After scouring the market for potential deal opportunities, Gersh is ready to take a big swing.
The Beverly Hills-based firm said Tuesday it is acquiring Madrid-based sports and entertainment agency You First in a major foray to establish a foothold in the lucrative pro athlete space.
As part of the deal to buy the Juan Aísa-led representation and consulting firm, Gersh will double its employee headcount to around 600 staffers as it bolts on an agency that already operates in 13 countries and touts a client roster of around 1,000. The newly titled division, Gersh Sports, will be led by Steve Gersh, the grandson of the agency’s founder, Phil Gersh, while Aísa will join the board.
In launching a sports division, Gersh is taking direct aim at a sector of the representation landscape led by the Big 3 agencies in Hollywood (CAA, WME and UTA) and management firm Wasserman, which have established units and large rosters of pro athletes.
“Sports representation is a natural next step in our growth as we continue to evolve the agency,” said Steve Gersh, a managing partner at the firm. “In acquiring You First, our strategic ambitions were to find a partner with global scale, a diversified and multi-sport practice, and strong management.”
You First, which was founded in 2002, touts its focus on soccer and basketball stars and its client roster includes Fabián Ruiz, Alexia Putellas, Milos Kerkez, Christoph Baumgartner and Luis de la Fuente along with Desmond Bane, Jarrett Allen, Jeremy Sochan, Ray Allen and Vince Carter. The firm has also worked on marketing campaigns with clients including Formula 1, Wrexham FC, Samsung and Starbucks.
“The partnership with Gersh strengthens our position in the industry and allows us to offer even greater support to our clients,” added Aísa.
The acquisition marks the second significant buy that Gersh — led by co-presidents Bob Gersh, David Gersh and Leslie Siebert — has made since it sold a 45 percent stake to investment firm Crestview Partners in 2023 with an eye to accelerate its expansion through dealmaking. At the time, Gersh counted 300 employees and 125 agents.
The Crestview investment marked the first time Gersh took on an equity partner since its founding in 1949. Early this year, the agency picked up about 45 staffers and 25 agents in a deal to buy the digital and alternative departments of the embattled A3 Artists Agency as the firm wound down and its founders became embroiled in a lawsuit over sale talks to Gersh.
“As we continue to grow the agency, our focus is to broaden the practice into new areas of representation, and growing the core business, while building an ecosystem in which clients across all divisions can directly benefit from this enhanced capability,” said Steve Stanford, head of strategy for Gersh. “Gersh has always filled a unique space in the representation landscape, and we want to grow the business in ways that do not come at the expense of what it does best: focus on individuals and their ambitions.”
