The.Team, the sports agency formerly known as Wasserman, has acquired London-based Outreach Talent Group (OTG), which represents social media and digital creators across sport, fitness, beauty and lifestyle. Founded five years ago by Emilio and Amy Arciniega, OTG operates from London with a New York office. Emilio Arciniega will become The.Team's senior vice president of creators. The acquisition reflects football's shift towards reaching younger audiences through content creators rather than traditional broadcasters. Football creators now command sponsorship fees rivalling some professional players. The deal forms part of The.Team's expansion strategy. In May, the agency took a stake in Italian football-focused GG11 and acquired the football divisions of People in Sport, International Football Management and SportPlus. The.Team rebranded after founder Casey Wasserman sold the company following his appearance in US government Epstein files.

The power of superfandom: HYBE AMERICAS, American Express, Oreo, and THE·TEAM at Advertising Week NY. Today, HYBE AMERICAS, American Express, Oreo, and THE·TEAM came together onstage at Advertising Week NY for a timely conversation about how brands can engage in superfandom to build deeper partnerships with artists. 38 minutes ago 10/06/2026 HYBE AMERICAS Wordmark logo At Advertising Week NY, industry leaders from HYBE AMERICAS, Oreo, American Express, and THE·TEAM gathered for a timely panel titled "Superfandom as Strategy: Redefining Artist-Brand Partnerships." Moderated by Andrew Hampp, Managing Director of Music and Consumer Partnerships at Variety, the session explored how music superfandom has evolved from online subcultures into a dominant global marketing force shaping culture and commerce. As brands move away from traditional endorsement deals, the key to winning over passionate fanbases lies in authentic integration, shared value, and community-first experiences. Moving beyond traditional brand endorsements. Modern superfans are quick to spot transactional brand deals. To build lasting cultural relevance, companies must treat artist collaborations as true creative co-productions rather than simple logo placements. "From the first meeting we had together, we were like, 'This is not going to be a brand endorsement. This is not going to be conventional and only sticking BTS on Oreo.' It was truly about being authentic, with a cookie at the center and with the superfans as a key consumer." - Eugenia Zalis, Global Brand Marketing Vice President, Oreo Eugenia Zalis emphasized that when brands connect superfandom culture with music authentically, the result becomes truly impactful, creating marketing activations that neither the brand nor the artist could achieve alone. Building an immersive journey and value exchange. For entertainment powerhouse HYBE AMERICAS - the company behind global acts like BTS and KATSEYE - managing fandom requires creating an ongoing scaffolding of touchpoints. Jules Ferree, President of Brands and Ventures at HYBE AMERICAS, highlighted the responsibility brands have when entering these sacred fan spaces. Ferree noted that HYBE focuses on building immersive journeys for fans across multiple engagement points throughout their fandom life cycle. Her focus remains bringing brand partners along in a meaningful, thoughtful way that offers a clear value exchange. When selecting partners like Oreo, HYBE looks for brands with a proven track record of creative execution and a genuine willingness to collaborate interactively within the fan ecosystem. Elevating fan access through shared passions. For service and membership giants like American Express, music partnerships are guided by deep fan data and emotional resonance. Janan Morgul, Vice President of Global Music & Entertainment Sponsorships & Experiential Marketing at American Express, shared how membership strategy relies heavily on creating access to moments fans care about deeply. "American Express isn't just a card business, we're a business of membership. And a big part of our membership strategy is creating access to the moments our card members are passionate about... We've seen just how important music is, and we found that 92% of music fans want to feel that deeper connection to the artists that they love." - Janan Morgul, VP of Global Music & Entertainment Sponsorships & Experiential Marketing, American Express Morgul explained that the best partnerships go beyond commercial agreements by identifying shared audiences and understanding artist vision. By evolving from basic ticketing access to crafting unique experiential moments, brands can support the artist authentically while enhancing the overall fan experience. Turning fans into active brand champions. Superfans do far more than listen to a song or attend a single show. They travel, buy merchandise, stream entire discographies, and actively advocate for their favorite artists. Molly Bailin, SVP of Music Marketing at THE·TEAM, noted that superfans effectively serve as organic marketing channels for talent. Tapping into this highly connected audience requires meeting strict fan expectations and delivering genuine utility. Earlier this year, THE·TEAM's women's division, The Collective, launched a survey finding that 94% of women live music fans are open to brand involvement, provided the brand shows up with an experience that makes their event better, easier, or more connected. Achieving a true win-win-win alignment between the fan, the artist, and the brand represents the ultimate opportunity for modern marketers. The discussion at Advertising Week NY made one outcome clear: the era of static celebrity endorsements is giving way to active fandom participation. Brands that respect fan culture, deliver tangible value, and co-create experiences will drive higher engagement, stronger brand affinity, and lasting cultural relevance. Angel Polito is a multifaceted producer and the powerhouse creator behind K-ALL, the premier podcast for K-Pop news and deep-dives. What began as a college project evolved into a network-acquired show through Angel's expertise in end-to-end audio engineering and executive production. Leveraging a sophisticated understanding of digital media and high-fidelity storytelling, she has cultivated a massive global footprint - amassing over 84k subscribers and 93.8 million views on her primary production platform, Angel Dawn Reacts. As a dynamic photojournalist and visual storyteller, Angel specializes in capturing the electrifying synergy of live music. Her technical prowess in photography and post-production has brought the performances of icons like Wendy (Red Velvet), 1VERSE, and Big Ocean to life, with her work featured in outlets such as Genius Korea, Blender Magazine Paris, and V13 Media. Beyond the lens, she serves as a lead creative producer for exclusive media sessions, directing and editing high-impact interviews with global trailblazers including EL CAPITXN, One Pact, and Visionary Filmmaker Park Jun-soo. Her strategic approach to digital marketing and audience growth led to her selection as a K-Creator for the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) and KOCCA. In these roles, she engineers multi-media campaigns that bridge the gap between Korean culture and global fandoms through content creation and podcast production. Driven by the belief that music is a universal language of hope, Angel is currently expanding her sonic portfolio into toplining and vocal production. By merging her technical background in audio production with her innate gift for melody, she is dedicated to crafting the next generation of global pop anthems - both behind the board and behind the mic.