Octagon (sports agency)
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary of Interpublic Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Stamford, CT |
Number of locations | 50 |
| Website | www |
Octagon is the sports and entertainment content marketing arm of the Interpublic Group of Companies.[1]
History
[edit]Octagon was founded as Advantage International by former executives of the tennis marketing agency ProServ on April 1, 1983. Advantage was headquartered in Washington, D.C. It has been owned by Interpublic since 1997 and has operated under the Octagon brand name since 1999.
In 1970, Donald Dell, Frank Craighill, Lee Fentress, and Ray Benton founded the Washington, D.C., law firm Dell, Craighill, Fentress & Benton.[2]
Craighill became Managing Director in the 1990s.[3] In 1997, Interpublic Group completed the merger of Advantage and other agencies to form Octagon, overseeing athletes from Steffi Graf of WTA to Moses Malone of the NBA.[4]
Octagon expanded into motorsport and acquired Brands Hatch Leisure plc which owned the Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton, and Cadwell Park motor racing circuits in November 1999.[5] Within the year, Octagon acquired majority of British Motorsport Promoters Limited, TOCA Limited (the promoter of British Touring Car Championship), and agreed to lease the Silverstone Circuit and promote British Grand Prix on behalf of circuit owner British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) in December 2000.[6] However due to financial losses affecting Interpublic, Octagon sold all of its circuits to MotorSport Vision and its share in British Motorsport Promoters Limited to a consortium of circuit owners in 2004, leaving the management of Silverstone and promotion of British Grand Prix as its remaining business activities with the legal name of subsidiary Brands Hatch Circuit Limited changed to Silverstone Motorsport Limited (SML) after the sale.[7] SML did not stay for long and the company ceased its business activity in December 2004, with Formula One Management acquired the rights to promote British Grand Prix starting in 2005 and BRDC acquired the assets and liabilities of SML.[8][9][10] SML later changed its legal name to Engels 1 Limited, with no activities other than resolution of remaining administrative matters.[11]
Octagon and the Badminton World Federation developed a rule that women badminton players must wear dresses or skirts "to ensure attractive presentation." It was included in the official rulebook in 2011, but was dropped before it was supposed to go into effect in 2012.[12][13]
On April 5, 2021, John Shea was named CEO of Octagon Sports & Entertainment Network (OSEN).
Phil de Picciotto serves as President of Octagon, overseeing its Talent + Properties business.
References
[edit]- ^ "Octagon Worldwide". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Sports Business Journal Snapshot:Frank Craighill". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Sports Illustrated, 1990". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Octagon Announces Unification". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Cassy, John (1999-11-10). "Brands Hatch sold to US group". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ Brands Hatch Leisure Limited Directors' Report and Financial Statements - Year Ended 31 December 2000 from Companies House
- ^ "Palmer buys four British tracks". BBC Sport. 2004-01-05. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "GP rights change hands". BBC Sport. 2004-04-20. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
- ^ "BRDC regains Silverstone". BBC Sport. 2004-07-06. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
- ^ Engels 1 Limited Directors' Report and Financial Statements - Year Ended 31 December 2004 from Companies House
- ^ Engels No. 1 Limited Directors' Report and Financial Statements - Year Ended 31 December 2005 from Companies House
- ^ "In Badminton, Pants Are Back". HuffPost. 31 May 2011.
- ^ "Badminton shelves rule requiring women wear skirts". NBC News. 4 June 2012.
