News

Exclusive: Veteran CAA television agent Ted Miller is leaving to start a global management business. He just shared the news with his colleagues. Details about his new company will be unveiled at a later date.

The exit ends a 35-year agenting career at CAA for Miller, who started in the mailroom in 1988 before becoming an assistant to agency co-founder Michael Ovitz and getting promoted to agent in 1989.

For decades, there had been a handful of TV lit-driven management companies. Over the last several years, their number more than doubled as a slew of top TV agents launched new management firms. Miller is one of the biggest names yet to make the switch.

During his tenure at CAA, he has represented top TV showrunners, producers and directors and has held a string of TV leadership positions, most recently as Head of Global Television. He also was instrumental in putting together such series as Black Mirror,...

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...

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,...

Exclusive: Anthony E. Zuiker, the creator of the hugely successful CSI TV franchise, has signed with boutique management firm Literate.

This marks a rare new addition to Zuiker’s close-knit representation team, nicknamed affectionately by the writer-producer “Team Zuiker,” who has been shaping his career and brand for more than two decades.

It follows the January death of Zuiker’s beloved manager of over 25 years, Margaret Riley, most recently of Lighthouse Entertainment, who passed away from cancer at the age of 58.

In a moving tribute for Deadline at the time, Zuiker recalled how Riley signed Zuiker on his 30th birthday, 8/17/1998, when he was still trying to break into Hollywood. Helping him land early writing gigs that led to CSI, Riley also took Zuiker to the talent agencies, with him landing at CAA with Joe Cohen, and introduced him to entertainment lawyer Kevin Yorn. Both are still members of “Team Zuiker,...

There are few talent-representative partnerships in Hollywood that have lasted a career. CSI creator Anthony Zuiker had that with manager Margaret Riley, most recently a partner at Lighthouse Entertainment, who died Tuesday of ovarian cancer at age 58.

In 1998, Zuiker was working as a tram driver in his native Las Vegas while trying unsuccessfully to make it as a screenwriter with a movie script he had written, The Runner. Producer Jim Garavente slipped it to Riley, who had recently been promoted from assistant to manager at management/production company Addis Wechsler, and she signed Zuiker on his 30th birthday, 8/17/1998.

Riley then took Zuiker to all Hollywood agencies. He ended up at CAA (where he still is a client) with Joe Cohen and Scott Greenberg. Riley also introduced him to Kevin Yorn, who repped him for free for an year until he got his footing.

“I was living at the Hollywood Towers starving,...

Creative Artists Agency announced on Wednesday that it has promoted a group of 16 to Agent or Executive. The promotees are Gabrielle Fetters, Megan Glendinning, Justin Gorkowitz, Evan Greenberg, Leilani Houston, Alex Hubert, Hannah Kaiser, Ashley King, Kyle Margolis, Peppa Mignone, Max Miller, Khalil Roberts, Sarah Phillips, Cami Potter, Jack Upton, and Connie Yan.

Fetters and Mignone have been promoted to Agent, and Roberts to Executive within the agency’s Books department. Glendinning, Greenberg, Hubert, and King have been upped to Agent in Music Touring, with Gorkowitz to serve as an Agent in Comedy Touring. TV agents Kaiser, Margolis and Potter will respectively be working in Scripted, News and Talent, with Upton to serve as an Agent in the Talent department. Miller is now an Agent in Motion Picture Talent, with Yan as an Agent in MP Lit. Houston was upped to Agent in Commercial Endorsements, with Phillips to serve as an Executive in CAA Search,...

Alarmed by the Israel-Hamas war and a rising tide of hate directed at Jews, prominent entertainment industry creatives and executives have formed a nonprofit organization devoted to combatting antisemitism.

The Entertainment Alliance to Fight Antisemitism has come together in the past few weeks following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel and the shocking rise in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. Nearly 2,000 members of the creative community have signed a pledge that condemns discrimination and affirms Israel’s right to exist.

“Just as we have bonded together to fight other forms of hatred and bigotry, we stand united in our pledge to fight antisemitism wherever it appears. We have seen what happens when unbridled Jew-hatred goes unchecked. We pledge to not let that happen on our watch,” the pledge reads in part.

Among the members and organizers of the Eafa are showrunners Howard Gordon and Hank Steinberg and director Kimberly Peirce.

