Professional Standards & Credentials

Experience Matters. So Does Accountability.

Choosing someone to help manage your career, reputation, contracts, brand, or professional opportunities is a significant decision.

At Black Diamond, we believe prospective clients should ask questions, research the people they are considering working with, understand the services they are purchasing, and know who is responsible for managing their careers.

We welcome that due diligence.

Black Diamond has operated in sports, entertainment, public relations, and professional management for nearly two decades. Our organization has worked with athletes and entertainment professionals at virtually every stage of their careers—from emerging talent and collegiate athletes to established professionals, world champions, Olympians, Super Bowl winners, and Hall of Fame-level talent.

Our longevity is not built on promises of overnight success. It is built on professional management, relationships, education, industry experience, ethical representation, and the understanding that every client's career requires a different strategy.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Nearly Two Decades of Professional Management

Black Diamond was founded by Dr. Brandy Runyan and has operated for approximately 19 years in professional sports management, athlete representation, entertainment management, public relations, branding, and career development.

During that time, Black Diamond's work has included professional contract negotiation, athlete management, international player placement, public relations, media relations, branding, endorsements, career strategy, entertainment management, and professional development.

Within professional football alone, Dr. Runyan has negotiated more than 650 professional football contracts during her career.

Black Diamond has represented and worked with athletes competing throughout the United States and internationally, while our broader management and public relations operations serve professionals across sports and entertainment.

Our experience is not based solely upon academic study or theoretical knowledge. It comes from nearly two decades of actually managing careers, negotiating agreements, communicating with professional organizations, navigating difficult career decisions, building brands, managing public-facing reputations, and representing clients through the realities of professional sports and entertainment.

LEADERSHIP

Black Diamond is led by Dr. Brandy Runyan, a veteran sports management executive, educator, agent, and professional manager with approximately 19 years of industry experience.

Dr. Runyan holds a Ph.D. in Sport Management and has served in leadership roles within Sport Management programs at two NCAA Division I universities.

Her career bridges both professional practice and higher education.

In addition to negotiating more than 650 professional football contracts, Dr. Runyan has worked extensively in athlete representation, professional contract negotiation, career management, public relations, branding, international sports, and agent education.

Her work has also extended beyond representing individual athletes to improving professional standards within athlete representation.

Dr. Runyan contributed to the development of Article 28.1 of the Canadian Football League Collective Bargaining Agreement, addressing protections surrounding legitimate player representation and helping protect professional athletes from individuals improperly presenting themselves as authorized agents.

She is also the curriculum creator behind Black Diamond Academy's Athlete Manager Certification Program, an educational program designed to teach aspiring athlete managers and sports professionals the practical, ethical, contractual, and operational foundations of professional athlete management.

The professional systems developed through nearly two decades of operating Black Diamond also provide a practical foundation for how future athlete managers are taught to build and operate responsible management practices.

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

Black Diamond operates as a management organization—not simply a placement service.

Depending upon the client, industry, and scope of representation, our work may include:

Career strategy and long-term planning
Contract negotiation and review
Communication with teams, organizations, brands, media, and other industry professionals
Professional positioning
Public relations and media relations
Interview preparation
Reputation and brand management
Sponsorship and endorsement strategy
Marketing and promotional development
Opportunity evaluation
International career strategy
Transition and post-career planning
Crisis and reputation support
Ongoing professional guidance

Clients may work with multiple members of the Black Diamond team depending upon the services being provided.

Our organizational structure allows specialized personnel to manage different aspects of a client's career while senior leadership maintains oversight of strategy, representation standards, and client management.

We do not believe effective management means simply sending someone's résumé, film, headshot, music, or portfolio to as many people as possible.

Professional management requires strategy.

Sometimes the right decision is pursuing an opportunity. Sometimes it is declining one. Sometimes it is strengthening the client's professional materials or positioning before approaching the market at all.

