Four hundred and eighty-seven members of the global film community — among them Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone, Past Lives filmmaker Celine Song, CAA managing partner Chris Silbermann, and SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland — are receiving invitations on Tuesday to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization announced this morning.
“We are thrilled to welcome this year’s class of new members,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “These remarkably talented artists and professionals from around the world have made a significant impact on our filmmaking community.”
Invitees who wish to accept, as the vast majority tend to, will join the specific branch of the Academy that invited them. Eight were invited by more than one branch — Michael Andrews (film editors and short films/feature animation), Bahram Beyzaêi (directors and writers...
“We are thrilled to welcome this year’s class of new members,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “These remarkably talented artists and professionals from around the world have made a significant impact on our filmmaking community.”
Invitees who wish to accept, as the vast majority tend to, will join the specific branch of the Academy that invited them. Eight were invited by more than one branch — Michael Andrews (film editors and short films/feature animation), Bahram Beyzaêi (directors and writers...
- 6/25/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Creative Artists Agency has reintroduced managing directors, naming nine today, and announced a big expansion of its agency board as its leadership structure evolves.
Managing directors, a group reintroduced after years, include leaders across select areas, who will work alongside CAA Co-Chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd, Co-Chairmen Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett, and President Jim Burtson on a wide range of strategic business and operational matters.
Named Managing Directors are: Rob Light (music), Howard Nuchow (sports), Joe Cohen (TV), Michael Levine (sports) , Joel Lubin (motion picture), Maha Dakhil (motion picture), Chris Silbermann (TV), Tiffany Ward (TV), and Paul Danforth (sports). Of the nine, all but Silbermann come from the CAA side of the company.
CFO Carol Sawdye and Chief Legal Officer Hilary Krane continue to serve in their leadership roles.
CAA’s expanded Agency Board will now hone in on specific goals. It will work with the CAA Co-Chairmen and...
Managing directors, a group reintroduced after years, include leaders across select areas, who will work alongside CAA Co-Chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd, Co-Chairmen Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett, and President Jim Burtson on a wide range of strategic business and operational matters.
Named Managing Directors are: Rob Light (music), Howard Nuchow (sports), Joe Cohen (TV), Michael Levine (sports) , Joel Lubin (motion picture), Maha Dakhil (motion picture), Chris Silbermann (TV), Tiffany Ward (TV), and Paul Danforth (sports). Of the nine, all but Silbermann come from the CAA side of the company.
CFO Carol Sawdye and Chief Legal Officer Hilary Krane continue to serve in their leadership roles.
CAA’s expanded Agency Board will now hone in on specific goals. It will work with the CAA Co-Chairmen and...
- 4/11/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Creative Artists Agency has appointed nine managing directors and changed up its agency board membership.
The new managing directors include Rob Light, Howard Nuchow, Joe Cohen, Michael Levine, Joel Lubin, Maha Dakhil, Chris Silbermann, Tiffany Ward and Paul Danforth. CFO Carol Sawdye and chief legal officer Hilary Krane will continue in their roles.
The managing directors will work alongside CAA co-chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd, co-chairmen Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and president Jim Burtson on varying strategic business and operational matters.
The agency board will work with the CAA co-chairmen and president “on ensuring the continued strength of the company’s highly regarded culture of service, collaboration, and opportunity, built for personal client service,” including dealmaking, training and development and innovation. The move marks the latest rework for the agency since its sale to Artémis, the investment firm controlled by François-Henri Pinault, last September.
Members of the agency board include Katie Anderson,...
The new managing directors include Rob Light, Howard Nuchow, Joe Cohen, Michael Levine, Joel Lubin, Maha Dakhil, Chris Silbermann, Tiffany Ward and Paul Danforth. CFO Carol Sawdye and chief legal officer Hilary Krane will continue in their roles.
The managing directors will work alongside CAA co-chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd, co-chairmen Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and president Jim Burtson on varying strategic business and operational matters.
The agency board will work with the CAA co-chairmen and president “on ensuring the continued strength of the company’s highly regarded culture of service, collaboration, and opportunity, built for personal client service,” including dealmaking, training and development and innovation. The move marks the latest rework for the agency since its sale to Artémis, the investment firm controlled by François-Henri Pinault, last September.
Members of the agency board include Katie Anderson,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mere minutes after some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and executives issued a letter condemning the terror attacks on Israel and the taking of hundreds of hostages, The WGA East has publicly joined the Guild’s West Coast leadership in deciding to stay silent on the murderous siege of the Jewish state two weeks ago.
Admitting this “will strike some of you as inadequate,” Wgae president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and others in the leadership said officially the Guild would be saying nothing on the matter – as a point of policy. At the same time they did note calling out “the atrocities in Israel committed by Hamas on October 7 and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza” on their personal social media feeds.
“We hope you are holding up in these difficult times,” the correspondence to members begins “A number of you have reached out to us in recent weeks about whether...
Admitting this “will strike some of you as inadequate,” Wgae president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and others in the leadership said officially the Guild would be saying nothing on the matter – as a point of policy. At the same time they did note calling out “the atrocities in Israel committed by Hamas on October 7 and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza” on their personal social media feeds.
“We hope you are holding up in these difficult times,” the correspondence to members begins “A number of you have reached out to us in recent weeks about whether...
- 10/24/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
A massive collection of some of Hollywood’s biggest names have commended President Joe Biden for his “unshakable moral conviction” and helping to get home some of the hostages taken by Hamas in their terror attack against Israel.
A letter to Biden posted Monday on the website NoHostageLeftBehind has signatures from Amy Schumer, Bob Odenkirk, Gal Gadot, Chris Rock, Bradley Cooper, Madonna, Greg Berlanti, Constance Wu, Judd Apatow, Tyler Perry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Paramount Global boss Shari Redstone, Taika Waititi, Olivia Wilde, Jason Blum, WME’s Ari Greenburg, Gersh’s Leslie Siebert, Zoe Saldana. Seth Meyers, Sean “Puffy” Combs and many more.
Read the full letter below.
“Thank you for your unshakable moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people, who have been terrorized by Hamas since the group’s founding over 35 years ago, and for the Palestinians, who have also been terrorized, oppressed, and victimized by Hamas for...
A letter to Biden posted Monday on the website NoHostageLeftBehind has signatures from Amy Schumer, Bob Odenkirk, Gal Gadot, Chris Rock, Bradley Cooper, Madonna, Greg Berlanti, Constance Wu, Judd Apatow, Tyler Perry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Paramount Global boss Shari Redstone, Taika Waititi, Olivia Wilde, Jason Blum, WME’s Ari Greenburg, Gersh’s Leslie Siebert, Zoe Saldana. Seth Meyers, Sean “Puffy” Combs and many more.
Read the full letter below.
“Thank you for your unshakable moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people, who have been terrorized by Hamas since the group’s founding over 35 years ago, and for the Palestinians, who have also been terrorized, oppressed, and victimized by Hamas for...
- 10/23/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Writers Guild of America hasn’t said anything publicly about the savage attack on Israel by terrorists on October 7, and a number of irate showrunners and others will be discussing that silence Friday.
Almost a week after dozens of high-profile WGA members put out an open letter reprimanding guild leadership for “when terrorists invaded Israel to murder, rape, and kidnap Jews… the Guild stayed silent,” guild members are getting together to say something more.
“The guild wants this to go away, but we aren’t going away — it is outrageous they’ve said nothing, absolutely outrageous,” one individual who plans on joining today’s virtual meeting told Deadline.
Chaired by American Soul creator Jonathan Prince, a Zoom meeting is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Pt today to discuss why the WGA has been silent about Hamas’ onslaught against the Jewish state, which has left more than 1,400 dead and thousands injured.
Almost a week after dozens of high-profile WGA members put out an open letter reprimanding guild leadership for “when terrorists invaded Israel to murder, rape, and kidnap Jews… the Guild stayed silent,” guild members are getting together to say something more.
“The guild wants this to go away, but we aren’t going away — it is outrageous they’ve said nothing, absolutely outrageous,” one individual who plans on joining today’s virtual meeting told Deadline.
