About this item
JB Bernstein seemed to have it all. One of the top sports agents in the US, he worked hard and enjoyed the bachelor lifestyle to the full. But he hankered for more, and when he set himself a challenge - to unearth someone in India capable of becoming a pro baseball pitcher - most people thought he was mad and doomed to face a costly and public failure. The reality show Million Dollar Arm brought thousands of contestants hoping for a shot at glory, but eventually they unearthed two candidates: Rinku and Dinesh. Bernstein brought them back to the US, put them up in his home and helped them to get used to a very different world, while they also worked hard to learn the game that was second nature to most American sportsmen. Finally, they got their chance and - against all the odds - they were both awarded pro contracts.
About the Author
J.B. Bernstein (born February 5, 1968) is the CEO of Access Group, an athlete management firm and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Seven Figures Management, a sports marketing and athlete representation firm. Bernstein created The Million Dollar Arm contest in India, which yielded the first two Indian men (Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel) to ever sign pro sports contracts in the US (with the Pittsburgh Pirates) .Bernstein received his bachelor's degree in political economics in 1990 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, obtaining his MBA at The London School of Economics. Bernstein started his career in brand management at Grey Advertising working exclusively P&G accounts. Bernstein started working in the sports industry during the early years of The Upper Deck Company and as Director of Development for their memorabilia division Upper Deck Authenticated. He developed over 250 products and is widely known for his work on Wayne Gretzky's 802nd goal program and Dan Marino's all-time TD record. Bernstein's services were retained by the MLS from 1995??97, where he acted as their head of licensing and created the league's entire merchandise program. He secured over 50 national partners and reached $50 million in MLS-licensed sales in just its second season. Bernstein became a partner in Pro Access Group in 1997 and created a platform of milestone marketing campaigns to mark significant achievements in sports history. He went on to represent Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, and Barry Bonds creating unique partnerships with elite brands including Pepsi, Wheaties, Dave and Busters and numerous licensed products. Bernstein's involvement with Singh and Patel is the basis for the upcoming film, Million Dollar Arm. Bernstein will be portrayed by Jon Hamm.
