I have not covered Happy Walters all that much on this website. Other than really loving his first name, I never have come across anything all that newsworthy. But that does not mean that the sports agent (amongst many other professional titles) is not a spectacular human being. In fact, after receiving a rundown about Happy’s life from one of my current interns, I now wonder why I never paid him more attention. Perhaps he just does a phenomenal job of keeping himself out of the news as much as possible and making sure that when his name does hit the papers, nothing horrible is said about him.
Type in Happy Walters into a Google Search. One of the top listings is his IMDB page. Did you know that Happy Walters was the inspiration for Adam Sandler to create his hit movie, Happy Gilmore? If only poor Chubs would get his hand back. Sandler was even Happy’s Best Man at Happy’s wedding. While Happy Walters has really established himself in the world of sports, he is also a giant on the Entertainment side. With sports and entertainment becoming more one-and-the-same by the day, this has to work in Happy’s favor. He is very big in the Music scene (as a supervisor) and has also produced quite a few movies and TV shows.
Music Supervisor, Producer, Sports Agent (which I have not even got to yet), and photographer? Another top Google Search result leads to Happy’s personal website at www.HappyWalters.com. This is the official Happy Walters Photography website, where Life Portraits, Color Photography, and Music Photography are highlighted.
People think that I am a busy man? I bet Happy Walters has a little bit more on his plate. When he is not bringing bands like KoRn and Cypress Hill to the forefront of music, he is also managing athletes. His biggest client is Amare Stoudemire, but he also represents DeJuan Blair, Shawne Williams, Curtis Jerrells, and former Florida Gator, Corey Brewer. There are other basketball players on his clientèle roster, and Happy may even make a splash in this year’s draft. Rumors have been surfacing lately that Happy may have a solid chance of representing University of Kentucky’s, John Wall. He has already signed UTEP’s Derrick Caracter.
Happy Walters’ company in the Music industry is called Immortal (EMD). So when he started his agency to represent athletes, it made sense to call the new venture, Immortal Sports. But it looks like things are changing on the sports end. Happy is transitioning to creating a new sports entity called, Rogue Sports. In fact, the website for the new company is already under development. It will probably be taken down or moved sometime soon after posting this, but I find the headlines quite humorous, so I am taking a screenshot and posting it here for your enjoyment. Make sure to read the one about Drew Rosenhaus!
To conclude, I think it will be very interesting to track Rogue Sports and all of Happy’s ventures in the future. Reading a bit more about his past, I definitely commend Happy and look up to him as a pure entrepreneur and someone who should be respected in this industry. Good luck to him with this year’s draft class and in all future pursuits.
16 replies on “Agent Spotlight: Happy Walters”
Use google:
Cypress Hill and House Of Pain mamanger, Happy Walters was engaged in a shouting stand off with Suge Knight over politics on a soundtrack appearance. A few days after the altercation while withdrawing money from an ATM, Happy disappeared off the scene sending shock waves through the music industry as to his circumstances, however he reappeared several days later wandering the streets incoherent, shaved down, naked and covered in cigarette burns. When admitted to hospital he had amnesia and refused to comment on Suge Knight.
Wow! One question, how in the heck does he do it-Entertainment and Sports management? Good stuff.
Happy Walters is a disgusting piece of shit. He only gets players because he goes behinds peoples backs and pays all involved with the player. Cory Brewer, Dejuan Blair, and Larry Sanders just to name a few. It is impossible to believe that players actually sign with him. He promises movies and music careers but can’t come through but sadly these young guys listen to his bullshit. Amare is a recruiting tool for him. No way Amare allows this idiot to have any control of his stuff. Look at the horrible contract he got D Blair who is now stuck in second round contract. He is the worst agent in basketball and more importantly he is a horrble person! For this website to actually spotlight this joker is a joke do some real research or did he pay you also?
First of all, NOT TRUE!!!!! Look at Amare, very smart-and successful! Happy Walters is an important person! Not a horrible one. And he certainly didn’t pay this website- what a waste of money that would be! They did this, because like i said before- Happy is an important person.
And if you can’t see that
i suggest you stop watching NBA
Cause Happy Walters is the best thing that has-and is ever gonna happen.
Listen here ‘young fellow’,
While I respect freedom of speech, as this blog obviously does, I do not condone your total disrespect for someone who probably has done more in his career just as an agent than you will ever have done in your life. You’re basing your statement on a single players’ contract? Blair had is backers and he had his obvious doubters, but to slam someone for that? This is a business – it’s not Unicef. Do some research, maybe even a ‘google’ search and you’ll begin to understand why someone like him is representing who he is representing – success see’s no barriers and has no boundaries.
This is the sports (& entertainment) industry – it is the most cut-throat, short-lived, and difficult business to be in. While I do not know of nor will I comment on your ‘allegations,’ I cannot understand why you would assume that any industry or even business in general is perfectly kosher. Have you seen the film Jerry Maguire? Worked at an agency? ….
I can tell you haven’t spent one minute in entertainment because (I) you lack any knowledge of Mr. Walters’s credibility and (II) you’re not even one bit knowledgeable about Rogue Pictures/Sports. Enjoy the Sports Agent Blog and walk it off – because you’ll be burnt plenty of times over again, deals will fall through, and life is not always fair — there’s always another day.
