MEET THE GVO TEAM
MEET THE GVO TEAM
With a team of experts boasting years of experience in sports marketing, contract negotiation, and brand development, GVO is uniquely positioned to help you navigate the NIL landscape.
Gary Charles
Founder
Gary Charles is an unheralded legend in the world of Grassroots basketball.
Hailing from Roosevelt, Long Island, Charles founded a grassroots basketball program that has produced more than 20 NBA players, helped direct the legendary ABCD Camp, and started the Fab48 Tournament, which has since evolved into the Las Vegas Big Time Tournament, originally founded by Sonny Vaccaro in 1995. Currently, Charles works as the CEO/Founder for Advancement of Blacks in Sports (ABIS), an organization that he founded to increase racial equity in collegiate and professional athletics.
After graduating high school, Charles attended the nation’s first HBCU, Cheyney University, where he encountered hall-of-fame basketball coaches John Chaney and Vivian Stringer. He then went to work on Wall Street for more than two decades.
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Still, Charles’ love for sports persisted, so he started the Long Island Panthers, a grassroots basketball program, while working as a Systems Programmer on Wall Street. The Panthers have produced dozens of NBA players, including Lamar Odom, Wally Szcerzbiak, and Joakim Noah. Charles’s work attracted the likes of former sneaker executive Sonny Vaccaro, who famously signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe deal. Then, working for adidas, Vaccaro signed the Panthers to a shoe deal, the first grassroots program to receive such an honor. Through his relationships on the high school basketball circuit, Charles was also instrumental in helping adidas discover and eventually sign future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.
Charles later landed the role of Associate Director of the ABCD Camp, a Camp that consistently attracted top recruits during its heyday from 1984 to 2006. Future NBA All-Stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and James Harden all shone at the camp.
Inspired by Vaccaro, who he watched launch adidas’ first sponsored tournament, Charles started what would become The Las Vegas Big Time Tournament in 2010. The tournament has since attracted a star-studded lineup of both recruits, including Bronny James, the 2021 NBA No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham, and 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, as well as fans such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, and former boxing champion Roy Jones.
Today, Charles is focused on diversifying the world of sports. Inspired by the very same people he looked up to as a youth, Charles’ ABIS boasts a coalition of coaches and competitors from various sports across the country. Through producing a list of top Black head coaches, teaching financial literacy to student-athletes and hosting panels, ABIS aims to make a difference.
“For over 30 years, I’ve watched the inequity that goes on in the game,” Charles said. “What we want to do is to stop some of this. ABIS wants to be the Voice for Racial Equity in Sports. We want to stop the discrimination of Black coaches, the players, Black administrators, and the vendors."
The GVO Team
Domonique Louis-Charles
Partner
Domonique Louis-Charles brings experience across sports, marketing, business, and law to the NIL space. A graduate of Syracuse University, she studied Political Science on a Pre-Law track while working with Syracuse Men’s Basketball under Hall of Fame Coach Jim Boeheim and spending two summers with the NBA Summer League.
She later earned a Master’s degree in Public Relations with a concentration in Sports Marketing from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. Domonique is also an entrepreneur, having launched her own apparel manufacturing company, Pretty Royalty, while completing her graduate studies.
Shirin Movahed Rakocevic
Partner
International Business
Shirin Movahed Rakocevic is an attorney and business advisor with more than 20 years of experience working with athletes, sports agencies, management companies, and businesses. Her experience includes athlete representation and business arrangements, sponsorships and endorsements, contract negotiations, strategic partnerships, and dispute resolution.
At GVO Sports, Shirin combines her legal and business background with extensive experience in negotiation, dealmaking, and strategic relationship development to help navigate the increasingly complex intersection of sports, business, and athlete-driven opportunities.
Ratko Rakocevic
Partner
International Business
Ratko Rakocevic brings more than 15 years of competitive soccer experience along with a background in sports medicine, athlete wellness, rehabilitation, and international relationship development. Originally from Montenegro, Ratko competed at the First Division level in Europe before continuing his soccer career in the United States on an athletic scholarship.
He later founded a wellness and rehabilitation business in New York, working extensively with athletes in performance and recovery. At GVO Sports, Ratko brings firsthand knowledge of the athlete experience across both European and U.S. sports.
Owen Barnes
Partner
Owen Barnes is an investor and business executive with nearly two decades of experience across private equity, investment, operations, and business development. His work spans sports and entertainment, consumer products, hospitality, and other industries, with experience structuring and raising capital and advising growing companies.
Owen is the founder, Chairman and CEO of TVG and has served in a variety of board and advisory roles. At GVO Sports, he brings extensive experience in investment strategy, business development, and identifying opportunities for long-term growth.
THE GVO APPROACH
At GVO Sports, we understand that every athlete is unique. Our personalized approach means we take the time to understand your individual goals, strengths, and aspirations. We pride ourselves on building lasting relationships and providing tailored strategies that resonate with your personal brand, ensuring you stand out in a competitive market.