Amazing experiences are just the beginning.
For over 20 years, Headfirst has been creating camps, events and experiences that inspire the next generation to discover new passions and leverage their individual talents to become the absolute best version of their future selves.
Our History
The Headfirst Companies were founded in 1996 by Brendan Sullivan, a native of Washington, D.C. In the fall of 1996, Brendan returned to D.C. after the first of five professional baseball seasons. His journey had taken him from the District to Stanford University and then into the San Diego Padres minor league system via the Major League Baseball draft.
Brendan arrived home with a handful of one-page flyers highlighting his rookie baseball card and advertising private instruction. With a single baseball lesson that September on the fields of St. Albans School, his alma mater, The Headfirst Companies were born. With the first pitch, his mission was simple. It remains the same today: Inspire the personal best in high potential young people. And we’ve dedicated every year since to that mission, with passion, enthusiasm and a focus to improve every day.
Today, The Headfirst Companies have flourished into a national organization that operates four divisions: Headfirst Summer Camps, Headfirst Showcases (Honor Roll Camps), Headfirst Professional Sports Camps and KI Concerts. At our Headquarters in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. and Colorado Springs, CO, our 36 full-time employees further Brendan’s vision – to elevate our experiences as a platform to teach the young and young-at-heart about life and create opportunities for their future.
Our Experiences
The Headfirst Companies will host over 20,000 participants this year across our various business lines. Headfirst Summer Camps are award-winning STEAM, Sports, and Early-Childhood camps for children ages 3 to 12 in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia metro areas. Headfirst Summer Camps create immersive, hands-on learning environments which utilize the power of play to entertain, challenge and inspire. At the heart of our programming is our dedication to building a child-centered community where a consistent emphasis on emotional, social and physical wellness meets daily opportunities for exploration, learning and developmental growth.
Headfirst Showcase Camps are two-day baseball and softball showcase events. Honor Roll Camps events operate throughout the United States, from New York to Florida to California, and connect coaches from the nation’s most academically competitive colleges and universities with high performing high school student-athletes from across the country. They deliver unparalleled efficiency and opportunity in the recruiting process, while also providing players and college coaches with in-depth, advanced data and analytics that the top college programs use and represent both the present and future of the game.
Headfirst Professional Sports Camps are youth soccer, flag football, baseball and softball programs operated in conjunction with the Atlanta Falcons, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, D.C. United, New York Yankees & Washington Nationals. Based in each team’s home market, Headfirst Professional Sports Camps tap into the unique magic of these legendary professional sports teams by combining behind-the-scenes stadium access and player meet-and-greets with rich curriculum and instruction to spark passion, build skills and create Big League experiences for boys and girls ages 5 to 13.
KI Concerts provides the opportunity for fine choirs, bands, orchestras, marching bands and dance groups to explore and perform in extraordinary venues around the world. Our custom tours feature performances in cities as well as smaller towns offering exchanges, cultural immersion, warm audiences and workshops/clinics/outreach activities as requested. Likewise, KI’s choral and instrumental festivals are led by some of the true greats who conduct the combined festival ensembles and provide inspirational musical leadership.