Law Offices of Charles F. Schmitt

Charlie Schmitt began his entrepreneurial endeavors as a radio salesperson while in graduate school at Cornell University. After calling on a regional concert promoter in upstate New York, Schmitt became one of promoter’s partners, producing a variety of concerts in upstate New York, including Tony Bennett, Three Dog Night, Mickey Gilley, Helen Reddy, Glen Campbell, the Oak Ridge Boys and the Beach Boys.

The excitement of New York City soon called Schmitt to more conventional business pursuits in New York’s publishing industry. Hired as a telemarketing sales representative by Ziff-Davis in January of 1985, within six months Schmitt was promoted to be the Sales Manager of the PC Buyer’s Guide – among Ziff’s youngest sales managers at the age of 24.

Schmitt progressed his way through the publishing and marketing industry in a variety of different positions, including as a consultant to a number of political candidates and members of Congress, during which period he also published more than fifty (50) columns as a political columnist for the New York City Tribune.

In 1992, Schmitt arrived at the National Football League, where he served as its Publishing Manager at NFL Properties, charged with the development and growth of a new business-to-business publication, NFL Prime Time, as well as bulk sales of the Super Bowl Game Program.

Schmitt was thereafter recruited by the National Hockey League to be its Publishing Director where he engineered a digital joint venture with the IBM Corporation, which gave rise to NHL ICE, LLC, the first Internet-based co-venture in professional sports, to which he was named the first Chief Executive Officer in 1996. As the Executive Producer of NHL.com, Schmitt pioneered the production of integrated audio and video highlight programs on the Internet, including live streaming highlight shows from the Stanley Cup Finals and the NHL All-Star Game.

Schmitt was enticed to Florida by the PGA Tour – which also enjoyed a sponsorship relationship with IBM – where he served as the General Manager and Executive Producer of PGATour.com, in which capacity he formed a joint venture with CBS Sportsline for the production of PGATOUR.com. His focus at Tour.com remained largely on streamed programming, including live reports from The Players Champiomship.

As the new decade dawned, Schmitt left the security of the corporate world to found Rockforever.com, LLC and the “Voices of Classic Rock.” Among the world’s first digital record labels, the mission of Rockforever was to offer a vehicle through which a potpourri of the most notable “voices” in classic rock could update and re-record their best cuts for release digitally on the internet. Rather than simply “sign” Artists to the Rockforever label, each was made a partner in the unique limited liability company…an Artist-owned digital label.

From Rockforever Schmitt produced its Artists as a live performance package, “The Voices of Classic Rock.” The “Voices” ultimately performed more than 100 concerts on four different continents worldwide in a compelling ensemble format. The “Voices” were consistent chart-toppers on MP3.com, an produced multiple CD Releases, including "Live at the Hard Rock Hotel" for the Hard Rock and Springbound Music and "Voices for America" for CMG Records. The ensemble made two live appearances on the nationally syndicated radio program, Rockline, as well as a live appearance on the USA Network, in addition to producing their Voices Rock Kaanapali Concert and companion television special for VH1 Classic and CMG.

Rockforever Artists include Mike Reno of Loverboy, John Cafferty of John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Bobby Kimball of Toto, Alex Ligertwood formerly of Santana, Jimi Jamison of Survivor, Leslie West of Mountain, Peter Rivera of Rare Earth, Spencer Davis of the Spencer Davis Group, David Jenkins of Pablo Cruise, Glenn Hughes formerly of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, and Joe Lynn Turner formerly of Deep Purple and Rainbow, among others.

After a successful career in business, in January of 2002 Charlie Schmitt returned to academia, enrolling as a first year law student at Florida Coastal School of Law, from which he graduated in two and one-half years as his class valedictorian. Upon graduation, he was offered employment by the Law Offices of Fred Tromberg, whose principal, Fred Tromberg, was an adjunct professor at Florida Coastal and later the Chairman of the Florida Bar’s Civil Trial Board Certification Committee. For almost six years, Charlie Schmitt was mentored by Mr. Tromberg in both the art and the science of the legal profession, including civil trial practice.

In October of 2010, Charlie Schmitt opened the Law Offices of Charles F. Schmitt, PLLC, where his practice is focused on Business, Media, Entertainment and Sports law.

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