A
s Creative Artists Agency has grown its sports division from nothing to one of the most powerful agencies in the space, Beth McClinton has been the woman behind the message.
Beth McClinton
Creative Artists Agency // Corporate communications executive
McClinton joined CAA in 2006, after working in public relations for Hollywood studios MGM and 20th Century Fox. At the time, CAA had just begun its sports practice by hiring a few top NFL, MLB and NHL agents.
“Actually, when I was negotiating my areas that I would oversee on my way in, not working on sports would have been a deal-breaker,” McClinton said. “I came into this large corporation that had such a legacy in Hollywood. They were going to make history in sports and I wanted to be part of that from the very beginning.”
McClinton wrote the press release for the official launch of CAA Sports, as well as the announcements for the hiring of co-heads Michael Levine and Howie Nuchow. She’s been involved in crafting the message and planning the timing of every important announcement since then, as CAA Sports has expanded into property sales, licensing, corporate consulting, hospitality and experiential marketing, among other areas.
“When we first got here she was basically walking us through what was going to happen,” Nuchow said. “She was helping us define how to speak about CAA Sports to the outside world.”
Nuchow noted that in the last year McClinton was added to a group of seven senior executives to discuss strategies to grow CAA Sports.
“She is so bright at seeing the picture and making you understand what is happening,” Nuchow said. “She sees the 20,000-foot view and then can bring it down to ground level. And, she has an immense desire to get things right.”
— Liz Mullen
