United Talent Agency

Gold House released its annual A100 list, which highlights the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific leaders in culture and society over the past year and includes 11 UTA clients representing a range of industries and creative disciplines. Jon M. Chu is awarded the A1 Honor for Entertainment and Media for his visually stunning blockbusters like “Crazy Rich Asians” and the Oscar-winning “Wicked.” “SNL” cast member and actor Bowen Yang, “Moana 2” co-directors David Derrick Jr. and Dana Ledoux Miller, Tony-nominated actor Daniel Dae Kim, “Squid Game” standout Lee Byung-hun, Grammy-winning Afrobeats artist Tyla, activist and producer Malala Yousafzai, and businesswoman and philanthropist Shirley Wang are also among this year’s honorees for their cultural impact on entertainment, media, technology, and commerce. Filmmaker James Sweeney (whose “Twinless” won this year’s Sundance’s US Dramatic Audience Award winner), Climate Cardinals (the world’s largest youth-led climate nonprofit), and Phia Founder Sophia Kianni are in the New Gold category, recognizing emerging leaders who are redefining the canon of the Asian Pacific community.  This year’s A100 Selection Committee judges included fellow UTA clients Apolo Anton Ohno and Cynthia Erivo.

At POSSIBLE in Miami, UTA Next Gen, a specialized consulting practice of Entertainment Marketing, curated three sessions about Gen Z marketing and how brands can authentically and effectively connect with young consumers. Two of those sessions were part of POSSIBLE’s #RisingTalentAcademy (a Gen Z-focused track) and led by UTA’s Ziad Ahmed, including one about the evolution of entertainment in marketing. Amazon’s Amy Powell, Adobe’s Lexie Riegelhaupt, and NowThis’ Michael Vito Valentino discussed how their companies are leaning into content creation, integration, and a mix of channels to attract Gen Z fans and shape culture in real time. As Ahmed summed up, “[Brands] are integrating into what has traditionally been thought of as entertainment to create a new form of entertainment marketing — and it speaks to where the industry is moving.” Here are three takeaways from their conversation: 📲 Moving Beyond the Ad Pod “We’re inserting the brand into content so we can reach consumers outside of the ad pod, and creating entertainment-first content that organically weaves our brand values into short-form, episodic content that's distributed mostly via social,” said Amazon’s Amy Powell, noting how Amazon’s online series "Celebrity Substitute" has become a viral hit. 🎨 Making Content that Inspires Creativity “We have creators who are willing to participate, and we have technology that's enabling us to create all sorts of different content. The biggest thing we're figuring out at Adobe is, What do people want to hear from us? What do they want to hear from others? For us, it’s asking, How can we open up the world of creativity to our audiences so people can see the amazing work that's being done with our products?” said Adobe’s Lexie Riegelhaupt, referencing Adobe Express’ collaboration with Benny Blanco, "Create Anything," which is focused on helping small businesses. ⚡ From Integration to Elevation “You want to build community. If you really want to create a fandom—that's what we're going for here—you want to create new fans, because fans will follow you anywhere. When working with brand partners, we make sure it's not only integration; it's about elevation. When you're integrating a brand partner into a show, it shouldn't take away from the show itself. It has to elevate it. It has to make it more of a spectacle. How do you make it more exciting?” said NowThis’ Michael Vito Valentino, pointing to the success of NowThis’ online series "Are You Okay?" #entertainmentmarketing #genzmarketing #futureofmarketing #possibleconference

U.K.-based UTA Creators Agents Shelby Schenkman and Beth Heard led panels at #CreateLondon2025 about the trends related to what audiences are watching, where new communities are forming, and what channels are winning out. Check out these "scribbles" capturing the big ideas from the day.

Luxury fashion content creator Becca Bloom has signed with UTA for representation in all areas. Bloom has firmly established herself as a standout voice on TikTok by showcasing luxury fashion hauls, documenting breath-taking getaways, and sharing behind-the-scenes content ahead of her highly anticipated wedding with her more than two million followers. https://lnkd.in/dqWCeJPV

We congratulate Music Brand Partnerships Agent Emily Fletcher Wright, as well as our client, producer Callie Khouri, on being named to Variety’s 2025 Nashville Power of Women Impact Report! Wright’s roster includes country star Megan Moroney, Latin artists Rauw Alejandro and Carin León, rapper-singer Saweetie, and more. Of note, she secured for Moroney the energy drink Alani Nu’s first-ever partnership in the country music space. Speaking on her ability to build partnerships across genres, she says, “The country and música Mexicana styles have so much in common, but I was really proud to connect the dots.” Khouri is an Oscar-winning writer, producer, and director best known for writing “Thelma and Louise” and creating the TV series “Nashville.” Having permanently moved to Nashville from Los Angeles, she’s passionate about ensuring the city gets it due in film and television. Her upcoming projects include an adaptation of the Fannie Flagg novel “The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion” and a musical based on “Thelma and Louise.” See full list at the link below.  https://lnkd.in/gE56yruQ

