Global sports and entertainment marketing leader Octagon today announced the addition of veteran action sports agent Greg Fernandez as part of the agency’s growing investment in the global sport of surfing. Fernandez joins the agency along with pro surf clients Josh Kerr, Chippa Wilson, Dusty Payne, and Keanu Asing who will be exclusively represented by Octagon.
“We are committed to the sport of surfing and believe in its growth potential on a global scale,” said Amen Teter, Octagon’s Global Director of Action Sports. “Greg is a great addition to our team; his diverse background across the industry is a valuable combination in the marketing and management of action sport athletes as exemplified by his efforts with Josh, Chippa, and Dusty.”
As Octagon’s Global Director of Surf, Fernandez will work to grow Octagon’s global surf business while continuing to lead the marketing and management representation of Kerr, Wilson, Payne, and Asing among others. Based in Encinitas, CA, Fernandez is a seasoned action sports veteran with more than 15 years of experience across athlete marketing, brand development, media buying, retail marketing, and event management. Fernandez’ action sports experience includes positions with longtime action sports agent Sue Izzo at Mosaic Sports Management, Burton Snowboards, and highly-regarded surf film-maker Taylor Steele.
“I have worked with Octagon and Amen over the course of my career and have always been impressed with their approach and success in representing Olympic and action sport athletes,” said Fernandez. “Together, we have an opportunity to help raise the profile of our clients and the sport at a time when the popularity of surf is on the rise with interest across the international marketplace.”
“Our continued investment in surfing is a natural extension of our core business that is centered on the marketing and management of individual sport athletes,” said Peter Carlisle, Octagon’s Managing Director of Olympic & Action Sports. “The conversation of surfing’s potential inclusion in the Olympics provides a unique opportunity to market the sport globally.”
Kerr, 30, is a rare breed of surfer whose authority spans free surfing to the World Tour where he has been a consistent top-10 performer over the past four years. The Australian-native who currently resides in Carlsbad, CA, is widely known for his signature aerials in the water and a successful entrepreneur and family man out of the water. His sponsors include Rusty, Mountain Dew, Nixon, Tige Boats, RAEN, Peak, Pro Lite, and 3D Fins.
Wilson, 26, dropped in on the surf community through a series of popular surf film edits that launched his meteoric rise as the top free surfer in the world. A native of Australia, Chippa has established himself as one of the top athlete content producers in all of action sports as evidenced by his ongoing presence atop the industry’s content exposure analytics. Based in Southern California, he is sponsored by Arnette, Nixon, Monster Energy, New Era, Stance, VNDA, and British Customs.
Payne, 26, the former Triple Crown runner-up and Hawaii Pro Champion, is a four-year veteran on the elite World Tour of Surfing. One of the most versatile surfers, Payne is a recognized ambassador of Cross-Fit training and maintains peak physical conditioning. A native of Hawaii, he is sponsored by Volcom.
Asing, 21, is quickly making a name for himself on the World Tour with a breakout rookie season and requalification for the 2016 World Tour. The only Native Hawaiian on tour, Asing has embraced the #HeartOverHeight mantra and is poised for a very bright future. His sponsors include Fox, Rockstar Energy, Local Motion , Cobian and Pro-Lite.
Octagon’s Olympic & Action Sports Division, led by Managing Director Peter Carlisle, is a full-service representation group whose clients include Michael Phelps, Alana Blanchard, Mitchie Brusco, Kelly Clark, Natalie Coughlin, Apolo Anton Ohno, Aly Raisman, Hannah Teter, Seth Wescott, Nathan Adrian, and Simone Biles among others. For more information, please visit www.octagonoas.com; www.facebook.com/octagonoas;www.twitter.com/octagonoas.
Octagon is the world’s leader in sports and entertainment management and marketing with global expertise in athlete, broadcaster and entertainment management, corporate consulting, events, property representation, marketing solutions, licensing, merchandising and talent procurement. As part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), one of the world’s leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services, Octagon employs more than 800 people in 22 different countries around the world. For further information please visit: https://www.octagon.com or follow us on Twitter: @Octagon
