EXCLUSIVE: Paradigm Talent Agency on Wednesday announced the launch of The Sports Group, a dedicated, all-encompassing division established to represent a roster of elite athletes and iconic teams.
Led by seasoned agents Nick LoPiccolo and Brett Hansen, The Sports Group will consist of a specialized team of agents across Paradigm’s departments, offering full-service representation.
By harnessing Paradigm’s extensive network and expertise across all the agency’s key disciplines — Talent, Scripted Literary, Unscripted, Book Publishing, Broadcasting, Media Rights, Content Finance, Digital Ventures, Brand Partnerships, and Speaking Engagements — The Sports Group will look to mine best-in-class opportunities for clients. This includes assisting athletes in pivoting from sports into the entertainment industry and working closely with teams to craft compelling storytelling, develop authentic brand partnerships, and uncover new revenue opportunities. Dedicated agents across these departments include Varun Monga, Jake Dexter, Ian Kleinert, Richie Kern, Joshua Finn, Jeff Kolodny, Ashley Hanley, Babacar Diene, Lindsay Samakow, Hannah Tenenbaum, and Sanam Sarani.
“Our focus is on working with athletes who have already made history and are now poised to make an even greater impact beyond the field,” said agents Hansen and LoPiccolo. “Paradigm is uniquely positioned to amplify our clients’ brands, leverage their stories, and channel their competitive drive in a way that creates bespoke opportunities in every aspect of media. This is just the beginning.”
One of Paradigm’s major focuses on the sports front at the moment is Paul vs. Tyson, Netflix’s highly anticipated heavyweight boxing showdown between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which will stream this Friday in five languages from AT&T Arena in Arlington, TX and is expected to draw a massive, multi-generational audience. The match has been months in the making, generating excitement and drawing a fresh wave of young fans to the sport. In addition to negotiating the deal for Paul vs. Tyson — Netflix’s first foray into combat sports — Paradigm managed all related content, including the Countdown series that premiered last week, and secured brand partnerships for the fight. Tyson also has a larger, yet-to-be-announced deal with Netflix, featuring a docuseries likened to ESPN’s The Last Dance on Michael Jordan.
Commented Paradigm’s Managing Partner, Andrew Ruf, “Mike Tyson’s enduring legacy as one of the most electrifying figures in sports makes this collaboration with Netflix a game-changer. Paul vs. Tyson will captivate audiences across six generations and exemplifies the transformative projects The Sports Group is committed to delivering. By leveraging the Paradigm platform and our global network, we’re opening new doors for athletes to reshape their careers and redefine the entertainment landscape.”
The Sports Group’s client roster includes Tyson, Aaron Donald, Reggie Bush, Drew Bledsoe (coming off Netflix’s hit Roast of Tom Brady), CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, Liv Morgan, Tiffany Stratton and 10 of the WWE’s other stars, the late Jerry West, Gilbert Arenas, Sean Avery, the Savannah Bananas, UFC’s Jorge Masvidal, AEW’s Miro, renowned basketball trainer “The Hoops Whisperer” Idan Ravin, and high-wire artists Nik and Lijana Wallenda.
Key scripted projects coming up for The Sports Group include Netflix’s Happy Gilmore 2 featuring Bush and Avery, Night Patrol starring Punk, Lionsgate’s The Killer’s Game featuring McIntyre, Masvidal in The Beast in Me, and Tyson’s roles in Asphalt City, Once Within a Time, and Medellin. On the unscripted side, highlights include the Savannah Bananas’ series Bananaland on ESPN, the Arthur Ashe doc Citizen Ashe, Level Playing Field for HBO Sports, Top Class Tennis for Amazon, Blackballed for Roku, an upcoming Tyson doc, a doc on West directed by Kenya Barris with Propagate Content, a doc on Bush, a doc project on Donald with SMAC, as well as various upcoming installments of Netflix’s Untold franchise.
Recently, The Sports Group also negotiated the media rights deal for the Savannah Bananas with TruTV. The publishing division is equally robust, with projects underway featuring the Savannah Bananas, Bledsoe, Masvidal, Arenas, Avery, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Allen Iverson, Michael Oher, Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce, University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, Joe Namath, and WWE stars Nattie Neidhart, Tiffany Stratton, and Montez Ford. The brand group has secured collaborations on behalf of its athletes with Nissan, Modelo, Dr. Squatch, Blyt Basics, Kith, Travis Mathew, Srixon, LF*GO, Bounty, Fanatics, Upper Deck, Everlast, and Celsius, among others.
Said LoPiccolo, “Paradigm has always been at the forefront of talent representation, and with The Sports Group, we are setting a new standard. This dedicated division will allow us to deliver unparalleled opportunities and elevate our clients in unexpected ways.”