Chaired by American Soul creator Jonathan Prince, a Zoom meeting is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Pt today to discuss why the WGA has been silent about Hamas’ onslaught against the Jewish state, which has left more than 1,400 dead and thousands injured.
- 10/20/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
4th Update, Oct 16: Casey Wasserman is the latest Hollywood heavyweight to speak out in support of Israel.
“There is no justification for this,” the Wasserman chairman-ceo – and chairman of the L.A. 2028 committee – reportedly said at an International Olympic Committee session in Mumbai on Monday. “I unequivocally stand in solidarity with Israel, but let me be clear I also stand with the innocent civilians in Gaza who did not choose this war.”
Referencing the terrorist kidnapping of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Games, Wasserman continued, “Unfortunately, the Olympics are not immune to the world we live in.
“At its worst, it is a platform for hate to express itself on the stage and we will always remember the 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team who were taken hostage and murdered in Munich.
“But at its best it is an opportunity for sport to show the world a better path with peace and unity,...
“There is no justification for this,” the Wasserman chairman-ceo – and chairman of the L.A. 2028 committee – reportedly said at an International Olympic Committee session in Mumbai on Monday. “I unequivocally stand in solidarity with Israel, but let me be clear I also stand with the innocent civilians in Gaza who did not choose this war.”
Referencing the terrorist kidnapping of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Games, Wasserman continued, “Unfortunately, the Olympics are not immune to the world we live in.
“At its worst, it is a platform for hate to express itself on the stage and we will always remember the 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team who were taken hostage and murdered in Munich.
“But at its best it is an opportunity for sport to show the world a better path with peace and unity,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
As hundreds of thousands of Israeli troops mass on the border with Gaza for a near-certain ground invasion in response to murderous terrorist attacks that started last week, the striking SAG-AFTRA has planted its flag in the dire situation.
“SAG-AFTRA deplores and condemns the horrific acts of aggression against the Israeli people on Oct. 7,” bluntly said the 160,000-member strong guild Friday.
“The attack was a fundamental violation of human rights and dignity,” the guild added. “There is no justification for the murder and kidnapping of civilians. We mourn the loss of life and urge the safe return of those who are missing and held hostage.
“We stand united against hatred and violence and pray for peace.”
Friday’s comment by SAG-AFTRA echoes in many ways what the Directors Guild of America put out on October 11, one of the first of what is now many Hollywood groups and studios to offer...
“SAG-AFTRA deplores and condemns the horrific acts of aggression against the Israeli people on Oct. 7,” bluntly said the 160,000-member strong guild Friday.
“The attack was a fundamental violation of human rights and dignity,” the guild added. “There is no justification for the murder and kidnapping of civilians. We mourn the loss of life and urge the safe return of those who are missing and held hostage.
“We stand united against hatred and violence and pray for peace.”
Friday’s comment by SAG-AFTRA echoes in many ways what the Directors Guild of America put out on October 11, one of the first of what is now many Hollywood groups and studios to offer...
- 10/14/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
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Spyglass Media Group founder Gary Barber, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz and a group of other leaders in the entertainment industry denounced the “brutal attacks” by Hamas in Israel in a joint statement Thursday received exclusively by TheWrap.
“We denounce the brutal attacks by Hamas in Israel. These atrocities will have a devastating impact on future generations,” the statement read. “We unequivocally stand in solidarity with Israel in the global fight against terrorism. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Other signatories of the statement include Lawrence Bender, Jim Berkus, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Jason Hirschhorn, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Brian Robbins, Eli Roth, Haim Saban, Chris Silbermann, Ben Silverman, Modi Wiczyk and Rick Yorn.
The joint statement follows several statements, both internally and externally, from companies including Warner Bros. Discovery, Lionsgate, Paramount Global, NBCUniversal parent Comcast...
Spyglass Media Group founder Gary Barber, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz and a group of other leaders in the entertainment industry denounced the “brutal attacks” by Hamas in Israel in a joint statement Thursday received exclusively by TheWrap.
“We denounce the brutal attacks by Hamas in Israel. These atrocities will have a devastating impact on future generations,” the statement read. “We unequivocally stand in solidarity with Israel in the global fight against terrorism. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Other signatories of the statement include Lawrence Bender, Jim Berkus, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Jason Hirschhorn, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Brian Robbins, Eli Roth, Haim Saban, Chris Silbermann, Ben Silverman, Modi Wiczyk and Rick Yorn.
The joint statement follows several statements, both internally and externally, from companies including Warner Bros. Discovery, Lionsgate, Paramount Global, NBCUniversal parent Comcast...
- 10/12/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose, Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chair and CEO Pamela Abdy and nationally recognized trial lawyer Wylie A. Aitken have joined the American Film Institute’s board of trustees, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
“AFI is the place where artistry and academia meet,” Kathleen Kennedy, the board’s chair, tells THR. “The addition of Pam, Wylie and Ari to the board will further propel our national mandate to inspire, to educate and, ultimately, to drive culture forward.”
The board, which sets AFI’s priorities and guides its national education programs, is already packed with big names. Among them: actors Halle Berry and Michael B. Jordan; filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Ava DuVernay; TV creators Jay Roach and Shonda Rhimes; studio/network chiefs Ted Sarandos and Donna Langley; power-agents Bryan Lourd and Chris Silbermann; the noted academic Jeanine Basinger; MPA chief Charles Rivkin, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher; and Academy of...
“AFI is the place where artistry and academia meet,” Kathleen Kennedy, the board’s chair, tells THR. “The addition of Pam, Wylie and Ari to the board will further propel our national mandate to inspire, to educate and, ultimately, to drive culture forward.”
The board, which sets AFI’s priorities and guides its national education programs, is already packed with big names. Among them: actors Halle Berry and Michael B. Jordan; filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Ava DuVernay; TV creators Jay Roach and Shonda Rhimes; studio/network chiefs Ted Sarandos and Donna Langley; power-agents Bryan Lourd and Chris Silbermann; the noted academic Jeanine Basinger; MPA chief Charles Rivkin, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher; and Academy of...
- 7/26/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Though most kudos events are competitive, the annual AFI Awards, honoring 21 film and TV works, proved communal. Sarah Polley chatted with Michelle Williams, Jerry Bruckheimer was deep in conversation with James Cameron, the “Better Call Saul” talent huddled with “Reservation Dogs” and Steven Spielberg enthused about “The Bear” to the show’s team and FX Networks chairman John Landgraf.
The luncheon Jan. 13 at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills was filled with 250 industry heavy-hitters, but the scene-stealer was someone who had no attachment to any of the honored works: Al Pacino, who closed the event with a 10-minute speech that seemed rambling and hilarious, but proved to be pointed and concluded with a bang.
Before the event started, Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley praised the annual gathering to Variety, saying: “It reminds us of the dignity and elegance of the industry as we gather here to celebrate artistry.”
In December, AFI...
The luncheon Jan. 13 at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills was filled with 250 industry heavy-hitters, but the scene-stealer was someone who had no attachment to any of the honored works: Al Pacino, who closed the event with a 10-minute speech that seemed rambling and hilarious, but proved to be pointed and concluded with a bang.
Before the event started, Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley praised the annual gathering to Variety, saying: “It reminds us of the dignity and elegance of the industry as we gather here to celebrate artistry.”
In December, AFI...
- 1/14/2023
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
In 1998, Georgina, a 27-year-old college student, was enjoying a drink outside The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Studio City when a tall man approached her. Introducing himself as Eric Weinberg, he complimented her looks and asked if she was a model. He offered to do headshots for her free of charge — a tantalizing proposition for the aspiring actor — and told her that he wrote for the NBC sitcom Veronica’s Closet.
“I was kind of skeptical,” says Georgina, who requested The Hollywood Reporter use only her first name to protect her identity. Weinberg gave her the number of the writers room. “I called because I wanted to protect myself.” The receptionist vouched for him as “a nice guy.” Days later, Georgina arrived at his home, and, she recalls, “that’s when my whole world just blew up.”
After giving her a glass of water,...
