Paid Inc. Sports Agent Kristen Kuliga Secures Deals for Nine Players, Captures National Spotlight
Paid Inc. Sports Agent Kristen Kuliga Secures Deals for Nine Players, Captures National Spotlight
WORCESTER, Mass., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Paid, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PAYD) today announced that Kristen Kuliga, VP of its booming Celebrity Services division, recently secured nine NFL team contract deals on behalf of NFL players.
Ms. Kuliga, one of the only active female player agents in the NFL and the first woman to negotiate a multimillion-dollar contract for an NFL quarterback, was profiled on ESPN News' Hot Seat on August 2 and ESPN.com in June (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsbusiness/news/story?id=2079652). Her most recent deals for players she represents include:
* Doug Flutie -- New England Patriots Back-Up Quarterback. After Flutie
was released by the San Diego Chargers in March, Kuliga sealed a deal in
April to bring the perennial fan favorite back to the Pats, where he
played earlier in his career. A native New Englander, Flutie won the
Heisman Trophy at Boston College in 1984. Kuliga had negotiated Flutie's
$33 million contract with the Chargers following his release from
the Buffalo Bills in 2001. Restructuring of the deal during several of
the subsequent four years made Flutie the NFL's highest-paid backup
quarterback.
* Ben Graham -- New York Jets Punter. After Kuliga was referred to and
contacted by Graham's Australian agent in the Fall of 2004, Kuliga
negotiated Graham's contract with the Jets in January of 2005. Graham
was a star in the Australian Football League where he retired after a
successful career with the Geelong Cats last year. Graham played in
219 games -- about 1 percent of AFL players reach the 200-game milestone
-- and captained Geelong for three seasons. He was known for having one
of the strongest legs in the league, with his longest kick traveling
about 95 yards.
* Patrick Pass -- New England Patriots Running Back. Pass was an
unrestricted free agent who entertained potential opportunities with
other teams but decided to stay with the Patriots. Pass was the Pats'
top receiving threat out of the backfield in 2004, leading all New
England backs with 28 receptions. He is the team's all-time leading
kickoff returner in the playoffs. Pass hired Kuliga in March 2004.
* JR Redmond -- Arizona Cardinals Running Back. Redmond played with the
Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots before Kuliga negotiated
his signing with the Cardinals in July. Last year Redmond played in all
16 games for the Raiders and proved himself as one of the most versatile
backs on the team, playing at Running Back and Full Back as well as
returning kicks. He rushed six times for a team-high of 50 yards with a
long of 18 and caught one pass for five yards.
* Omar Easy -- Oakland Raiders Full Back. Easy, known as a strong overall
athlete with sharp instincts who runs low and changes directions well,
signed with the Raiders in June. He had appeared in 37 games for the
Kansas City Chiefs in three seasons and had four rushing attempts for
one yard, six receptions for 42 yards, one touchdown and 11 special-team
tackles.
* Brandon Winey -- New York Giants Offensive Tackle. Winey hired Kuliga in
August 2004. Kuliga had secured him a one year deal last year with the
Giants when he was released by the Washington Redskins and negotiated
another one year deal for him in March.
* Jonathan "McKenzi" Smith -- Kansas City Chiefs Running Back. After
selecting Kuliga as his agent in January '05, Smith was signed by the
Kansas City Chiefs and allocated to NFL Europe (NFLEL) to the Amsterdam
Admirals, where he was ranked as the #3 Running Back in yards for the
league. He was named NFL Europe Co-Offensive Player of the Week after a
48-10 win v. Frankfort in May and registered an 18-yard touch down run
in the Admirals' 27-21 victory in World Bowl XIII v. Berlin in June. He
was honored as Most Valuable Player after rushing 133 yards and a touch
down against the Berlin Thunder. Smith carried the ball 15 times and had
a key 56-yard TD run enroute to the 31-27 victory.
* Antwan Harris -- Cleveland Browns Defensive Back. Harris, who had signed
with New England Patriots during the playoffs last year, signed with the
Browns on August 4, with both deals negotiated by Kuliga after she
became his agent in November 2004. Harris played 52 games and three
playoff games for the Patriots from 2000-03. He made two key plays in
New England's drive to its 2002 Super Bowl title. He scored on a
lateral following a blocked field goal in an AFC Championship game win
over Pittsburgh, then forced a fumble that led to a TD in the Super Bowl
against St. Louis.
* Alfred Fincher -- New Orleans Saints Inside Linebacker. Just weeks after
hiring Kuliga to represent him in July, signed with the Saints. Fincher
was a 3rd round draft pick out of the University of Connecticut, where
he recorded 12 tackles per game last season. An All-Big East Conference
selection, Fincher was a three-year starter at UConn and a defensive
leader on the 2004 team that went 8-4 and defeated Toledo 39-10 in the
Motor City Bowl.
This recent round of deals negotiated by Kuliga, worth nearly $6 million, are the latest examples of her unswerving successes for clients.
Prior to joining Paid, Inc., Ms. Kuliga was principal of K Sports & Entertainment, a sports marketing and event management firm that was acquired by Paid, Inc., and already had become one of the most respected agents in the industry.
"We had high expectations for Kristen when she joined our team," said Greg Rotman, CEO of Paid, Inc., who scored an industry coup when he brought Kuliga on board in the Fall of 2004 to grow the firm's Celebrity Services division. "She has exceeded our expectations by doing a tremendous job in continuing to represent NFL players while dramatically growing our Celebrity Service division," he said.
Kuliga credits Paid, Inc. for supporting her trademark work ethic -- build an honest relationship with clients and advocate tirelessly for players, their families and their communities -- for her successes. She also is grateful for recruiting assistance from Justin Foster, Paid, Inc. Celebrity Services' director of football operations.
Kuliga represents 12 total NFL players -- more than any other woman and provides sports marketing services to several athletes as well. She has negotiated complex sponsorship and endorsement contracts and also manages events for NFL players and corporations. In the entertainment marketplace, Kristen oversees Paid Celebrity Services and helped to secure the Aerosmith contract to manage its fan community programs and fan club ticketing offerings.
In addition to opening K Sports & Entertainment, her experience prior to joining Paid, Inc., includes serving as General Counsel and VP of Athlete Marketing at Woolf Associates, a full-service sports management and marketing firm. She is a cum laude graduate of both the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Suffolk University Law School.
About Paid, Inc.:
Paid, Inc. provides services to celebrities and sports figures, including hosting and management of official web sites and fan-club services. Paid, Inc.'s Celebrity Services offer famous people official web sites and fan-club services including e-commerce storefronts, articles, polls, message boards, contests, biographies and custom features to attract tens of thousands of visitors daily. The Company also sponsors autograph signing events and other sports marketing services for sports clientele. Using proprietary technology, Paid's innovative products and services are utilized in online auction management, ecommerce and web site development and hosting. Paid's AuctionInc brand auction management and shipping calculation software utilizes Paid's patent-pending process technologies to streamline back-office and shipping processes for online auctions and e-commerce. The company also builds and maintains large database-driven portals across a broad array of industries. The Company's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol PAYD. For further information, visit http://www.paid.com/.
Forward Looking Statements:
This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, including matters related to the Company's operations and expectations regarding their activities with celebrities and athletes. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's most recent filings, including Form 10-KSB with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACTS:
MEDIA: Julie Shepherd, Accentuate Inc., 815 479 1833, Julie@paid.com
Source: Paid Inc.
CONTACT: Julie Shepherd, Accentuate Inc., +1-815-479-1833,
Julie@paid.com, for Paid Inc.
Web site: http://www.paid.com/
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsbusiness/news/story?id=2079652
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