China-based Momentum Sports has merged into CAA China, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Momentum Sports investor Legend Capital will become a shareholder in CAA China as part of the deal.
Momentum, a marketing, brand consulting and athlete representation company focused on traditional sports, esports and crossover entertainment and formed by CEO and former NBA China vice president Mark Gao in 2016, has consulted for brands including vivo, Mengniu, Home Credit, BMW, Logitech and Nike, and also represented Chinese athletes like soccer player Bowen Huang and basketball’s Shaojie Wang.
“We are excited to become part of a company with such a stellar global reputation like CAA and look forward to working collaboratively with our new colleagues — both domestically and internationally — to develop new opportunities for clients in the market,” said Gao, who will work closely with CAA China CEO Mary Gu to bolster the company’s sports business.
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CAA China was launched in April 2017 by the partnership between CAA and Chinese investment firm CMC Capital Partners. The media and entertainment platform includes talent representation, media finance, brand consulting and entertainment marketing.
“Mark Gao and his internationally-minded management team at Momentum will join our world-class sports business, helping further our efforts in China in such high-demand areas as broadcast rights, sponsorship, IP and operation,” said Gu, whose professional experience in sports includes serving as president of the International Special Olympics in East Asia and establishing the IAAF Diamond League China League. “In this moment of remarkable opportunity in China, Momentum’s local sports insights and experience, combined with CAA’s global reach and resources, will play a key role in the continued acceleration of our growth strategy.”
