Knight Eady

What Knight Eady does

Knight Eady (DBA: Knight Eady Sports Group) is a privately held, full-service creative agency founded in 2013 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama (2025 3rd Ave N, Suite 200). The firm specializes in the intersection of sports marketing and live-event management, organizing its offering across four service lines: Events, Strategy, Creative, and a portfolio of Solutions (event conceptualization, event consulting, brand identity, graphic design, video production, website design, live-event content, campaign planning, marketing analytics, sponsorship consulting, event/ticket marketing, experiential marketing, and KE Souvenir). It also owns and operates a stable of proprietary event properties, including Elevate the Stage (a recurring championship-caliber college gymnastics meet), the HomeTown Lenders Championship (a Korn Ferry Tour golf event), Birmingham-hosted NCAA March Madness First and Second Rounds, the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, and services for the USGA U.S. Women's Open.

The company generates revenue through professional services engagements sold on a custom, quote-based pricing model with no publicly disclosed rates or tiers. Its customer base spans four verticals: sports organizations (SEC, NCAA, USGA, Conference USA, Korn Ferry Tour), consumer brands seeking sports-marketing access (City Gear/Hibbett, Nike, HomeTown Lenders, Noah Basketball, The Net Return, Shipt), educational institutions (Alabaster City Schools), and nonprofit foundations (Lutzie 43 Foundation, Blocking Hunger Foundation, ZeroZero Foundation). Delivery is relationship-based enterprise field sales supported by an event-driven GTM motion (work performed at marquee events feeds pipeline for adjacent clients). The team consists of roughly 20+ staff under a bench that includes Co-Founder/President Michael Eady, Principal David Knight, COO Robyn Felton, EVP Chris Nix, and multiple VPs and Directors across Corporate Partnerships, Events, Agency Services, Strategic Initiatives, Operations, and Design. There is no external institutional funding, parent company, M&A activity, or public listing disclosed; ownership is founder-controlled.

The firm's strategic posture is built on three reinforcing pillars: (i) deep specialization in collegiate athletics and golf that has produced multi-year, multi-event contracts (CUSA 2024-2026, NCAA Gymnastics through 2026, USGA), (ii) ownership of recurring event properties that function as licensable platforms for sponsors and brands, and (iii) a position as a two-sided intermediary between rights-holders and consumer brands. Limitations to flag: revenue, burn, and headcount economics are not publicly disclosed; there is no disclosed AI, technology platform, or proprietary data asset; and the firm does not sell a product outside of services and event IP.

Name

Knight Eady

Legal name

Knight Eady

Website

https://knighteady.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Knight Eady is a Birmingham-based, full-service creative agency specializing in sports marketing, event management, and live-event production, serving collegiate conferences, national governing bodies, consumer brands, schools, and nonprofits across the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Knight Eady generates revenue through providing comprehensive creative agency services including event management, strategy, branding, video production, web design, and marketing analytics to clients across the sports industry.
2. Event Management and Production: Revenue generated through end-to-end event management services including event conceptualization, site selection, venue management, ticketing operations, sponsorship sales, and on-site execution for collegiate and professional sporting events.
3. Fundraising and Nonprofit Management: Services supporting nonprofit organizations with fundraising campaigns, donor communications, and campaign strategy, as demonstrated with the Lutzie 43 Foundation and Blocking Hunger Foundation campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Knight Eady is a full-service creative agency specializing in event management, strategy, production, and design for sports-related clients. The firm delivers end-to-end event execution, brand identity development, video and graphic production, website design, campaign planning, sponsorship consulting, and experiential marketing activations for collegiate athletic conferences, governing bodies, consumer brands, and nonprofit organizations.

Product overview

Knight Eady is a full-service creative agency that provides event management, strategy, production, and design services to clients across the country. The company's offering is organized around a unified service portfolio rather than a software platform. Core services include Event Conceptualization, Event Management, Brand Identity, Graphic Design, Video Production, Website Design, Live Event Content, Campaign Planning, Marketing Analytics, Sponsorship Consulting, Event/Ticket Marketing, Experiential Marketing, and Souvenir Services. Additionally, Knight Eady owns and operates signature event properties including Elevate the Stage (gymnastics), the HomeTown Lenders Championship (Korn Ferry Tour golf), NCAA March Madness hosting in Birmingham, the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship in Fort Worth, and the U.S. Women's Open golf championship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Conceptualization