In 1998, Georgina, a 27-year-old college student, was enjoying a drink outside The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Studio City when a tall man approached her. Introducing himself as Eric Weinberg, he complimented her looks and asked if she was a model. He offered to do headshots for her free of charge — a tantalizing proposition for the aspiring actor — and told her that he wrote for the NBC sitcom Veronica’s Closet.
“I was kind of skeptical,” says Georgina, who requested The Hollywood Reporter use only her first name to protect her identity. Weinberg gave her the number of the writers room. “I called because I wanted to protect myself.” The receptionist vouched for him as “a nice guy.” Days later, Georgina arrived at his home, and, she recalls, “that’s when my whole world just blew up.”
After giving her a glass of water,...
- 11/14/2022
- by Samuel Braslow and Kim Masters
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After two years of an Emmy party field dramatically reduced by the pandemic, the festivities around the 2022 ceremonies are starting to resemble the hustle and bustle of the 2010s — with the addition of Covid testing, a lot of it.
We haven’t had formal agency Emmy parties in four years as plans for 2019 bashes were canceled amid the agencies’ standoff with the WGA. CAA and UTA are back this year, with CAA picking up where it left off in 2018, holding a party at Rose Café in Venice. It will be the agency’s first public event after the recent acquisition of ICM, which traditionally hosted Emmy brunches at the home of CEO Chris Silbermann.
UTA, whose popular party had been held at the home of co-president Jay Sures for many years, is taking over the Rooftop at Waldorf Astoria.
The other Hollywood talent agencies and management companies that threw Emmy...
We haven’t had formal agency Emmy parties in four years as plans for 2019 bashes were canceled amid the agencies’ standoff with the WGA. CAA and UTA are back this year, with CAA picking up where it left off in 2018, holding a party at Rose Café in Venice. It will be the agency’s first public event after the recent acquisition of ICM, which traditionally hosted Emmy brunches at the home of CEO Chris Silbermann.
UTA, whose popular party had been held at the home of co-president Jay Sures for many years, is taking over the Rooftop at Waldorf Astoria.
The other Hollywood talent agencies and management companies that threw Emmy...
- 9/7/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: One of the most prominent ex-ICM agents still in play, Jessica Lacy, has landed at Range Media Partners as Partner and head of management company’s newly minted division, Range Select. In her role, Lacy will oversee structuring and arranging financing, packaging, and securing distribution for select independent films. She is joined by her former ICM colleague Oliver Wheeler who also will work in the Range Select unit as a manager.
Lacy spent the last two decades combined at ICM Partners — where she was a partner and head of the Independent Film Department for the past 10 years — and Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann Agency (before its 2006 acquisition by ICM). Throughout her career, Lacy has brokered distribution deals for many of the many acclaimed films coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, SXSW, Tribeca, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
She was part of...
Lacy spent the last two decades combined at ICM Partners — where she was a partner and head of the Independent Film Department for the past 10 years — and Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann Agency (before its 2006 acquisition by ICM). Throughout her career, Lacy has brokered distribution deals for many of the many acclaimed films coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, SXSW, Tribeca, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
She was part of...
- 7/26/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Amid upheaval in Hollywood, as entertainment giants invest in their direct-to-streaming efforts, and as they try to find a balance between subscriptions, advertising, theatrical releases and other business models, the major talent agencies are scaling up, betting that the demand for content — and for top-shelf talent — will keep growing.
And it’s all backed, at least in part, by private equity cash betting that “peak content” concerns are overblown. On July 18, UTA revealed an investment from the Swedish firm Eqt. UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said he and his leadership team chose Eqt as an investor because they felt the firm “would really help us drive growth while protecting our culture.”
UTA’s investment, meanwhile, arrived shortly after CAA, led by Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett, completed its June 28 acquisition of ICM, which is topped by Chris Silbermann, forging a representation giant backed by its majority owner,...
Amid upheaval in Hollywood, as entertainment giants invest in their direct-to-streaming efforts, and as they try to find a balance between subscriptions, advertising, theatrical releases and other business models, the major talent agencies are scaling up, betting that the demand for content — and for top-shelf talent — will keep growing.
And it’s all backed, at least in part, by private equity cash betting that “peak content” concerns are overblown. On July 18, UTA revealed an investment from the Swedish firm Eqt. UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said he and his leadership team chose Eqt as an investor because they felt the firm “would really help us drive growth while protecting our culture.”
UTA’s investment, meanwhile, arrived shortly after CAA, led by Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett, completed its June 28 acquisition of ICM, which is topped by Chris Silbermann, forging a representation giant backed by its majority owner,...
- 7/19/2022
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sun Valley, Idaho — As the sun is about to set on another Sun Valley conference, this year’s four-day Allen & Co. event has been notable for the low profile kept by the most high-wattage attendees, to the frustration of the business, media and tech sectors obsessed with the activity of billionaires and CEOs.
Before the moguls pack up and leave the exclusive Sun Valley Lodge — at least those who haven’t booked it to their private jets already, like Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav, who left Thursday night — Tesla boss and maybe-soon-to-be-Twitter-owner Elon Musk (who snuck in through the back entrance Thursday evening) will take the stage for the gathering’s big closing chat Saturday. That coveted slot has previously been given to other high-profile guests of honor, including Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, both of whom were back in attendance this year.
True to his affable form,...
Before the moguls pack up and leave the exclusive Sun Valley Lodge — at least those who haven’t booked it to their private jets already, like Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav, who left Thursday night — Tesla boss and maybe-soon-to-be-Twitter-owner Elon Musk (who snuck in through the back entrance Thursday evening) will take the stage for the gathering’s big closing chat Saturday. That coveted slot has previously been given to other high-profile guests of honor, including Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, both of whom were back in attendance this year.
True to his affable form,...
- 7/8/2022
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Sun Valley, Idaho — The Elon Musk watch is on.
The first full day of Allen & Co.’s exclusive conference and retreat for the wealthy and well-connected concluded Wednesday at the luxe Sun Valley resort. Even among the assembled 1-ers, there was anticipation for the arrival of the maverick leader of Tesla and SpaceX, who is expected to make an appearance at the annual meeting of moguls and C-suite titans.
Following Tuesday’s many arrivals and some solo morning time, during which Verizon chief Hans Vestberg went for a run around the resort in the 6 a.m. hour, the agenda kicked off with an outdoor breakfast held for the business, media and tech moguls and their guests in a shaded area behind the lodge.
After the catered affair, the day was filled with private meetings and well-guarded guest speaker sessions, which usually focus on heady global economic and public policy topics.
The first full day of Allen & Co.’s exclusive conference and retreat for the wealthy and well-connected concluded Wednesday at the luxe Sun Valley resort. Even among the assembled 1-ers, there was anticipation for the arrival of the maverick leader of Tesla and SpaceX, who is expected to make an appearance at the annual meeting of moguls and C-suite titans.
Following Tuesday’s many arrivals and some solo morning time, during which Verizon chief Hans Vestberg went for a run around the resort in the 6 a.m. hour, the agenda kicked off with an outdoor breakfast held for the business, media and tech moguls and their guests in a shaded area behind the lodge.
After the catered affair, the day was filled with private meetings and well-guarded guest speaker sessions, which usually focus on heady global economic and public policy topics.
- 7/6/2022
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Sun Valley, Idaho — The moguls have arrived.
On Tuesday, dozens of titans of the business, media and tech worlds came out to play at the Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho for the start of Allen & Co.’s annual meeting of movers and shakers.
The invitation-only conference will include three days of seminars and meetings that are held away from the prying eyes of the public, which kick off Wednesday morning. So today was all about meeting and greeting each other at the posh retreat in Idaho’s picturesque Sawtooth Mountains.
Arrivals began at the Sun Valley Lodge around 11 a.m. local time, with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Comcast chief Brian Roberts, Imagine’s Brian Grazer, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell, Paramount Global chairman Shari Redstone and investor Jeffrey Katzenberg among the first to check in, receive their agenda briefing books and strap on a mask before receiving a Covid test.
On Tuesday, dozens of titans of the business, media and tech worlds came out to play at the Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho for the start of Allen & Co.’s annual meeting of movers and shakers.
The invitation-only conference will include three days of seminars and meetings that are held away from the prying eyes of the public, which kick off Wednesday morning. So today was all about meeting and greeting each other at the posh retreat in Idaho’s picturesque Sawtooth Mountains.
