Per Ryan Glasspiegel of thebiglead, sports media agent Sandy Montag is leaving WME-IMG according to sources close to the situation. He is leaving the agency to start his own firm, The Montag Group, which has been a two year process and is expected to be officially announced at the end of the week.
Montag has made a name for himself in the industry by representing top coaches, broadcasters, speakers and authors. His client roster includes names like John Madde, Bob Costas, Jim Nantz, James Brown, Bud Selig, Erin Andrews, Mike Tirico, Scott Van Pelt, Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale, Mike Shanahan, Peyton Manning, Jeremy Schaap, Trey Wingo and Chris Russo among other.
He is expected to retain many of his clients in his move to his own venture, however, there are a select number of clients who will remain with WME-IMG as well. Some of his clients have expressed interest in continuing to be represented by Montag for their broadcasting careers, but also stay with WME-IMG for their marketing opportunities.
Montag started at IMG in 1985 as an assistant for legendary coach and NFL broadcaster, John Madden. He turned this position into being his agent and the rest is history. Sports Business Journal reported that the first interest for starting his own firm came about in 2014, and “The Montag Group will represent teams, leagues, television networks, and corporations in the areas of corporate development, negotiations and content development.”