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William Morris Endeavor (WME) was recently valued at $13 billion, and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) at $7 billion. Zac Hiller, founder and CEO of Loyalty Above All (LAA) Sports and Entertainment, believes his boutique agency has the potential to become the next billion-dollar talent powerhouse.
“Why not?” Hiller asks. “We’re already competing at that level.”
Control the gaps
Hiller landed his first client — four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook — by doing what great agents do best: filling in the gaps wherever needed. The two met at a business meeting in 2017 when Hiller, then in his early twenties, was eager to break into the sports industry. Having done his homework, Hiller came prepared with a question to make himself stand out.
He had noticed two Twitter accounts under Cook’s name, with the real one distinguished by a “4” at the end of the username.
“The Dalvin Cook 4 account only had about 4,000 followers, while the fake account had 30,000,” Hiller recalls. “The fake account was tweeting, telling people to meet him places, and sending crazy DMs.”
Hiller brought it up at the meeting. “Cook went off, saying, ‘Yo, this person pretends to be me. It’s so annoying,'” Hiller shares. When Cook admitted he couldn’t get it removed, Hiller jumped in: “I just said, ‘I’ll get it done.'”
Within minutes, Hiller tracked down a Twitter employee on LinkedIn, DM’d them for advice and got the fake account taken down. Reflecting on the moment, he says, “I’m 24 or 25 years old, managing a superstar up for the Heisman at Florida State, and I’m thinking, how is nobody taking care of this for him?”
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Move the chains
That hustler mentality is the backbone of what Hiller has built at LAA — a boutique agency that competes with industry giants while offering the personalized attention clients need to succeed. Nearly a decade after that pivotal meeting, LAA has evolved into a powerhouse, representing top-tier NFL talent like Pro Bowlers James Cook and Zay Flowers alongside rising draft prospects like Shemar Stewart.
Left to right: Zay Flowers, James Cook, Zac Hiller
Image Credit: Loyalty Above All
At just 33 years old, Hiller is still one of the youngest agents in the game. While some may view his age as a challenge in landing major clients, Hiller sees it as a distinct advantage.
“In this line of work, especially with NIL, you’re dealing with athletes as young as 15 and up to 21 or 22 when they’re entering the professional level,” Hiller explains. “Being closer in age makes it easier for me to relate and connect with them.”
As his company’s name suggests, Hiller strongly emphasizes one core principle: loyalty. “Loyalty, to me, means following through on your word,” the LAA founder explains. “If you say you’re going to do something, you must back it up.”
That attitude has made a strong impression on LAA clients, including Dalvin’s brother and Bills star running back James Cook. “You always need a reliable team behind you — a team that’s dependable and will stick by your side no matter what,” Cook says. “I feel like the people I have around me are exactly that — they’re dependable and have stood by me through thick and thin.”
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Huddle up
While some might think that loyalty becomes complicated when clients compete for similar roles — like the NFL running backs on LAA’s roster — Hiller believes the opposite. “Every organization is different, and each one is looking for unique pieces to complete their puzzle,” he says.
Furthermore, players can help raise each other’s salaries. “That’s not collusion,” Hiller says. “While teams aren’t allowed to collude, players are free to work together to increase their value.” James Cook feels the same. “You have to understand that my position is always valuable, even if it doesn’t get all the attention it deserves,” Cook says. “That’s why it’s so important to keep working hard as a group and leaning on each other.”
None of this would be possible without the key ingredient: trust. “When a client trusts you, they know you’re doing what’s in their best interest, not just cutting a deal to keep yourself from getting fired,” Hiller says. “If I cut a deal, I get paid. But if you fire me while the deal is still being negotiated, I don’t get paid. So, will I fight hard for that last dollar for you, or just move on to the next opportunity? That’s where we separate ourselves.”
Some unscrupulous agents might rush to close a deal just to secure a commission before their client realizes their incompetence. Hiller takes the opposite approach. “Clients know we’ll fight for that extra dollar,” he says. “Even though it might only be a couple of pennies to us, it means a lot to them, and that’s the difference. You must be careful to ensure your agency works on your behalf.”
Along with taking down fake Twitter accounts, Hiller builds trust with his clients by simply being open and available to them.
“Once I get my foot in the door, it’s about making them feel comfortable and letting them know I’m always there for them,” Hiller says. “It’s not just about being there while they’re playing their sport; it’s about building a family. I’ll be here for them forever, just like I would for any of my own family members.”
The story of how Hiller landed Dalvin Cook as his first client defines LAA as an agency. This was pre-NIL when Cook wasn’t seeing a dime of the millions Florida State was raking in off of him. They were quick to sell number 4 jerseys, but when it came to supporting the star athlete with a pesky imposter, there was no help.
“At that moment, he lost faith in the whole system,” Hiller says of Cook. “Despite being surrounded by people, no one stepped up. He needed someone he could rely on — someone who would get things done.” That’s what Loyalty Above All means to Zac: when they say they’ll do something, they make it happen.
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