Travis Kelce's Ascent to Fame Part of 'Carefully Manicured Business Plan'
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - NOVEMBER 20: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs talks to ESPN Monday Night football television announcers prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 20, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
For those who only recently became football fans because of the whole Taylor Swift of it all, it may surprise you to hear that Travis Kelce has been on the up and up for more than just the last several months.
While Swift certainly boosted his demographic, it turns out that his climb to the top was actually part of what the New York Times calls a "carefully manicured business plan," conceptualized by his college friends and twin managers, André and Aaron Eanes.
The trio joined forces before they'd even graduated, with Kelce becoming the second client of A&A Management, the company, operating under the "thought process" of "Let’s all do this together, and we’ll figure it out as we go.”
As they went, the team would go on to add a creative strategist, a community outreach coordinator, a Los Angeles-based publicist, a personal chef and a trainer, plus four football agents and representation with an acting agency.
It all started with a 2015 feature in Complex magazine, which found the tight end standing atop a pool table in a burgundy velour Versace jumpsuit with a pair of Gucci sunglasses. Shortly after, a producer from E! contacted Aaron to offer Kelce a reality dating show—something that first garnered a response of "Absolutely not!"
But after more consideration, the co-managers thought the series might open other doors. While reality TV wasn't poised to be a repeat, Kelce had a childhood dream to host Saturday Night Live—a proposal that earned a neutral response from the series during the 2020 season.
In late 2021, Kelce took a stab at impressing Lorne Michaels after he crashed an SNL after-party, and the day after the Chiefs beat the Eagles in the 2023 Super Bowl, the series called back first thing in the morning, and less than a month later he was on stage at Rockefeller Center’s Studio 8H.
While producers started tapping Kelce, he didn't rush into any opportunity. He's taken on a slew of partnerships outside of the traditional NFL endorsements, meant to establish his credibility as a pitchman of his own accord, and not just another football player in a typical NFL-adjacent commercial.
“People say to me, ‘Man, it’s been a crazy year,’” Aaron recalled. “When I say, ‘Actually, it’s not that crazy,’ people look at me funny. It’s because it’s easy when you have a plan. We’re executing that plan.”
Swift certainly helped things along when she came into the picture, but was never part of the plan.
“We positioned Travis to be world famous,” André said. “We didn’t know how it would happen, or when it would happen, or what would help push that further along. But it’s always been the thought in the back of our minds.”
Of course, with even the NFL accused of "overdoing" the coverage of their relationship, the two have expressed some concern for "oversaturation," with their gears shifting to focus on careful curation this year, prioritizing the authenticity of each deal made.
