THE•TEAM has formed a new board of directors.
The sports, music, and entertainment agency, formerly known as Wasserman, announced the 11-member board on Tuesday (November 10).
Providence Equity Partners completed an additional investment in the company on October 5. That investment funded the buyout of founder Casey Wasserman‘s remaining ownership interest.
According to THE•TEAM, the board will oversee the company’s strategy and what it calls its “next phase of growth.”
Seven of the board’s members come from THE•TEAM‘s leadership group, including CEO Michael Watts and Chief Financial Officer Elena Rochelli.
Also among the executive members are Elizabeth Lindsey (Global President, Brands and Properties), Jason Ranne (President, Global Talent Representation), and Kevin Shivers (Co-President, Music).
Matthew Vandrau (President, EMEA & APAC) and Jon Liebman, Chairman and CEO of Brillstein Entertainment Partners, complete the group.
THE•TEAM said all seven will keep their existing leadership roles within their business units.
The remaining four members are from Providence: Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of North America Davis Noell, Operating Partner Greg Brown, Managing Director Scott Marimow, and Senior Vice President Ahana Maken.
Providence, THE•TEAM’s majority investor, plans to add more external directors to the board over the coming months.
“This is an important moment for our company,” said Watts. “The members of this board have shown the qualities we value most: embracing our culture, supporting their colleagues and delivering exceptional results for our clients. This group will build on our momentum and help us accelerate growth by focusing on the ways we can best support our clients’ goals and aspirations.”
“This group will build on our momentum and help us accelerate growth by focusing on the ways we can best support our clients’ goals and aspirations.”
Michael Watts, THE•TEAM
“THE•TEAM has an incredibly talented leadership team, and we welcome the expertise and perspective that this board will bring to the business,” said Noell on behalf of Providence. “We’re excited about the growth opportunities ahead and will continue to provide capital and strategic partnership to help expand THE•TEAM’s capabilities across sports, music and entertainment.”
Providence and THE•TEAM first announced the transaction on July 28.
“We’re excited about the growth opportunities ahead and will continue to provide capital and strategic partnership to help expand THE•TEAM’s capabilities across sports, music and entertainment.”
Davis Noell, Providence Equity Partners
Providence said at the time that it had chosen to deepen its own investment after a sale process in which prospective buyers and investors submitted multiple rounds of bids.
Neither Providence nor THE•TEAM has disclosed the deal’s financial terms.
Puck‘s Matt Belloni reported in July that the transaction valued THE•TEAM at approximately USD $3.4 billion, citing two people familiar with the situation.
With the deal’s completion, Watts was officially named CEO.
Watts has been with the company since its founding in 2002 and became President in 2014, according to Providence.
He took over day-to-day leadership of the business in February, after Casey Wasserman moved to sell the agency.
Wasserman told staff in a memo at the time that he had “become a distraction,” according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the planned sale.
The move came after documents released by the US Department of Justice in late January showed that Wasserman had corresponded with Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, in 2003.
Wasserman has not been accused of any illegal activity in connection with the documents.
Several of the agency’s clients left in the wake of the disclosures, including Chappell Roan.
The agency dropped the Wasserman name in March, rebranding as THE•TEAM.
Liebman’s Brillstein Entertainment Partners, whose clients include Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe, was acquired by the company in 2023, as previously reported by MBW.
Shivers joined Wasserman Music from WME in January 2025.
At WME, he had been a Senior Partner and co-director of the agency’s Hip-Hop/R&B team.
His client roster at the time included Tyler, The Creator, Snoop Dogg, Lil Baby, Kid Cudi, and Summer Walker.
Providence first invested in the agency in 2022.
In 2019, the firm launched Tempo Music Investments with Warner Music Group to acquire recorded music and publishing catalogs.
Warner Music Group acquired a majority stake in Tempo in February 2025, with Providence retaining a minority holding.
THE•TEAM says it provides representation and marketing services to talent, brands, and properties across 28 countries and more than 70 cities.Music Business Worldwide
