About Us

The Montag Group is a media agency guided by experience and relentless innovation; driven to accelerate our talent, brands and content partners.

For over 30 years, The Montag Group has been a leader in sports and entertainment, offering talent representation, strategic consulting, media communications and content creation.

Our clients are the heart of the business.

Our leadership cultivates strong relationships with talent & industry executives, fostering a reputation of impeccable client development and retention. Fueled by a commitment to unrivaled service, our team relentlessly pursues exciting opportunities, innovative partnerships, and strategic solutions for each client.

OUR SERVICES

Talent

For over 30 years, we have guided and crafted the careers of the biggest names in sports broadcasting.

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Consulting

Strategic Consulting

We are dedicated to building and accelerating our client’s businesses in the sports and entertainment space.

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Content

We tap into our unparalleled network, expertise and creativity to develop unique, original content.

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Media

In an exclusive partnership with Ari Fleischer Communications, we offer media management, strategy and training for coaches, athletes, brands and more.

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Speakers

We offer a diverse roster of celebrity talent in sports, news, food, and media.

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Our Story

30+ years of experience.

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Our Team

The people behind the scenes.

Meet the Team

Luca Giacobbe

Executive Assistant

As Executive Assistant, Luca oversees all administrative tasks for both Sandy and The Montag Group. Luca is a 2022 graduate from Syracuse University, where he received a B.S. in Sport Management and a minor in Public Communications. While attending SU, Luca was a leader in the Sport Management Club's Annual Charity Sports Auction which raised over $200,000 for various Central New York charities during his four years. Luca is originally from Buffalo, New York and currently resides in New York City.

Taylor Vanderbilt

Coordinator, Talent

Taylor joins TMG as a coordinator of talent after spending the last year in the player social group at the NFL. He is a graduate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Sandra Reina

Staff Accountant

Born and raised in New Jersey, graduated from Montclair State University with an undergraduate degree in Accounting. Sandra assists at TMG with all accounting and finance duties.

Matt Massimino

Manager, Talent

As Manager of TMG Talent, Matt assists with all day-to-day talent operations and client management. He is also involved in talent marketing, helping with endorsements, sponsorship opportunities, appearances, and more. Prior to joining The Montag Group, Matt worked for the Phoenix Suns in their Front Office, and before that was a Graduate Assistant on the Villanova University men’s basketball coaching staff. Matt received his undergraduate degree from Fordham University, and was a four year member of the men’s basketball team. He also received his MBA from Villanova University.

Casey Wasserman

Casey founded Wasserman in 2002 and has steered it into the leading sports, entertainment and lifestyle marketing and management agency that it is today. In addition to overseeing operations, Casey is also the Chairman of the LA2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and serves as President and CEO of the Wasserman Foundation, a private family foundation that currently funds in the areas of education, arts & culture, health, service and global initiatives.

Jeff Petrino

Senior Director, Consulting

Joining the TMG Consulting team after successful tenures with industry thought-leaders such as Turner Sports and Octagon, Jeff brings a wealth of institutional knowledge and subject matter expertise at the intersection of brand sponsorship, media and technology within the sports sector. While with Turner, Jeff led brand partnership development and activation across the digital media platforms of NCAA March Madness, PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup, among others. Jeff also brings critical experience helping brands navigate challenges related to intellectual property and licensing, having commercialized digital assets on behalf of the NCAA, U.S. Soccer Federation and other sports rights holders while at Veritone. Jeff began his career in a sponsorship consulting role with Octagon, where he delivered activation programs for clients such as Allstate, Dick's Sporting Goods, BMW, Lexus, Sprint and The Home Depot. A proud inaugural graduate of Syracuse University's Sport Management program, Jeff currently serves on their Emerging Leaders Council and advises the university as they refine their curriculum to meet the ever-evolving demands of the sports landscape.

JENNIFER WAGLEY

Creative Director

As Creative Director, Jenn helps guide the vision and voice of The Montag Group brand. Jenn leads all internal and external branding, developing materials both for The Montag Group and its various divisions, including talent, consulting, content development and media strategy. Prior to her current roles, Jenn served as the Executive Assistant to the CEO and Coordinator of Client Services. Jenn joined The Montag Group from the Detroit Pistons. She graduated from the University of Michigan where she swam for the Wolverines. Jenn currently resides in New York City.