A new documentary about Richard Williams, the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams, has sold into major markets.

“On the Line: The Richard Williams Story,” which had its U.K. premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest in June, has been sold into Sky (U.K. and Italy), Canal+ (France), Mnet (South Africa), Paramount+ (Australia) and Tvnz (New Zealand).

The film paints a complex portrait of the life, career and impact of Williams — the family patriarch and tennis coach to Venus and Serena Williams, who was also portrayed by Will Smith in the 2022 movie “King Richard.”

In the documentary, Williams provides rare home video footage and candid interviews to detail the family’s unprecedented gate-crashing in the 1990s of a predominately white, upper-class sport. Newly discovered archival footage from the courts in Compton and a roster of interview subjects including Billie Jean King and Pam Shriver, retrace the Williams sisters...

Fremantle has unveiled a trailer for documentary feature “On the Line: The Richard Williams Story,” which will have its U.K. premiere at Sheffield DocFest.

In the film, which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Festival, the father of Venus Williams and Serena Williams retraces his family’s meteoric journey in his own words. Featuring never-before-seen archive material and new, in-depth, intimate interviews, the film tells the story of one man’s fight against racism, suppression and violence to raise two of the greatest tennis champions in history.

Richard Williams takes the audience from his childhood in poverty-stricken Shreveport, Louisiana, where he was raised by his cotton-picking mother, to the tennis courts of Compton. As the film charts the Williams’ ascent to the tennis world stage, Richard provides insights into family life and also shines a light on unconscious bias and repression of Black people.

Stuart McClave, director and producer of the film,...

Warner Bros. is keeping their most prolific TV producer of the last decade in the fold. Greg Berlanti has closed a massive new four-year exclusive overall deal for his Berlanti Productions to remain at the studio for its television operations into the year 2027.

No financial terms are being disclosed but sources indicate that the pact is structured differently than Berlanti’s most recent blockbuster overall deal with Warner Bros. TV Group whose value had been estimated to be more than 300 million and as much as 400 million over six years. That agreement involved the studio buying out Berlanti’s backend on his shows, while the new deal is more of a joint venture with a big potential upside for Berlanti, sources said.

In success, based on the number of series the new deal yields and their profitability, it could be the biggest TV deal ever for Warner Bros. It marks the...

Greg Berlanti believes in the traditional studio model so much so that it’s the focal point of his new overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.

The prolific producer, who holds the record for the most scripted originals on the air or in the works at the same time, signed a new, four-year overall deal with his longtime home at Wbtv that will see him rewarded in step with the studio. The new agreement — which begins in 2024 after his current pact expires — will see Berlanti and the studio be compensated for the success of the shows he delivers rather than his record output.

Berlanti is currently in the last two years of the four-year extension he signed with Wbtv back in June 2018. Under that 400 million deal, Warners bought out the back-end on Berlanti’s DC Comics shows that were produced for The CW (Arrow, The Flash, etc.) as the WME-negotiated...

In one of the biggest TV showrunner agency moves in years, CAA has signed Greg Berlanti for representation in all areas.

A WGA, DGA, PGA and Emmy nominated writer, director, and producer, Berlanti is known for his loyalty; he has only changed agencies once, in the early 2000s, when he left ICM for Endeavor (now WME), where he has been for almost two decades, represented by Ari Greenburg.

The move comes amid sweeping changes at Berlanti’s longtime TV home, Warner Brothers. With his blockbuster overall deal coming up, Berlanti is bringing a new team, led by CAA heavyweights Bryan Lourd and Joe Cohen, to plot his next move.

Following the Discovery merger, there have been executive shakeups and restructurings across all divisions of Warner Bros., including the TV studio, HBO Max and DC...

Exclusive: Following the critical acclaim of his Netflix comedy Bad Trip, director Kitao Sakurai has set his sights on his next major studio pic, being set to helm 72 Hours for Sony Pictures. John Davis is producing through his Davis Entertainment banner along with Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald through their Counterbalance Entertainment. Davis Entertainment’s John Fox and Jeremy Stein are executive producing.

While the plot is being kept under wraps, top-tier talent already is lining up, given the heat behind Bad Trip and Cobra Kai. Hurwitz and Schlossberg wrote the original screenplay for 72 Hours, with rewrites by Nicholas Thomas.

