Rafael Eli de Schramm Marketing Group
Rafael Eli, partner, and COO at New York-based Schramm Marketing Group has lost his five-week battle with coronavirus pneumonia this Thursday, April 16. He contracted the virus in mid-March and for the past eighteen days has been under the care of the dedicated medical team at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Eli was known in the business as a specialist in the areas of Hispanic marketing, sponsorship sales and the promotion of international soccer. Eli’s business partner and close friend of 30 years, Joe Schramm said: “Rafael was proud of his active role in promoting sold-out international soccer events featuring world-class soccer teams at great venues like Giants Stadium, MetLife and Citifield.”
Eli is familiar to those within the Hispanic television, digital, print and radio communities and has been the behind-the-scenes co-producer of the annual Hispanic Television Summit for the past 18 years. The summit is presented annually by Future’s television industry magazines, Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News. Eli often influenced the selection of the Summit’s award recipients, notably Hispanic TV talent and celebrities with whom he had a personal relationship including talk-show host Cristina Saralegui, sportscaster Andrés Cantor, news anchors José Díaz Balart, and Jorge Ramos to name a few.
Ten years ago, Eli leveraged his relationships with noted on-air personalities to successfully conduct a pro-bono Spanish language, mass media campaign to encourage organ donation on behalf of website, Matchingdonors.com. Eli benefited personally from this campaign when he himself became the recipient of a kidney from a live donor.
Eli was born in Havana, Cuba.
Burial will be in Florida and is limited to a small gathering due to the restrictions of the current pandemic. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be planned for a future date in New York City.
Condolences may be sent to his sister Myriam Eli at 3210 Holiday Springs Blvd. #307, Margate FL 33603 or email at myriam@harmonicmotion.org and to Joe Schramm at his home 222 Ocean Avenue, Northport, NY 11768 or by email to jschramm@schrammnyc.com.
Contributions may be made in his name to Matchingdonors.com at ceo@matchingdonors.com or to the New York Chapter of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at newyork@ajc.org or 212.891.1443.