Arrivals began at the Sun Valley Lodge around 11 a.m. local time, with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Comcast chief Brian Roberts, Imagine’s Brian Grazer, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell, Paramount Global chairman Shari Redstone and investor Jeffrey Katzenberg among the first to check in, receive their agenda briefing books and strap on a mask before receiving a Covid test.
- 7/6/2022
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Sun Valley, the annual event colloquially known as “summer camp for billionaires,” kicks off as usual on July 5.
But the moguls who flock to the Allen & Co. retreat may not be as relaxed as usual when they touch down at the Sun Valley Lodge in the Idaho resort town: From darkening economic clouds to choppy leadership transitions at some of the most storied media companies, there are plenty of reasons for the 1 of the 1 to be breaking a sweat these days.
The stock market’s roller coaster ride in the first half of the year means that some regulars at the annual gathering hosted by investment bank Allen & Co. will be arriving with much-diminished market caps. Shari Redstone, chairman of Paramount Global, and David Zaslav, CEO of the newly minted Warner Bros. Discovery, may be among those commiserating about taking brutal equity losses. Although Warner Bros. Discovery is barely three months old in this configuration,...
But the moguls who flock to the Allen & Co. retreat may not be as relaxed as usual when they touch down at the Sun Valley Lodge in the Idaho resort town: From darkening economic clouds to choppy leadership transitions at some of the most storied media companies, there are plenty of reasons for the 1 of the 1 to be breaking a sweat these days.
The stock market’s roller coaster ride in the first half of the year means that some regulars at the annual gathering hosted by investment bank Allen & Co. will be arriving with much-diminished market caps. Shari Redstone, chairman of Paramount Global, and David Zaslav, CEO of the newly minted Warner Bros. Discovery, may be among those commiserating about taking brutal equity losses. Although Warner Bros. Discovery is barely three months old in this configuration,...
- 7/4/2022
- by Brent Lang and Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Hollywood’s biggest agency is now even bigger after CAA’s acquisition of ICM Partners was (finally) made official earlier this week. While headlines have focused on how the behemoth is set to reshape the business, and how the four-agency town has been chopped down to three, competitors WME and UTA aren’t exactly taking their balls and going home.
This merger, UTA’s own spree of acquisitions, and WME’s crucial place in Ari Emanuel’s publicly traded Endeavor (Edr on the New York Stock Exchange) empire all speak to how the agency business of today (and of tomorrow) are about so much more than competing to represent A-listers. There are podcasts and advertising and books and influencers and marketing and data analytics all at play here — not to mention the changing media landscape led by tech-backed (read: incredibly rich and powerful) streamers.
Sometimes you have to fight consolidation with consolidation.
This merger, UTA’s own spree of acquisitions, and WME’s crucial place in Ari Emanuel’s publicly traded Endeavor (Edr on the New York Stock Exchange) empire all speak to how the agency business of today (and of tomorrow) are about so much more than competing to represent A-listers. There are podcasts and advertising and books and influencers and marketing and data analytics all at play here — not to mention the changing media landscape led by tech-backed (read: incredibly rich and powerful) streamers.
Sometimes you have to fight consolidation with consolidation.
- 7/2/2022
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Merger creates new agency giant as Hollywood consolidation continues.
The acquisition by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) of ICM Partners has finally closed, nine months after the companies agreed a deal that continues a wave of Hollywood consolidation and shakes up the furiously competitive agency business.
Since it was announced last September the deal has been awaiting regulatory approval from the US Department of Justice. With the that approval now secured the deal is going through with a reported value of 750m, creating a combined company with assets worth 5bn.
The acquisition is the biggest Hollywood agency merger since Wma and...
The acquisition by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) of ICM Partners has finally closed, nine months after the companies agreed a deal that continues a wave of Hollywood consolidation and shakes up the furiously competitive agency business.
Since it was announced last September the deal has been awaiting regulatory approval from the US Department of Justice. With the that approval now secured the deal is going through with a reported value of 750m, creating a combined company with assets worth 5bn.
The acquisition is the biggest Hollywood agency merger since Wma and...
- 6/28/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Almost nine months to the day after the surprise Deadline scoop that CAA would acquire ICM Partners, the deal finally got government approval and closed. This creates a mega agency in the biggest linkup in the space since the Wma-Endeavor merger. Sources close to the situation said the Department of Justice finally approved the deal late last night or this morning, and it closed. It is valued around 750 million, and a combined enterprise value around 5 billion. The merged company’s leadership is expected to address staff at a town hall Thursday, with the newly combined departments set to begin their integration process with get-togethers on July 11, we hear.
First, though, comes the pain.
Around 105 positions will be eliminated, all from ICM, and coming from all areas. There will be 425 ICM agents and staffers from the agency joining CAA, meaning around 80 will be retained by CAA. These conversations will happen quickly.
First, though, comes the pain.
Around 105 positions will be eliminated, all from ICM, and coming from all areas. There will be 425 ICM agents and staffers from the agency joining CAA, meaning around 80 will be retained by CAA. These conversations will happen quickly.
- 6/28/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva and Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
CAA’s mega acquisition of ICM Partners has been completed after nearly 10 months of seeking regulatory approval, CAA announced on Tuesday. The deal is valued at 750 million with a pro forma combined enterprise value of around 5 billion, TheWrap has learned.
A source adds that 105 positions from ICM across all areas will be eliminated as part of the transition, while 425 ICM staffers and agents will be joining CAA.
The merger between the two 46-year-old rivals leaves just three major talent agencies in Hollywood — WME, CAA and UTA. The deal also marks the largest acquisition of its kind since Wma and Endeavor merged in 2009 and WME acquired the sports marketing giant Img in 2014.
“Today marks a new chapter in the history of our company, positioning us better than ever to deliver extraordinary opportunities for many of the world’s preeminent artists, athletes, thought leaders, brands, and organizations in entertainment, sports, and culture,...
A source adds that 105 positions from ICM across all areas will be eliminated as part of the transition, while 425 ICM staffers and agents will be joining CAA.
The merger between the two 46-year-old rivals leaves just three major talent agencies in Hollywood — WME, CAA and UTA. The deal also marks the largest acquisition of its kind since Wma and Endeavor merged in 2009 and WME acquired the sports marketing giant Img in 2014.
“Today marks a new chapter in the history of our company, positioning us better than ever to deliver extraordinary opportunities for many of the world’s preeminent artists, athletes, thought leaders, brands, and organizations in entertainment, sports, and culture,...
- 6/28/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
CAA has closed its acquisition of fellow mega Hollywood talent agency ICM Partners, the companies said Tuesday.
The deal is valued at 750 million, resulting in a pro-forma enterprise valuation of 5 billion for the enlarged agency. The closing comes nearly a year since the deal was announced in September 2021. The transaction was delayed due to increased scrutiny from the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission as M&a fervor rages in Hollywood.
The official closing of CAA’s acquisition of ICM marks a shift in the Hollywood agency landscape that reduces the Big Four agencies to the Big Three, with WME and UTA as CAA’s largest competitors. It is also likely to result in reductions in staff at CAA and ICM Partners — which together total more than 3,200 employees operating in 25 countries — though no details have emerged yet regarding layoff plans.
“Today marks a new chapter in the history of our company,...
The deal is valued at 750 million, resulting in a pro-forma enterprise valuation of 5 billion for the enlarged agency. The closing comes nearly a year since the deal was announced in September 2021. The transaction was delayed due to increased scrutiny from the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission as M&a fervor rages in Hollywood.
The official closing of CAA’s acquisition of ICM marks a shift in the Hollywood agency landscape that reduces the Big Four agencies to the Big Three, with WME and UTA as CAA’s largest competitors. It is also likely to result in reductions in staff at CAA and ICM Partners — which together total more than 3,200 employees operating in 25 countries — though no details have emerged yet regarding layoff plans.
“Today marks a new chapter in the history of our company,...
- 6/28/2022
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
In a move that consolidates the Hollywood talent agency landscape into three major players, CAA has closed its acquisition of ICM Partners, the companies said.
