David Drahy

Director of the events agency Com'Over

<h2>Can you explain your job to us?</h2>

After graduating in 2004, I quickly switched to a specialisation in events and in the sports and entertainment sectors.

I chose this sector because I've been a sports fan since I was very young. It's a field that makes you dream. You get to be at extraordinary events with celebrities. It can be quite thrilling!

<h2>Can you tell us about your career?</h2>

That year, the agency was working for Mastercard on the Champions League. It was a top partner for the final. There were "fan zones" of different partners.

The Champions League final took place in Paris at the Stade de France and was between FC Barcelona and Arsenal. There was magic in this event. I was only 24 years old and had only recently started working for this company.

When you work on an event like that, you are proud to be able to tell what you have done, even after working for 24 hours non-stop.

I worked on my first Roland Garros in 2013 or 2014, also for Mastercard, which is a long-standing client. I was in charge of activating Mastercard's partnership on Roland Garros because it was their first year. There was everything to create: 800 VIPs over 15 days, hospitality stand, activation in the shops, ambassador programme... Rolland Garros has a magical side!

I've also been a big basketball fan since I was a kid. I played the sport for fifteen years.

After my studies at EM Normandie, my very first client was the NBA. I've been lucky enough to work for them for 17 years now.

I must be the Frenchman who has the longest contract with them worldwide. I was able to see the great growth of the NBA on French territory and all its developments during these years.

<h2>What was your best moment?</h2>

When I co-founded Com'Over, I was lucky that the NBA was our first client and followed us directly. In January 2020, the first official relocated NBA regular season game took place on French territory in Paris. We were part of this event with several missions and some event management: media relations, influencer relations, consulting, activations and others.

Our agency was really at the heart of this match with a team of about ten people working on this project. I'm really proud of their work.

I think it's really nice to see your team with stars in their eyes and having so much fun. In terms of personal satisfaction, I am even happier to see my team proud of its success than I would have been if I had led the project myself.

At my level, it is the culmination of many years of work and love of the game, to succeed in bringing an NBA game back to France.

I would say that it is the best moment of my career even if I was not very involved on the court. It was mainly my team that led the project on the operational level. This event was the result of all the work I've done with this league that I'm a fan of. The NBA was my first client when I was an intern in an agency. They trusted me over the long term.

When you reach such an outcome, it's a pretty strong feeling. I think this memory will stay with me for the rest of my life.

<h2>How is your agency developing?</h2>

I come from the world of basketball, which I already liked when I was young. Today, we are lucky to work with the NBA.

On this game, we had three other clients of the agency: Beats by Dre, New Era and NBA2K who were also involved in this game. Since then, we have had other clients such as Gerflor, Puma and other basketball-related brands.

Working with the NBA is a great opportunity for me. When you work in sports and entertainment, it is the best sports league in the world!

When you see the best players in the world staying with the same agency for so long, there is a reason. It means that our work is good. Working for the NBA is also a lever to attract other clients.

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