Wasserman (formerly Wasserman Media Group) is a sports marketing and talent management company based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Casey Wasserman
Casey Wasserman (born Casey Myers; June 28, 1974) is an American entertainment executive.
He is the founder, chief executive officer and chairman of Wasserman; Chairman of LA28, the Organizing Committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Ange ...
, grandson of media mogul
Lew Wasserman
Lewis Robert Wasserman (March 22, 1913 – June 3, 2002) was an American talent agent and studio executive, described as "the last of the legendary movie moguls" and "arguably the most powerful and influential Hollywood titan in the four decades ...
, founded the company in 1998 and acts as its chief executive.
History
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
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competition, competitive event using a high level of theatre, theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertainment, entertaining an audience. Un ...
film studio
A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...
. The business was designed to provide financing, obtain sponsorships and arrange distribution in support of original productions. The company also made an unsuccessful bid to sign up enough athletes in
BMX
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
History
BMX began during the earl ...
, skateboarding and freestyle motocross to form PGA-like sanctioning bodies in those sports.
In January, 2006 Wasserman acquired the NBA and MLB sports agent business of
, 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. Until he retired in June, 2015, Tellem was a principal at the company and ran one of its management groups.
[Arn Tellem, "Why I'm Making The Jump From Sports Agent To Front Office"](_blank)
''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
''. June 5, 2015
In November 2006, the company acquired
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
agency SFX, in the UK.
Through that acquisition, Wasserman came to represent players including
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
,
Robbie Keane
Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional Association football, football coach and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. Keane served as Captain (association football ...
,
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's vic ...
,
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as for the England national team. Since r ...
,
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga Cahill (; born 6 December 1979) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder but also played as a striker on many occasions. A box-to-box midfielder, Cahill became recognised for "his ag ...
,
Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Simon Woodgate (born 22 January 1980) is an English football manager and former player who is currently the First Team Coach at EFL Championship club, Middlesbrough.
Woodgate began his career at Middlesbrough but moved to Leeds United ...
,
Alex Morgan
Alexandra Morgan Carrasco (born Alexandra Patricia Morgan; July 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker and captains for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of ...
,
Tobin Heath
Tobin Powell Heath (born May 29, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for OL Reign of the NWSL, as well as the United States national team. Heath has been described as "perhaps the USA's most skillful player" ...
,
Heather O'Reilly
Heather Ann O'Reilly (born January 2, 1985) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Irish club Shelbourne of the Women's National League. She played for the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT), w ...
,
Wes Brown
Wesley Michael Brown (born 13 October 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Brown began his career with Manchester United, joining the club's academy at the age of 12 in 1992. After turning professional ...
,
Scott Parker
Scott Matthew Parker (born 13 October 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Club Brugge in Belgium.
Parker began his career at Charlton Athletic, and ...
,
Jack Wilshere
Jack Andrew Garry Wilshere (born 1 January 1992) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a midfielder. He is the current head coach of the Arsenal U18s.
Wilshere came up through Arsenal's youth academy and i ...
,
Park Ji-Sung
Park Ji-sung (; ; born 30 March 1981) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is the most successful Asian player in football history, having won 19 trophies in ...
,
Shay Given
Séamus John James Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. With 134 caps, he is the second-highest capped Republic of Ireland player.
Given started his career at Celtic, however he neve ...
,
Tim Howard and
Emile Heskey
Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978) is an English former professional footballer who currently serves as head of football development of Leicester City Women. Playing as a striker, he made more than 500 appearances in the Foo ...
.
In June 2007, Wasserman expanded its consulting and media and property capabilities by purchasing Raleigh, North Carolina-based OnSport.
In early 2011, Wasserman bought London-based media rights manager and advisory firm Reel Enterprises.
That year Wasserman expanded its golf talent roster by acquiring SFX Golf in April 2011.
In 2015, Wasserman acquired Laundry Service, which included Cycle, a network of
social media influencer
An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...
s. The advertising agency was named one of the ''
Ad Age
''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mul ...
'' agencies to watch in January 2015.
In March 2021, Wasserman acquired German based boxing promotional company
Team Sauerland. With the announcement they revealed the company would be relocating to the United Kingdom.
In March 2021, Wasserman acquired the North American Music division of the Los Angeles-based Paradigm Talent Agency. , url= https://variety.com/2021/music/news/casey-wasserman-paradigm-music-1234933081/}
In April 2021, Wasserman acquired the Boston-based ‘Ideas and Access’ Gen Z geared Marketing Agency: Riddle & Bloom.
Riddle & Bloom will be fully rebranded as Wasserman in Q3.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wasserman Media Group
Mass media companies established in 1998
Companies based in Los Angeles