Quantifiable outcome

• $574K ticket revenue generated for USGA U.S. Women's Open
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• Conference USA (CUSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Knight Eady partnered with Conference USA, Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Huntsville Sports Commission to host the CUSA Basketball Championships in Huntsville, Alabama for 2024-2026.
• HomeTown LenderscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Knight Eady secured HomeTown Lenders as title sponsor for their Korn Ferry Tour golf event (formerly Huntsville Championship), renaming it the HomeTown Lenders Championship.
• USGAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Knight Eady entered into a partnership with USGA as the marketing and creative agency for the U.S. Women's Open, providing media planning, buying, and creative services for the 73rd and 74th championships.
• NCAAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Knight Eady won multiple bid cycles to manage the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championship and has also managed March Madness First and Second Rounds, providing comprehensive event management, marketing, public relations, ticketing, and media relations.
• SEC (Southeastern Conference)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnight Eady serves as a key creative and content partner for SEC championship events, producing video content, managing events, and providing marketing services for SEC Football Championship, SEC Women's Basketball Tournament, SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, SEC Gymnastics Championship, SEC Softball Tournament, SEC Baseball Tournament, and SEC Media Days.
• Fort Worth Sports CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnight Eady partners with Fort Worth Sports Commission and Texas Woman's University to conceptualize, develop, and execute the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
• City Gear (Hibbett | City Gear)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnight Eady has partnered with City Gear/Hibbett since 2017 for gameday activations, rebranding services, and experiential marketing including the Sneaker Sprinter and City of Stars NBA All-Star activation.
• Noah BasketballkeyGTM or Marketing PartnerKnight Eady serves as the strategic PR and marketing partner for Noah Basketball, providing media coverage, social media management, blog content creation, and creative fulfillment for the shot-tracking technology company.
• The Net ReturnkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnight Eady established a comprehensive agency partnership with The Net Return for full rebranding, including brand identity, marketing analytics, campaign planning, graphic design, website design (Shopify), and video production.
• ShiptminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKnight Eady's creative and strategy teams support Shipt as key partners, providing marketing and strategic services.
• Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnight Eady collaborated with the CVB to develop a competitive bid and host the Conference USA Basketball Championships in Huntsville, leveraging the CVB's local knowledge and resources.
• Huntsville Sports Commission (HSC)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnight Eady partnered with the Huntsville Sports Commission to bid on and execute the CUSA Basketball Championships, with HSC providing sports tourism expertise and local coordination.
• Texas Woman's UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnight Eady partners with Texas Woman's University as part of the consortium managing the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championship in Fort Worth.
• NikeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNike partners with City Gear and Knight Eady on various activations including Ballin' in Boutwell and the Sneaker Sprinter, with $50,000 directed through Hibbett and Nike to support Huffman High School.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Octagon: Octagon is a global sports marketing agency that manages events, sponsorships, and athlete representation for major brands and rights holders. It is the closest large-scale analog to Knight Eady's sports-specialized, full-service creative and event management model.
• 160over90: 160over90 is a creative agency specializing in sports and entertainment marketing, providing branding, content, and experiential services to collegiate and professional sports clients. Comparable to Knight Eady in sport vertical focus and integrated creative-plus-experiential offering.
• rEvolution: rEvolution is a global sports marketing and sponsorship agency that provides event management, strategy, and creative services. It mirrors Knight Eady's combination of event ownership and agency-of-record work for sports brands and rights holders.
• MKTG (Dentsu): MKTG is a sponsorship and experiential marketing agency within Dentsu that delivers activation, content, and event services. Comparable to Knight Eady's experiential activations (e.g., City of Stars, Sneaker Sprinter) and sponsorship consulting work.
• Moody Sports Marketing: Moody is a boutique sports marketing agency that provides strategy, creative, and event services to collegiate and professional sports properties. Comparable to Knight Eady as a similarly-sized, sport-specialized agency operating in the same regional and category footprint.

Broad incumbents

• IMG (Endeavor): IMG is a global sports and entertainment agency under Endeavor that handles events, licensing, and athlete management at massive scale. It is a broader incumbent against which Knight Eady competes when bidding for SEC-, NCAA-, and USGA-tier engagements.
• CSM Sport & Entertainment: CSM is a global sport marketing, events, and entertainment agency that delivers sponsorship, strategy, and creative work for rights holders and brands. Overlaps with Knight Eady's sponsorship consulting and event conceptualization services for tier-1 clients.
• Learfield IMG College: Learfield is the dominant collegiate athletics multimedia rights holder and sponsorship platform for universities and conferences including the SEC. It competes directly with Knight Eady for sponsorship sales, event management, and conference-level marketing mandates.

Emerging players

• Playbook Sports (Bohn Agency): Bohn Agency is a sports marketing and creative agency focused on college athletics and athletic-department marketing. Comparable as a sport-specialized, mid-size competitor in the same client vertical as Knight Eady.
• Greenfly: Greenfly is a content-distribution platform used by sports organizations, leagues, and brand partners to share athlete and event content at scale. Adjacent to Knight Eady's live-event content and video production offerings, serving overlapping sports marketing buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KnightEady
• YouTubevimeo.com/knighteady
• Facebookfacebook.com/KnightEady
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knight-eady-sports-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/knighteady/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knight Eady