Ahead of the 2026 ESPYs, ESPN looked to create an Athlete Lounge that would build excitement around one of sports’ biggest weeks while giving creators, talent, and brand partners an opportunity to engage with the ESPYs beyond the awards show itself. The goal was to drive meaningful social visibility around the two-day experience while bringing together the right mix of creators and brand partners to make the lounge feel relevant across sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and culture.

The Brand Agency developed and executed a comprehensive creator and brand partnership strategy for the ESPN ESPYs Athlete Lounge, managing creator outreach and relationships, RSVPs, pre-event communications, onsite talent management, and post-event content tracking. The team secured 28 creators, including Emily Austin, Sam Kelly, Lyss Boss, Mickey Blank, Rachel DeMita, and Nicolas & Emiliano Maya-Tapia, helping the experience reach audiences across sports, lifestyle, entertainment, and pop culture.

Alongside creator relations, The Brand Agency worked closely with ESPN to curate and secure 11 brand partners for the lounge. The team managed product integration, gifting logistics, production needs, and onsite execution to ensure each partner was thoughtfully represented throughout the experience.

Onsite, the team managed creator check-in and talent relations, facilitated introductions between creators and participating brands, coordinated gifting, and supported real-time content capture. Attendees organically shared behind-the-scenes moments, product discoveries, and branded experiences across Instagram and TikTok, extending the Athlete Lounge well beyond the physical event and throughout ESPYs week.

The ESPN ESPYs Athlete Lounge generated 18.1 million organic social impressions across 43 social media posts, with 28 creators attending the two-day experience. The activation also drove 46.3 million press impressions, with coverage across Entertainment Tonight, E! News Online, Extra TV, and OK! Magazine.

Through a combined creator, brand partnership, and onsite strategy, The Brand Agency helped ESPN extend the reach of the Athlete Lounge throughout ESPYs week, generating social conversation and earned media visibility while creating meaningful touchpoints between creators and participating brands.