Sakurai has been a rising star in directing circles and gained support from his peers after directing and executive producing The Eric Andre Show for Adult Swim. Following that success, Andre and Sakurai teamed up on Netflix’s top comedy Bad Trip, directed and co-written by Sakurai and starring Andre.

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) announced that five trainees in the television division have been promoted to agent: Allie Cohen and David Romero in scripted television, Alixandra Haley in alternative television and Rachel Mathias and Lubna Salad in International Television.

The new agents were participants in CAA Elevate, a training and practical development curriculum with an emphasis on entrepreneurialism, inclusion, curiosity, collaboration and growth that CAA launched in Feb. 2021.

“I am thrilled about these five promotions,” said Joe Cohen, CAA board member and head of scripted television. “Allie, David, Alix, Rachel and Lubna are exceptional individuals. They are all incredibly intelligent, creative, resourceful, collaborative and globally minded. We couldn’t be prouder to promote them today, and look forward to their continued contributions to the agency and our clients.”

Cohen joined CAA in 2017 as a mailroom clerk and joined the television division in 2018, first working for agents Joel Begleiter and Andrew Miller.

Creative Artists Agency has promoted Allie Cohen, David Romero, Alixandra Haley, Rachel Mathias and Lubna Salad to agents within its Television division.

Within the agency’s television department Cohen and Romero will work in scripted, Haley in alternative, and Mathias and Salad in international.

“I am thrilled about these five promotions,” said Joe Cohen, CAA Board Member and Head of Scripted Television. “Allie, David, Alix, Rachel and Lubna are exceptional individuals. They are all incredibly intelligent, creative, resourceful, collaborative, and globally minded. We couldn’t be prouder to promote them today, and look forward to their continued contributions to the agency and our clients.”

Cohen started her CAA journey in 2017 as a mailroom clerk, and made her way into the agency’s Television division in 2018, working for agents Joel Begleiter and Andrew Miller. She was named Scripted Television Coordinator in 2020.

Romero started his career as an assistant at The Shuman Co.

The success of HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” couldn’t have come at a better time for Wiip, the boutique production company behind Kate Winslet’s limited series. The murder mystery was nominated for 16 Emmys this year, earning raves for its unique storytelling and performances — and also for its twisty, satisfying ending.

“Mare” has become a nice calling card for Wiip, which former ABC Entertainment chief Paul Lee launched with the backing of CAA in 2018. “It is a landmark moment,” Lee says. “The genre is something that’s been done for a long time but never with that level of sophistication and with an ending that surprised and then surprised and then surprised again.”

The young company found success early with Apple TV Plus’ “Dickinson,” a sly, contemporary take on a period piece starring Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson, and was also behind Quibi’s “Dummy,” a short-form series starring...

“We never do this.”

That phrase was repeated often in conversations with a dozen top leaders at CAA during the reporting of this week’s Variety cover story.

It’s true. No show business entity understands the value of myth-building more than the talent agency, which exists to broker power from within luxurious fortresses. None of the majors enjoys this image more than CAA, whose Century City headquarters is nicknamed “the Death Star,” based on the planet-destroying space station of “Star Wars.”

In lowering its bridges for a frank, on-the-record conversation about the state of the industry and the agency’s future, CAA’s top lieutenants subsequently revealed what it’s like to work there. Our biggest takeaway? Life inside CAA can be shockingly, refreshingly human.

Here’s a few things we gleaned from conversations with insiders.

They’re friends.

Thanks to portrayals in movies like “Swimming With Sharks” and HBO’s “Entourage,...

What makes CAA tick? How do top agents see the dealmaking environment? How deep are the wounds from the WGA battle? What has it meant to have private equity in the house for the past decade?

Nine senior CAA agents and executives and the co-ceo of parent company Tpg opened up to Variety on these questions and more. Here are highlights from those conversations.

On CAA’s competitive advantage:

Maha Dakhil (co-head of international film group and co-head of motion picture talent): I did not think I could possibly fit in by all that I had read about (agencies). I did not see myself as a natural fit, but what’s true is that this is not a monolithic place. The communication and the way we share information make people on the outside feel that we’re all so connected, and that we’re of the same mind — but we are truly a rambunctious,...