CAA, led by Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett, and ICM, led by Chris Silbermann, first unveiled the deal in September, saying that “ICM is one of the best representation companies that has ever existed.”
“Today marks a new chapter in the history of our company, positioning us better than ever to deliver extraordinary opportunities for many of the world’s preeminent artists, athletes, thought leaders, brands, and organizations in entertainment, sports, and culture,” said Huvane, Lourd, and Lovett in a joint statement. “We are thrilled to welcome our new ICM colleagues to CAA, and look forward to combining their expertise, relationships, and resources with those of our agents and executives around the world. Our diverse range...
In a move that consolidates the Hollywood talent agency landscape into three major players, CAA has closed its acquisition of ICM Partners, the companies said.
CAA, led by Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett, and ICM, led by Chris Silbermann, first unveiled the deal in September, saying that “ICM is one of the best representation companies that has ever existed.”
“Today marks a new chapter in the history of our company, positioning us better than ever to deliver extraordinary opportunities for many of the world’s preeminent artists, athletes, thought leaders, brands, and organizations in entertainment, sports, and culture,” said Huvane, Lourd, and Lovett in a joint statement. “We are thrilled to welcome our new ICM colleagues to CAA, and look forward to combining their expertise, relationships, and resources with those of our agents and executives around the world. Our diverse range...
- 6/28/2022
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Colin Kaepernick. Cher. George Clooney. Charlize Theron. Sherry Lansing. Dwyane Wade. Barbara Broccoli. Jennifer Hudson. This may seem like a disparate group of powerful people in the fields of entertainment and sports. But what they have in common is a deep sense of philanthropic commitment — a desire to do something beyond a photo op for the causes that matter to them. And all these people have entrusted the same organization to help them run their charities, the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
“People come to me for advice,” says Lansing, whose blockbuster charity, Stand Up To Cancer, has raised more than $746 million to fund cancer research since she and eight other women founded it in 2008. “I often say to them, ‘You should meet the people at Eif.’ “
In Hollywood, getting Lansing’s endorsement for a philanthropic organization is akin to getting a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, so trusted is the former Paramount...
“People come to me for advice,” says Lansing, whose blockbuster charity, Stand Up To Cancer, has raised more than $746 million to fund cancer research since she and eight other women founded it in 2008. “I often say to them, ‘You should meet the people at Eif.’ “
In Hollywood, getting Lansing’s endorsement for a philanthropic organization is akin to getting a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, so trusted is the former Paramount...
- 6/23/2022
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The steady trickle of agents leaving ICM Partners over the past nine months has grown into a stream in the last week, with dozens of reps making inquiries to other agencies and management companies as they mull their future ahead of the pending Department of Justice ruling on ICM’s proposed acquisition by CAA.
With the merger decision expected in the next couple of weeks, the prospect of ICM staff moving to CAA has become real, and so have the invites to join the combined agency after months of hints and winks. While no hiring/layoff decisions can be made while the regulatory approval process is ongoing, by now everyone knows where they stand. Staff reductions are an inevitable byproduct of any merger, and with the proceedings dragging on for so long, a number of ICM agents already left for other jobs ahead of the deal close — either because they...
With the merger decision expected in the next couple of weeks, the prospect of ICM staff moving to CAA has become real, and so have the invites to join the combined agency after months of hints and winks. While no hiring/layoff decisions can be made while the regulatory approval process is ongoing, by now everyone knows where they stand. Staff reductions are an inevitable byproduct of any merger, and with the proceedings dragging on for so long, a number of ICM agents already left for other jobs ahead of the deal close — either because they...
- 6/17/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and billionaire local developer Rick Caruso are headed to a November run-off election for the Los Angeles mayoralty after the Associated Press called the race on Tuesday night. The top vote-getters in the open primary go on to face each other in the general election in November.
Their candidacies — which divided Hollywood loyalties during the open primary — each promised solutions for a city grappling with deep anxiety over homelessness, housing affordability and crime.
Two-time L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti was termed out. His nomination to become U.S. Ambassador to India has been held for months in the Senate over allegations he knew about (and didn’t properly address) a top aide’s sexual misconduct. Bass would be the first female and second Black mayor in the city’s history. A win by Caruso, an outsider to elected...
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and billionaire local developer Rick Caruso are headed to a November run-off election for the Los Angeles mayoralty after the Associated Press called the race on Tuesday night. The top vote-getters in the open primary go on to face each other in the general election in November.
Their candidacies — which divided Hollywood loyalties during the open primary — each promised solutions for a city grappling with deep anxiety over homelessness, housing affordability and crime.
Two-time L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti was termed out. His nomination to become U.S. Ambassador to India has been held for months in the Senate over allegations he knew about (and didn’t properly address) a top aide’s sexual misconduct. Bass would be the first female and second Black mayor in the city’s history. A win by Caruso, an outsider to elected...
- 6/8/2022
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ICM Partners’ New York office officially reopened today more than two years after closing for the coronavirus pandemic. It follows the recent office reopening for the agency’s London-based operations, ICM Stellar Sports and Primary Talent International. No official return to the office date has been announced yet for ICM Partners’ headquarters in Century City but everyone is expected to be back in early May, I hear.
In a memo to staff sent out by ICM Partners CEO Chris Silbermann earlier today and posted on Instagram Monday night, he spoke of the ways agency’s staff were able to stay connected and work over the past two years.
ICM Partners is the last of the Big 4 talent agencies to reopen its offices as it has taken a more conservative approach to bringing employees back together in-person. The agency is in the process of being acquired by rival CAA, with the...
In a memo to staff sent out by ICM Partners CEO Chris Silbermann earlier today and posted on Instagram Monday night, he spoke of the ways agency’s staff were able to stay connected and work over the past two years.
ICM Partners is the last of the Big 4 talent agencies to reopen its offices as it has taken a more conservative approach to bringing employees back together in-person. The agency is in the process of being acquired by rival CAA, with the...
- 4/19/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Verve has confirmed that former ICM agent Jr Ringer has joined the company as a talent agent.
Ringer was one of three ICM agents who left last month to join other firms. He will work with Verve Talent Head and Partner Sean Grumman as the agency continues to expand its footprint in film and television talent representation.
Confirmed clients who have followed Ringer to Verve include Josh Hartnett, who recently wrapped Guy Ritchie’s STX film Operation Fortune with Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza and Jason Statham, and will next be shooting Christopher Nolan’s Universal film Oppenheimer; Sean Bean, who was last seen in the Jimmy McGovern BBC limited series Time and can currently be seen in Snowpiercer; Andy Allo, who stars in Greg Daniels’ Amazon series Upload, which premieres its second season in March; David Costabile, who plays Wags in Showtime’s Billions; Isaiah Hill, who stars in...
Ringer was one of three ICM agents who left last month to join other firms. He will work with Verve Talent Head and Partner Sean Grumman as the agency continues to expand its footprint in film and television talent representation.
Confirmed clients who have followed Ringer to Verve include Josh Hartnett, who recently wrapped Guy Ritchie’s STX film Operation Fortune with Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza and Jason Statham, and will next be shooting Christopher Nolan’s Universal film Oppenheimer; Sean Bean, who was last seen in the Jimmy McGovern BBC limited series Time and can currently be seen in Snowpiercer; Andy Allo, who stars in Greg Daniels’ Amazon series Upload, which premieres its second season in March; David Costabile, who plays Wags in Showtime’s Billions; Isaiah Hill, who stars in...
- 2/2/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Maybe Jeremy Zimmer and Ari Emanuel need to take it to the octagon.
“I thought about it, and I think it makes sense to me that he would not want to, cause we don’t fit the profile of the kind of companies he buys,” the UTA CEO said Thursday at the Adweek conference about Ari Emanuel’s lack of interest in buying the agency in a consolidating Hollywood. “We have an amazing culture and we’re incredibly profitable,” Zimmer added, with a 90210 salvo of his own.
“So we wouldn’t fit in,” Zimmer tossed out there in conclusion, to big laughs from the New York City crowd in attendance.
The curt remarks by the UTA CEO came onstage at the “The Future of Entertainment in the New Creator Economy” panel with ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish and moderated by CBS News’ Michelle Miller. Of course, the larger context is Zimmer...
