Premier Sports

Staff

Gary Uberstine |
Eric Kaufman |
Michael Hoffman |
Kyle Thomas |
Kimberly Miller |
Gennaro Bizzarro |
Gregory Nunn |
Joshua Reese

You may not be entirely familiar with Premier Sports & Entertainment because, unlike most sports management firms/agents, we prefer and strive to work quietly, behind the scenes, to achieve the best results for our clients. We do not inject ourselves into the public eye to gain notoriety in order to recruit future clients. Rather, we emphasize the goals and values of clients in a manner that is consistent with their personalities and wishes. Our team is made up of six members who are available for you and your family 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We are always just a phone call away.

With a background in corporate, tax and entertainment law, Gary Uberstine has served as outside legal counsel to some of the largest athletic footwear and apparel companies in the world, including FILA, Skechers and LA Gear. In the early 1990's, as General Counsel of Management Plus Enterprises, Uberstine was instrumental in developing the college athletic shoe market by establishing comprehensive athletic shoe deals with colleges and universities across the country, and worked on behalf of such companies in negotiating shoe contracts with athletes and their respective agents. Experience working for the footwear and apparel companies allows Premier Sports & Entertainment to develop strategies and negotiate superior shoe contracts for its clients.

Additionally, senior management at Premier Sports & Entertainment has worked for some of the largest legal, entertainment and financial services companies in the world. For those clients with an interest in the music industry, Premier Sports & Entertainment has a history of working with the major record labels, such as Polygram and Jive Records, among others, in creating joint ventures and distribution deals for its clients.

Moreover, with its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, Premier Sports & Entertainment is networked throughout Hollywood and the entertainment industry, with relationships extending to principles at the major talent agencies, studios and production houses, thus affording clients with an interest in entertainment the ability to leverage Premier Sports & Entertainment longstanding relationships.

Gary Uberstine

CEO

Gary has been an NFLPA certified agent for 25 years and has negotiated numerous record-breaking NFL contracts. He has long-standing relationships with NFL GM's and coaches from every NFL team. He is a visionary and creative professional who has demonstrated a keen ability to accurately anticipate changing NFL contractual market conditions.

Gary has authored, Enforceability of Sports Contracts: A Practitioner's Playbook and Covering All the Bases: A Comprehensive Research Guide to Sports Law, was a contributing author to An Athlete's Guide to Agents, and was the editor of The Law of Professional & Amateur Sports, the seminal treatise in sports law.

Before creating Premier Sports & Entertainment, Gary was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Management Plus Enterprises, where he assisted in every aspect of business for clients such as Shaquille O'Neal and Ronnie Lott. Gary also had stints as an attorney with the Elite Sports Network, Walt Disney Television and Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton. He was also on the Board of Directors of the Sports Lawyers' Association from 1987-2002. Gary graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from college before graduating with honors from Boalt Hall law school at the University of California, Berkeley.

Eric Kaufman

President

Eric is responsible for, among other things, day-to-day operations and management of the company, as well as defining and implementing the company's long term strategy, cultivating business development efforts and overseeing mergers and acquisitions. As a certified NFLPA agent, he is also responsible for recruiting new clients, negotiating contracts and daily client maintenance.

Before helping Uberstine launch Premier Sports & Entertainment, Eric was Director of Business Development at Management Plus Enterprises, leading the company's efforts to develop unique sports and entertainment events and programming, such as the inaugural NIKE World Championships of Beach Volleyball, and the Annual Shaq Athletes and Entertainers for Kids Games. Prior to this role, Eric served as Associate Director of Marketing, assisting in the development of global branding and marketing campaigns for sport icons such as Shaquille O'Neal and Lisa Leslie. Additionally, Eric spent two years overseas working as the Business Development Manager, Central and Eastern Europe, for Euronet Worldwide, a global provider of electronic payment and transaction processing solutions for financial institutions, retailers, service providers and individual consumers.

Eric did his undergraduate work at the University of California at Davis, and earned his MBA in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona. Eric sits on the Board of Trustees of the Women's Sports Foundation, the first agent ever named a Trustee in the Foundation's nearly 40-year history.

Michael Hoffman

Agent

Michael Hoffman, who has over 14 years of experience, is one of the lead contract negotiators and player-agents at Premier Sports & Entertainment. In addition to his vast experience and strong relationships developed over the years, Michael prides himself on his extraordinary work ethic and level of personal service. Before working with Premier Sports & Entertainment, Michael worked with Management Plus Enterprises, where he assisted in the marketing of Shaquille O’Neal, and worked closely with the firm’s football clients, including Ronnie Lott, Ken Norton, Jr., and Eric Allen. Michael earned his law degree from Southwestern University in Los Angeles, California.

Kyle Thomas

Agent

Kyle is a certified NFLPA agent and licensed attorney. Based out of Charlotte, NC, Kyle is responsible for Premier’s operations in the Southeast. Kyle is passionate about serving his clients and their families, priding himself on his tireless work ethic and attention to detail.

Kyle did his undergraduate work at Cornell University, where he also played collegiate football, leading the Ivy League in passes defended during his two years as a starting cornerback for the Big Red. Kyle then earned his law degree at the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill, and is an active member of the North Carolina State Bar. Prior to joining Premier, Kyle worked as a regional recruiting coordinator for Golden Peak Sports & Entertainment, and later founded DHM, a boutique full-service sports agency.

