(McKinney, TX) July 16 — What began in the fall of 2023 as an introduction lunch between two
North Texas entrepreneurs to discuss their visions for innovation in global fan engagement has
culminated in a merger of their startups.
Denny Darmo, founder and chief executive officer of Snipitz Global Inc. and Andrew Naugher,
founder and chief executive officer of Media X Partners Inc. announce the formation of
Providential Media Group Inc. (PMG), to be based in McKinney, Texas with an initial focus on
the $225 billion fan engagement, sports media and data markets.
The merger brings together their respective technologies supported by a deep bench of
experienced sports marketing and multimedia professionals. The shared goal is the expansion
of a one-stop shop of fan engagement innovations and strategic consulting services.
“Each of our companies was created to help achieve greater year-round fan engagement,
generate better data on fans and increase revenue opportunities for sports and entertainment
organizations,” says Darmo, who will serve as CEO and co-founder of PMG.
“Our visions and
values aligned plus our technologies complimented each other, so Andrew and I realized the
chance to achieve significant growth would be more efficient as one company.
”
According to noted global fan engagement expert Dr. Bob Heere, sports organizations are
looking for the tools to better understand their fans and effectively engage year-round,
especially with global fans who may never step foot in a stadium. “I applaud this strategic
merger and believe Providential Media has a solid strategy plus the strong team to execute on
their vision,” says Heere, director of sport management at the University of North Texas
The two startups were introduced thanks to their mutual association with the Innovation Fund
administered by the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
“How exciting that two entities who connected because of our team’s tireless efforts to build the
ecosystem have now merged into a powerful new company,” says Michael Kowski, president
and CEO of the MEDC. We look forward to this next chapter for Providential Media Group and
what they build next.”
Naugher, who will serve as co-founder and chief revenue officer, says the support during the
merger process from the MEDC and other local and global organizations like the North Texas
Angel Network and Hype Sports Innovation, has been invaluable and validating.
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Providential Media Group/PAGE TWO
The new entity is launching its all-in-one fan engagement SaaS platform which will feature:
• Snipitz, a proprietary interactive video player for live and video-on-demand streaming
that allows fans to have more control of their viewing experience from accessing
different viewing angles to alternate content to a variety of interactive feeds.
• rikodi, a user-generated content experience that leverages the power of memories to
turn global fans into content creators. Clients gain a treasure trove of compelling content
while better understanding fans on a deeper, more emotional level.
• A geo-targeted rewards platform customized for each client to reach fans around the
world based on their lifestyle habits; and
• Data modules compiled from all three experiences to help deliver more hyper-
personalized content and ads for fans and better ROI for clients and sponsors.
In addition, to Darmo and Naugher, the team will also include:
Ryan Frank, president and co-founder: Strategic partnership executive with Meta and Amazon,
working with top sports organizations such as the NFL, UFC, NBA, and NASCAR.
Son Tran, chief technology officer and co-founder: Contributed to the acquisition of IP Mobile by
Cisco for $425M and subsequently built the VoIP division from zero to 40 billion in four years.
He holds nine issued patents in virtual reality, network routing, and VoIP.
Andrew Lombardi, chief product officer and co-founder: An Emmy-award winning production
executive at the NBA for 10-plus years. Successful exit with CineSport, the first-ever online
video syndication platform to distribute sports highlights to over 500 media websites.
Darryl Haberman, senior vice president, product strategy/client success: A well-respected 25-
year sports executive with fan engagement and revenue strategy roles at the National Hockey
League, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and Disney Streaming Services.
Ken Troupe, head of business development: 20 years of sports industry experience. Executive
positions included the Texas Rangers, New York Giants, Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes, plus
serving as a sales training consultant for various teams and organizations.
Tom Sheridan, senior business development: Nearly 30 years working with organizations such
as the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls and Balmoral Racetrack. A respected trainer to
numerous sports organizations and Steering Committee member for the National Sports Forum
Darmo and Tran will be traveling to Taipei, Taiwan in early August to present during ASPN
Sports Tech Accelerator Demo Day which helps companies expand into the APAC region.
“The significant interest for our solutions both in the U.S. and overseas has clearly
demonstrated the need for our approach,” says Darmo. “It’s also exciting to be in discussions
with innovative sports organizations as well as other potential strategic partners who believe in
our mission and want to enhance our suite of fan engagement products.”
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For more information, contact Andrew Naugher – andrew.naugher@providentialmedia.io.
Visit www.providentialmedia.io