“I thought about it, and I think it makes sense to me that he would not want to, cause we don’t fit the profile of the kind of companies he buys,” the UTA CEO said Thursday at the Adweek conference about Ari Emanuel’s lack of interest in buying the agency in a consolidating Hollywood. “We have an amazing culture and we’re incredibly profitable,” Zimmer added, with a 90210 salvo of his own.
“So we wouldn’t fit in,” Zimmer tossed out there in conclusion, to big laughs from the New York City crowd in attendance.
The curt remarks by the UTA CEO came onstage at the “The Future of Entertainment in the New Creator Economy” panel with ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish and moderated by CBS News’ Michelle Miller. Of course, the larger context is Zimmer...
- 10/21/2021
- by Dominic Patten and Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
After Deadline broke the news Monday that CAA said was acquiring ICM Partners in the first major Hollywood agency tie-up since the Wma-Endeavor deal in 2009, the bombshell news has began sinking in around the industry.
One sector that will be interested are the Hollywood unions, and SAG-AFTRA became the first to react with a statement by National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
“SAG-AFTRA welcomes any change that results in increased negotiating power for talent as they bargain individual deals with the multi-billion dollar corporations that produce content,” Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement. “We will carefully scrutinize this combination of two storied talent agencies to ensure that performers will benefit from, and are not disadvantaged by, the deal.”
Executives at both companies — CAA’s Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane and ICM Partners head Chris Silbermann — said today they believe the deal will pass muster with the guilds, as well as from an antitrust standpoint.
One sector that will be interested are the Hollywood unions, and SAG-AFTRA became the first to react with a statement by National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
“SAG-AFTRA welcomes any change that results in increased negotiating power for talent as they bargain individual deals with the multi-billion dollar corporations that produce content,” Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement. “We will carefully scrutinize this combination of two storied talent agencies to ensure that performers will benefit from, and are not disadvantaged by, the deal.”
Executives at both companies — CAA’s Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane and ICM Partners head Chris Silbermann — said today they believe the deal will pass muster with the guilds, as well as from an antitrust standpoint.
- 9/27/2021
- by Patrick Hipes and Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
The talks that led to CAA acquiring ICM Partners came together in secret over a short period of time — so much so that longtime insiders at both agencies learned of the deal moments before the news was formally announced on Monday.
To CAA’s trio of leaders — Bryan Lourd, Richard Lovett and Kevin Huvane — and ICM Partners’ chief Chris Silbermann, the fact that the talks were kept quiet was a sign that the leaders are temperamentally in sync and trust one another. The deal was finalized Monday at 8:17 a.m. Pt, barely an hour before CAA issued the news release, the key players confirmed.
“It’s a testament to the reason for the partnership” that word of the talks didn’t leak, Lovett told Variety.
Lourd conceded that the idea of a tie-up had been broached in the recent past. During the past 12 months, amid all the upheaval in the entertainment industry,...
To CAA’s trio of leaders — Bryan Lourd, Richard Lovett and Kevin Huvane — and ICM Partners’ chief Chris Silbermann, the fact that the talks were kept quiet was a sign that the leaders are temperamentally in sync and trust one another. The deal was finalized Monday at 8:17 a.m. Pt, barely an hour before CAA issued the news release, the key players confirmed.
“It’s a testament to the reason for the partnership” that word of the talks didn’t leak, Lovett told Variety.
Lourd conceded that the idea of a tie-up had been broached in the recent past. During the past 12 months, amid all the upheaval in the entertainment industry,...
- 9/27/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton and Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
The bombshell acquisition of ICM Partners by CAA will strengthen a collective commitment to client representation, the principals behind the deal said in an interview with Deadline on Monday morning.
Among other issues, CAA’s Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane and ICM Partners head Chris Silbermann told Deadline they believe the deal will pass muster from an antitrust standpoint, and with the guilds. The agencies eventually will end up in one headquarters, but for now they are in physical proximity so there will be no rush once both offices fully reopen after being long shuttered by the Covid pandemic.
The deal takes shape as all the major agencies end the packaging business that was a staple, after a brutal standoff with the Writers Guild last year. The principals said the key to their optimism is the core reason behind the linkup of two major agencies.
“What this deal...
Among other issues, CAA’s Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane and ICM Partners head Chris Silbermann told Deadline they believe the deal will pass muster from an antitrust standpoint, and with the guilds. The agencies eventually will end up in one headquarters, but for now they are in physical proximity so there will be no rush once both offices fully reopen after being long shuttered by the Covid pandemic.
The deal takes shape as all the major agencies end the packaging business that was a staple, after a brutal standoff with the Writers Guild last year. The principals said the key to their optimism is the core reason behind the linkup of two major agencies.
“What this deal...
- 9/27/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
ICM’s Chris Silbermann to join CAA’s shareholder board.
In the latest example of Hollywood consolidation that took the town by suprise on Monday (September 27) CAA has announced it is acquiring ICM Partners.
The agencies said the move would “create deeper, broader, and more competitive opportunities for clients in the ever-evolving entertainment, media, and sports landscapes”.
It is the biggest Hollywood agency merger since Wma and Endeavor merged several years ago.
ICM brings a strong client roster from music, film, TV, theatre, games, podcasting and politics. Its London-based ICM Stellar Sports serves more than 800 clients around the globe and maintains offices in 10 countries.
In the latest example of Hollywood consolidation that took the town by suprise on Monday (September 27) CAA has announced it is acquiring ICM Partners.
The agencies said the move would “create deeper, broader, and more competitive opportunities for clients in the ever-evolving entertainment, media, and sports landscapes”.
It is the biggest Hollywood agency merger since Wma and Endeavor merged several years ago.
ICM brings a strong client roster from music, film, TV, theatre, games, podcasting and politics. Its London-based ICM Stellar Sports serves more than 800 clients around the globe and maintains offices in 10 countries.
- 9/27/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Updated: CAA has made it official, this blockbuster deal we have chased all weekend. Find release below the original Deadline scoop.
Exclusive: Creative Artists Agency is acquiring ICM Partners, a mammoth deal that would be the biggest joining forces of two major agencies since Wma and Endeavor. Expectation is that the deal will be completed before the year is out.
Many details need to be worked out, as this came together lightning quick. There will surely be reaction from guilds and on antitrust matters. But in a moment where content creators are getting bigger in M&a deals, why not agencies? The intention here is, after all of the drama of the pandemic and the ending of the packaging business after a prolonged dispute with the WGA, CAA is doubling down on its commitment to the representation business. That includes not only film and television, but also sports, publishing and ancillary businesses.
Exclusive: Creative Artists Agency is acquiring ICM Partners, a mammoth deal that would be the biggest joining forces of two major agencies since Wma and Endeavor. Expectation is that the deal will be completed before the year is out.
Many details need to be worked out, as this came together lightning quick. There will surely be reaction from guilds and on antitrust matters. But in a moment where content creators are getting bigger in M&a deals, why not agencies? The intention here is, after all of the drama of the pandemic and the ending of the packaging business after a prolonged dispute with the WGA, CAA is doubling down on its commitment to the representation business. That includes not only film and television, but also sports, publishing and ancillary businesses.
- 9/27/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Creative Artists Agency is acquiring its rival ICM Partners in a blockbuster deal that will consolidate the ranks of major Hollywood agencies as the representation industry undergoes a pandemic-era business shift.
The companies, led by CAA’s Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and ICM’s Chris Silbermann, did not disclose sale price and said the deal will close later this year. Silbermann will join CAA’s shareholder board.
The merging of the Century City-based firms will leave three major talent firms — WME, CAA and UTA — that represent the bulk of dealmaking for the industry. The companies’ sale pitch notes that ...
The companies, led by CAA’s Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and ICM’s Chris Silbermann, did not disclose sale price and said the deal will close later this year. Silbermann will join CAA’s shareholder board.
The merging of the Century City-based firms will leave three major talent firms — WME, CAA and UTA — that represent the bulk of dealmaking for the industry. The companies’ sale pitch notes that ...