Praveen Pandian has been promoted to head of CAA’s television literary department. He previously served as an agent in the TV department.

“Praveen is an exceptional agent with a tremendous work ethic and great taste,” said Joe Cohen, CAA board member and head of scripted television. “He is a shining example of what we stand for at CAA, and I am thrilled to have him serve in this important leadership role.”

Having joined CAA in 2012, Pandian has had a chance to work with some of the agency’s most profile producers and directors and their production banners, including Jason Bateman’s Aggregate, Simon Kinberg’s Genre, Robert Kirkman’s Skybound, Marc Webb’s Black Lamb, Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T Street, Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa, James Wan’s Atomic Monster, and Joe and Anthony Russo’s Agbo.

Also Read: CAA to Keep LA, New York and Nashville...

CAA announced Tuesday that Praveen Pandian has been promoted to head up the agency’s TV literary department.

“Praveen is an exceptional agent with a tremendous work ethic and great taste,” said Joe Cohen, CAA Board Member and Head of Scripted Television. “He is a shining example of what we stand for at CAA, and I am thrilled to have him serve in this important leadership role.”

Pandian first joined CAA in 2012 and was promoted to agent in 2015. His clients include non-writing producers like Joe and Anthony Russo’s Agbo, Jason Bateman’s Aggregate, Simon Kinberg’s Genre, Robert Kirkman’s Skybound, Marc Webb’s Black Lamb, Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T Street, Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa, and James Wan’s Atomic Monster.

He also represents several high-profile directors, including Lucy Tcherniak, Alexander Payne, Jonathan Entwistle, Yorgos Lanthimos, The Duffer Brothers, Cory Finley, Jd Dillard, Leigh Whannell, Zack Snyder,...

Creative Artists Agency today announced the promotion of Praveen Pandian to Head of Television Literary department.

“Praveen is an exceptional agent with a tremendous work ethic and great taste,” said Joe Cohen, CAA Board Member and Head of Scripted Television. “He is a shining example of what we stand for at CAA, and I am thrilled to have him serve in this important leadership role.”

Pandian joined CAA from the Walt Disney Company in 2012, and since then has worked with many of the agency’s top producers and directors to create opportunities for their stories around the globe. He works on behalf of such non-writing producers as Jason Bateman’s Aggregate, Simon Kinberg’s Genre, Robert Kirkman’s Skybound, Marc Webb’s Black Lamb, Rian Johnson & Ram Bergman’s T Street, Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa, James Wan’s Atomic Monster, and Joe & Anthony Russo’s Agbo.

He also represents such directors as Lucy Tcherniak,...

CAA has a new head of TV lit.

Praveen Pandian has been promoted to head of the agency's television literary department, reporting to head of scripted TV and CAA board member Joe Cohen.

He fills a long vacant role at CAA, which has not had anyone in that position since Cohen took over as head of the TV department years ago. Cohen, in January, was named to CAA's first-ever board. With Cohen taking on a larger leadership role, he now is helping to promote key staffers into positions that better support the agency.

Pandian will work alongside Jaime ...

Veteran agent Dana Sims is joining Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in the Motion Picture Talent department effective July 1, the agency announced on Thursday.

Previously, Sims spent 11 years at ICM. She will be based in the Los Angeles office of CAA.

Sims brings clients to CAA that include Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Pearl Thusi, Alyssa Goss, and Dean Jagger. Others will be announced soon.

Also Read: CAA Board Adds Sports Agent Lisa Joseph Metelus

Earlier this month, CAA appointed Lisa Joseph Metelus to its board, the agency’s new leadership structure, formed in January underscoring the company’s continued growth and next-generation strategy.

Others on the board include Risa Gertner, Michael Levine, Emma Banks, Joe Cohen, Maha Dakhil, Paul Danforth, Michelle Kydd Lee, Joel Lubin, Sonya Rosenfeld, Rick Roskin, and Tiffany Ward, who collectively oversee the day-to-day management of the agency.

Read original story Veteran Agent Dana Sims Joins CAA in Motion...

