soccer.

(Photo: John Paulson, Jacob Taylor, Shawn Francis / Credit: Sal Marindino)