The Best and Brightest
Hollywood’s talent agencies have been diversifying, but it’s still the traditional businesses that bring in the lion’s share of profits and define stature. Nothing is more at the core of the content business than the representation of actors, writers and directors. Variety’s rankings are based on a mix of factors: influential clients, leadership within firms and recent notable successes, as well as input from industry insiders. We focused on prominent agents working in five specific areas: talent, film and TV lit, music/touring and sports.
Talent Agents – #1-20
Film Lit –#1-10
TV Lit –#1-10
Touring – #1-5
Sports – #1-5
Emerging Leaders– #1-5
(Note: Rankings exclude the top layer of management at the major agencies.)
1. Joel Lubin, Jack Whigham (CAA)
Talent
Co-heads of motion picture talent
The duo oversee the town’s starriest talent department. Lubin has guided Jeremy Renner’s rise, and reps Jason Clarke, Zac Efron and Taylor Kitsch, among others. Whigham’s track record includes discoveries such as Andrew Garfield and Danny McBride, as well as revving the careers of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hardy.
2. Adam Venit (WME)
Talent
Partner, Head of Motion Pictures
A respected biz vet, he steers WME’s film operations and handles a range of marquee stars including Adam Sandler, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sylvester Stallone, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin James, Eddie Murphy and signed Vince Vaughn after the actor left CAA.
3. Hylda Queally (CAA)
Talent
Agent
Her long list of impressive leading ladies includes Jessica Chastain, Marion Cotillard, Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet and Rose Byrne, plus fast-rising actor Matthias Schoenaerts.
4. Jim Toth (CAA)
Talent
Agent
He guided Matthew McConaughey through the career turnaround that led him to an Oscar last year for “Dallas Buyers Club.” Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. are among his other heavy hitters.
5. Tracey Jacobs (UTA)
Talent
Board member
One of the highest-ranking women in the agency biz, she steers the careers of Johnny Depp, Kristen Wiig, Al Pacino and Gwyneth Paltrow along with hyphenates including Simon Pegg and Mike White, and director Greg Mottola.
6. Esther Chang (not pictured), Brad Slater (WME)
Talent
Partners, co-heads of talent
Chang and Slater manage the growing talent department. Chang’s list has buzzy younger actors including Theo James, Elisabeth Moss and Emma Watson, as well as Eric Bana. Slater, pictured, has been instrumental in Dwayne Johnson’s ascent, and has been on the team helping athletes like LeBron James and Ronda Rousey break into film.
7. Jason Heyman (UTA)
Talent
Partner
He caused a big stir with his return to the agency after a decade at CAA, bringing with him such stars as Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms.
8. Chris Andrews (CAA)
Talent
Agent
His glossy list includes Emily Blunt, Daniel Craig, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Jon Hamm and Saoirse Ronan.
9. Billy Lazarus (UTA)
Talent
Partner
Hot Brit thesps Benedict Cumberbatch and Lily James are part of his stable, as are Kate Mara, Eva Green, Paul Giamatti, Katherine Waterston and Scott Eastwood.
10. Sharon Jackson (WME)
Talent
Partner
She’s got the touch with comedy stars, including Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Jack Black, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel and Fred Armisen.
11. Eddy Yablans (ICM)
Talent
Partner
He’s been a leader in the agency’s transition, and the point person for all things Ellen DeGeneres, not to mention Chris Rock, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Mae Whitman, Ray Romano and Gabriel Macht.
12. Warren Zavala (WME)
Talent
Partner
He’s known for tireless efforts on behalf of rising stars including Lizzy Caplan, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano and Felicity Jones. He’s also helped Joseph Gordon-Levitt branch out into directing.
13. Michelle Bohan (WME)
Talent
Partner
She’s got a record of guiding career transformations such as Steve Carell’s move into drama. Tina Fey, Amy Adams, Julianna Margulies and Maggie Gyllenhaal are on her roster.
14. Toni Howard (ICM)
Talent
Partner
Coming off a big year with Michael Keaton’s “Birdman” triumph, Howard has always-working thesps including Samuel L. Jackson, James Spader, Michael Sheen, Laura Linney, Bobby Cannavale, Tim Robbins, Nathan Lane, Topher Grace and Christopher Walken.
15. Shani Rosenzweig (UTA)
Talent
Partner
She runs the day-to-day operations of the agency’s talent wing, in addition to repping busy actors including Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jack Huston, Susan Sarandon, Jai Courtney and Natalie Dormer.
16. Theresa Peters (UTA)
Talent
Partner
She fanned the flames for “Fifty Shades of Grey” star Jamie Dornan, plus Aaron Paul, James McAvoy and Sam Heughan, among others.
17. Lorrie Bartlett, Adam Schweitzer (ICM)
Talent
Partners
The pair oversee the agency’s talent department. Bartlett’s list includes Zoe Saldana, Linda Cardellini, Anna Gunn, Josh Duhamel and Regina King. New York-based Schweitzer has Christoph Waltz, Christina Hendricks, Katie Holmes, Rebecca Ferguson, Taye Diggs and Kristin Chenoweth.
