UNC & The Brandr Group Team For Early Success In NIL Group Licensing Agreements

CHAPEL HILL—Less than two months after The University of North Carolina became the first college athletics program to announce a group licensing program with The Brandr Group (TBG), more than 100 current and former UNC student-athletes have opted in to the program, which includes deals with more than 10 companies. Student-athletes have signed on to profit using their Name, Image and Likeness with businesses including HanesBrands (HANES®/CHAMPION®), Nike by BCS and Outerstuff apparel, NFTs through RECUR, FOCO products, and health organizations like Honey Stinger in conjunction with UNC's official trademarks and logos.

"Group licensing agreements bring unique revenue potential, increase fan interest, include the greatest number of products, reach the widest range of student-athletes and remain complimentary to a student-athlete's ability to create their own personal partnerships," said Wesley Haynes, CEO of The Brandr Group. "From NFT companies that are revolutionizing the industry, FOCO which memorabilia and products to the space, Honey Stinger snacks that connect with Olympic athletes, and one of the leaders in apparel in HanesBrands/Champion, UNC is benefiting greatly as the early adopter in this innovative initiative. Kudos to Bubba Cunningham, the North Carolina Director of Athletics for his foresight and moxie as the first program in this space."

The recent changes in the NCAA's rules regarding NIL allowed TBG to team with UNC to create marketing programs for Tar Heel student-athletes in groups of three or more within their sport or six or more across multiple sports in cobranded licensing and marketing programs with UNC's Intellectual Property. UNC student-athletes voluntarily opt-in to the program, which does not restrict his or her individual NIL rights, meaning they still may negotiate opportunities outside of the program. UNC's group rights program, the first of its kind for current NCAA student-athletes, was announced in July and built the early success of Carolina's Alumni Group Right program, which TBG launched last April.

"We are glad to see so many Carolina student-athletes working together to benefit from their Name, Image and Likeness – and we look forward to working with Brandr to provide even more opportunities,'' said Cunningham. "This program is already having a positive impact on our student-athletes, and we continue to support its growth so that more Tar Heels, past and present, can participate."

Additional information about TBG's current deals in conjunction with UNC:

HanesBrands/Champion – (www.champion.com), the world's largest supplier of collegiate fan apparel, has served as a University of North Carolina licensee since 1988 and was selected as its primary licensed apparel partner in 2019. HBI delivers fan-favorite apparel collections under its iconic Champion brand and other popular labels and offers students and fans unique shopping experiences.

"We're pleased to be part of this ground-breaking agreement, which celebrates the University of North Carolina and its student-athletes," said John Fryer, HBI's president of sports apparel. "The combination of branding is powerful for the school and the student-athletes. And we're ready to bring the co-branded apparel to life for Tar Heel fans."

RECUR – (www.recurforever.com) - Founded by crypto industry expert Zach Bruch and digital licensing industry pioneer Trevor George, RECUR is a technology company that designs and develops on-chain branded experiences that allow fans to buy, collect, and re-sell digital products and collectibles (NFTs). RECUR is changing the NFT market by creating a new ecosystem which enables brands to have the widest-possible range of distribution. The company standardizes recurring royalties minted on any cryptocurrency, keeping NFTs chain-agnostic and drawing more fans into the crypto ecosystem. RECUR just announced the launch of the first ever official NFT collegiate destination this week - NFTU.com. Aligning with RECUR will allow UNC student-athletes to leverage NIL rights in the NFT space through this group licensing program.

"We are excited to launch NFTs that contain athlete NIL in partnership with BrandR via our Official Collegiate NFT experience, NFTU.com," said Trevor George, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of RECUR. "From the very first meeting together, it was apparent RECUR and BrandR had shared interests in prioritizing athletes earnings in this space. We are proud to innovate in recurring royalty blockchain technology that will benefit athletes that appear in our NFTS…. Forever."

Outerstuff – (www.outerstuff.com) - Founded in 1983, Outerstuff remains a majority owned family and operated business that has grown from a small children's outerwear company to a global leading and trusted designer, manufacturer and marketer of sports licensed apparel. Headquartered in New York City with offices located throughout all major International markets, Outerstuff has major licenses that include MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, Team USA, more than 250 colleges and other leagues bringing products to more than 3,000 retailers and millions of sports fans around the world.

"As the largest youth apparel provider for over 250 colleges and universities, this is an exciting expansion of our rights," said Outerstuff EVP Josh Feinstein. "We're thrilled to be at the forefront with UNC and The Brandr Group to bring youth jerseys and other apparel products to the youngest Tar Heel fans that share the passion of their adult counterparts when it comes to the University of North Carolina and the players that compete for the Tar Heels."

Honey Stinger – (www.honeystinger.com) - Fueling top elites and everyday enthusiasts alike, Honey Stinger makes great tasting, convenient, honey-powered sports nutrition snacks to help athletes prepare, perform and recover at their best. Based in Steamboat Springs, Co. since 2001, Honey Stinger's products can be found at sporting goods retailers, grocers, convenience stores and online at www.honeystinger.com.

"Honey Stinger snacks have been anchored in college athletics for years, and today over 250 colleges, coaches, sports dietitians, and directors of strength and conditioning all trust and fuel their athletes with Honey Stinger nutrition," said Mike Keown, CEO of Honey Stinger. "Kicking off our relationship with The Brandr Group and UNC allows athletes to authentically align with our brand and drive awareness throughout the fanbase."

In total, Brandr's licensing partners utilizing group rights for University of North Carolina athletes currently include:

Champion
FOCO
Gametime Sidekicks
HanesBrands
Honey Stinger
Nike by BCS
ORB
Outerstuff
RECUR
Rock Em Socks
Wildcat Retro brand

About The Brandr Group
The Brandr Group (TBG) is a brand management, marketing and licensing agency powered by a team with decades of collective management experience for some of the world's largest brands. TBG has emerged as the leading agency in group licensing programs with college athletic programs and their student athletes in the Name, Image and Likeness category including the biggest brands in college athletics. TBG partners with prominent brands, colleges, sponsors, corporate trademarks, athletes and events to cultivate, diversify and monetize intellectual property through professional brand management and licensing endeavors. For more information, please visit tbgusa.com.

UNC & The Brandr Group Team For Early Success In NIL Group Licensing Agreements

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