The Familie will expand marketing capabilities for athletes, musicians and brands.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Familie, a leading sports and music agency for the world’s most ambitious talent, is today announcing that Mike Neligan (previously at VaynerSports, Brooklyn Nets, Excel Sports and others) will be joining its executive team to lead revenue and business development as Chief Business Officer.
A distinguished name in sports marketing, Neligan has helped to launch and grow some of the industry’s most prominent agencies and athlete brands. He started his career as a baseball agent in 2005 before joining Excel Sports, where he established himself as a marketing solutions thought leader and business development expert. He went on to lead and transform VaynerSports into a multi-sport talent and brand consulting agency with Gary Vaynerchuck over the past few years. Throughout his nearly 20 year career, Neligan has brokered more than $250M in deals on behalf of thousands of athletes and brands.
Neligan will leverage his extensive insights and experience working across sports and entertainment with both traditional and emerging brands to create and identify strategic growth opportunities for The Familie’s roster of elite athletes and musicians, as well for the agency itself.
Neligan says about his new role: “As sports representation continues to evolve to prioritize an athlete’s authentic brand – I’ve become almost obsessed with the level of creative ideation and strategic execution required for agencies to get it right. The Familie has been one of the few that is consistently at or above that level. Steve has been a friend and mentor for a number of years, and someone I’m excited and honored to be joining along with his talented, creative and truly collaborative group of leaders.”
Steve Astephen, Founder & CEO of The Familie says: “The Familie reached an inflection point this year, and 2024 will be defined by some pretty significant growth across our team, roster and capabilities. Mike’s expertise and ability to marry creative marketing ideas with tangible revenue opportunities for clients, agents and brands is going to play a crucial role in preserving and accelerating this momentum. We’re absolutely thrilled to have him at the helm.”
About The Familie
Founded by Steve Astephen in 1998 and relaunched in 2019, The Familie represents top talent across sports, music, art and media with a unique formula that blends big picture deal-making and a talent-equity business model. The Familie has launched divisions for NFL, NBA, Golf, Tennis and Music. The Familie’s client roster includes some of the world’s most talented and recognized athletes and entertainers, including Travis Pastrana, Ryan Sheckler, Caroline Wozniacki, Wyndham Clark, Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Jaden Hossler, sombr, NFL rookie Kelee Ringo, as well as basketball’s future stars through The Familie’s NIL clients.
With the launch of its sister company, Unlisted Brand Lab, helmed by Candy Harris, The Familie helps talent transform personal brands into scalable businesses with an entrepreneurial client management model. In 2021, client Machine Gun Kelly launched his disruptive gender-neutral beauty brand, UN/DN LAQR through Unlisted Brand Lab and The Familie.
The Familie has offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, Scottsdale, and Nashville.
Teresa Bigelow
Founder
Spiral5
[email protected]
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SOURCE The Familie
