DAVE POPKIN is entering his fifth year as the CEO of Hilltop Management. Popkin brings 25 years of marketing and management experience to the plate. His many skill sets include: event management, media planning and placement, video production, creative direction, broadcast consulting and management, public relations, media relations, media training, sponsorship activation, ticket and sponsorship sales and service, digital marketing, website construction, retail promotions, in-game entertainment, voiceovers, and sports marketing consultation.He serves as the point guard on the Walk to Defeat ALS, LUNG FORCE, NJIT, and other Hilltop projects.
Prior to his time with Hilltop, the Jersey Shore native spent 10 years as a partner in Positive Impact Partners, a marketing and events agency in the Meadowlands.Their clients included the likes of Seton Hall Basketball, Army Football, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, New York Liberty, Big Apple Circus, JAG Physical Therapy, The Orthopedic Institute of New Jersey, Calandra Family Enterprises, The Valerie Fund, Northeast Conference, MAAC Conference, Siena College, IZOD Center, and many others.
Popkin began his career as a sports marketer, serving minor league baseball teams in Sioux City, Des Moines, and El Paso in a variety of capacities, including broadcasting, media and community relations, group ticket sales, and sponsorship sales. He spent five years as one of the highest grossing ticket salespeople for the New Jersey Nets (NBA).As the Assistant General Manager for the Newark Bears Baseball Club, Dave helped hire and manage the team off the field that packed 3,600 fans per game into Riverfront Stadium in its first two seasons. He also helped assemble a team on the field that included relatives of five Major League Baseball players, creating tremendous national and local publicity. Following his stint with the Bears, Popkin spent over two years with sports marketing firm Positive Impact, Inc., where he managed public and community relations and other aspects of the New Jersey Storm indoor lacrosse team and consulted on collegiate, pro, and amateur sports projects. With the Storm, he spearheaded the signing of goalie Ginny Capicchioni, the first female player in NLL history.
Dave is also known as one of the most talented and versatile broadcasters in sports. He has spent 15 years as the color commentator and fill-in play-by-play announcer for the Seton Hall Basketball Radio Network, 18 years as the Voice of Northeast Conference Basketball on CBS Sports Network, five years as a radio announcer for the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto – Triple A), three years calling women’s basketball and baseball forthe BIG EAST Digital Network, and three years as the voice of both the National Youth Baseball Championships and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) on CBS Sports Network.He spent eight years as a play-by-play announcer for college football and basketball on ESPNU and ESPN3. He also called eight different sports over long careers at CN8 -The Comcast Network and MSG Varsity. Dave is the former radio and/or TV voice of the Monmouth University Hawks, LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, Atlantic 10 Basketball, and New Jersey ShoreCats (USBL).
For three years, Popkin taught a graduate level class in Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business.In 2007, he was awarded the O. Lawrence Keefe Award for his lifetime media contributions to the Seton Hall basketball program. Dave is a Bruce Springsteen enthusiast who has appeared as a guest host on SiriusXM’s E Street Radio channel and has seen The Boss approximately 100 times. His band, The Attic, has performed at various local benefits over the years.The University of Miami (FL) graduate resides in Nutley, NJ with his wife Cindy and their faithful dog Clarence.