During a time where people of color — specifically Black people — and members of marginalized communities are being treated with injustice, CAA is looking to push the needle with new efforts that aim to foster the agency’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

CAA has taken action and appointed Lisa Joseph Metelus to the CAA Board, the agency’s new leadership structure, formed in January and underscoring the company’s continued growth and next-generation strategy. CAA employees worldwide will also participate in “Blackout Tuesday” on June 2 which marks a day of reflection, disconnecting from work, to provoke accountability, change, and meaningful action. Finally, the agency is set to host its fourth annual Amplify conference, convening diverse leading artists and executives from the most impactful organizations in entertainment, sports, media, brands, technology, and social justice to accelerate the growth, value, and visibility of diversity in business.

“The events over the past couple...

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has hired Ryan Tracey as an agent in the television department, Variety has learned exclusively.

Tracey comes to CAA from UTA, where he had most recently served as head of TV Production. He has represented an numerous television producers during his career, including Aida Rodgers, Kathy Ciric, Anna Dokoza, Ellen Kuras, Mark Winemaker, Joe Incaprera, Paul Garnes, Patrick Markey, Jill Footlick, Julie Herrin, and Sarah Caplan. Tracey began his career in the mailroom at UTA in 2003. He served a brief stint at Paramount Vantage, before returning to UTA in 2008.

In his new role, he will be based out of CAA’s Los Angeles office.

News of the hire comes a day after CAA announced that the agency is establishing a board to manage its daily operations. The CAA Board will consist of eleven members: Risa Gertner, Michael Levine, Emma Banks, Joe Cohen, Maha Dakhil, Paul Danforth,...

Creative Artists Agency will replace its management structure with a new 11-member group called the CAA Board, it announced on Tuesday. The CAA Board will oversee the day-to-day management of the global talent agency.

The board’s members consist of leadership members in multiple CAA divisions, all of whom will continue in their previous roles while serving on the board. The members are Michael Levine and Paul Danforth from CAA Sports, Maha Dakhil and Joel Lubin from the Motion Pictures division, Emma Banks and Rick Roskin from the Music division, Joe Cohen and Tiffany Ward from the Television division, and the agency’s Chief Innovation Officer Michelle Kydd Lee.

Also Read: CAA's Eric Wattenberg Joins Wheelhouse Entertainment as Chief Content Officer

The board will report to CAA co-chairmen Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane and oversee several ventures including CAA Sports, CAA China, and the agency’s investment bank Evolution Media Capital.

CAA said Tuesday that it has created a new management structure for the agency by creating the CAA Board, an 11-member group that will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the agency.

The new board is comprised of Risa Gertner, Michael Levine, Emma Banks, Joe Cohen, Maha Dakhil, Paul Danforth, Michelle Kydd Lee, Joel Lubin, Sonya Rosenfeld, Rick Roskin and Tiffany Ward. All will continue with their existing leadership roles at the agency across its many divisions.

Levine and Danforth hail from CAA Sports; Gertner, Dakhil and Joel Lubin from the Motion Pictures division; Banks and Roskin from Music; and Rosenfeld, Cohen and Ward from TV. Lee is CAA’s chief innovation officer.

Previously, a group of agents and executives oversaw the agency. Some remain on the new board, which will report to CAA co-chairmen Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane. All three have long-term deals, which gives the new structure stability.

CAA has established a new internal board, the CAA Board, which will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the agency and is meant to guide its growth and new strategy. 

The board will be comprised of representatives from across the agency's divisions, including sports, music, motion pictures, television, brand consulting, and diversity and inclusion. The CAA Board was chosen based on a diversity of department and geographic locations.

The members, who will continue to serve in their existing leadership positions within the agency, are Risa Gertner, Michael Levine, Emma Banks, Joe Cohen, Maha Dakhil, Paul Danforth, Michelle ...

CAA has established a new internal board, the CAA Board, which will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the agency and is meant to guide its growth and new strategy. 

The board will be comprised of representatives from across the agency's divisions, including sports, music, motion pictures, television, brand consulting, and diversity and inclusion. The CAA Board was chosen based on a diversity of department and geographic locations.

The members, who will continue to serve in their existing leadership positions within the agency, are Risa Gertner, Michael Levine, Emma Banks, Joe Cohen, Maha Dakhil, Paul Danforth, Michelle ...

CAA has promoted Jaime Feld and Ben Dey to co-heads of its TV talent department.

