“We believe that sports represent an intersection between culture and entertainment,” holds co-founder of Culture Sports and Entertainment, Andrew (Ace) Thomas. He and his partner, co-founder Chris Gaston, began Culture Sports and Entertainment to provide athletes and players with a multi-dimensional sports agency that combined the brighter elements of big and boutique agencies. “We manage them, help them scale as players, family members, and humans living in a world that spins on culture and media,” Thomas says.
With backgrounds in sports themselves, Thomas and Gaston know the intricacies of the agent world. They’ve employed a team of professionals, including Edric Dennis as Director of Client Services and Donny Beacham as Director of Player Operations. “Navigating one’s career as an athlete requires connections and resources that many athletes simply do not have the time to obtain and manage. They can also be busy living their lives apart from being an athlete, such as being a father, wife, celebrity,” states Thomas. Culture Sports and Entertainment was created to address this pain point.
Culture Sports and Entertainment focuses on personalization. “We aim to be dynamic in that we do not only provide athletes with the resources to thrive as athletes but in every other area,” says Thomas. To do so, the company offers several services, from contract negotiation to personal branding to a family-like and supportive atmosphere. “We help our clients transition in every phase of their career, making sure every need is met as they face the next chapter of their lives.” It is the company’s priority and first goal to make athletes feel at-home with their manager and team. “Then, we get down to business,” says the co-founder.
The company lives and breathes contract negotiation, with over thirty years of experience maximizing their clients’ earnings and fighting for what they believe their clients are worth. “We only take on very select clients,” mentions Gaston, “because once we do represent a player, we fight for and believe in them ruthlessly.”
“We take into account what our athletes like, dislike, want, prefer to avoid, and who they really are as a person when building their professional and media personality,” says Gaston. “We think brands need to be built around the person. And to do so, you must first know the person.”
“After this, we explore and create relationships that can be unconventional and outside the scope of the sports industry, exposing our clients to opportunities not being offered anywhere else in the business,” says Thomas. The company will provide players with opportunities to explore their personal interests through the Culture Sports and Entertainment pool of professional relationships.
Culture Sports and Entertainment truly aims to provide players with anything they could require and support them in their careers with Thomas and Gaston happy to take the lead in a world of sports combined with culture and entertainment.
