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- Takeover sees world’s biggest soccer management agency become ICM Stellar Sports
- Barnett and fellow Stellar co-founder David Manasseh to oversee day-to-day operations
- ICM intends to expand representation business into football, basketball, tennis and golf
Hollywood talent agency International Creative Management (ICM) Partners is expanding into sport after agreeing a deal to acquire London-based soccer representation powerhouse Stellar Group.
The takeover sees Stellar Group chairman Jonathan Barnett (pictured), who is best-known as the agent of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Gareth Bale, and co-founder David Manasseh become executive chairmen of the newly created ICM Stellar Sports.
Following the takeover, ICM managing director Ted Chervin has been named chairman of ICM Stellar Sports and Jonathan Perelman has assumed the role of president, while Stellar Group agent Joshua Barnett becomes managing director of the agency.
Financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed but, according to a report by the New York Times in 2017, Barnett was previously close to selling his company in a deal that valued the business at UK£100 million.
“We did this deal to give our clients greater access to opportunities across the spectrum of sports, entertainment and branding to give us the resources to further grow our business to better represent those clients,” Manasseh said in a statement.
Stellar Group, the world’s biggest soccer agency whose 130 employees will be retained after the acquisition, represents more than 800 athletes with contracts totalling close to US$3 billion.
In addition to Bale, once the world’s most-expensive soccer player, the agency’s talent roster includes several young English Premier League players such as Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw.
Founded in 1992, Stellar Group operates out of offices in London and the US, as well as Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, and Uruguay.
Deadline reports that Los Angeles-based ICM plans to use the acquisition to expand Stellar’s National Football League (NFL) representation business, which currently includes the management of New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston and New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney.
According to the New York Times, basketball, tennis and golf are also areas of interest for ICM, which is one of Hollywood’s most powerful talent agencies and represents A-Listers like Samuel L Jackson, Jerry Seinfeld, Olivia Colman and Ellen DeGeneres.
“With connectivity speeding the process, the sports, entertainment, music, media and publishing worlds have converged,” ICM chief executive Chris Silberman said in a statement.
“Clients have greater opportunities than ever before to be multi-dimensional, multi-media brands. Aligning our wonderful and talented entertainment clients with Stellar’s premiere athletes is a powerful combination.”
ICM’s takeover of Stellar follows a similar move by rival firm Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which purchased the Base Soccer Agency last year.
Hollywood talent agency International Creative Management (ICM) Partners is expanding into sport after agreeing a deal to acquire London-based soccer representation powerhouse Stellar Group.
The takeover sees Stellar Group chairman Jonathan Barnett, who is best-known as the agent of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Gareth Bale, and co-founder David Manasseh become executive chairmen of the newly created ICM Stellar Sports.
Following the takeover, ICM managing director Ted Chervin has been named chairman of ICM Stellar Sports and Jonathan Perelman has assumed the role of president, while Stellar Group agent Joshua Barnett becomes managing director of the agency.
Financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed but, according to a report by the New York Times in 2017, Barnett was previously close to selling his company in a deal that valued the business at UK£100 million.
“We did this deal to give our clients greater access to opportunities across the spectrum of sports, entertainment and branding to give us the resources to further grow our business to better represent those clients,” Manasseh said in a statement.
Stellar Group, the world’s biggest soccer agency whose 130 employees will be retained after the acquisition, represents more than 800 athletes with contracts totalling close to US$3 billion.
In addition to Bale, once the world’s most-expensive soccer player, the agency’s talent roster includes several young English Premier League players such as Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw.
Founded in 1992, Stellar Group operates out of offices in London and the US, as well as Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, and Uruguay.
Deadline reports that Los Angeles-based ICM plans to use the acquisition to expand Stellar’s National Football League (NFL) representation business, which currently includes the management of New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston and New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney.
According to the New York Times, basketball, tennis and golf are also areas of interest for ICM, which is one of Hollywood’s most powerful talent agencies and represents A-Listers like Samuel L Jackson, Jerry Seinfeld, Olivia Colman and Ellen DeGeneres.
“With connectivity speeding the process, the sports, entertainment, music, media and publishing worlds have converged,” ICM chief executive Chris Silberman said in a statement.
“Clients have greater opportunities than ever before to be multi-dimensional, multi-media brands. Aligning our wonderful and talented entertainment clients with Stellar’s premiere athletes is a powerful combination.”
ICM’s takeover of Stellar follows a similar move by rival firm Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which purchased the Base Soccer Agency last year.