18. Leslie Siebert (Gersh)
Talent
Senior managing partner
She’s a leader of the agency, and key rep for Kyle Chandler, Jeffrey Tambor, Allison Janney, Angela Bassett and Calista Flockhart, among others.
19. Michael Katcher (CAA)
Talent
Agent
He’s emerged as a leader on the TV talent side with a growing list of in-demand players including Ben McKenzie, Kiernan Shipka, David Boreanaz, Alan Cumming, Viola Davis, Nathan Fillion, Mamie Gummer and Terrence Howard.
20. Scott Metzger (Paradigm)
Talent
Head of New York talent
He’s revved up the agency’s East Coast operation with clients including Ezra Miller and Zoe Kravitz.
1. Todd Feldman, Risa Gertner (CAA)
Film Lit
Co-heads of motion picture lit
The pair rep some of the busiest directors in town: Feldman’s roster includes Zack Snyder, Doug Liman, Todd Phillips, Matt Reeves and David Ayer. Gertner’s has Simon Kinberg, Tony Gilroy, J.C. Chandor, Bennett Miller, Ron Howard, Paul Haggis and Danny Strong.
2. Dan Aloni (WME)
Film Lit
Partner
Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, Michel Gondry, Gavin O’Connor, Jay Roach and Jim Carrey are just a few of his list’s
marquee names.
3. Beth Swofford (CAA)
Film Lit
Agent
She’s known for having good taste — and prestige players. This year, clients Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Richard Link-later went head to head for best director and picture at the Oscars, for “Birdman” and “Boyhood,” respectively.
4. David Kramer (UTA)
Film Lit
Managing director, head of motion picture lit
He’s part of the triumvirate that runs the agency, in addition to repping heavy hitters including Judd Apatow, Brad Bird, Will Gluck and Jodie Foster.
5. Danny Greenberg (not pictured), Phil Raskind (WME)
Film Lit
Partners, co-heads of motion
picture lit
Greenberg and Raskind, pictured, manage the film lit department, and individually rep a slew of directors and writers.
6. Rich Klubeck (UTA)
Film Lit
Partner
He guides the directing ambitions of high-profile hyphenates such as Angelina Jolie and Jon Stewart, as well as highly regarded indie mavens like the Coen brothers and Wes Anderson.
7. John Burnham, Bart Walker (ICM)
Film Lit
Partners
Burnham and Walker account for most of the agency’s top directors. Burnham’s list includes Woody Allen, Barry Levinson, Stephen Fears, John Singleton, David Mamet and Peter Weir. Walker’s includes Lisa Cholodenko, Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee, Liz Garbus and Jim Jarmusch.
8. Craig Gering (CAA)
Film Lit
Agent
His clutch of helmers includes Darren Aronofsky, Dustin Lance Black, Lee Daniels, Roland Emmerich, David Gordon Green, Todd Haynes, Michael Mann, Alexander Payne, Sam Raimi and Derek Cianfrance.
9. Robert Newman (WME)
Film Lit
Partner
The highly regarded biz vet has an eclectic group of directors that includes Guillermo del Toro, Danny Boyle, Baz Luhrmann and Robert Rodriguez.
10. Ramses IsHak, Michael Sheresky (UTA)
Film Lit
Partners
IsHak and Sheresky, who work as a team, vaulted Will Packer into the ranks of uber-producers (movies “Ride Along” and “Think Like a Man” and multiple TV shows). They connected Norwegian filmmakers Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg to “Pirates of the Caribbean 5.”
1. Rick Rosen (WME)
TV Lit
Partner, head of TV
The leader of the agency world’s most prosperous television department is known for strategic thinking and diplomatic skills. He reps a diverse list of heavyweights including Dick Wolf, Conan O’Brien, Howard Gordon and Tim Kring, and has been instrumental in the rapid rise of Israel’s Keshet Media Group as a global TV player.
2. Ari Greenburg, Richard Weitz (WME)
TV Lit
Partners, co-heads of scripted TV
For sheer packaging volume, the department steered by this pair can’t be beat. Recent scores include assembling Fox comedies for John Stamos and Rob Lowe, Greg Berlanti’s “Supergirl,” “Blindspot” and “D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow.”
3. Joe Cohen (CAA)
TV Lit
Co-head of TV
Even rivals acknowledge the heft of his roster that includes Ryan Murphy, Jason Katims, J.J. Abrams, Terence Winter, Michelle Ashford, Peter Gould and David E. Kelley.
4. Jay Sures (UTA)
TV Lit
Managing director
He added one of TV’s biggest free agents, Chuck Lorre, to his roster this year. He’s part of the trio that runs the agency, and he oversees the N.S. Bienstock unit.
