IRVINE, USA // Will Bortz serves as the Director, Brand Partnerships which handles all Partnerships, Sponsorships and Promotions for Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of YUM! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM). Taco Bell is the nation’s leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain with more than $9 billion in annual system-wide sales and more than 7,000 restaurants.
In his position, Mr. Bortz is responsible for Taco Bell’s sports marketing relationships with the College Football Playoff, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, leading sponsorship integration with media partners ESPN, Fox, Turner, MTV, iHeartRadio and various gaming and promotional initiatives with Xbox, Sony Playstation and Blizzard.
At Taco Bell, Mr. Bortz has created integrated marketing programs including the “Live Mas Student Section” at the College Football Playoff, “Steal A Game, Steal A Taco” during the NBA Finals, “Steal A Base, Steal A Taco” held at MLB’s World Series, “Feed the Beat,” a music program that helps new music get heard, connecting up-and-coming artists with fans and “Feed the Beta” which connects indie video game developers with valuable resources to get their game ideas developed. He also led the team who crafted the “Live Mas Scholarship” for the Taco Bell Foundation, which awards young adults who are innovators, creators and dreamers with scholarships to pursue their dreams.
Mr. Bortz has been with Taco Bell since 2005 and served various roles within the marketing department including media, brand experience and public relations. Prior to joining Taco Bell he worked at Hill & Knowlton, Inc where he was a Vice President in charge of sports, automotive and lifestyle marketing as well as branding initiatives. At Hill & Knowlton, his clients included Mazda, Ford Motor Company, BFGoodrich Tires, Motorola, Allstate, adidas, Goodyear, TaylorMade-adidas Golf, DirecTV, Proctor & Gamble, USA Swimming, Krispy Kreme and the Rose Bowl.
Prior to Hill & Knowlton, Bortz worked for the Miller Brewing Company’s sponsorship of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. He also managed sports marketing and public relations programs for Target, Coppertone, FILA, Diners Club and Speedo. His programs included professional basketball, PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour golf and the 1996 Olympics. He began his sports marketing profession at World Cup USA 1994.
Mr. Bortz graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He lives in Orange County with his wife Monina and their two children.