Van Wagner and The Brandr Group Combine Efforts to Advance NIL Deals
NEW YORK, November 15, 2023– Van Wagner, a prominent leader in collegiate multimedia rights, today announced a new partnership with The Brandr Group (TBG), the leading group rights agency for college sports. This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone in the company’s mission to empower collegiate partners, brands, and student-athletes in navigating the evolving landscape of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities.
"We look forward to collaborating with The Brandr Group on strategic opportunities on behalf of collegiate partners, brands, and student-athletes," said Mike Palisi, President of Van Wagner College. "Helping our schools embrace NIL, in ways that align with their institutional priorities, is paramount. This was an important step, and one of the many innovative ways that we can support our collegiate partners as they navigate this dynamic and competitive landscape.”
One of the key assets that Van Wagner provides to sponsor brands is the intellectual property of the schools within its extensive network. When combined with the NIL of student-athletes, it creates a powerful and authentic connection for brands looking to engage with the college sports audience.
"The world of NIL is constantly changing, and we pride ourselves on staying on the forefront of developments in the space and charting the path forward for the future of Van Wagner and our collegiate partners,” added Palisi.
Van Wagner currently leads collegiate sports marketing and multimedia rights programs for colleges, universities, and conferences throughout the United States. For decades, the company has successfully united brands with college sports fans through innovative sponsorship programs and campus-wide initiatives, solidifying its position as an industry leader. The partnership with TBG presents an exciting opportunity for Van Wagner to extend this expertise to the realm of student-athlete endorsements, offering its expertise to schools and brands in a manner that aligns seamlessly with their unique goals while delivering fair market value to student athletes in a NCAA compliant approach.
"With years of collective experience in collegiate multimedia rights, Van Wagner demonstrates its expertise to thoughtfully promote sponsor brands through the Division-I colleges and conferences they represent across the country," said Wesley Haynes, President and Founder of TBG. "It’s our mission to represent the best for student athletes and partnering with MMR partners like Van Wagner creates the proper structure to secure the best interests of all stakeholders.”
Representing brands is ingrained in Van Wagner’s DNA, with a distinguished track record that includes notable partnerships with established brands like Jersey Mike's and Hercules Tires. This new collaboration with TBG further solidifies Van Wagner's commitment to exploring innovative avenues in collegiate sports marketing.
The collaboration emphasizes the dedication of Van Wagner to continuously adapt, innovate, and provide unwavering support to its collegiate partners, ensuring they remain competitive at the highest level. The partnership is non-exclusive, ensuring that Van Wagner's collegiate partners have the flexibility to explore NIL opportunities in alignment with their unique needs and affiliations.
ABOUT VAN WAGNER:
Van Wagner is a leading sports advertising and entertainment agency, with global expertise in live events, sponsorship sales, multimedia rights and aerial advertising. Van Wagner creates, advises and sells on behalf of world-class teams, leagues, brands and properties. An innovator in the sports and media business, Van Wagner is a global leader in high-impact broadcast visible signage throughout the MLB, NBA, NCAA and international soccer, sponsorships sales, college multimedia rights and in-venue content production at the world’s biggest sporting events. For more information, visit www.vanwagner.com.
ABOUT THE BRANDR GROUP:
The Brandr Group (TBG) is a brand management, marketing and licensing agency powered by a team with decades of collective management experience for some of the world’s largest brands. TBG has emerged as the leading agency in group licensing programs, leading efforts for more than 90 college athletic programs and their student athletes in the Name, Image and Likeness category including the biggest brands in college athletics. TBG partners with prominent brands, colleges, sponsors, corporate trademarks, athletes and events to cultivate, diversify and monetize intellectual property through professional brand management and licensing endeavors. For more information, please visit tbgusa.com.
