Media

In an exclusive partnership with Ari Fleischer Communications, we offer premier media management, strategy, advice, and training for commissioners, front office executives, leagues, collegiate organizations, coaches, athletes and leading brands.

Media Strategy

Media Training

Brand Messaging

Crisis Communications

Ari Fleischer Communications

Ari Fleischer Communications has worked extensively with a wide variety of clients, including universities, athletic departments, teams, commissioners and professional leagues. As former White House Press Secretary, Fleischer was the primary spokesperson for President George W. Bush. Fleischer served as spokesman during the historic 2000 presidential recount, September 11th, two wars and the 2001 anthrax attack. His book, Taking Heat, details his years in the White House and was number seven on The New York Times bestseller list.

Jamie Stein

Director, Broadcasting

Luca Giacobbe

Chief of Staff & Executive Assistant

As Chief of Staff, Luca's focus is on strategic organizational initiatives to enhance the team’s ability to operate at maximum effectiveness. Luca oversees all administrative tasks for The Montag Group and assists all talent agents with internal communications and overall efficiency as a group. In addition to his current role, Luca is the Executive Assistant to Sandy Montag. Prior to starting as a full-time employee, Luca was an intern in The Montag Group's talent department where he supported marketing strategy and outreach, business development, and media research. Luca is a 2022 graduate of Syracuse University, where he received a B.S. in Sport Management from the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, and a minor in Public Communications. Luca is originally from Buffalo, New York and currently resides in New York City. He began at TMG in 2022 upon his graduation.

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

Director, Sports Broadcasting

As Director of Sports Broadcasting, Matt represents broadcasters and media personalities across the sports industry, while also assisting with day-to-day talent operations and client management. Prior to joining The Montag Group in 2021, Matt worked for the Phoenix Suns Front Office, and before that was a member of 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.

Elizabeth Vogt

Coordinator, Talent

As Talent Coordinator at TMG, Elizabeth has a hand in all areas of the client business. She assists with talent management, day-to-day operations, and creative services. Prior to starting as a full-time employee, Elizabeth was an intern in The Montag Group's talent department. Originally from Southern California, Elizabeth is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.S. in Sport Management and a minor in Graphic Design. She was also a four-year member of the women’s rowing team and served as a senior captain in her last year.

JENNIFER WAGLEY

Creative Director

As Creative Director, Jenn guides the vision and voice of The Montag Group brand. Leading all internal and external branding, Jenn develops materials both for TMG and Wasserman.

Prior to her current role, Jenn served as a Manager of Creative Services and Coordinator of Client Services. She joined The Montag Group as Executive Assistant to Sandy Montag. Jenn graduated from the University of Michigan where she also swam for the Wolverines.

Sandy Montag

President

Sandy Montag, a 30-year industry veteran, is President 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 Bob Costas, Mary Carillo, James Brown, Jim Nantz, Julie Foudy, Mike Tirico, Ming Tsai, 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. In 2019, Syracuse University honored Montag with Newhouse’s Marty Glickman Award for leadership in sports media.

The Montag Group is based in New York City.

Nick LoPinto

Vice President, Sports Broadcasting

Nick joined The Montag Group in December of 2017 as Client Assistant and held various titles until being named Vice President of Sports Broadcasting in January of 2024. Nick represents and manages a diverse roster of broadcasters and media personalities working throughout the industry in roles at national networks, digital companies, teams, leagues, regional sports networks and more. 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 in New Jersey called Silver Spring Capital. A native New Yorker, Nick graduated from St. John’s University where he was Head Manager for the men’s basketball team.

Marcus Gronauer

Senior Manager, Speakers

As Senior Manager of Speakers, Marcus focuses on securing speaking engagements around the world for business leaders, authors, athletes, chefs, celebrities, industry experts and thought leaders.

Prior to joining the team, he worked for The Harry Walker Agency where he collaborated with corporations, trade associations, non-profit organizations and universities to book world leaders, political leaders, business leaders, and iconic names in entertainment and sports.

A Tennessee native, Marcus graduated from Syracuse University and resides in New York City.

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.

Alex Flanagan

VP, Broadcasting

Alex Flanagan is a pioneering female in sports media. She spent 25 years in front of the camera breaking barriers for women as the first female to anchor at NFL Network and to report from the sidelines for the NFL's Thursday Night Football and NBC's Notre Dame football. In 2019, after an award-winning sports broadcasting career where she also served as sideline reporter for Super Bowl XLVI, a reporter for NBC's Football Night in America, contributed to the Today Show, hosted the NFL Draft, and covered twelve Super Bowls and five Olympic Games, Flanagan became an agent. Flanagan brings first-hand experience to the agency space, making her uniquely skilled in guiding her clients' careers. She represents former athletes, coaches, broadcasters, writers, and sports personalities and influencers, including Kimberley A. Martin, Kyle Rudolph, Britt Ghiroli, Sloane Martin, and Megan Morant. Flanagan has three children, including a D1 women's volleyball player. She sits on the National Leadership Council for her alma mater, the University of Arizona. Flanagan is based in California.

Caroline Johnson

Manager, Wasserman Speakers

As Manager of Wasserman Speakers, Caroline's focus is on the larger strategic organizational initiatives enhancing the Speakers team’s ability to operate at maximum effectiveness. Prior to her current role, Caroline was the Executive Assistant to Sandy Montag, where she oversaw 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.