- 9/27/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Creative Artists Agency is acquiring its rival ICM Partners in a blockbuster deal that will consolidate the ranks of major Hollywood agencies as the representation industry undergoes a pandemic-era business shift.
The companies, led by CAA’s Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and ICM’s Chris Silbermann, did not disclose sale price and said the deal will close later this year. Silbermann will join CAA’s shareholder board.
The merging of the Century City-based firms will leave three major talent firms — WME, CAA and UTA — that represent the bulk of dealmaking for the industry. The companies’ sale pitch notes that ...
The companies, led by CAA’s Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and ICM’s Chris Silbermann, did not disclose sale price and said the deal will close later this year. Silbermann will join CAA’s shareholder board.
The merging of the Century City-based firms will leave three major talent firms — WME, CAA and UTA — that represent the bulk of dealmaking for the industry. The companies’ sale pitch notes that ...
- 9/27/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
If Gov. Gavin Newsom is recalled next week, the entertainment industry will lose a valuable ally in Sacramento.
The industry’s top concern at the Capitol is the film and TV tax credit, which provides a 20-25% discount on eligible production spending in the state. In July, Newsom signed a two-year expansion of the program, bringing it to $420 million a year, and indicated he would support making that increase permanent.
With the exception of former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, the leading Republican candidates to replace Newsom all oppose the film incentive.
Radio host Larry Elder, who has led in the replacement polls since entering the race in July, has long been against giving tax credits to Hollywood. He sees the program as “hypocritical,” given Democrats’ support for higher corporate tax rates on other industries.
“I find it interesting that Hollywood pulls that lever for the Democratic Party, that raises taxes,...
The industry’s top concern at the Capitol is the film and TV tax credit, which provides a 20-25% discount on eligible production spending in the state. In July, Newsom signed a two-year expansion of the program, bringing it to $420 million a year, and indicated he would support making that increase permanent.
With the exception of former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, the leading Republican candidates to replace Newsom all oppose the film incentive.
Radio host Larry Elder, who has led in the replacement polls since entering the race in July, has long been against giving tax credits to Hollywood. He sees the program as “hypocritical,” given Democrats’ support for higher corporate tax rates on other industries.
“I find it interesting that Hollywood pulls that lever for the Democratic Party, that raises taxes,...
- 9/8/2021
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
ICM Partners has acquired Select Sports Group, an indie agency that reps NFL coaches, players and executives.
The move was announced today by ICM Partners Managing Director/ICM Stellar Sports Chairman Ted Chervin, ICM Stellar Sports Executive Chairman Jonathan Barnett and Select Sports Group Co-Heads and owners Erik Burkhardt and Jeff Nalley. The latter two will be Co-Presidents of the NFL representation division, which aims to boost clients’ off-the-field earning potential across all entertainment, marketing and branding platforms.
Per ICM Partners, Select Sports Group has represented more than 50 Super Bowl champions, 35 first-round NFL draft picks, 35 Pro Bowl players including multiple players in the 2020 game. Its high-profile player clients include Kyler Murray, Andy Dalton, Taysom Hill and Colin Kaepernick, along with Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury and Cleveland Browns Gm Andrew Berry.
Coming a month-plus ahead of the 2021 pro football season, the acquisition expands ICM Stellar Sports’ pro athlete representation footprint in North America.
The move was announced today by ICM Partners Managing Director/ICM Stellar Sports Chairman Ted Chervin, ICM Stellar Sports Executive Chairman Jonathan Barnett and Select Sports Group Co-Heads and owners Erik Burkhardt and Jeff Nalley. The latter two will be Co-Presidents of the NFL representation division, which aims to boost clients’ off-the-field earning potential across all entertainment, marketing and branding platforms.
Per ICM Partners, Select Sports Group has represented more than 50 Super Bowl champions, 35 first-round NFL draft picks, 35 Pro Bowl players including multiple players in the 2020 game. Its high-profile player clients include Kyler Murray, Andy Dalton, Taysom Hill and Colin Kaepernick, along with Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury and Cleveland Browns Gm Andrew Berry.
Coming a month-plus ahead of the 2021 pro football season, the acquisition expands ICM Stellar Sports’ pro athlete representation footprint in North America.
- 7/27/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Reed Hastings, the co-ceo of Netflix, has shelled out a whopping $3 million to a fund opposed to the recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The contribution was reported to the California Secretary of State on Thursday afternoon, and is the largest single contribution to date to the Stop The Republican Recall. (Hat tip: Politico).
Hastings, a longtime donor to Democrats, actually contributed $7 million in 2018 to the California Charter Schools Association’s effort to elect former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in the year’s gubernatorial primary. But Villaraigosa lost to Newsom and Republican John Cox, who advanced to the general election.
Stop The Republican Recall includes other major funding from the California Democratic Party, Professional Engineers in California Government Pecg-pac and Stewart Resnick.
Newsom will likely have a huge war chest. He also has been raising directly for his 2022 campaign fund, with recent donors including JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath,...
The contribution was reported to the California Secretary of State on Thursday afternoon, and is the largest single contribution to date to the Stop The Republican Recall. (Hat tip: Politico).
Hastings, a longtime donor to Democrats, actually contributed $7 million in 2018 to the California Charter Schools Association’s effort to elect former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in the year’s gubernatorial primary. But Villaraigosa lost to Newsom and Republican John Cox, who advanced to the general election.
Stop The Republican Recall includes other major funding from the California Democratic Party, Professional Engineers in California Government Pecg-pac and Stewart Resnick.
Newsom will likely have a huge war chest. He also has been raising directly for his 2022 campaign fund, with recent donors including JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath,...
- 5/21/2021
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
A Los Angeles Times expose published on Wednesday alleges that women and people of color have been subjected to harassment and bullying at ICM Partners.
The story spoke to 30 former and current employees at the Hollywood agency.
A rep from ICM told the Los Angeles Times, “Hr does not have any records of such allegations.”
ICM Partners CEO Chris Silbermann had been a proponent of “50/50 by 2020,” a promise — which the agency says that it met — to achieve gender parity in leadership positions.
But according to the LA Times story, almost a dozen women have submitted allegations of mistreatment to human resources department by their male bosses since 2017.
Three of ICM’s board members — Lorrie Bartlett, Jennifer Joel and Janet Carol Norton — defended the agency, saying in a statement that to the LA Times that claims that the company’s promise for 50/50 parity “was an insincere marketing ploy is utterly irreconcilable...
The story spoke to 30 former and current employees at the Hollywood agency.
A rep from ICM told the Los Angeles Times, “Hr does not have any records of such allegations.”
ICM Partners CEO Chris Silbermann had been a proponent of “50/50 by 2020,” a promise — which the agency says that it met — to achieve gender parity in leadership positions.
But according to the LA Times story, almost a dozen women have submitted allegations of mistreatment to human resources department by their male bosses since 2017.
Three of ICM’s board members — Lorrie Bartlett, Jennifer Joel and Janet Carol Norton — defended the agency, saying in a statement that to the LA Times that claims that the company’s promise for 50/50 parity “was an insincere marketing ploy is utterly irreconcilable...
- 5/5/2021
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Updated, with details and statement from ICM Partners: A long-in-the-works exposé in the Los Angeles Times by reporter Wendy Lee is up on the paper’s website. The crux of the story is to question the agency’s commitment to diversity and whether a toxic male culture and discrimination continues, despite public pledges to the contrary.
According to the article, “more than 30 former and current ICM employees said in interviews that the company tolerated a hostile work environment, where women and people of color were subjected to harassment, bullying and other inappropriate conduct. Since 2017, nearly a dozen women reported allegations of mistreatment by male agents and managers company wide to ICM Partners’ human resources department or senior leaders, according to interviews with the women and those with direct knowledge of the incidents.”
The agency gave specific denials on most of the allegations made against numerous agents. Some of the...
According to the article, “more than 30 former and current ICM employees said in interviews that the company tolerated a hostile work environment, where women and people of color were subjected to harassment, bullying and other inappropriate conduct. Since 2017, nearly a dozen women reported allegations of mistreatment by male agents and managers company wide to ICM Partners’ human resources department or senior leaders, according to interviews with the women and those with direct knowledge of the incidents.”
