Alvarez & Marsal announced on July 9, 2026, the expansion of its Media & Entertainment platform into a dedicated Sports, Media & Entertainment Industry Group, appointing Greg Merchant, Eddie Gonzales, and Gregory Jensen as Managing Directors. The move formally adds sports as a sector focus for the New York-based professional services firm, signalling A&M's conviction that the sectors are converging at accelerating pace and clients require integrated advisory support spanning strategy, operations, and finance.
The expanded group will be led by Jeff Shaffer, a Managing Director with over 20 years of experience in post-merger integration and operations who previously managed carve-outs and divestitures in gaming, software, and media. Shaffer will report to Nick Alvarez, the National Practice Leader of A&M's Private Equity Performance Improvement unit. A&M, founded in 1983, operates as a specialist in business performance improvement and turnaround management. The firm's Media & Entertainment practice has been a growth area; in June 2023, A&M appointed two co-leaders to that unit, and in January 2026, it hired professionals to launch a dedicated music and live entertainment corporate finance practice in London.
Merchant brings more than 25 years of experience across sports, media, and entertainment, including prior roles as Managing Director at Accenture Strategy and Monitor Deloitte, where he worked on strategy transformation, AI enablement, and IP optimization across broadcast, streaming, film, music, and publishing. Gonzales accumulated more than 25 years in media, entertainment, software, and digital platforms, holding roles at Accenture Strategy as well as at Sony Music and Warner Music Group, where he oversaw financial analyses and post-merger integration. Jensen spent 15 years in digital modernization and technology transformation for sports and media organizations, serving on the steering committee for the Golden State Warriors' Chase Center and leading Accenture's West Coast Media & Entertainment practice, which overseen 450-plus practitioners.
Alvarez & Marsal provides advisory and operational improvement services to corporate clients, private equity sponsors, boards, and government entities globally. The firm competes in the consulting market against firms like Deloitte, Accenture, and McKinsey. The launch of this dedicated sports, media, and entertainment group follows broader industry consolidation and the collapse of traditional content-distribution models, with streaming platforms, sports leagues, and entertainment conglomerates facing simultaneous pressure to rethink monetization while managing AI-driven transformation and rising content costs.
The expansion suggests A&M views sports and entertainment as a high-growth advisory market where traditional consulting lacks deep specialization in combining operational improvement with the sector's unique economics. By recruiting seasoned consultants from Accenture and Deloitte, A&M is attempting to position itself as an alternative to the Big Three consulting firms for clients navigating complex transactions, restructuring, and operational modernization in an industry that is consolidating while its underlying business models remain in flux.
