By Lenore Devore, B.S. Journalism, 1984
When New Jersey native Ryan Schinman graduated high school, he wanted to attend the University of Florida to play tennis and eventually turn pro. A knee injury cut short his playing days, but the relationships he had already formed – and an education in the College of Journalism and Communications – led to a lifelong career.
Schinman has founded, co-founded or is a partner in 10 companies, all since starting his career as an agent representing three UF football players during their initial contract negotiations. Now, he spends his days overseeing Mayflower Entertainment, the company he founded in 2016. The global company represents more than 30 Fortune 500 companies to procure talent, music, celebrities and athletes for advertising campaigns, appearances, social campaigns, satellite media tours and promotions.
He seemed destined to become a Gator. After high school, Schinman had his sights on UF, where his mother spent her first two years of college. He wasn’t good enough to get a tennis scholarship, but the team told him if he started in Summer B and won the walk-on tournament, he could join the team.
He won and practiced with the team, hoping to make it his junior year. But he hurt his knee and no longer could play competitively, ending his dream of becoming a tennis pro.
He didn’t know what he wanted to do, just that he didn’t want to follow the path of his engineer father or “shrink” mother. “I always liked marketing and advertising, and I enjoyed reading a lot, so I thought about trying journalism and communications.”
He went to work at the school radio station. They told him he was too young, but he was eager. He worked the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift, hiring his resident assistant for $5 a night to walk him from his dorm to the radio station. “I was 17 and 18. I was too afraid to walk there in the pitch dark. After a while I did it on my own – I used to sprint.”
He also worked as a sports announcer for the local FOX station, even changing his name to Brett Ryan (Brett is his middle name).
“I went by Brett Ryan, News 5, Sports. I thought it was a cool thing to do. I was into it. I thrived at CJC – I enjoyed the advertising and writing classes,” Schinman said. He wanted to be a sportscaster, but was discouraged when he was told he would make $28,000 his first year, probably at a small station in Des Moines.
Meanwhile, Schinman continued friendships with fellow athletes during his junior year, even though he was no longer part of the tennis team. It changed the course of his career.
In his senior year, Schinman was scouting athletes for Athletes & Artists, a sports marketing firm. They hired him as an agent after he graduated.
“When I was 19, [UF football defensive back] Lawrence Hatch was drafted in the fifth round by the New England Patriots. I had been tutoring him in some classes. He came to me and said, ‘I’m being recruited by the NFL. Will you help me with the interview?” Eventually, Hatch asked Schinman to be his agent.
He flew with Hatch to Massachusetts. “I looked like I was 16. They didn’t believe I was the guy’s agent. I laughed in the end – they felt so bad they gave me a better deal than guys who got drafted ahead of him.”
Schinman then became the agent for two more football players.
“I didn’t know anyone in the business. A guy – Art Kaminsky – represented 300 hockey players and all the biggest broadcasters. I said: ‘You don’t have a football division. I have three football players I can bring and I majored in broadcasting and marketing, I could be assistant marketing director.’”
He made $34,000 a year plus commission, living in his parents’ basement in New Jersey and commuting to New York City. “I stayed there for three years, grew the football division and marketing. I enjoyed the marketing/advertising side more than I enjoyed representing talent.”
So, at 24, he left to become the chief marketing officer for Worldwide Sports & Entertainment. Then he had his “aha” moment that differentiated him from everyone else, he said. “If corporations would buy talent, music, celebrity, athletes the way they bought media for one vertical, you have cost savings, cost avoidance and value add.”
After Worldwide went public, he left, spending six months doing research before starting his own company, Platinum Rye Entertainment, signing Pepsi, VISA, Frito Lay and many more. He sold the company to global marketing services company Omnicon, then built up Platinum Rye International, which he also sold to Omnicom in 2008. At the time, Forbes Magazine called him the biggest buyer of talent and music in the world.
Although most of his companies are marketing-related, he did veer into other businesses, including Goldin Auctions, Orange Lawn Tennis Club and Aerial Jets.
“I always wanted to be an entrepreneur – build and sell businesses. I never wanted to work for anyone,” he said.
He said he owes his career to CJC. “I had really good grades because I enjoyed the material, loved the learning. I felt like it wasn’t work. Every class made me feel like they cared and were preparing me for a career instead of regurgitating nonsense. I felt at home there. I made friends in my classes. The professors wanted to set you up for success.”
In mid-2023, Schinman moved to Miami, where he and his wife, Samantha, are raising Grace, Brody and Ruby. He reconnected with CJC and UF. He’s met with Dean Hub Brown and asked for ways to get involved, given advice and met a lot of people.
“I love this school and I’m trying to support it,” he said. “I’m very lucky to be able to do what I love, and to make a career of it is a blessing. CJC led me on this path. You’re always going to be more successful if you do the things you love to do.”
He thinks that’s more important than setting goals. “People sometimes set goals like ‘I want to make $1 million or own a house.’ I’m of the ilk that if you do what you love and you’re successful at it, then I believe the money will follow.”
He’s also a believer in working hard and doing right by people.
“I’ve kept my clients for a number of reasons: You work hard, you give it to them straight, you try not to let the highs be too high or the lows be too low. I believe karma comes around. Whatever you’re going to do, try to be the best at it.”
