The Maine Sunday Telegram has an in-depth article on Octagon agent Peter Carlisle with the tagline, “Some of the biggest names in Olympics sports say Peter Carlisle is ‘more than just an agent.” It is a very nice exposé of Octagon’s managing director Olympics and Action Sports who is probably best known for his representation of U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps.
These days Phelps is not the No. 1 concern for Carlisle, because the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi are approaching, and the agent has his hands full with finding opportunities for his clients who participate in those winter sports.
My favorite quote from Carlisle came on page 2 of 5 in the Maine Sunday Telegram article.
“You’re going to come up against people who are smarter than you, wealthier than you, have more resources, have some other edge,” said Carlisle, sitting on a couch in his office, dressed in jeans and an Oxford shirt. “But I’ve always had that confidence that I could outwork anybody. Part of that is outworking them, part of that is hating to lose.”
Carlisle was a lawyer before he became a sports agent. And he started his own agency from scratch before being snatched up by Octagon. His first client was a snowboarder — he wanted to represent athletes in non-traditional sports. That strategy has led to quite a significant amount of success for Carlisle.
Interestingly, the article notes that Carlisle does not receive a commission from his clients. Instead, Carlisle simply receives a base salary from Octagon (which is not disclosed). Another item that stood out — Carlisle insisted that he remain in Maine, which originally was a deal-breaker for Octagon (among other agencies he was speaking to). Eventually, Octagon caved in and granted Carlisle his wish. Very smart move.
