While fans are focusing on when team names are coming or the new details coming from the draft invites, the league is making more moves behind the scenes. The key to any organization is employing skilled professionals in all positions; on and off the field.

This week the league named media veteran Len Mead as VP of Media Partnerships. Mead will be located out of league’s headquarters in Stamford, CT and will manage the day-to-day relationships with the XFL’s broadcast partners FOX Sports and ABC/ESPN, as well as exploring potential new partners in TV, radio, and other platforms.

Meade joins the XFL after nine years with NBC Sports Regional Networks where he was initially hired as VP Production & Programming for then Comcast Sportsnet New England before moving west to be General Manager of NBC Sports Northwest. Prior to NBC, Len worked in programming at NESN and ESPN where he was on the original launch team of ‘ESPN360’ (now ESPN3) and conceived the ‘Megacast’ concept which ESPN continues to use around major events.

In other XFL hiring news, Seattle native Pete Tenney joins XFL Seattle as director of content production and operations, and will lead the team’s content and production department, overseeing the creation of all XFL Seattle digital content (video and graphics for web, app, etc.), use content to engage fans through storytelling and develop a social media strategy and execution for all XFL Seattle social accounts. He joins from the NFL Players Association where he served as creative director and produced an athlete content series teaming with Amazon, Spotify, EA Sports, and Warner Bros. Before his time with the NFLPA, he was a senior producer at Bleacher Report where he created athlete video franchises and live content.

Michelle DeLancy has also joined XFL Seattle as senior director of marketing, and will be responsible for building the XFL Seattle fan base, creating awareness campaigns, engaging fans across platforms including the game day experience and operations while driving business performance. A Seattle native, she most recently was the general manager at ABC Creators where she oversaw all aspects of the business including brand management, event operations, sponsor sales, athlete relations and development, marketing and communications. She spent the majority of her career with Virginia Mason Medical as executive director of the Boeing Classic, a PGA Tour Champions event held annually in the Seattle area where she oversaw all aspects of the event and the relationship with the PGA Tour.

Rob Carolla will head up communications for XFL Dallas after spending nearly 25 years as a sports administrator. He recently served as President of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) – the national organization for communicators in college athletics – concluding a six-year term on the Board of Directors in 2018-19. During stints at the College Football 150th Anniversary, Big 12 and Big East Conferences and Conference USA, he has handled various external duties on national, regional and local levels. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and was born and raised in New Jersey.