Octagon (sports agency)
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary of Interpublic Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Stamford, CT |
Number of locations | 50 |
| Website | www |
Octagon is the sports and entertainment content marketing arm of the Interpublic Group of Companies.[1]
History
[edit]Octagon was founded as Advantage International by former executives of the tennis marketing agency ProServ on April 1, 1983. Advantage was headquartered in Washington, D.C. It has been owned by Interpublic since 1997 and has operated under the Octagon brand name since 1999.
In 1970, Donald Dell, Frank Craighill, Lee Fentress, and Ray Benton founded the Washington, D.C., law firm Dell, Craighill, Fentress & Benton.[2]
Craighill became Managing Director in the 1990s.[3] In 1997, Interpublic Group completed the merger of Advantage and other agencies to form Octagon, overseeing athletes from Steffi Graf of WTA to Moses Malone of the NBA.[4]
Octagon and the Badminton World Federation developed a rule that women badminton players must wear dresses or skirts "to ensure attractive presentation." It was included in the official rulebook in 2011, but was dropped before it was supposed to go into effect in 2012.[5][6]
On April 5, 2021, John Shea was named CEO of Octagon Sports & Entertainment Network (OSEN).
Phil de Picciotto serves as President of Octagon, overseeing its Talent + Properties business.
References
[edit]- ^ "Octagon Worldwide". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Sports Business Journal Snapshot:Frank Craighill". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Sports Illustrated, 1990". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Octagon Announces Unification". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "In Badminton, Pants Are Back". HuffPost. 31 May 2011.
- ^ "Badminton shelves rule requiring women wear skirts". NBC News. 4 June 2012.