5. Matt Rice (UTA)
TV Lit
Board member, head of scripted TV
His stature as a leader at the agency has grown in recent years, along with his list of showrunners, which includes Michael Schur, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
6. Ted Chervin (ICM)
TV Lit
Partner
He’s the leader in TV and a force throughout the agency, with longtime showrunner clients that include Bill Lawrence, John Eisendrath, Aaron Korsh and Chip Johannessen.
7. Paul Haas (WME)
TV Lit
Partner
He handles a long list of top drama players in addition to George R.R. Martin, Denis Leary’s Apostle shingle and Greg Daniels, among others.
8. Adam Berkowitz, Sonya Rosenfeld (CAA)
TV Lit
Co-heads of TV
The pair, with Cohen, steer the agency’s television department in addition to each repping a varied list of showrunners, directors and producers.
9. Dan Erlij, Larry Salz (UTA)
TV Lit
Partners
The two have strong lists of established players, and excel in finding and grooming writers for showrunner posts, a la “Jane the Virgin’s” Jennie Snyder Urman and “Transparent’s” Jill Soloway.
10. Debbee Klein (Paradigm)
TV Lit
Head of TV
She’s the driving force behind the agency’s TV activity. Recent scores include helping to assemble Netflix’s Ashton Kutcher comedy “The Ranch” for client Don Reo.
1. Marc Geiger/ Rob Beckham, Greg Oswald (WME)
Touring
Head of music; co-heads of
WME Nashville
Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, John Legend and EDM franchises are among the big-bucks touring clients in Geiger’s wing. Beckham and Oswald have rapidly grown the Nashville business to include Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church and Florida Georgia Line.
2. Mitch Rose, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin (CAA)
Touring
Heads of contemporary music
Repping mega talent from Katy Perry and One Direction to Eric Clapton, along with a growing EDM Roster, the trio oversee the agency’s entire North American music department.
3. Chip Hooper, Marty Diamond (Paradigm)
Touring
Worldwide head of music; head of East Coast music
The respected concert biz vets handle a mix of rising stars (Ed Sheeran, Sara Bareilles) and tried-and-true road warriors (Dave Matthews Band, Aerosmith, Coldplay).
4. Mike Berkowitz (APA)
Touring
Partner, board member, head
of comedy
He’s the go-to guy for setting tours for hot comedians including Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari and Jerrod Carmichael.
5. Steve Levine, Rob Prinz (ICM)
Touring
Partners, co-heads of worldwide concerts
The pair are responsible for booking the touring biz for Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Celine Dion, Chris Rock, David Spade and Bob Saget, among others.
1. Ioris Francini (WME/IMG)
Sports
President, IMG Media
London-based rainmaker oversees one of IMG’s top units, handling rights for everything from the Olympics (for European broadcast) to Wimbledon, NASCAR races and golf’s British Open.
2. Howard Nuchow, Michael Levine (CAA Sports)
Sports
Co-heads
The agency is the dominant athletes’ rep, with $5.6 billion in contracts negotiated in the four major U.S. pro sports, and an estimated $206 million in commissions since 2006, per Forbes.
3. Mark Ervin (WME/IMG)
Sports
Senior VP, IMG
He’s helped his roster of clients set endorsem*nt pacts with such brands as Speedo (swimmer Missy Franklin), Wheaties (motocross star Ryan Dungey) and Visa (surfer Kolohe Andino).
4. Paul Danforth (CAA Sports)
Sports
Head of Global Sales
Sports Business Journal calls this unit the best in property consulting, spearheading naming-rights for Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden, the latter deal with JPMorgan Chase worth at least $30 million a year.
5. Eugene Parker, Ben Dogra (Relativity Sports)
Sports
Co-chief executives, Football Division
The seven-year-old agency notched more first round draft choices (six) than any other rep house in the recent NFL draft, including three of the top seven picks.
Kevin Crotty (ICM)
Emerging Leader
Partner
His stature in TV lit has grown, along with a list that includes “Blacklist” creator Jon Bokenkamp, Jason Winer, Matthew Carnahan, and has helped guide the Duplass brothers move into TV.
Ben Dey (CAA)
Emerging Leader
Agent
He’s made a mark in TV talent in brokering big series deals for Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman, Tom Mison, Tom Ellis and Grace Gummer, among others.
Adam Kanter (Paradigm)
Emerging Leader
Agent
Since joining 18 months ago, he’s greatly expanded the agency’s director roster with such signings as Peter Segal, Luke Greenfield, Steve Carr, Rob Minkoff, Walt Becker, Malcolm Lee, Joe Johnston and Carl Franklin.
Jim Osborne (APA)
Emerging Leader
Partner
Upped to partner in June, he’s the longtime rep for Gary Oldman and such thesps as Lucas Till, Isabel Lucas, Shay Mitchell, Kim Basinger, Heather Locklear and Jennifer Beals.
Adam Weinstein (Verve)
Emerging Leader
Agent
He reps Colin Trevorrow, the director of the summer’s biggest movie, “Jurassic World,” and has earned a reputation for hard work and hustle.