Kristen Beilein

Brand Development

Kristen focuses on our consulting business, working closely with our brand clients on everything from marketing strategy to business development and overall strategic advisement. Prior to joining The Montag Group, Kristen worked in marketing for brands that include Ralph Lauren, Nike, and Under Armour. Kristen graduated from the University of North Carolina, where she was a four-year member of the Women’s Lacrosse Team.

Sandy Montag

President

Sandy Montag, a 30-year industry veteran, is Chief Executive Officer of The Montag Group.

Montag represents a wide variety of clients in various fields including broadcasting, coaching, culinary, and team sports. Included among them are John Madden, Bob Costas, Mary Carillo, James Brown, Jim Nantz, Julie Foudy, Mike Tirico, Ming Tsai, Jay Bilas, Scott Van Pelt, Jeremy Schaap and Tom Coughlin.

Montag has been an Executive Producer on three documentaries, including Amazon Prime’s "All or Nothing: The Michigan Wolverines," Showtime’s "Perfect in ’76" and ESPN's "The Class That Saved Coach K," which aired with the launch of the ACC Network in August 2019.

Montag spent 30 years at IMG, joining the company in 1985. He started as an assistant to John Madden, traveling the country with Madden by train and on the first “Madden Cruiser.” He went on to run IMG’s Clients operations for ten years.

Montag developed and launched Ari Fleischer Sports Communications with Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President George W. Bush after Fleischer left the White House in 2003.

Montag is active in several charities, serving on the advisory boards for Madden Charities, Tom Coughlin’s “Jay Fund Foundation”, Team LeGrand, the Alan T. Brown Foundation and March of Dimes. He also sits on the Sports Management Advisory Boards at Syracuse University, the University of Michigan and NYU, as well as the Advisory Board for the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. Syracuse University recently honored Montag with Newhouse’s 2019 Marty Glickman Award for leadership in sports media.

The Montag Group is based in White Plains, New York and New York City.

Nick LoPinto

Director, Sports Broadcasting

As Director of Sports Broadcasting at The Montag Group, Nick represents various sports personalities and on-air talent across the broadcasting industry. He has many other responsibilities within the company including securing endorsements, digital campaigns, appearances and branded content opportunities for all TMG clients.

Prior to joining TMG, Nick lived in Los Angeles while serving as Executive Assistant to College Basketball TV Analyst Steve Lavin and then was a Marketing Associate at a wealth management firm, Silver Spring Capital based in New Jersey.

A native New Yorker, Nick graduated from St. John’s University where he was Head Manager for the men’s basketball team.

Reid Pakula

Manager, Client Services

As Manager of Client Services, Reid brings a high level of energy to the company with new ideas for The Montag Group clients and team members. He works with clients on their highlight reels and marketing deals, as well as assists internally with new idea generation and recruitment of new clients.

Prior to joining The Montag Group, Reid worked for IF Management and Octagon Sports & Entertainment.

Reid attended the University of Maryland receiving a degree in Finance with a Fellowship in Sports Management. He served as a student manager for the Men's Basketball Team and interned with the Brooklyn Nets.

Lexi Strumor Saldin

Director, Hosting & Unscripted

Lexi oversees hosting, theatrical opportunities and numerous unscripted/non-fiction client projects for The Montag Group.

Prior to TMG, Lexi was Director of Hosting & Unscripted at IF Management, and before that, Director of Hosting & Unscripted at Ken Lindner & Associates, Inc. She has worked in the literary and feature film sectors, in client management and development, respectively.

She is a proud New Mexico State University alum and is based in Los Angeles.

Aaron Knopf

Coordinator, Consulting

As Coordinator of TMG Consulting, Aaron focuses on client research for active and prospective clients and assists in all aspects of the day-to-day consulting business. Aaron graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Sports Management in May of 2021 and was an active part of the Michigan Sport Consulting Group. While in school, Aaron interned with the Madison Square Garden Company, Tough Mudder, and Famer. Aaron currently resides in New York City.

