Cheryl Stallings is Vice President of International Content & Programming for National Basketball Association (NBA), with global responsibility for overseeing digital and sports content for development, production and programming in international markets.
She lived five years abroad in India and Asia, where she directed the NBA Global team and collaborated with television and digital partners in both regions to evaluate, filter and recommend region-specific, innovative, and locally relevant content to engage audiences. Her considerable efforts successfully expanded the fan base and increased ratings and viewership.
She also develops strategies for NBA India & NBA Asia on airing or adapting existing NBA content while adhering to all contractual obligations. This work entails helming complex, fast-paced business operations with quickly shifting priorities and often-aggressive deadlines while simultaneously managing multi-million-dollar budgets. Now, after building, developing and transitioning remarkably high-performing teams in Asia and India, she is uniquely able to effectively distance-lead from NBA’s headquarters in New Jersey. Cheryl also lends her considerable international expertise to offer strategic advice and guidance to colleagues for global NBA regions including Mexico, Brazil, Africa, Latin America and China.
Known for her extraordinary ability to forge and steward relationships with NBA leadership, domestic and international partners, high-profile players, influencers, celebrities and various other internal and external stakeholders, Cheryl inaugurates ground-breaking games and programming, develops innovative initiatives and serves as Subject Matter Expert on topics including social justice and DEI.
Cheryl’s exemplary contributions in electronic media and integrated campaigns – including experiential and outdoor marketing – have been recognized and celebrated through awards and accolades both nationally and globally. She won multiple BW Applause Awards, established to celebrate creativity, innovation, and effectiveness; Kaleido Awards, which recognize outstanding and purposeful work; and e4m Neons Awards, to reward excellence in outdoor media, with NBA India in 2020; she was the SABRES APAC 2020 winner for special event & non-corporate associations for the NBA India Games the same year.
She won the Promax Gold Award for Hoop Nation, a 2020 docuseries. Awards on digital and experiential marketing around NBA India games include Gold for Best Performance-Driven Social Media Campaign; Gold for Best Digital Campaign for Sports Enterprise in 2019. She received an Emmy nomination for The Announcement, featuring Earvin “Magic” Johnson, in 2013 and is a three-time winner of advertising industry’s largest and most distinctive award – American Advertising Award (formerly ADDY) – in 2011. She won the coveted Gracie Award for creating original programming for, by and about women as well as multiple Telly Awards for outstanding film and video contributions.
Cheryl has spent most of her illustrious career with the NBA, debuting as a logger and working her way through the ranks as Producer, Director of Production, Senior Content Director, AVP and now VP. She is grateful for the many opportunities and successes she has achieved and eagerly welcomes future challenges with tenacity and enthusiasm.
As the recipient of what she considers a big break early in her career, when a chance meeting with a former co-worker – who saw promise in her and distributed her resume to his colleagues – led to her initial job with the NBA, she strives to do the same for others. For example, she liaises with the NBA Player Marketing department to bring players abroad, helping them extend their personal brands globally to cement their careers after their time with the NBA has ended.
A Brooklyn, New York native, Cheryl holds an MBA in Sport Management, Interdisciplinary Business and a BA in Mass & Media Communications. In her spare time, she enjoys excellent books, intriguing travel and volunteering for causes that matter.