Our responsibility is to help clients make informed professional decisions—not simply keep them busy.

CREDENTIALS & COMPLIANCE

One of the most misunderstood areas of sports and entertainment management involves licensing.

There is no single universal license that authorizes someone to represent every athlete, entertainer, or professional throughout every league, industry, state, or country.

Requirements depend upon factors including the profession, league, players association, union or guild, jurisdiction, country, and nature of the transaction.

Some professional sports organizations require agents to maintain specific league or players-association certification.

Other professional leagues do not maintain comparable agent-certification systems.

Entertainment industries may operate under completely different state, union, guild, contractual, or employment-agency frameworks.

International jurisdictions may impose their own requirements.

Black Diamond evaluates the applicable requirements based upon the particular representation and opportunity involved.

Where certification, registration, accreditation, licensed local representation, legal counsel, or another authorized professional is required, we operate within that framework.

We do not claim that one credential provides universal authority to conduct every type of representation everywhere in the world.

Professional compliance requires understanding the rules that actually apply to the transaction.

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATION

Black Diamond has extensive experience working with athletes and professional opportunities outside the United States.

International representation requires more than simply contacting a foreign organization.

Different countries and leagues can involve different:

Contract structures
Compensation models
Agent requirements
League regulations
Immigration and work authorization processes
Tax considerations
Housing arrangements
Transportation provisions
Insurance requirements
Medical provisions
Termination clauses
Dispute procedures
Cultural expectations

There is no single “international sports agent license” that grants worldwide authority.

When an organization, league, federation, jurisdiction, or governing body requires specific accreditation or authorized local representation, Black Diamond works within those requirements and utilizes appropriately authorized professionals when necessary.

Before pursuing or negotiating an international opportunity, we evaluate the framework applicable to that specific market rather than assuming that U.S. practices automatically apply elsewhere.

CLIENT PROTECTION

Professional representation creates a position of trust.

We take that responsibility seriously.

Black Diamond believes clients should understand what they are signing, what services they are purchasing, who is representing them, and what they should realistically expect from the relationship.

We do not believe legitimate management should be built upon guarantees that cannot ethically or realistically be made.

We do not guarantee professional contracts, roster positions, casting opportunities, endorsements, media coverage, or career outcomes.

No legitimate professional can control another organization's hiring, signing, casting, editorial, roster, or purchasing decisions.

What we can provide is professional representation, preparation, strategy, advocacy, access to established industry relationships, and experienced career management.

Protecting athletes from illegitimate representation has also been an important component of Dr. Runyan's professional work.

Her involvement in the development of CFL CBA Article 28.1 reflected a broader principle that remains part of Black Diamond's philosophy:

People entrusted with professional careers should be accountable for the representations they make to their clients.

DUE DILIGENCE

We encourage prospective clients and families to conduct due diligence before entering any professional management relationship—including one with Black Diamond.

You should know who you are hiring.

Before retaining any agent, manager, publicist, consultant, or professional representative, consider researching:

Who owns and manages the organization?
Can you identify the people behind the company?
What professional experience do they have?
What education or specialized training supports their work?
Do they have a documented history within the industry?
Do they use written agreements?
Are their services and fees clearly explained?
Are applicable credentials verifiable?
Do they understand the regulatory requirements of the industry in which they operate?
Do they make unrealistic guarantees?
Are they willing to explain who will actually manage your career?
Can you independently research their professional history?

A polished social media account is not a professional credential.

A large following is not an agent certification.

Knowing athletes is not the same thing as knowing how to manage them.

And calling yourself an agent or manager does not automatically make you qualified to represent someone's professional interests.

Do your homework. We encourage it.

Black Diamond has nearly two decades of professional history for prospective clients to research.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is Black Diamond a legitimate sports and entertainment management company?

Yes. Black Diamond has operated for approximately 19 years and provides professional management, representation, public relations, branding, career development, and related services to athletes and entertainment professionals.

