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Meet Aaron and Andre Eanes: Presidents of A&A Management Group

Brothers Aaron and Andre Eanes are presidents of the A&A Management Group; they chatted about their careers and the digital age.

Aaron and André Eanes
Photo Courtesy of Aaron and André Eanes
Photo Courtesy of Aaron and André Eanes

Brothers Aaron and Andre Eanes are presidents of the A&A Management Group. They chatted about their careers and the digital age.

A&A Management Group is a Cleveland-based sports and entertainment agency led by executives and brotherly duo Aaron and Andre Eanes.   

Founded in 2012, their wide range of clients, including Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Champion tight end Travis Kelce, Cleveland Browns All-Pro CB, Denzel Ward, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, 2022 Rising All-Star and Second Team All-Rookie NBA breakout, Bones Hyland, and All-Pro CB Joe Haden.

“The idea for A&A stemmed from an episode of 30 for 30 ‘Broke,’ Andre said, “It was an ESPN docuseries that discussed specific cases of professional athletes going ‘broke.’ We saw that and wanted to create a company to help guide professional athletes to make sound business decisions.”

“The original idea for A&A arose from the desire to help ensure athletes didn’t go broke,” Aaron said. “Around 2011, ESPN and other major outlets aired documentaries or wrote stories about how athletes went broke. As a junior in college working in sports and from a family with a business background, I felt we could address this need in the market. The only problem was that we didn’t have money, clients, or experience working within an agency. So, I decided to start my own.”

Aaron continued, “We saw successful examples of musicians taking their talents and extending them into areas of fashion, business, media, and technology. We wondered if these talented individuals could accomplish this without the opportunities that athletes naturally have; why didn’t more athletes do the same?”

“From that moment on, it’s been a constant journey of trying to anticipate the needs of our clients and the market and figuring out how to provide the best access to great people, information, and opportunities,” Aaron added.

On their motivations as business partners, Andre said, “am inspired each day by working to achieve a goal. Aaron and I are constantly pushing each other to do the best for our clients at the highest level. We each have our own individual focuses, for me, it’s a business development focus and for him, it’s brand management.”

“Ultimately, what inspires me the most is being able to build something with my brother, knowing that we are making an impact on the lives of our clients and their families,” Aaron added.

The digital age

On being businessmen in the digital age, Andre said, “I personally love being a businessman in this digital age. We grew up on the cusp of it so we have somewhat of an idea of what it was like to not be so digitally focused. It gives our clients the ability to use their influence in extraordinary ways and express their voice in ways athletes could not before.”

“In many ways, I think it’s the best age to be a businessman,” Aaron said. “When we started the business, we didn’t want it confined to a specific city or office, so we invested in systems and software that allowed us to track the activities we were doing for our clients and start to map out a network. Over the years, the software improved dramatically to where we can now run the business from our phones. That wouldn’t have been possible 15 to 20 years ago.”

Proud moments

They shared some of their proudest moments. “One of my proudest moments with A&A was when Travis Kelce & Denzel Ward were nominated for Man of The Year two years in a row for the work they do in their communities. As part of our business, our goal is to help our clients not only build their personal brand but also give back to the communities that gave so much to them. Seeing them honored at the highest level with the NFL was definitely a proud moment,” Andre recalled.

“Two of my proudest professional moments with A&A are the exit of a sports nutrition gummy company Hilo for one of my clients and the development of the No. 1 rated sports podcast to start the 2022 NFL season,” Aaron remarked.

Aaron continued, “Originally the sports nutrition gummy company came about as a marketing opportunity that we converted into an equity opportunity. It also took our client out of the sports performance category, generating six figures a year. But I thought he wasn’t being valued and was underpaid. Once the company sold, we can see we converted an opportunity where the client made low six figures into one that paid him over seven.”

“The podcast hits on our original goal of helping our clients not go broke. We have strived to ensure our clients can maintain or surpass their lifestyle once they retire. This podcast was a multi-year process to help our client be in a position to set themselves up for long-term success,” Aaron added.

Future plans

On their future plans and goals, Andre said, “We want to be the best sports management-focused firm in the country.”

“We plan to continue honing our internal processes to ensure we can continue to drive long-term value for our clients,” Aaron added.

Advice for hopefuls

For young and aspiring people that want to go into sports and entertainment management, Andre said, “Know what you know, and know what you don’t know, and do not be afraid to ask for help.”

“My ultimate advice for anyone looking to enter the sports & entertainment field is to be open-minded, humble, and curious,” Aaron said. “You are going to be entering into a very dynamic field that is changing every day. Issues with NFTs, Metaverse, social justice, and finances will pop up. You can’t go in expecting you’ll do the same thing every day, or you will miss out on opportunities.”

Aaron continued, “Being humble is critical because you must remind yourself that you’re not the talent. You will be better positioned to serve your clients if you understand that. And finally, stay curious. Sports & Entertainment is the perfect industry for you if you have a curious mind and want to challenge yourself to learn or explore new things.”

“Every day is different, and we are entering a period where talent understands they need great people around them to help navigate the changes in the industry, which presents many opportunities,” Aaron added.

Success

On his definition of success, Andre said, “Success to me is when we are able to turn our client’s goals and aspirations outside of the sport they play into a reality. We started this business the help guide our clients and help them build a ‘life after sports’ every deal we close or partnership we form brings them one step closer to achieving that goal.”

“Success means how many people you impact positively,” Aaron said. “Success today, in my opinion, can be defined in many ways. However, ultimately, I look at it and ask, are my clients better off today than when we met, are their families in a position to help guide them and accumulate generational wealth? Are the people I work with being put in a position to grow and realize their true potential? If I can answer yes to those things, then I believe that is success.”

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 22,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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