The appointment comes a shortly after Michael Katcher, who led the department for the past 17 years, moved over to FX as its executive vice president of casting. In his new role, Katcher will have oversight of all casting and talent strategy for FX Networks and FX Productions. He will report to Balian and Grad, as well as Sharon Klein, who was recently named executive vice president, casting, Disney Television Studios and FX Entertainment.

“Jaime and Ben are exceptional people and tremendous representatives, who both possess a strong work ethic and extraordinary taste,” said Joe Cohen, head of scripted television at CAA. “We are thrilled to elevate them into this well-deserved leadership position.”

Also Read: FX Hires CAA TV Agent Michael Katcher as Head of Casting

In their new roles, Feld and Dey will lead a...

Jaime Feld and Ben Dey have been elevated to Co-Heads of CAA’s Television Talent department. Based in the agency’s Los Angeles office, they will lead a team of more than a dozen agents. The duo succeeds former TV Talent topper Michael Katcher who left CAA to head casting for FX.

Both Feld and Dey are CAA veterans. Feld began her career at the agency in 2002 as an assistant to CAA Managing Partner Kevin Huvane, before being promoted to agent in 2010. Dey joined CAA in 2004, and also worked for Huvane, in addition to Katcher, prior to being promoted to agent in 2008.

Feld and Dey’s list of clients include Riz Ahmed, Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Raul Castillo, RuPaul, Toni Collette, Lily Collins, Miley Cyrus, Jane Fonda, Eiza Gonzalez, Jonathan Groff, Tommy Lee Jones, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Ellis, Melissa Leo, Jonathan Majors, Demi Moore, Leslie Odom Jr., Al Pacino,...

CAA has elevated Jaime Feld and Ben Dey to co-heads of the agency’s television talent department.

The news comes after it was announced earlier on Wednesday that longtime CAA TV talent head Michael Katcher would exit the agency to lead casting at FX Entertainment.

“Jaime and Ben are exceptional people and tremendous representatives, who both possess a strong work ethic and extraordinary taste,” said Joe Cohen, head of scripted television at CAA. “We are thrilled to elevate them into this well-deserved leadership position.”

Feld first joined CAA in 2002 as an assistant, working for managing partner Kevin Huvane. She was promoted to agent in 2010. Dey joined CAA in 2004, also working for Huvane as well as Katcher before being promoted to agent in 2008. Their client lists include entertainment luminaries like Toni Collette, Al Pacino, Tommy Lee Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., RuPaul, and Riz Ahmed.

Outspoken playwright and TV writer Jon Robin Baitz has become the first WGA member to openly challenge the guild’s directive that members fire their talent agents.

Baitz penned a letter to WGA leaders explaining his refusal to sever ties with his representatives at CAA, praising Bryan Lourd, Joe Cohen and others for sticking by him during bad times including after the 2007-2008 strike. He credited Cohen with guiding him into the lucrative career as a TV writer and series creator.

“He believed I could do it, could have my own show, could make compelling and viable TV. He never stopped believing in me and because of that, I never gave up. And I love him,” Baitz wrote.

Baitz, known for ABC’s “Brothers and Sisters” and numerous plays, also slams the WGA for what he describes as excessive rhetoric that WGA has used in communicating with its members on...

Exclusive: All day we’ve been hearing of the misgivings numerous writers are having over the recent brass knuckle negotiations on packaging and affiliated production companies that led the WGA to demand that its members fire their agents. Some writers with close ties to their longtime reps want everyone WGA and Ata back at the bargaining table, with less rancor and a mindset to find a solution. Jon Robin Baitz, the playwright/screenwriter/TV producer — who just signed on to adapt the Jo Piazza novel Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win as a series for Julia Roberts to star in and produce with Baitz and wiip — has become the first major WGA member writer to publicly declare to his union that he will not fire his agents. Baitz is the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright who created the ABC series Brothers & Sisters and the NBC miniseries The Slap.

He has...

U.K.-based management firm the James Grant Group has been majority-acquired by private equity firm Trilantic Europe and rebranded as Ym&U. Trilantic becomes the majority shareholder in Ym&U in the wake of the deal, with the remainder held by management and employees. Music Business Worldwide estimated the purchase price at more than $100 million; reps for the companies did not immediately comment.

