Stephen Nedoroscik never expected to become a global celebrity. But, while competing for Team USA during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the American gymnast went viral—and his life changed forever. Over the course of a few hours, Nedoroscik went from being an unknown, glasses-wearing, Rubik’s Cube-solving self-described nerd to a household name—with an endearing nickname to boot, the “pommel horse guy.”
Nedoroscik was overwhelmed by the sudden flurry of attention—so, for help, he turned to SMITH&SAINT, a Boston-based boutique talent agency. The female-founded, female-led company sprang into action, putting a team around Nedoroscik to help him navigate the uncharted waters of his newfound fame. Since then, SMITH&SAINT has helped Nedoroscik launch a partnership with an eyeglass retailer, compete on Dancing with the Stars and use his platform to raise awareness about men’s gymnastics and vision impairment.
“He just said, ‘I need help,’” says Britt St. George, the co-founder and chief executive officer of SMITH&SAINT. “And because this was such a new world for him, and his life turned upside down—for the good—overnight, he really wanted people who were kind and friendly and just took a step back and said, ‘How are you feeling about all of this?’”
Nedoroscik’s choice wasn’t random: He signed with SMITH&SAINT because of the agency’s proven track record of representing athletes on the biggest stage—including several of his Team USA teammates. The agency works with some of the most recognizable names in American gymnastics, including Nastia Liukin, Sunisa “Suni” Lee, Jade Carey, Alicia Sacramone, Kayla DiCello and Hezly Rivera.
SMITH&SAINT’s mission
SMITH&SAINT’s roster may be a “who’s who” of gymnastics royalty. But the agency also represents digital creators, as well as athletes in other disciplines like fencing, swimming and dance, where professional opportunities postcollege or post-Olympics are limited. The SMITH&SAINT team helps athletes become entrepreneurs, supporting them in everything from launching influencer businesses to negotiating name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. They also help their clients explore opportunities in TV or commentary and develop their personal brands—not only online but also in real life.
“We work with a lot of people who don’t have the opportunity to sign lucrative players’ contracts because there is no professional league to go into for their specific sport,” St. George says.
“And that’s a really daunting thing. Whether you’re an Olympian who’s sort of at the end of your Olympic cycle or a collegiate athlete who doesn’t have a pro league to go on to, it can be a really scary time. But it’s also a really exciting time because of social media, which gives athletes the ability to market themselves and pursue other career paths.”
360-degree approach to talent representation
St. George co-founded SMITH&SAINT with her sister, Madison Smith. They were both accomplished sports and entertainment attorneys with experience in influencer marketing when they decided to join forces and launch their own agency in 2018. Smith and St. George never expected to work together, let alone start a business. But, after growing up with entrepreneurial parents as role models, it was “just kind of in our blood,” says Smith, who serves as the company’s chief operating officer.
On top of that, St. George remembers the exact moment she realized she wanted to be a talent agent. When she was 10 or so, she watched Jerry Maguire—the 1996 film starring Tom Cruise as a sports agent—for the first time, and something about the title character’s grit and persistence stuck with her. “I thought, ‘That’s exactly what I want to do. I want to help people in that way. I want to help them achieve their dreams,’” she says. “Being in that position to champion and empower people was something that really resonated with me.”
From the very beginning, Smith and St. George knew they wanted to do things differently. They take a 360-degree approach, which means supporting clients with all aspects of representation—from day-to-day collaboration on essential functions to developing a high-level, big-picture strategy for their career outside of their sport. Sometimes, that means acting a bit like career counselors.
“We spend a lot of time listening to the athletes and talking to them about what they really want to do—where are their other passions?” St. George says. “And a lot of them have never thought about that question before. ‘My passion is gymnastics; it’s fencing; it’s swimming.’ We really have to dig deep and think, ‘OK, do you want to commentate in your sport? Do you want to have a career as a motivational speaker? Do you want to be a coach in your sport? Start your own company?’ There are so many avenues we can go down.”
Brands are catching on to Olympians’ star power
These days, athletes have more career opportunities than ever before, thanks to the power of social media, the rise of influencer marketing and the possibility that anyone, in any sport, can go viral at a moment’s notice. “We really saw this at the 2020 [Olympic] games,” Smith says.
“That was really the first time where athletes were showing what it’s like to be in the Olympic Village, what’s going on behind the scenes and after they win…. In the four years leading up to the 2024 Olympics, brands really started to catch on, and there was a massive increase in spending on influencer marketing within the Olympic space…. It’s all because of social media and these athletes being able to show themselves [outside of their sport]. Now, everyone wants to work with them.”
But because anyone and everyone can be a celebrity, that also means athletes have to work harder than ever to stand out from the crowd—and that’s where SMITH&SAINT comes in. The team helps athletes navigate next steps after they retire from their sport, as well as in the four years between Olympic games. “That four-year time period is so crucial—and it’s long,” Smith says. “It’s just being able to advocate for [the athletes] during that time and align them with like-minded brands and long-term partnerships. With some athletes, it’s letting brands know they’re going to compete in the next Olympics, so how do we continue to work with you over the next four years and build a meaningful partnership? We’re always thinking of the future.”
Putting relationships first
The team also puts relationships at the center of everything they do—and their high-touch, uniquely personalized, compassionate style is a big reason why so many high-level athletes want to work with SMITH&SAINT. “Our first priority is being there as a support system,” St. George says. “We are there to help them through anything.”
That people-first mentality also helps SMITH&SAINT internally. The agency is small—with less than 20 employees—but continues to attract some of the industry’s best agents, creatives, attorneys and business-forward thinkers because of its culture. “We want to be the smartest in the room, the most innovative in the room, the most kind in the room,” St. George says. “Every single person within this company is so special and unique and pulls their own weight and provides so much value to each of the individuals they represent, and that makes us very special and unique in this space.”
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of SUCCESS® magazine. Photo by ©Veronica Costa Photography
