Digital Brands Group appoints Todd Kucinski as vice president of strategic partnerships

US-based apparel and e-commerce business Digital Brands Group (DBG) has appointed Todd Kucinski as vice president of strategic partnerships for sports and entertainment. The newly created leadership role focuses on expanding sports, entertainment, licensing and brand partnership opportunities across the university portfolio of its brand Avo.

In his new role, Kucinski will lead the strategy and execution of university and corporate partnerships for Avo. His responsibilities encompass collegiate licensing, name, image and likeness (NIL) initiatives, live entertainment and experiential marketing. This includes developing game-day and Greek life activations, concerts, special events and on-campus experiences featuring brands, influencers and artists.

“Kucinski's experience building university and corporate partnerships, creating new revenue opportunities and developing programs from the ground up makes him a tremendous addition to AVO,” said DBG chief executive officer Hil Davis. “This is an important step in creating a flywheel around each university in AVO’s portfolio—bringing together sports, entertainment, NIL, licensing, brands and experiences in ways that create meaningful value for everyone involved.”

The appointment reflects Avo's strategy to build year-round ecosystems around its university relationships by connecting sports, entertainment, licensed merchandise and live experiences.

Kucinski brings more than 20 years of experience in collegiate sports business to the role, including 19 years at US media and tech company Learfield. Most recently, he served as director of business development for Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, Learfield’s multimedia rights property at the University of Alabama. In that role, he led revenue generation efforts, working on sponsorship strategy, NIL integration and long-term revenue initiatives.

“College athletics is evolving quickly, and I believe there is a tremendous opportunity to think bigger about what a university partnership can become,” added Kucinski. “By bringing together sports, entertainment, NIL, licensing, brands and live experiences, we can create new revenue opportunities for our university partners while delivering experiences that fans, students and alumni genuinely want to be part of.”

Prior to his time at the University of Alabama, Kucinski spent over 10 years as general manager of Tiger Sports Properties at the University of Memphis, where he oversaw corporate partnerships and multimedia rights. His earlier career at Learfield includes roles as general manager at Bowling Green State University, associate general manager at Kansas State University, and sales and marketing positions at The Ohio State University Athletics Department.