Jgg absorbed L.A.-based music agency Deckstar in 2017 and its clients include Blink-182, Steve Aoki, Morrissey, Rancid, Bush and 311; earlier this month, Ym&U acquired UK-based Machine Management, home to Clean Bandit, Years & Years and Mika.

Troika became part of Jgg last year. It represents actors including Michael Fassbender, Jamie Dornan, as well as Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden, both of whom are fresh off the success of “Bodyguard,”

Sports clients include Spurs soccer player Harry Winks, and Burnley manager Sean Dyche.

The agency’s various divisions,...

Differing views over release strategy believed to be cause.

Molly Smith’s Black Label Media has switched North American distributor on its upcoming Soldado and Granite Mountain from Lionsgate to Sony.

It is believed Lionsgate retains the bulk of international sales rights on the projects, which are both in post.

Screen understands the change stems from differing views over release strategy, however neither studio confirmed this.

Soldado is the sequel to crime thriller Sicario (pictured). Stefano Sollima directs the second in a potential trilogy that sees Benicio Del Toro and Brolin reprise their roles.

Joseph Kosinski directs Granite Mountain, which tells the true story of an elite crew of firefighters who battle to save their hometown from a wildfire.

Brolin also stars in this project alongside Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Taylor Kitsch and Jennifer Connelly.

Neither film was dated at time of writing. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions executives acquired both titles after Steve Bersch and Michael Helfand negotiated...

Directed by Joe Cohen – a British documentary producer and director – the upcoming feature-length documentary “The Boy from Mushin” tells the story of Bisi Alimi, who risked his life when he came out as gay, live on Nigerian television, during a live 2004… Continue Reading →...

Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress — at the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.

In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.

The Boy from Mushin

Logline: “The Boy from Mushin” tells the story of Bisi Alimi, who risked his life when he came out as gay live on Nigerian television.

Elevator Pitch:

“The Boy From Mushin” is a feature length documentary that follows Bisi Alimi, who was raised in one of Nigeria’s poorest slums. He fled persecution to become one of the most influential African Lgbt and Human Rights activists. Bisi risked his life when he came out as gay live on national television. After enduring three years of violent attacks, he fled to London. The film charts Bisi’s journey...

Greek ship-owner Paris Kasidokostas-Latsis has set up Luxembourg-based Hercules Film Fund, which plans to bring European investors to Hollywood to finance three to five wide release films a year.

Terry Dougas’ production company Rhea Films will be the producing vehicle for films financed by Hercules, the first being Doug Liman’s Mena starring Tom Cruise, which Chris Woodrow’s Vendian Entertainment co-finances.

Kasidokostas-Latsis (pictured at right), Dougas (pictured at left) and Jean-Luc De Fanti will serve as executive producers on the Imagine, Quadrant Pictures and Cross Creek Pictures production, which commenced production in Atlanta today.

Film finance veteran Joe Cohen served as an advisor to the creation of the fund and Sky Moore served as legal counsel.

Hercules and Rhea Films will operate independently from 1821 Media, the production and finance company previously established by the partners.

1821 Media’s slate includes William Wheeler’s Untitled Kyriakides Project for Disney and Mayhem Pictures and The Odyssey for Warner...

This year’s Blood List has named the 13 best genre scripts around town, and in its sixth year the annual screenplay contest is expanding its scope to include hot books, TV pilots, and young scribes ripe for signing. Taking top honors in 2014 is sci-fi thriller Bird Box from The Thing and Final Destination 5 scribe Eric Heisserer, an apocalyptic tale of a woman trying to lead her children to safety – all three blindfolded – after monsters descend on earth that turn people insane on sight. Universal set Heisserer to adapt the manuscript from Josh Malerman in 2013 for Mama helmer Andy Muschietti. Previous Blood List alumni include Black Swan, Stoker, Warm Bodies, and the upcoming Blumhouse thriller The Boy Next Door.

Like the Black List naming the top unproduced screenplays circulating around Hollywood, the genre-focused Blood List taps exec votes to determine each year’s best unmade horror, sci-fi, and thriller scripts.

