WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ...
Wondering what Blue Verve Public Relations can do for you and your brand?
Read what a cross-section of industry influencers, colleagues and clients have to say about Principal Mike Zizzo and Blue Verve PR and what he has delivered for their respective brand.
Whether it is stars of motorsports, a world-renowned band like Foreigner or Argyle Community Church, no public relations aspect is too large or too small for Blue Verve PR to tackle and thrive for you.
“Ziz and I have worked together for over 20 years all over the world, any time there is a request from him I know that regardless of the format it will be a good use of my time, maximizing the benefits for all involved. it has always been that way. Ziz has always managed to be both a proper professional and a great guy.” – Dario Franchitti, four-time INDYCAR champion and three-time Indy 500 winner.
“Phil Carson Associates is a music management company that has represented some of the most important rock artists in the world. Our clients have included Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Twisted Sister, Bad Company and Foreigner. I have had the pleasure of knowing Mike Zizzo for over 15 years. He was responsible for introducing Foreigner to the entire NASCAR community and giving us the opportunity to engage with their great fans. We were impressed with his creativity in developing multifaceted, fan-facing events that not only created media opportunities, but were beneficial in raising money for Texas Motor Speedway’s charity. His event and media plans that involved our various band members were organized, strategic and always focused on making the opportunities mutually beneficial for all involved. Mike Zizzo is one of the finest and most dedicated PR professionals out there.” –Phil Carson of Phil Carson Associates.
“I have known and worked with Mike Zizzo for many years in the motorsports sphere. There are many who operate in this space but only a few stand out as clear and effective performers and Mike is one of those. He is goal and objective driven, and in short, he gets it. If you need a message delivered, if you require your brand to grow, he can make that happen. One of Mike’s strongest attributes is that he is a quiet achiever. He delivers maximum results with little fanfare nor theatrics.” – Leigh Diffey, Olympics and motorsports national television broadcaster.
“Without reservation, I would give my highest recommendation to Mike. He has done great work with web design, marketing and all things communication for our organization. He has proactively improved every part of our social media and internet communications, as well clarified our communication strategy. I have to say it is fun to work with such a reliable and impressive leader. Mike is honest, he writes in ways that demonstrate his absolute professionalism, he is a problem-solver and he communicates every idea with clarity. I hope to continue working with him for many years to come as a resident expert that we can count on for success.” – Tim Bach, senior pastor of Argyle Community Church.
“I’ve known and worked directly with Mike for years in a wide variety of business projects in the entertainment business. I know him to be extremely hard-working, efficient, solutions-orientated and has achieved great results in marketing, public and media relations, and earned media producing projects. He is an original thinker, creative, and was always forward thinking in accomplishing business objectives through his areas of expertise. Working with Mike has always been a great experience for me, one that at the conclusion I believe I learned from and always felt he improved upon the original ideas. Mike is truly an expert who brings substantial value
to any project.” – Rob Ramage, Texas Motor Speedway General Manager and Senior Vice President.
“A pro’s pro. Ziz is on my Mount Rushmore of Public Relations and Sports professionals. Innovation, Collaboration and Character are words that get tossed around a lot in business. Mike lives these every day with enthusiasm and passion for what he is working on and who he is working with. – Dennis Bickmeier, former president at Richmond Raceway.
“Mike Zizzo is absolutely at the top of my PR all-star list. He is an outside-the-box thinker who never settles for ‘good enough.’ He inspires everyone around him to work hard and be better by constantly delivering creative ideas, building effective plans and developing strong relationships. Ziz is trusted on all sides – by peers, media, sponsors and industry executives – and continues to raise the game.” – Diana Brennan, former VP of MarComms at Sonoma Raceway.
“Mike Zizzo and I go back all the way to 1998, when I joined CART. Man, that’s a long time! As a rookie coming into the big leagues, Ziz made sure to show me the ropes, do’s and don’ts. He essentially took care of this kid that spoke almost no English and made sure I didn’t make a fool out of myself while still managing to make me look like a rock star. During these more than 20 years him and I crossed paths in different teams, jobs and series, but his professionalism never changed. One moment that really stands out in my mind when I look back to all these years working with him is the media op that he put together after my Indy 500 win in 2013. Zizzo was at Texas Motor Speedway at the time and Dallas was the first stop of my media tour. After we were done for the day I looked at my wife and said, ‘Zizzo really set the bar high for this stop. Not sure how the other cities are going to do to match this.’ ” – Tony Kanaan, INDYCAR champion and Indianapolis 500 winner.
“Mike Zizzo / ‘Ziz’ is one of my favorite people to work with in the NASCAR industry. He is always a step ahead and has an incredible sense of organization and ease of operation. His knowledge and contact list always makes for fun communication from the first step to the last.” – Kurt Busch, NASCAR Cup Series champion and Daytona 500 winner.
“For the purpose of full transparency, I must declare that Mike Zizzo is my mate. As a result, I am not about to provide him an ordinary testimonial. I am also not going to professionally recommend someone who I am unfamiliar with their skill set and work ethic. Basically, Mike is a first-class operator, one of the best in the business. We first met in the late 90s when he was the Communications Manager for the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and we have remained friends and industry confidants ever since. He understands the foundation of true public and media relations. He is organized and can piece together short-term projects into long-term strategies. He takes the time to understand a client’s requirements and develops the tools to help them achieve their goals. He is a natural storyteller, a better listener and natural protector and developer of brands. ‘Ziz’ has a solid understanding of the power of social media but, more importantly, he is sensitive to the true value of the lost art of ‘relationships’. Whether in business or as a friend, Mike Zizzo under promises and over delivers.” – Brett “Crusher” Murray, CEO of the Australia-based BAM Group, author and 2016 Indianapolis 500 team owner.
“Getty Images is the foremost creator and distributor of award-winning still imagery, video, music, illustrations and vectors with customers in almost every country in the world – as well as hundreds of partnerships. As for me, I work in Sport, an industry that I have always had a deep passion for. From events like the Olympics to the NBA Finals to the FIFA World Cup, our industry-leading imagery showcases the legendary athletes, teams, moments and venues, allowing those images and events to be captured and shared for posterity. Throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to work with many great photographers, people and companies. Among the best of those is Mike Zizzo, one of the most strategic PR people in the business, who always knows a good story and appreciates the images that help tell it. He understands the value of distribution – both domestically and internationally – and quality images, and how they can greatly enhance the media value for his organization, events and sponsors.” – Carmin Romanelli, Global VP of Sports Development for Getty Images.
“I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Mike Zizzo over the last 20 years plus. Every time I see his number calling, I knew he would have something tantalizing and challenging for me as an artist. I always thought of my activations to be exciting and ahead of the curve, that is until we teamed up and Mike brought it to an entirely new level time and time again. The term ‘thinking outside of the box’ should have been coined in relation to Mike Zizzo’s name. I look forward to working with Ziz in the future, he definitely keeps me on my toes.” – David Arrigo, renowned sports artist and live mural experience specialist.