The agency gave specific denials on most of the allegations made against numerous agents. Some of the...
- 5/5/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Organizers of the campaign to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom have cleared the threshold of the number of valid signatures needed to trigger a vote later this year, but it is not yet official.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office said on Monday that “the requisite number of valid signatures has been reported to our office to initiate the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom. However, county elections officials must continue to verify the validity of any remaining signatures and must report the final signature verification on April 29, 2021.” The number of valid signatures stands at 1,626,042, about 100,000 more than needed. Almost 1.5 million are needed to make the ballot.
The next step will be a 30 day period in which voters may request that county officials remove their names from recall petitions. If there are still enough valid signatures, it then goes to a cost estimate, and then a review and comment period before certification.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office said on Monday that “the requisite number of valid signatures has been reported to our office to initiate the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom. However, county elections officials must continue to verify the validity of any remaining signatures and must report the final signature verification on April 29, 2021.” The number of valid signatures stands at 1,626,042, about 100,000 more than needed. Almost 1.5 million are needed to make the ballot.
The next step will be a 30 day period in which voters may request that county officials remove their names from recall petitions. If there are still enough valid signatures, it then goes to a cost estimate, and then a review and comment period before certification.
- 4/26/2021
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
ICM Partners political specialist Travis Merriweather has been promoted to senior political strategist, the talent and literary agency announced today. Since Merriweather joined ICM Politics at the start of 2020, he has focused heavily on the issues of racial equality, voter mobilization and education, and political engagement for ICM’s clients and employees (partisan and non-partisan).
“Travis has had an enormous impact in executing our ambitious political vision and socially responsible vision and strategy at ICM, making himself an invaluable member of our team,” said Chris Silbermann, CEO of ICM Partners, in a statement. “His passion for creating, organizing, and executing effective engagements gives us the power to take meaningful action on the issues that are most important to our clients and our agency. As we all aspire to do more and be more together, Travis knows how to direct that energy to tangible effect and change. We could not be...
“Travis has had an enormous impact in executing our ambitious political vision and socially responsible vision and strategy at ICM, making himself an invaluable member of our team,” said Chris Silbermann, CEO of ICM Partners, in a statement. “His passion for creating, organizing, and executing effective engagements gives us the power to take meaningful action on the issues that are most important to our clients and our agency. As we all aspire to do more and be more together, Travis knows how to direct that energy to tangible effect and change. We could not be...
- 2/8/2021
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
Travis Merriweather, who was pivotal in ICM Partners’ push into racial equality issues, voter mobilization and its clients’ political engagement over the past year, has been promoted to Senior Political Strategist at the agency.
The news was revealed Monday by ICM Partners CEO Chris Silbermann and Head of Politics Hannah Linkenhoker.
During 2020, Merriweather facilitates several Get Out the Vote activations for national and local races including setting up conversations with Stacey Abrams, Khalid and Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative. In June, he organized a peaceful protest and march at the ICM Partners building in Century City, CA, to stand in solidary with the BLM movement.
“Travis has had an enormous impact in executing our ambitious political vision and socially responsible vision and strategy at ICM, making himself an invaluable member of our team,” Silbermann said. “His passion for creating, organizing, and executing effective engagements gives us the...
The news was revealed Monday by ICM Partners CEO Chris Silbermann and Head of Politics Hannah Linkenhoker.
During 2020, Merriweather facilitates several Get Out the Vote activations for national and local races including setting up conversations with Stacey Abrams, Khalid and Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative. In June, he organized a peaceful protest and march at the ICM Partners building in Century City, CA, to stand in solidary with the BLM movement.
“Travis has had an enormous impact in executing our ambitious political vision and socially responsible vision and strategy at ICM, making himself an invaluable member of our team,” Silbermann said. “His passion for creating, organizing, and executing effective engagements gives us the...
- 2/8/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
ICM Partners has promoted Travis Merriweather to senior political strategist, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. He will report directly to CEO Chris Silbermann and ICM Politics head Hannah Linkenhoker.
After joining the agency as a political specialist last January, Merriweather over the past year has dedicated much of his time to working on Get Out the Vote and on racial equality, including organizing a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest and march at ICM’s Century City headquarters in June. His efforts in voter education and mobilization include facilitating a conversation between Stacey Abrams and Atlanta-based hip hop duo EarthGang to kick off ...
After joining the agency as a political specialist last January, Merriweather over the past year has dedicated much of his time to working on Get Out the Vote and on racial equality, including organizing a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest and march at ICM’s Century City headquarters in June. His efforts in voter education and mobilization include facilitating a conversation between Stacey Abrams and Atlanta-based hip hop duo EarthGang to kick off ...
ICM Partners has promoted Travis Merriweather to senior political strategist, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. He will report directly to CEO Chris Silbermann and ICM Politics head Hannah Linkenhoker.
After joining the agency as a political specialist last January, Merriweather over the past year has dedicated much of his time to working on Get Out the Vote and on racial equality, including organizing a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest and march at ICM’s Century City headquarters in June. His efforts in voter education and mobilization include facilitating a conversation between Stacey Abrams and Atlanta-based hip hop duo EarthGang to kick off ...
After joining the agency as a political specialist last January, Merriweather over the past year has dedicated much of his time to working on Get Out the Vote and on racial equality, including organizing a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest and march at ICM’s Century City headquarters in June. His efforts in voter education and mobilization include facilitating a conversation between Stacey Abrams and Atlanta-based hip hop duo EarthGang to kick off ...
Exclusive: In its biggest TV lit signing to date, recently launched Range Media Partners has brought in as a client Damon Lindelof, who is coming off multiple Emmy wins for his HBO limited series Watchmen.
At the high-profile upstart management company, Lindelof will be represented by his former agent at CAA, Range’s architect, co-founder and CEO Peter Micelli.
“Pete Micelli took a leap of faith in signing me over two decades ago and it is my honor to return the favor by following him to Range,” Lindelof said. “I couldn’t be more excited by the unique culture he and his partners are building there and am looking immensely forward to being a part of the foundation.”
Lindelof is the first top showrunner to sign with Range, which quickly assembled a roster of A-list film and TV talent such as Bradley Cooper, Jerrod Carmichael, Emilia Clarke, Taron Egerton, Michael Fassbender,...
At the high-profile upstart management company, Lindelof will be represented by his former agent at CAA, Range’s architect, co-founder and CEO Peter Micelli.
“Pete Micelli took a leap of faith in signing me over two decades ago and it is my honor to return the favor by following him to Range,” Lindelof said. “I couldn’t be more excited by the unique culture he and his partners are building there and am looking immensely forward to being a part of the foundation.”
Lindelof is the first top showrunner to sign with Range, which quickly assembled a roster of A-list film and TV talent such as Bradley Cooper, Jerrod Carmichael, Emilia Clarke, Taron Egerton, Michael Fassbender,...
- 11/17/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
With less than two weeks to go, if there is one phrase that defines how Hollywood’s top Democrats are viewing the election it’s “cautious optimism.”
As in, don’t get too fooled again, don’t let anything to chance, certainly don’t make predictions. “I’d say I’ve got a cautious optimism going into these last few weeks, a good feeling, but no illusions about what the other side may do,” a top executive with long links to Hollywood political circles says.
The shadow of 2016 hangs over the final stretch, even as Democratic challenger Joe Biden maintains a larger lead and circumstances are different than they were back then. For one, as we head into tonight’s final debate between the candidates, Donald Trump is defending the past four years in office, particularly his Covid-19 response, the more than 220,000 Americans dead from the virus, and he has...
As in, don’t get too fooled again, don’t let anything to chance, certainly don’t make predictions. “I’d say I’ve got a cautious optimism going into these last few weeks, a good feeling, but no illusions about what the other side may do,” a top executive with long links to Hollywood political circles says.
The shadow of 2016 hangs over the final stretch, even as Democratic challenger Joe Biden maintains a larger lead and circumstances are different than they were back then. For one, as we head into tonight’s final debate between the candidates, Donald Trump is defending the past four years in office, particularly his Covid-19 response, the more than 220,000 Americans dead from the virus, and he has...
- 10/22/2020
- by Ted Johnson and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
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