UTA Adds Activision Exec Ander Nickell To Esports Team

UTA said Monday that it has hired Ander Nickell, most recently Head of Global Partnerships at Activision, as a brand partnerships executive in the agency’s esports division.

In his new role, he will be tasked with building brand partnerships for UTA’s roster of nearly 100 esports athletes, streamers and content creators. The agency’s client list in that area includes NickMercs, Pokimane, Scump, Offline TV, Disguised Toast, Aphromoo, Valkyrae, Grandmaster Hikaru, Symfuhny and gaming organization FaZe Clan.

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Nickell will be based in Los Angeles and report to esports head Damon Lau.

“Ander has a unique talent for establishing authentic connections at the intersection of gaming, entertainment and consumer brands,” Lau said Monday. “He has firsthand knowledge of the world’s most prominent gaming franchises, and he is well-respected within the esports and marketing industries. We are thrilled to welcome him to UTA.”

At Activision, Nickell oversaw worldwide brand partnerships for the game company’s titles including Call of Duty, Warzone, Call of Duty Mobile, Tony Hawk and Crash Bandicoot, securing multi-year partnerships with global brands like Pepsi, Sony, Comcast, Kellogg’s, Nvidia and Papa John’s. He also helped develop Call of Duty’s pop culture IP integration strategy, and last year’s Saw–The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in-game crossover event.

Before Activision, he worked at GMR Marketing and IMG.

“I’ve watched UTA build an unmatched roster of incredibly talented creators, and a team of the industry’s top esports agents and executives,” said Nickell. “I couldn’t be more excited to help the division realize its ambitions in the space and it’s clear to me that we have an unprecedented opportunity to partner brands with our clients, who represent the next generation of entertainment stars, in new and imaginative ways.”

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