Eastside Golf has hired Annette Parker as its first head of marketing. Parker joins the company from Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where she spent over eight years managing sports marketing partnerships and helped to drive the agency’s golf business.
Parker will spearhead the company’s marketing initiatives with co-founders and CEO Earl Cooper and Creative Director Olajuwon Ajanaku.
At CAA, Parker reportedly managed major accounts, including Zurich Insurance’s title sponsorship of the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans and its ambassador program featuring top professional golfers. Before that, her career included sports media sales and advertising roles, including serving as Midwest sales director for Inc. Magazine.
“Joining Eastside Golf is an incredible opportunity to continue reshaping how golf is consumed, positioned and experienced. I viewed this not just as something that I wanted to but rather something I needed to, as I understand the unique opportunity and mission in front of this company,” said Parker. “Since first learning about Earl and Olajuwon’s work in the summer of 2020, I have been inspired by their authentic approach to celebrating all aspects of golf culture and their commitment to making the sport more accessible and diverse. I’m excited to help scale the brand’s impact through strategic storytelling and intelligent engagement of our audience.”
Since 2021, Parker has worked with Eastside Golf after signing the brand to a CAA rep deal. In a media release, the company said Parker has “played a crucial role in scaling the company from its first year of existence to where it is today as an emerging lifestyle golf brand. She also served as an advisor to Cooper and Olajuwon, providing connections, advice, and strategy to scale the business 600 percent year-over-year.”
Parker works from the company’s headquarters in New York.
Images courtesy Eastside Golf
