In-Depth
Meet the agents behind on-air talent
Five talent agents who sports network executives say they see most often
Sandy Montag, IMG
The “grand pooh-bah” of sports talent agents is how one TV executive described Montag. His client list is a who’s who of sports TV talent — “the blue bloods,” a TV executive says. His clients include:
■ Bob Costas, NBC Sports
■ Jim Nantz, CBS Sports
■ Jay Bilas, ESPN
■ Mike Breen, ESPN
Jim Ornstein, WME
TV executives say they keep in frequent contact with Ornstein, who reps one of the hottest current free agents in sports broadcasting: Steve Nash. His other clients include:
■ Kurt Warner, NFL Network
■ Andy Roddick, Fox Sports
■ Rick Fox, NBA TV
Reed Bergman, Playbook Inc.
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| Reed Bergman (center) is flanked by David Diehl (left) and Jesse Palmer. |
TV executives tout Bergman’s growing client base and unique dealmaking skills, such as the one he negotiated to get Jesse Palmer on ABC’s “Good Morning America” in addition to ESPN. Other clients on his roster include:
■ Dan Patrick, NBC Sports
■ Rich Eisen, NFL Network
■ Sara Walsh, ESPN
Steve Herz, IF Management
Herz’s ability to identify younger talent with potential was mentioned by more than one TV executive. His clients include:
■ Dan Hellie, NFL Network
■ Greg Amsinger, MLB Network
■ Dan Shulman, ESPN
■ Seth Greenberg, ESPN
Nick Khan, CAA
With arguably the deepest client list out there, TV executives describe Khan as the agent with whom they deal most frequently. His clients include:
■ Keith Olbermann, ESPN
■ Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN
■ Hannah Storm, ESPN
■ Jim Lampley, HBO
