Steve Gersh, Senior Partner of Gersh, and Juan Aísa, CEO of You First

Gersh, the prestigious representation company for Hollywood artists, has acquired You First, the Spanish talent representation and brand service agency in sports and entertainment with an international presence. The move, as both companies point out in a statement, will boost their growth in key markets, such as the United States and Europe, strengthen their capabilities and generate synergy opportunities for both the talents and the brands they work with.

As you may have known reason.Whythe operation involves the acquisition of 100% of You First by Gersh, in a process that began to take shape last February and has now culminated with the official communication.
In addition to Gersh, there were other companies in the sector interested in the acquisition of the You First agency, as well as several investment funds.

The movement will serve to complement the strategic proposals of both companies. So, You First may also grow on the European continent and in United States and will access Gersh’s pool of artistic and creative talent. For its part, this will boost its presence in European markets and expand its positioning in the field of sports representation and also in services for brands.

“Since our beginnings, at You First we have worked to connect talent and brands with the best opportunities globally. “This alliance marks a new chapter in our history, constituting a solid platform for growth, strengthening our international presence and providing us with new capabilities that will benefit our clients and our team.”has pointed out in statements to reason.Why Juan Aísa, CEO and Co-Founder of You First, an agency founded in 2002 by Aisa himself, Regino Olivares and Miguel Alfageme. “Together, we will offer an even greater reach in the world of sports and entertainment, always maintaining our essence: absolute commitment to our clients.”

And the operation is born from a shared philosophy around a customer-centric approach, a complementary offer and horizons of joint development. “In acquiring You First, we seek a partner with global reach, diversified experience across multiple sports and an established management team.“; commented Steve Gersh, Managing Partner of Gersh, in a statement. “Juan and his team bring all of these qualities, as well as a customer-centric approach, which is essential to the way we work.”

A broadening of horizons for You First

Gersh was started in 1949 by Phil Gersh, and now offers representation services in television, film, literature, production, theater or digital media. It has offices in Beverly Hills and New York and a portfolio of more than 3,700 talents, among them, Meg Ryan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Spike Lee, Jacob Elordi, David Schwimmer and Sofia Coppola.

Your First It has a history of more than two decades in the market. Offers representation services to more than 1,000 talentsamong whom are soccer players such as Alexia Putellas or Fabián Ruiz, or the basketball player Willy Hernangómez. The agency also provides end-to-end services to connect brands with their audiences through of strategic communication, content and influence developments, and has put his creativity at the service of companies such as Formula 1, Samsung, Starbucks or La Roche-Posay.

The acquisition will mean that the brands that trust You First, through the division You First Brandsthey will be able to connect with filmmakers, screenwriters, writers or producers represented by Gersh. And the original production area, You First Originals, will expand its reach and enhance its presence in the American entertainment market.
You First’s representatives will also benefit from these synergy opportunities, without giving up the personalized treatment that characterizes the agency.

Complying with the strategic plan

With this movement, You First advances in its strategic plan set for the period 2020-2025, that sought growth in markets where it had less presence, innovation in services for brands and diversification in its representation verticals.

Over the last few years it has promoted this plan through the purchase and acquisition of international companiessuch as the Belgian representation firm A-Group; the specialized gaming agency Mothership; or the intelligence firm Goodform. Additionally, in 2019 the venture capital firm Alia Capital Partners supported the You First project with the acquisition of part of the company.

Some of these details were shared by David Brabender, Managing Director of You First in this installment of “Who works here?”the program reason.Why that visits the interior of the most innovative and creative brands, agencies and consultancies in Spain. In a 30-minute uncut sequence shot, Brabender opened the doors to the agency’s departments, clients, work philosophy and value proposition.

The purchase of You First by Gersh results in a multinational that will have presence in 14 countries through 24 offices and will have more than 600 employees. You First will continue to operate as before and its activity will continue to be led by Juan Aisa from the company’s headquarters in Madrid. He also joins the Gersh Board of Directors as a member.

“Together we are creating an ecosystem that goes beyond representation in sports and entertainment, to foster innovation and open new opportunities for global expansion.”, Juan Aísa pointed out.