Rob Alfieri

Manager, Consulting

As Manager of TMG Consulting, Rob actively directs client initiatives and brand campaigns. Furthermore, he is responsible for curating our business development strategy.

Prior to joining The Montag Group, Rob worked at CAA within their Talent division. He graduated from Columbia University in 2019 and is a former rower for the Lions.

Carol Perry

President, IF News

As President of IF News, Carol oversees the news division, manages on-air talent and negotiates television and radio contracts at the network level, top markets and syndication.

A Los Angeles native, she graduated college at UC Santa Barbara. Carol then moved to New York where she attended Cardozo Law and worked as a law clerk writing judicial opinions for the Department of Justice while in law school. After Cardozo, she worked as a litigator for three years and drafted artist contracts for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts on the side. Carol transitioned her career to talent management at The Conrad Shadlen Corporation in New York City, where she quickly developed solid relationships in the broadcast industry, as well as a reputation for tenacity, and successfully managed a diverse and thriving client base. Then, she decided to make the move to IF Management where she worked for 15 years prior to joining The Montag Group.

Carol loves sports and fitness. She's run two NYC marathons and played years of basketball and tennis. Carol currently resides on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her son Zachary and husband Fred.

Kevin O'Connor

Vice President, Finance & Administration

As Vice President of Finance & Administration, Kevin oversees all accounting and finance duties, as well as employee-related matters.

He previously served as a client accountant at WME-IMG for nearly four years, where he assisted in industries ranging from PGA professionals to eSports.

Kevin received his Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University and resides in Cleveland, Ohio.

Matt Kauffman

Vice President, Consulting

As Vice President of Consulting, Matt brings over 25 years of sports and entertainment business development, marketing strategy, brand partnerships and marketing communications experience to The Montag Group, helping companies leverage sports and entertainment platforms to achieve business objectives.

In his previous role with Intel Corporation, Matt drove the transformation of the consumer experience through the use of cutting edge technology with the NFL, NBA, MLB, ESPN X Games, Red Bull and the Grammy Awards. Intel’s technology integrations and award winning marketing vaulted the company to Ad Age’s “Marketer A-List”. Prior to Intel, Matt was responsible for Visa’s brand sponsorship portfolio. Visa’s innovative sponsorship marketing is renowned for building the Visa brand and business, and Visa was recognized by the Sports Business Journal as the 2010 “Sports Sponsor of the Year”. Matt also worked for 10 years at General Motors EventWorks, where he served as Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing.

Matt was recognized as one of the “Forty Under 40” most influential sports executives by the Sports Business Journal. He has a B.A. in Communications from the University of Michigan, and currently serves as Co-Chair for the University of Michigan Sports Management Advisory Board.

Jeff Feldman

Vice President, Talent & Development

As Vice President of Talent & Development at The Montag Group, Jeff represents journalists across the broadcasting industry and works closely with talent at outlets such as ESPN, NBC, NFL Network and Tennis Channel.

Jeff is also active in the IF News division managing journalists at CNN, CBS News and in top local markets around the country. He is hands-on with TMG and IF clients, regularly providing feedback and advice on their on-air work.

Jeff graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and joined The Montag Group / IF Management team in 2005. He is based in our New York City office and enjoys traveling the country to visit with clients and executives.

Jill Driban

Senior Vice President, Talent Operations & Events

Jill oversees client management for The Montag Group in all areas which include broadcasting, talent marketing, speaking, front office and coaching. She also spearheads all company event planning.

She was honored as a 2019 Sports Business Journal Game Changer for her contribution and proven success as a female in the industry.

Prior to joining The Montag Group, she spent nine years with IMG. Jill is a Badger alum, having graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Kyle Margolis

Coordinator, Client Services

As Coordinator of Client Services, Kyle works with TMG and IF Management News clients and team members on day-to-day operations, building out demo reels and talent pages, as well as preparing agreements. Additionally, he works on talent recruitment and internal brainstorming of new business. Before joining The Montag Group, Kyle worked at Creative Artists Agency. Kyle graduated in 2019 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he majored in Journalism with a focus in Reporting and Strategic Communications. During his time on campus, Kyle hosted a sports talk show and reported on Wisconsin athletics events. He is a proud Badger and loves a basket of fried cheese curds.