At the POSSIBLE Conference in #Miami — a three-day event focused on the future of marketing, media, and technology — we joined MediaLink to host an opening night dinner at The Blue Room at Carbone. The evening sparked bold conversations between talent, brand leaders, entertainment execs, and advertisers about the future of our industries and what will define innovation in the year ahead. 📽️ Speaking to Ad Age ahead of POSSIBLE, UTA Entertainment Marketing Co-Head Julian Jacobs shared that “driving cultural resonance” is a top priority for brands, fueling their push into filmed entertainment, music, and the creator economy. 💡 MediaLink Principal Jonah Minton summed up the challenge many marketers are looking to tackle at POSSIBLE: “We know it works, we’re spending a lot of money, but how do we make it work better for us?” The dinner's executive hosts included UTA's Entertainment Marketing Co-Heads David Anderson and Jacobs, Head of Music Brand Strategy & Partnerships #ToniWallace, and UTA Next Gen's Ziad Ahmed and Shaina Zafar; along with MediaLink's Minton, Managing Directors Christopher Vollmer and Mark Wagman, and EVP Ross Siegel. Read more about this year's trends and topics via Ad Age, and stay tuned for insights from our executives speaking at the conference: https://lnkd.in/eja7RUKp #possibleconference #futureofmarketing #entertainmentmarketing

Jessie J has signed with UTA for representation in North America. Over her two-decade career, the Grammy-nominated British singer-songwriter has become a globally recognized artist who seamlessly fuses pop, R&B, and soul. Last week, she made her long-awaited return to music with her first single in four years, “No Secrets,” which she says “sets the tone” for her upcoming sixth album. 📷: Ashley Osborn

This weekend, at our 8th annual Celebration of America’s Journalists party in D.C., leading journalists came together with politicians, news commentators, actors, TV personalities, and media executives to toast the free press. Held at Osteria Mozza DC on the eve of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the event proved once again why it’s the hottest ticket of the weekend. Special thanks to our DJ Deleasa and event partners Diageo and Peroni for keeping the night flowing. UTA’s Vice Chairman #JaySures; Co-Heads of News #RyanHayden and Marc Paskin Paskin; Co-Head of Sports Media Jerry Silbowitz; Head of UTA Speakers David Evenchick; and Chief of Social Impact Rene Jones were among the UTA executives in attendance. #WHCD #futureofnews #journalism

Ahead of the #WHCD — and UTA's annual Celebration of America’s Journalists pre-party — our Vice Chairman Jay Sures and Co-Heads of News Marc Paskin, and #RyanHayden sat down with The Hollywood Reporter's Alex Weprin for a candid conversation on the evolving news landscape — from journalist-entrepreneurs to the market's growth areas to the role proprietary data is playing in helping clients maximize reach and distribution. Below, we rounded up three big takeaways; read the full Q&A here: https://lnkd.in/e756nSCH ➡️ On the Appetite For Trusted Journalists “We’re bullish on the business. It will transform, it has transformed over a period of time. But given the state of the world, given the state of the global economy, given all of the things that are going on geopolitically, the news is almost more important than ever before. Name brand talent, experienced talent who are real journalists, I believe, will be here to stay, and I think they’re going to thrive in the future.” —Jay Sures ➡️ On Convergence in News “We represent YouTubers who reach millions and millions of viewers every single month. It’s a massive megaphone and comes with a tremendous responsibility that they take very seriously …So we are seeing this convergence, and I think what we are hopeful for is that all of this stuff can play together. It doesn’t have to be an either/or. It can be a 'both/and,' actually. And I think we’re in the early stages of seeing that convergence happen." —Marc Paskin ➡️ On Identifying New Opportunities for Clients “It’s sitting down with the client and really strategizing to figure out what makes sense for the type of journalism they’re doing, and what their personality is, and trying to figure out, are we going to focus on the written word? Are we going to focus on front-of-the-camera? Is there going to be audio? Is that a combination of audio or visual? And so each client is totally different, but when we sit down, we try to tailor the strategy and the representation to their strengths, and that’s what we focus on.” —Ryan Hayden #futureofnews #journalism #mediatransformation

We co-sign.