Sports management and marketing agency Octagon has formed a strategicpartnership with Headline MediaManagement, a New York-based broadcast and media representationfirm, in which each company will offer services to the other’s clients.
“We are going to beproviding marketing services for all of their clients, and they are going tobroaden our television capabilities for all of our clients,” said Phil de Picciotto, president ofOctagon’s athletes and personalities division.
Octagon will represent Headline Media’s clients in speaking engagementsand appearances as well as product endorsements, de Picciotto said. Octagonalready represented its clients in broadcast work, but the alliance willstrengthen the practice, he said. De Picciotto declined to reveal the financialdetails of the deal.
Headline Media’sbroadcasting clients include MarvAlbert, ChristianeAmanpour, Chris Berman,Jerome Bettis, Wolf Blitzer, Bill Clement, Mike Golic, Mike Greenberg, Fred Hickman, Tom Jackson, Jim Lampley, Brad Nessler, Rick Reilly, Jimmy Roberts, Mike Tirico, Al Trautwig and Meredith Vieira.
Octagon’s client listincludes John Elway, Michael Phelps, David Robinson, Davis Love III, Steve Yzerman, Mia Hamm, Bill Cowher, Justin Gatlin and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess ofYork.
“Octagon’s global marketingexpertise will allow us to create unique new business opportunities forHeadline clients,” said LouOppenheim, Headline Media CEO, in a statement. “Our 25 years ofexperience in the broadcasting industry will facilitate new careeropportunities for Octagon clients.”
ROSENHAUS SITE DRAWS INTEREST:A new Web site called firedrewrosenhaus.com, which features unflatteringstories, commentary and photos of NFL player agent Drew Rosenhaus, has been the talk of agent circlesin the last few weeks.
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| Drew Rosenhaus’ representation of Terrell
Owens (rear) has earned a Web enemy. |
The site also displays thenames and phone numbers of NFL Players Association-certified agents who can behired by any NFL players who decide to take the advice of the Web site’s domainname. But the site’s founder and owner says he is not one of the agents on thelist and, in fact, is not an agent at all.
“I am a disgruntledfootball fan, nothing else,” said the Web site’s creator, who would identifyhimself only as “Rich.” Plugging the site’s name into a domain registry searchpointed only to a privacy protection service offered by a domain registrationcompany.
Rich said he was spurred tocreate the site after Rosenhaus client TerrellOwens’ suspension, because Owens was the top receiver on his fantasyfootball team.
“The site started as a‘Hate Drew’ site for ruining my fantasy football team,” said Rich, who, likeRosenhaus, lives in South Florida. “I was in contention for the playoffs, butnow I don’t know who I am going to start, which is not good.”
Rosenhaus did not return acall seeking comment.
Since firedrewrosenhaus.comstarted operation in early November, several football fans have pitched in tohelp provide content for the site, but no agents. He said he chose the agents’names on the site by going to the NFLPA Web site and finding agents based inSouth Florida who had negotiated at least one NFL player contract.
The site also sellsT-shirts and sweatshirts with the words “Fire Drew Rosenhaus” or the word“Drew” inside a circle with a line through it. Rich said that despite gettingthousands of hits, he has not had any sales.
HENKEL LEAVES IMG: Bill Henkel, who was directorof marketing for IMG’sKansas City-based football division, has left the company to start his ownbusiness.
IMG Football President Tom Condon confirmed thatHenkel had left, but said he did not take any clients with him for marketingwork.
“Bill worked for us foreight years and did a very good job,” Condon said. “We wish him well in his newendeavor.”
Attempts to reach Henkelfor comment were unsuccessful.
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
