Don’t miss Nigel Sylvester on Boardroom’s “Out of Office” with Rich Kleiman — click here to listen and download.
The most popular content creator on two wheels has a new home at Endeavor-owned WME and will additionally work with IMG Models.
Pro BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester has a new home with WME Sports. On Monday, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed that Sylvester, who has parlayed his skills on the bike to corporate sponsorships and even a digital series, will also work with parent company Endeavor’s IMG Models division.
Sylvester’s trajectory from athlete to culture shifter remains one of sport’s most remarkable Cinderella stories. Boardroom’s Randall Williams noted in June 2022 that as the New York native rose to the ranks in BMX, he opted to shy away from formal competitions in order to create content more authentically. The end goal wasn’t to adorn a glass case with first-place medals, but instead to create a lasting impact meant to inspire young people from Jamaica, Queens to the far corners of the world.
“For me and the kids that I was hanging around, we cared about creating videos. That was our thing. It was more of an art form for us,” the 35-year-old said at the time.
The gamble has paid off — and it continues to, in fact. Sylvester’s omnibus of collaborations includes deals with Jordan Brand, Mercedes Benz, Oakley, Hyperiece, Moncler, Hermes, Specialized Bikes and Smartwater.
“Michael Jordan is a legit 1-of-1. His legacy on and off the court is cemented,” Sylvester told Williams about working with Jumpman. “The barriers he has broken in regards to athlete brand deals and partnerships is incredible. He has shown how far an athlete can take their business. From the sneakers, movies, and everything else, he is someone that I’ve looked up to and admired my entire life.”
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The aforementioned digital program, GO, is Sylvester’s first-hand account of his acrobatic rides across the globe, and all episodes can be streamed 24/7 via his YouTube channel featuring nearly half a million subscribers. On the philanthropic side, his non-profit the Nigel Sylvester Foundation helps to provide people in underserved neighborhoods with bicycles in hopes of sparking the passion within the next generation that took hold of him at an early age while flying down the streets on two wheels.
“A bicycle changed my life. It afforded me to live out my imagination, see the world, make a living for myself, provide for those around me,” he said. “I know how powerful a bicycle can be. With the foundation, our initiative is to continue to put bicycles in the hands of kids and people who are in need of one but don’t have access to one. Even if it changes one kid’s life and that kid goes on to change another kid’s life, that’s powerful.”
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