Caroline Johnson

Executive Assistant

As Executive Assistant, Caroline oversees all administrative tasks for both Sandy and The Montag Group. Caroline graduated from The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University in May of 2021, where she majored in Sport Management. At Syracuse, Caroline was the president of the first collegiate chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE) and was a co-chair of the 15th Annual Charity Sports Auction. Caroline currently resides in New York City.

Kate Ruben

Chief of Staff | Director, Brand Development

As Chief of Staff, Kate oversees day-to-day internal company operations. Directly supporting the CEO as a strategist and trusted advisor, she ensures a cohesive culture maintaining cross-departmental relationships and streamlining activities to enable leadership success. Beyond her day-to-day various projects, Kate's primary focus is on the larger strategic organizational initiatives enhancing the team's ability to operate at maximum effectiveness.

As Director of Brand Development, Kate oversees all internal and external branding developing various materials both for The Montag Group, as well as for all sectors of TMG's business, including talent, consulting, content development and media strategy.

Prior to her current roles, Kate was Executive Assistant to the CEO and Coordinator of Brand Development. She also served as a Production Coordinator on Amazon Prime's "All or Nothing: The Michigan Wolverines" chronicling the University of Michigan's 2017-18 football season.

Kate joined The Montag Group from WME-IMG, where she was Sandy’s Executive Assistant.

She is a proud Orange Alum, having graduated from Syracuse University, and resides in New York City.

Susan Lipton

Vice President, Clients

Susan is a 21-year industry veteran. She oversees Client Representation at The Montag Group, which includes broadcasters, retired athletes, chefs and coaches. Susan also handles talent marketing for many of these clients, negotiating endorsement deals with many Fortune 500 companies and helping the clients create their individual brand.

Prior to joining The Montag Group, Susan was a Senior Director at IMG. She began her career there as an assistant in 1995 before becoming a full time agent. Some of her clients for broadcasting and marketing include; Dick Vitale, Jay Bilas, Lee Corso, Terry Gannon and Julie Foudy.

Susan is a graduate of The Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Steve Herz

President

Steve Herz, a 26-year industry veteran, is the President of The Montag Group. Prior to joining TMG, Steve was the President and Founding Partner of IF Management.

Steve received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School. He started his career working for Athletes and Artists before transitioning into working as a commercial litigation attorney. In 1996, Steve left commercial litigation to start IF Management. IF started as a small company and grew into an industry leader over the next 20 years. IF's broadcasting division became one of the largest in the space, representing over 200 television and radio personalities.

He is involved with several charities, including serving on the local leadership council at Birthright Israel. Steve's also been a volunteer tutor at the Horizon High School at Rikers Island Prison in NYC and the Harlem Academy Charter School.

Steve is married with two children and lives on the Upper West Side of New York City.

Maury Gostfrand

Executive Vice President

Maury joined The Montag Group in January, 2018 as Partner & Executive Vice President. Prior to joining The Montag Group, Maury was the President and Founder of Vision Sports Group, a New York-based sports management and marketing agency representing primarily sports broadcasters and coaches.

Maury graduated from the University of Michigan in 1991 and began his career with the New York-based firm, Athletes and Artists, serving as the Director of Marketing. While at A & A, he was responsible for securing marketing opportunities for the clients, which included broadcasters, professional athletes and Olympic athletes. Maury then attended University of Miami School of Law, and while in law school, Maury worked for Impact Sports in Boca Raton, Florida, representing professional athletes, including NFL and NBA players. In 1996, he joined New York-based RLR Associates, an agency which represents sports broadcasters, where he served as an agent for nine years.

Maury dedicates a lot of time to charitable causes including The Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation, where he has served as a board member since it was launched in 2002, and MVP Charity, where he has served as a board member since 2017.

Maury and his family reside in Chappaqua, New York.