Tappan Zee High School

Before he was one of Sports Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business, Howard Nuchow was a student and varsity athlete at Tappan Zee High School (‘88). On October 5, Mr. Nuchow returned to his alma mater to share his experience as the Co-Head of CAA Sports, named by Forbes as the world’s most valuable sports agency for the sixth consecutive year, with Mark Bergling’s marketing students.

CAA Sports was created 11 years ago as a division of Creative Artists Agency, the largest entertainment agency. “We started with nothing, but we were a bunch of nice people, so people were rooting for us. But nobody roots for you once you start succeeding. To stay on top, you have to stay hungry, stay motivated and find new challenges. I always needed a goal and surrounded myself with people who weren’t afraid of that challenge and are always looking to raise their game,” Mr. Nuchow said. “Always looking for things that could go wrong keeps you from getting complacent.”

He credits growing up in South Orangetown with much of his success. “I’ve traveled all over the world, and nothing has prepared me as much as what I gained from growing up here. We learned in high school who might be disloyal; those same instincts that help you survive here will help you,” Mr. Nuchow advised. “When you’re coming up, nothing is more important than character and that starts right here. I’ve been betting on character my whole life. Surround yourself with good, honest honorable people…people who are navigating the world in a way you can be proud of.”

Over the course of his conversation with students and Mr. Bergling, Mr. Nuchow reflected on his career and offered advice:

• “Find your strength and excel in it. Be great at something.”
• “Find champions for your career. If you find someone who cares about you, treat them like gold and never let them down. Start practicing that by building relationships with teachers here.”
• “How you conduct yourself on social media matters. It reflects character. We always look and we go back as far as we can. Present yourself there as you would want CAA’s HR to see you.”

“To have someone at Howie’s level in the industry, with his reputation, spend time sharing his experience with students is incredible,” said Mr. Bergling. “I’m thrilled.”

Read more: Mr. Nuchow discussed growing up in South Orangetown and how he his career began in this 2015 Sports Business Journal profile.