Kimberly Miller

Client Manager

Kimberly Miller began her career working for Levy Restaurants, an international food management company with more than 100 locations including restaurants, sports stadiums, arenas, convention centers, zoos, racetracks, and music festivals. Kimberly’s first role at Levy Restaurants was with the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse where she was responsible for running one of its VIP clubs. She was then promoted to Milwaukee, WI to assist with the opening of The Harley Davidson Museum, executing over 1,000 events successfully with her team. Subsequently, Kim transitioned more directly into the sports world with Intersport, a Chicago based sports marketing and event firm, working on the activation of numerous marketing campaigns for ESPN, Cadillac, Callaway, Geico, Sprint, Buick, and Liberty Mutual. Congruently, Kim joined All Access Promotions in 2008 where she served as the Director of Events, planning and executing events around the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, ESPY Awards, and Indianapolis 500, along with individual professional athlete charity events.

Kim graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2007 with a major in Consumer Science and emphasis in Consumer Affairs in Business, where she was also on the Dean’s List. In addition to UW-Madison, Kim also studied abroad at the University of London.

Gennaro Bizzarro

President - Premier Basketball

As President of Premier Basketball, Gennaro is responsible for the company’s general administration and is the lead negotiator for all major deals involving the company and its clients. He is certified as an agent by the National Basketball Players Association, and has negotiated numerous deals on behalf of his NBA and International clients. He has earned a reputation among colleagues and clients alike as a straight shooting negotiator who adheres to the core belief that clients come first and that sound advocacy requires balanced tenacity. His steadfast commitment to the principle that egos should never get in the way of effective, sensible representation of a client has served Gennaro well throughout his career and distinguishes him among other agents who do not share in this belief.

In addition to his role as President, Gennaro also serves as General Counsel to Premier Basketball. In that role, he draws upon his extensive litigation and business background to serve as chief legal advisor to the company and its clients. Before joining Premier Basketball, Gennaro founded and oversaw the GB Law Group, a boutique law firm representing clients in litigation and transactional matters. He has also served as chief legal counsel for several municipalities, overseeing a team of municipal attorneys and advising cities, their agencies, and their chief executives on a variety of legal matters. Prior to founding the GB Law Group, Gennaro was a litigator with the Wall Street firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the world’s preeminent law firms. During his time on Wall Street, Gennaro represented international financial service powerhouses Goldman, Sachs & Co. and AIG, as well as numerous other Fortune 500 companies and their executives. Gennaro has extensive experience negotiating contracts both domestically and internationally on behalf of his individual and corporate clients. In addition, he has also overseen numerous large-scale labor deals with different employee unions, and has represented and advised a number of professional athletes, coaches and entertainers both directly and indirectly as counsel to various business and charitable organizations. This experience, coupled with his extensive litigation background, make him a valuable asset to Premier and its clients.

Gennaro is admitted to practice in New York, Connecticut, and in several federal trial and appellate courts. He has represented clients in arbitrations, administrative hearings, and trials in state and federal courts and before various boards and commissions, and has argued cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals, various state appellate courts, and numerous administrative tribunals.

Gennaro received his B.A. Magna Cum Laude from Fordham University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D. Magna Cum Laude from the Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the school’s Law Review.

Gregory Nunn

VP- Premier Basketball

Gregory Nunn is Premier Basketball’s Vice President for Basketball Operations. Certified as an agent by the National Basketball Players Association, Greg has extensive experience recruiting and managing NBA players, and he has negotiated numerous playing and marketing deals on behalf of Premier's clients. Greg's commitment to personal attention manifests itself in the way that he manages his clients' affairs: he tailors his services to each client individually, understanding that not every player follows the same path to the NBA. At Premier, Greg is responsible for contract negotiations and for managing day-to-day player relations. He prides himself on providing unparalleled personal service to each one of his clients.

Prior to joining Premier, Greg coached AAU basketball for ten years and was an assistant to several prominent NBA agents before earning his certification from the NBPA. Greg earned a basketball scholarship to St. Francis College, where he graduated with a degree in Liberal Arts in 2002. On the court, he led St. Francis in assists and was named the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2001.

Joshua Reese

Executive Assistant

Josh is an executive assistant in Premier Basketball’s Northeast division and helps to oversee the company’s International practice. He serves as liaison between Premier and its global basketball network, and has worked to place clients with teams throughout Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America. Josh comes to Premier after more than a decade in the coaching field and world of Athletic Administration.

During his tenure as Director of Athletics at Connecticut’s famed Northwest Catholic, Josh oversaw the school’s rise to prominence, as Northwest ranked first among athletic programs in its class. On his watch, Northwest won five state championship titles, attained five runner-up finishes, and set a school record for Academic All-State selections. In addition to his on-the-court success, Josh was influential in creating the 1st Unified Sports (Special Olympics) program for a private school in the state of Connecticut. Josh also won three state championships as a player and a coach, and has served as the Head Coach and Director of Operations for the “Aim High” AAU program — a basketball program founded and sponsored by former NBA legend Kenny “The Jet” Smith.

Josh holds a Masters Degree from Central Connecticut State University, a Bachelors Degree from Western Connecticut State University, and has received national accreditation as a Certified Master Athletic Administrator from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. As a basketball player at Western Connecticut State University, he advanced to the league’s postseason during all four years of his collegiate career, finishing his career as an All Little East Selection while ranking in the all-time career top ten in rebounds, steals, and block shots.