Our leadership's experience includes professional contract negotiation, international sports representation, collegiate and professional sport management, public relations, higher education, agent education, and professional management.

We encourage prospective clients to independently research our company and leadership before retaining us.

Is Dr. Brandy Runyan a sports agent?

Dr. Runyan has spent approximately 19 years working in athlete representation and sports management and has negotiated more than 650 professional football contracts.

Her professional experience additionally includes league-specific agent accreditation, international athlete representation, collective-bargaining involvement, professional management, and agent education.

What qualifies Dr. Runyan to manage professional athletes?

Dr. Runyan holds a Ph.D. in Sport Management, has led Sport Management programs at two NCAA Division I universities, has approximately 19 years of professional management experience, and has negotiated more than 650 professional football contracts.

She has additionally developed professional athlete-management curriculum and contributed to protections involving legitimate player representation within professional football.

Her qualifications combine academic expertise, executive leadership, contract experience, professional representation, and nearly two decades of operating an agency.

Does Black Diamond only represent football players?

No.

Professional football is an important part of Black Diamond's history and provides some of the clearest examples of our contract and agent experience, but Black Diamond's work extends across sports and entertainment.

Our services include athlete management, entertainment management, public relations, branding, media strategy, career development, and other professional management services.

Is Black Diamond licensed?

The appropriate question is which credential, for which activity and jurisdiction?

There is no universal “sports agent license” or “entertainment manager license” that provides blanket authorization for every professional transaction.

Some leagues and players associations require specific agent certification. Some jurisdictions regulate certain activities independently. Other professional leagues have no comparable agent-certification requirement.

Black Diamond determines which requirements apply to the particular service, league, transaction, and jurisdiction and operates accordingly.

Does Black Diamond represent clients internationally?

Yes.

Black Diamond has worked with athletes and professional opportunities internationally. Because requirements differ among countries, leagues, federations, and organizations, international opportunities are evaluated individually to determine the appropriate contractual and regulatory structure.

Does Black Diamond guarantee that I will get signed, booked, endorsed, interviewed, or hired?

No.

And prospective clients should be extremely cautious of anyone who does.

We can control the quality of our work.

We cannot control another organization's final decision.

Why does Black Diamond charge fees for some management services?

Professional management requires significant time, personnel, infrastructure, expertise, administrative resources, and ongoing work.

Not every industry or level of professional representation operates under the same compensation structure. Black Diamond therefore offers different representation and management arrangements depending upon the client, service, career stage, and applicable regulations.

All applicable fees and services are disclosed through the client's agreement before services begin.

Who actually manages me after I become a client?

That depends upon your division and scope of representation.

Black Diamond operates through a team structure. Clients may have a primary manager or divisional contact while also receiving support from specialists in areas such as contracts, public relations, branding, media, marketing, administration, and career strategy.

Senior leadership maintains oversight of the organization's professional standards and management operations.

How do I know whether someone claiming to represent Black Diamond actually works with the company?

If you are ever contacted by someone claiming to represent Black Diamond and have concerns about that person's identity or authority, contact Black Diamond directly through the official contact information published on our website.

Do not send money, sensitive personal information, identification documents, banking information, or signed agreements solely because someone contacts you through social media.

What should I do before signing with Black Diamond?

Research us.

Review our services. Read your agreement. Ask questions about anything you do not understand. Make sure the service fits your career objectives and financial situation.

We would rather work with a client who understands what professional management entails than sign someone based upon unrealistic expectations.

Can I ask questions about Black Diamond's credentials before becoming a client?

Absolutely.

We encourage reasonable due diligence and have created this page specifically so prospective clients and families can understand our experience, leadership, management structure, professional standards, and compliance philosophy before beginning the consultation process.

If you have a credential or compliance question specific to your profession, league, union, country, or proposed opportunity that is not addressed here, our staff can address that issue during the appropriate stage of your consultation.