Wasserman (company)
Wasserman (formerly Wasserman Media Group)[1] is a sports marketing and talent management company based in Los Angeles.
Casey Wasserman founded Wasserman in 1998, and remains its CEO.
In 2002, Wasserman acquired the sports marketing and naming-rights company Envision and the action sports marketing and representation firm The Familie, based in Carlsbad, California.
In 2004, Wasserman purchased 411 Productions and a few months later relaunched it as Studio 411, a sports entertainment film studio. The business was designed to provide financing, obtain sponsorships and arrange distribution in support of original productions.[2] The company also made an unsuccessful bid to sign up enough athletes in BMX, skateboarding and freestyle motocross to form PGA-like sanctioning bodies in those sports.[3]
In January, 2006 Wasserman acquired the NBA and MLB sports agent business of Arn Tellem, a well-known sports agent who joined Wasserman as well. Several of Tellem's sports agent colleagues also joined the company as part of the deal.[4] Until he retired in June, 2015, Tellem was a principal at the company and ran one of its management groups.[5]
In November 2006, the company acquired soccer agency SFX, in the UK.[6] Through that acquisition, Wasserman came to represent players including Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, Tim Cahill, Jonathan Woodgate, Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath, Heather O'Reilly, Wes Brown, Scott Parker, Jack Wilshere, Park Ji-Sung, Shay Given, Tim Howard and Emile Heskey.
In June 2007, Wasserman expanded its consulting and media and property capabilities by purchasing Raleigh, North Carolina-based OnSport.[7]
In early 2011, Wasserman bought London-based media rights manager and advisory firm Reel Enterprises.[8]
That year Wasserman expanded its golf talent roster by acquiring SFX Golf in April 2011.[9]
References
- ^ http://sportsagentblog.com/2016/02/25/wasserman-media-group-rebrands-as-wasserman
- ^ Wasserman Launches Studio411 2004 article
- ^ Extreme Dream Casey Wasserman, grandson of a legendary movie mogul, has become a force in action sports Sports Illustrated April 5, 2004
- ^ "Wasserman Acquires Tellem Business', Sports Business Daily, January 27, 2006
- ^ Arn Tellem, "Why I'm Making The Jump From Sports Agent To Front Office" Sports Illustrated. June 5, 2015
- ^ Wasserman Media Group Acquires SFX Sports Group
- ^ http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2007/06/Issue-188/Sports-Industrialists/Wasserman-Media-Group-Acquiring-Gary-Stevensons-Onsport.aspx
- ^ http://www.investinuk.net/investmentuk/?p=586
- ^ http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/wasserman_growth_continues_with_sfx_golf_purchase/