MARCH 12 • 2020 | 15
MARCH 12 • 2020 | 15
senior vice president of marketing
at Viacom, where he headed mar-
keting for MTV
, and was later a
senior vice president of the National
Football League and chief market-
ing officer for Major League Soccer.
One of his pinnacle career
achievements was as chief market-
ing officer for Virgin Mobile. “We
built a billion-dollar company and
we took it public on the New York
Stock Exchange,
” he said.
A combination of factors made
the 313 Presents job a winning deal
for Handler: the chance to work
with iconic venues, committed part-
ners, a growing business and a city
on the rise.
When he spoke with his wife,
Wendy, about the job, he just
thought it was the right time to
come home “because I can make an
impact and do something positive
for the city that I’
ve always loved.
”
The couple have two adult chil-
dren, Rian and Eli. And his parents,
Wally and Marlene, still live in the
area.
ON THE JOB
Handler, 58, arrived back in Detroit
the day after Thanksgiving 2019,
caught the Michigan-Ohio State
football game and then set up an
apartment downtown. The official
announcement of his new role at
313 Presents was made Dec. 5.
The company is a joint venture
started in 2017 between Olympia
Entertainment, a division of Ilitch
Holdings, and Palace Sports &
Entertainment. Handler replaces
Tom Wilson, interim president since
the company’
s creation. Wilson now
serves as president emeritus.
As president, Handler will over-
see all entertainment events, making
“I can make an impact and do something
positive for the city that I’ve always loved.”
— HOWARD HANDLER
continued on page 16