By MIA QUICK
Web Editor
Saint Rose senior business administration major Nicholas “Niko” Mokanos has combined his studies and athletics into a growing agency for athletes and brands that he hopes will always have a close-knit and familial feel despite plans for growth.
Mokanos started Elevate Sports Media shortly after the end of quarantine in December 2020 as a way to partner athletes with brands associated with his business, providing potential sponsorships, special deals with brands, and media kits to help them in their careers. He now leads a three-man team and has seen Elevate evolve since its inception.
Mokanos is a captain on the baseball team with several side hustles, including his father’s car wash, lifeguarding, and working at a bagel store. He grew up on the border between New Jersey and New York, and before he came to Saint Rose he went to Becker College. Mokanos regularly does yoga and reads autobiographies, and “Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win” by Jocko Willink reminded Mokanos to hold himself accountable and bring Willink’s mentality to the leadership of his teams.
“He is a great vocal leader and always does the right thing. He sets a great example for everyone who chooses to pay attention and listen to him,” said Tyler Romano, an outfielder on Saint Rose’s baseball team.
Elevate’s journey began when Mokanos’s desire to make deeper connections with athletes and partner with varying companies combined with living next to high-level talents that were willing to work with him. At a young age, Mokanos’s parents demonstrated how to confidently network with others while maintaining his drive to work hard.
In the aftermath of quarantine in December of 2020, Mokanos began building the foundation of Elevate Sports Media. The business primarily began as a podcast, where Mokonos would interview athletes who could tell their stories and become another source for his network. He worked with Jake Geddes at his side until recently; Geddes now helps out from time to time.
“I’ve worked with people that I really never thought I’d ever get the chance to meet or speak to,” said Mokanos.
Rachel Balkovec, the first woman to work as a full-time manager of a major league-affiliated team, made an appearance on Elevate’s podcast to speak of sexism in the sports industry. CEO of VaynerSports and Gary Vee’s younger brother, AJ Vaynerchuk, spoke on Elevate and later became an advisor at Mokanos’s first internship program. Other notable guests have been MLB All-Stars James Karinchak of the Cleveland Guardians, Tommy La Stella of the Seattle Mariners, and the CEO of Malka Sports, Pat Capra.
The podcast era of Elevate Sports Media led to Mokanos’s solo endeavor becoming a team effort. While interviewing a well-known New Jersey high school team, he reconnected to Paul Sullivan and Marc Hernandez. The duo once played baseball in their hometown in New Jersey where they faced off against Mokanos’s team. After speaking with him, the baseball players realized that their goals coincided with the mission that Elevate represented.
“I wanted to be able to reach out to any athlete I wanted, any brand, try and make connections, network,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan functions as the chief operating officer as an overseer of associated athletes and affiliated brands. He is set to launch Elevate’s podcast “Beyond the Field,” and played for Iona University before moving on to his master’s program in professional communication at Tampa University. He joined Elevate after interning at LAA Sports & Entertainment, where he realized his passion came from the communication between athletes and their agencies, not manning Excel sheets from behind the scenes.
“We’re not looking for any sort of money at the moment, all we care about is our relationship with the players, and our relationship with our brands,” said Hernandez.
When Hernandez initially joined Elevate he worked on Elevate NIL, a subdivision of Elevate Sports Media that focuses on college athletes and forming a local community of support and personal brand awareness. Hernandez attends Rowan University with a major in marketing and minor in entrepreneurship. Currently, he is the agency’s director of marketing and sponsorship, which includes locating brand deals and connecting players to sponsorships and endorsements.
“There’s a lot of chemistry and a lot of really good communication between the three of us, and a huge aspect of that is all of us having the same goal in our head,” said Hernandez.
When partnering with Elevate Sports Media, athletes will also be partnering with Tater Bats, Chandler Bats, Stinger Sports, 44 Pro Gloves, Stadium Custom Kicks, and ZZ Athletic Wear. Recently, Elevate’s Tampa athletes are attempting to partner with Storm, a healthy energy drink company. Aligning with these companies allows athletes to get discounts, free merchandise, create mini portfolios, and try new products. Elevate will also collaborate with athletes and their personal image to create custom logos and merchandise for their clients.
“We’re helping them get product for free, and be able to use it on and off the field,” said Sullivan.
The agency also works to combat personal and professional battles by providing a mental skills performance coach. John Hodson guides clients by utilizing breathing techniques and positive self-talk. Hodson provides service for Elevate’s staff and athletes, and was also previously partnered with the Seahawks at Wagner College.
Elevate Sports Media recently opened their team in the search for social media interns that could provide additional benefits to their partnered athletes, such as managing athletes or coaches’ social media accounts and representing their personal image. Shortly after advertising for additional interns, Mokanos received over 70 applications that he and his team will filter through together.
“They [college athletes] need to maximize on their four years because they could lay the groundwork for businesses or they could make a lot of money now that could set them up to invest, or donate to charities, or get their life started,” said Mokanos.
While the media agency currently puts all of their earnings back into their business for costs of their website, emails, and sending merch, which leaves little for the team, Sullivan expects to see a turnaround. Regardless, the team believes Elevate serves as a good source for experience and aren’t financially concerned. Mokanos would eventually like to get his MLB agent certification and transform Elevate from a social media-based company into a sports agency, where negotiating for athletes would become an everyday affair.
The team would like to work with Elevate for as long as the agency continues to provide fulfilling work, and they have faced the reality that larger opportunities may present themselves. There are approximately 15 clients that the team works with, such as Justyn-Henry Malloy from the Detroit Tigers, Emmet Sheehan from the Dodgers, and Simon Whiteman from the San Francisco Giants. They plan to expand their company yet keep it close enough to sustain the community aspect and avoid the inevitable impersonal interactions between conglomerate businesses and their athletes.
“Becoming an Elevate athlete is becoming part of a family that sticks together and wants mutual benefit for all of our guys,” said Hernandez.
