Gersh has acquired You First, a leading global sports and entertainment agency, the company announced on Tuesday.
With this acquisition, Gersh doubles its size to over 600 employees, establishes a global footprint with 22 offices in 14 countries, and positions itself as a player in worldwide sports representation. The combination of You First and Gersh will create new opportunities for clients across both sports and entertainment, building on the strengths of each agency.
You First represents over 1,000 clients globally across multiple sports, with a strong presence in soccer and basketball. Its roster includes celebrated names such as Fabián Ruiz, Alexia Putellas, Milos Kerkez, Christoph Baumgartner, and Luis de la Fuente, among others. Its US basketball division, Tandem, represents NBA players and legends, including Desmond Bane, Jarrett Allen, Jeremy Sochan, Ray Allen, and Vince Carter.
Beyond representing global sporting talent active both on and off the field, You First works closely with sports leagues and leading global corporations—such as Formula 1, Wrexham FC, Samsung and Starbucks—to forge innovative, data-driven marketing campaigns that empower brands to connect with fans through sports, entertainment, social platforms and live events. You First CEO and co-Founder, Juan Aísa, will join the board of Gersh and continue to run You First from its headquarters in Madrid, Spain.
The acquisition of You First provides Gersh with a platform to expand into sports representation and consulting. With the launch of its new sports division, Gersh Sports, the agency will continue its expansion into new client-serving businesses, which it began earlier this year with the acquisition of the A3 Agency’s Digital and Alternative departments. Gersh Sports, which will be led by Steve Gersh, will unify the agency’s sports initiatives and drive collaboration across its entertainment and sports divisions.
“Sports representation is a natural next step in our growth as we continue to evolve the agency,” Steve Gersh, a managing partner of Gersh, said in a statement to The Wrap. “In acquiring You First, our strategic ambitions were to find a partner with global scale, a diversified and multi-sport practice, and strong management. Juan and the You First team bring all these attributes, and an ethos of steadfast client-centric advocacy that is core to Gersh’s representation practices.”
Juan Aísa, CEO of You First, added: “The partnership with Gersh strengthens our position in the industry and allows us to offer even greater support to our clients. Together, we’re building an ecosystem that goes beyond sports and entertainment representation to foster innovation and create new opportunities for global expansion.”
Steve Stanford, head of strategy for Gersh, added: “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. 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.”