Exclusive: Execs at the home of Sleepy Hollow, Glee and The Mindy Project had a message today for showrunners and agents: Diversity is the new ka-ching. “Not only are you going to have more chances of a show being made here, more chances of a show being a success on TV, more chances of making it into syndication, more chances of a show selling globally and making you millions of dollars, but you are going to bring more viewers to our air and keep us in business,” Fox Broadcasting COO Joe Earley told a group of the company’s brass, as well as agents, producers, and media coalitions. Usual good intentions aside, that good-for-business mantra was the primary thrust of the third annual invite-only confab, called “Seizing Opportunities” this year. Related: GLAAD Report: Fox Most Inclusive; History, TBS Get Failing Grade And the Zanuck Theater on the Fox lot certainly...

Is it the best of times or the toughest of times in the television business? Perhaps a bit of both, if one takes to heart the message of the panelists at a session of the UCLA Entertainment Symposium, an annual event for entertainment lawyers. To be sure, most of the panel’s comments were positive, even rosy. It’s “the golden age of television,” said Joe Cohen, co-head of CAA’s television department and a 25 year vet of the agency. “There’s so much opportunity.” “We’re bullish” on television, said Dan Limerick, executive VP, business affairs, at Warner Bros. Television,

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"Not to be preachy about it, but discipline is everything for a working writer, at least for this one. I can’t just wander around fields of flowers or sit brooding in coffee houses waiting for the muse to land on my shoulder and whisper in my ear. That would nice, but it ain’t gonna happen. I treat writing like a factory job – the whistle blows and I’m at work. This thing always comes down to someone sitting down with some kind of writing instrument and getting it done," author and screenwriter Don Winslow told us recently. And he's not kidding around. That focus and drive has allowed Winslow to write 16 books over the past two decades or so, including "Satori" (hitting bookstores in paperback last week) and his upcoming "Savages" prequel "The Kings Of Cool." And this doesn't even include the television work or the brewing movie adaptations he has in development.

Nurse Jackie, starring Edie Falco (The Sopranos) as the complicated, sweet-and-sour title character, has been a surprise hit for Showtime. With its strong female characters and gay-inclusive storylines — one of the lead characters, Mo-Mo (Haaz Slieman), is gay and the show recently featured a lesbian couple played by Swoosie Kurtz and Blythe Danner — the drama has become a favorite with Lgbt viewers as well.

A big part of Nurse Jackie’s progressive recipe for success are its co-creators and co-show runners, Linda Wallem and Liz Brixius &#8212 who also just happen to be out lesbians.

Linda Wallem and Liz Brixius

We spoke to both of them about writing gay storylines, where Nurse Jackie is headed in its second season, and how they’ve fared as out lesbians in entertainment.

AfterEllen.com: Congratulations on the success of Nurse Jackie. Only two days after its premiere episode, it was picked up for a second season!

Fans who bought tickets to Michael Jackson's comeback shows in London will be offered a full refund after the singer's tragic death on Thursday, according to ticket agencies in the British capital.

Jackson passed away suddenly after suffering a fatal heart attack at his home in Holmby Hills, California - leaving fans across the world reeling from the shocking news.

The star, who was due to begin his run of concerts, his first live shows in eight years, on 13 July, reportedly passed a series of rigorous health checks before the massive 50-date run was booked.

Fans who bought their tickets directly through an official seller have been assured they will receive full refunds.

Bosses at ticket exchange business Seatwave.com have announced any tickets bought through their website will be given their money back.

A statement from company chief executive Joe Cohen reads, "We are all saddened by the news of Michael Jackson's death. All customers who purchased tickets for his O2 shows from Seatwave are covered by our TicketCover guarantee and will get a full refund."

Tickets for the London shows sold out at record speed with nearly 40,000 fans snapping up seats every hour, and supporters from as far away as America and Australia booking trips to the U.K.

A fresh batch of tickets for the 50 shows went on sale on Monday just three days before the star's tragic demise.

An official announcement about refunds for Jackson's This Is It concerts is expected later on Friday.

Michael Jackson's summer residency at the O2 arena has been tipped to ease the economic crisis. According to ticket website Seatwave, Jacko's 50-date tour could bring in £1 billion for the economy. Chief executive of Seatwave Joe Cohen told BBC 6Music: "There's gonna be somewhere near on a billion pounds worth of economic activity brought to London through hotels, restaurants, (more)...