The Brooklyn-based creative and experiential marketing agency enhances Excel’s reach and impact across sports, culture, and lifestyle.
Excel Sports Management, the sports agency that represents and works with the likes of Tiger Woods, Kevin Love, Clayton Kershaw, Red Bull, Under Armour, Outback Steakhouse, and 2K Games, has acquired creative and experiential marketing agency Game Seven.
Game Seven is known for the campaigns it’s created for brands including Nike, Foot Locker, Oakley, Bleacher Report, Instagram, Spotify, and Meta. “We started Game Seven with the ambition to build an agency capable of harnessing and converting our love of sports culture into breakthrough marketing campaigns,” said Justin Leonard, co-founder of Game Seven Marketing, in an official release.
“Over the last 12 years, we have evolved from a niche experiential agency into a full-service creative shop, and our team has had the privilege of creating a wide range of impactful work, both physical and digital, alongside some of the most innovative brands in the world. As we look towards the future, the ability to grow, scale, and diversify our work is paramount. Jeff and the Excel team have built one of the best agencies in the world, and our combined expertise will bring a new and differentiated offering to the marketplace.”
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Justin Leonard and his brother, Matt Leonard, founded Game Seven in 2010 with the goal of delivering creative and experiential wins for brands across sports, culture, and lifestyle without sacrificing authenticity. Game Seven will keep its name and branding, while the Leonards’ roles as Co-heads of the agency will be preserved under the terms of the acquisition. They’ll both additionally hold equity stakes in the organization going forward.
As Excel Sports Management founder and President Jeff Schwartz added on the occasion:
“Excel and Game Seven share foundational elements, as both agencies started in basketball and have since expanded well beyond into various other sports and entertainment verticals. Game Seven’s evolution from experiential marketing into a leading creative shop in sports make them a great fit for Excel. This strategic investment ensures we can satisfy any brand’s marketing ambitions within sports.”
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