All the best,
Wade Senti
In addition the above article states that he was in the running for Wall. Truth he payed Walls AAU coach to the tune of least 50 thousand plus dollars but Wall chose to go with John Grieg. That is what happens when you gamble sometimes you get burned. Smart move John Wall! Hopefully this years class of playes who signed with this idiot don’t get burned by this low rate agent/human being. Fact Cory Brewer was first represented by Donald Dell company who reps Joakim Noah. This guy has never had any first round players of his own.
I’ve made some ridiculous comments in my day, but how could you possibly make all these allegations so blindly? In addition, John Wall never went with John Grieg, that was Cousins. I’d hope that in the taste of professionally sports, this blog, and those at Rogue Sports — that this is simply an amateur ‘kid’ making up wild tales for people who do not know much at all. So for you to essentially name names, cite random figures/stats, and not even know who got John Wall proves to me your either (1) an idiot, (2) very disgruntled, or (3) just some kid in his basement looking for a rise out of people actually doing something productive. I encourage you to take your energy and put it to good — read the rest of the blog and learn a few things. I’ll even give you a free pointer — never burn bridges.
Darren – I hope that the studying for the BAR exam is going well. Please keep up the great posts. What are your plans now that you graduated? Any luck on the teaching thing? Also, can you please ask Wade Senti to not be so confrontational. I do not know joeball, but some of what he is saying is something my cousin has heard (for example, he got Corey Brewer as a client because he gave Corey’s brother a job). He might be taking it to the extreme, but Wade seems to be naive and not know much about the industry. It is one thing not to bad mouth others, but it is another thing to follow the industry blindly. Best of luck.
Thanks, studying is going alright thus far. I will do my best to keep the # and quality of posts up during the next couple of months. I am very interested in Sports Law and Intellectual Property law – may still look into teaching. We shall see!
Appreciate your best wishes. As far as your beef with Wade, take it out on these comments boards!
I have only now went back and read what this conversation led to because I have been enjoying the fact that this is the number two search under my name. The funny part is – and I will respond to JoeBALL as well, that to be a good agent, it has nothing to do with law or studying the how to books about being an agent. An agent is simply there to make things happen for the client and if they can’t players will go elsewhere whether at the beginning when they are recruited or throughout their career.
Even the top 10 agents in the industry to a large extent only “know” sports – they are products of it and that provides them with little ability to truly market and help their clients with ambitions outside of sports. Even with access to people in other industries or in other areas of entertainment – these agents would still not be able to effectively put a client in the best position to succeed as a marketing product.
If you look at what Rogue is doing with Amare – it could not be done by anyone else – that only has a sports background. Why else do you think Amare had so many issues with past agents and/or attorneys running his show?
How the hell do you recruit a player by not using your leverage as a successful “somebody” in any industry? Do you actually believe that you have a shot at a high caliber client without such leverage? There is a reason why 10% of those proclaiming they are “Sports Agents” make 90% of the industry revenues…argue all you want, but being a sports agent is much more than contracts and reading SAB.
Every good agent has runners, do you think John Wall sat in his dorm room and was like, you know what I’ll google the best agents in sports and I’ll choose one? Of course people guided him, whether trainers, reps, or friends…money and promises are only as good as those giving them..and someone is doing something right…
I am by no means an agent or even aspiring to be one – it’s a waste of time because you have a better chance of getting hit by a car leaving your office than acquiring a high caliber client “ethically” and “legally”…the parallels between being a sports agent and a general business person are so similar I’m actually shocked their is such a response to this article. I relish on helping others and eventually getting favors down the road. Life is about risks – without risks, their are no rewards.
Wade, I gotta admit I always enjoy reading your comments. I don’t always agree with you but I always understand where you’re coming from. This is not one of those times. I couldn’t agree more.
Joeball, I can only assume this arbitrary number of $50,000 comes from the rumors a couple years ago about Wall not signing with a college team until he got 50k and his AAU coach got a job.
Wade,
Your right sorry for the confusion regarding Walls agent I made a mistake it is Dan Fagan. But that is all I am apologizing for “young fella”. Happy Walters is a low rate agent.He may have been a great music exec or movie mogul but hows does that crossover to being a good basketball agent. Master P was a great music exec also self made millioniare like Happy but look at the ridiculous contract he got Ricky Williams. That was the beginning of the end into his foray of being a sports agent. Dejuan Blairs contract is just as bad. Happy Walters is a joke of an agent with no morals that nobody in basketball respects except for you. His Rogue ways will catch up to him sometime and Rogue Sports will be done!
By the way I did see Jerry McGuire. Top ten movie.
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I respect him. and i can name at least 100 more people that do to.
He’s the guy who went missing after getting to an argument with Suge Knight years ago. He returned days later “Incoherent, shaved and naked” claimed to have amnesia and refused to speak Knight’s name.
Happy is scum! Everyone that has come into contact with him hates the piece of garbage. He thinks he’s a player, but he’s more of a fool. I knew him back when he vanished. Suge should have killed him.