Canadian Creations
Rep on the Track
When it comes to Hollywood’s depiction of a sports agent, the movie Jerry McGuire struck a chord with Montreal’s Kris Mychasiw. As a founding partner and coo of Sprint Management, Mychasiw says if it’s the reason he became a sports agent, he’s not telling. But to borrow a line from the movie, “Show me the money” was not the driving force. More like, as McGuire says, “Help me help you.” How did you become an agent? I wanted to find a way to combine my passion for sports with helping athletes any way that I could. I was supposed to be a French teacher, but destiny had different plans. In 2004, with my business partner, Bruny Surin, a former Olympic gold medallist, we opened a small athlete representation agency specializing in track and field. What prepared you for this career? Being driven and entrepreneurial helps and the ability to think outside the box. Like the beer mile race, which has exploded over the past 18 months. It came down to personal drive and a passion to help someone like Lewis Kent, the first guy who made it big.
The beer mile was a combination of everything I’ve done over the last 13 years. When you bring alcohol into a sport, it becomes a massmarket opportunity. A few brands jumped on board and then every media outlet in North America. Imagine getting a spot on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. I mean anything is possible. Biggest misconception? That all sports agents are wealthy. In the world of amateur sports, you do it out of passion. If you do it for money, you’re doing it for the wrong reason. You can make a good living but it’s 24/7. How would you describe your job? Always being on to ser ve t he best interest s of your client s and partners. Career advice? If “no” is in your vocabulary – don’t even think about it. Toughest day? The summer of 2012: Priscilla Lopes-Schliep’s comeback year. We had lots of media coverage, and she had a ton of partnerships and activations in place. ctv invested a lot of time putting a story together that documented her comeback that was supposed to air just before the Olympics. Then, in a split second, when she hit the hurdle, everything changed. The next 12 hours were spent fielding phone calls from sponsors and media. I had to come up with a contingency plan. In 2012, there was no other key marquee Canadian athlete around – back then it was Lopes-Schliep. How do you hire? I have this obsession with customer service. I usually screen people by calling them at three or five in the morning, and they have just two rings to pick up the phone. Because it could have been an athlete stuck somewhere. Miss that call and the opportunity is gone. Favourite running film? Prefontaine with Jerod Leto. What does the future hold? I’m focusing more on creating sports-based events to help build the footprint of amateur sport in Canada. Additionally, I’m still working with a small group of athletes who are part of Team pow. Describe what you do in 140 characters or less. A professional storyteller and dream architect. Marylene Vestergom is a regular contributor who has covered multiple Olympic games.