Inspiring Conversations with Justin J. Giangrande of NETWORK

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin J. Giangrande

Hi Justin J., so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I had always wanted to attend a big football or basketball school, so when it came time for college, I chose the University of Florida. I was there during the glory days–graduated in 2006–and I’ll never forget meeting Tim Tebow as a freshman. Right away, it was clear to me that he was going to be something special. During my time at UF, I built a few businesses and had the incredible experience of witnessing back-to-back national championships: basketball, then football, then basketball again. I stayed in Florida until 2008 where I continued to grow my businesses while working on different projects with Tim, including his charity event; when he won the Heisman, I was also lucky enough to be part of it. It was an unforgettable time for University of Florida sports, as you can imagine, and a phenomenal time to be there.

After that, I moved out to Los Angeles and landed an internship at Priority Sports, which eventually turned into a role in which I helped them sign Chandler Parsons. This was around 2010, and that’s when I started noticing the shift towards marketing and branding in the sports world. LeBron and Johnny Manziel were beginning to separate their marketing from their agents, and I just had a feeling that was the future of the industry.

These experiences and insight led me to start my own firm called NCLUSIVE, which was essentially what we now know as modern athlete brand-building. We focused on marketing, endorsement deals, public relations, social media, and websites for athletes. Over time, NCLUSIVE grew to represent 30 NFL and NBA players, including three first-round picks in 2015. At one point, we had the highest-paid NBA player at the time, Mike Conley Jr. Amid the growth, Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk approached me about merging my business with VaynerSports and becoming a partner. Their entrepreneurial approach and media business accomplishments really intrigued me, so I made the move.

At VaynerSports, I became a minority partner, opened up the West Coast office, and led marketing and endorsement deals. Being part of Gary’s rise as an entrepreneur and that entire ecosystem was an incredible experience. I spent the next four years there before deciding to take my next step–which brings me to where I am today.

In 2020, I left to start NETWORK alongside my partner, Brian Sher. Brian was a traditional film and TV agent at major agencies and had extensive experience bridging hip-hop talent with film and TV. He had worked with artists like Lil Yachty and Quavo, and so we partnered together to focus on endorsement deals for them.

By 2021, I brought my sports-focus back into the mix and got the opportunity to work with Bryce Young and Malachi Nelson, who became the first high school player ever to sign with a representation agency. Malachi and I were introduced as he was preparing to commit to Lincoln Riley at USC, and next thing I knew, I was breaking ground in the new representation of high school athletes. Since then, we’ve continued evolving our business to lead in the changing landscape of college sports.

Today, NETWORK is built on three core areas: talent management, which involves representing elite high school, college, and legendary athletes, with a strong focus on football and men’s/women’s basketball; advisory services, in which we work with schools, brands, and collectives to develop collegiate-level sports marketing strategies; and production, which focuses on creating film and TV opportunities in the sports world.

I’m really energized about where we’re headed. I have an amazing team behind me, and I’m looking forward to the future we create together.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road hasn’t always been smooth, but nothing in life is–if you think it’s going to be easy, you’ll be easily knocked off course. As my father has always said, “If you get knocked down seven times, get up the eighth.” One of the things I try to do is stay positive while also considering what could be around the corner that I’m not prepared for.

As you know, we’re big fans of NETWORK. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My career has been built around helping athletes maximize their potential beyond the game, blending sports marketing, brand development, and media production alongside athletic talent. Through this work, I co-founded NETWORK, a sports marketing agency, brand studio, and entertainment production company that manages elite athletes, develops creative strategies, fosters partnerships for global brands, and produces culturally relevant original content. We have a 20-person team spread across the United States.

The company primarily works with elite high school and college athletes, including DJ Lagway (Florida), Malachi Nelson (UTEP), Julian Lewis (Colorado), and Harmoni Turner (Harvard), helping build their brands through innovative marketing and partnership opportunities. These collaborations include major brands such as Gatorade, Cactus Jack, SKIMS, Therabody, and Leaf Trading Cards.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to get as close as possible to the person whose job you aspire to have, and then do whatever it takes to close the gap. It doesn’t matter if it starts with being an intern or even taking out the trash. If you want to follow in someone’s footsteps and truly admire their career path, make yourself indispensable to them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thenetworkadvisory.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenetworkadvisory
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgnetwork/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jgnetworkceo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNetworkAdvisory

Image Credits
Outta Pocket Podcast & Brotherdale
Gifted Talents
NETWORK