Gary Vaynerchuk signs Fortnite World Cup winner Bugha to agency

Gary Vaynerchuk’s agency VaynerSports have announced the signing of reigning Fortnite world champion, Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf, as they officially move into the gaming industry.

Even if you’re not well versed in Fortnite, if you keep tabs on the realm of esports, you’ll have heard of Bugha.

Following his Fortnite World Cup win in 2019, the 17-year-old propelled himself into the public eye overnight and basked in the limelight, as he championed the successes of gaming into the mainstream media by most notably appearing on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘The Tonight Show.’ He also won $3 million for his trouble.

Now, almost a year on from the iconic tournament that put Bugha on everyone’s radar, the youngster has become VaynerSports’ first signing, as Gary Vaynerchuk leads his athlete representation agency into the gaming world.

VaynerSports move into gaming with Bugha

Speaking in VaynerSports’ press release, Gary Vaynerchuk expressed his elation to finally enter the ever-growing gaming landscape with VaynerGaming.

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“I have been quietly paying attention to the gaming industry for over a decade, building relationships and following the trends. One of the most exciting things about it, for me, is the gamers themselves. And when I look at the culture, the interest in the sector from other athletes, artists, celebrities — it is enormous. This is a very significant expansion for VaynerSports.”

The expansion into a dedicated division comes after Vaynerchuk previously pledged his allegiance to Activision’s Call of Duty League, with his investment in Minnesota RØKKR.

Per their press release, VaynerGaming will be expanding in the coming months, with the aim at signing a plethora of talent throughout the gaming industry to provide the same level of athlete representation that VaynerSports became so well known for.

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Joining VaynerGaming alongside Bugha is his long-term manager, Tyler Schmitt, who revealed his ambition to expand on the same winning formula with VaynerGaming.

“The strategy for Bugha for the past nine months has proven successful and we’ve put the pieces in place to scale and bring on additional players and personalities that we can elevate to a whole new level.”