"Like how I dodge the whole ATA issue?" UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer joked Wednesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference after the pitched battle between the WGA and the Association of Talent Agents over the lucrative practice of packaging was brought up. Lamenting that he was probably driving his communications staff…

UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer told his writer-clients Wednesday night that they won't be the only artists affected if the WGA gets its way and puts the agencies out of the packaging business. “These decisions impact a broad section of the TV ecosystem," he wrote on Tuesday in a message to the agency's writers. "Lots of people…

Less than a day before the Writers Guild of American and the Association of Talent Agents are set to have their first formal meeting in nearly a month, and two weeks before a big Code of Conduct vote that could see scribes exiting their agencies in droves, UTA’s Jeremy Zimmer has admitted to clients that “we aren’t…

UPDATE: Sources tell Deadline that UTA sold an equity stake in the 40% range, with the cash infusion in the vicinity of $200 million. Some of the majority of that money will be used to further diversify the agency, and that some of the money will be spread around to the dealmakers who’ve put the agency in this…

EXCLUSIVE: United Talent Agency has retained Moelis & Company to find an investor to acquire an equity stake in UTA as high as 40%, sources said. If a deal makes — it is not set in stone that UTA will close — the agency will primarily use the capital infusion to continue to aggressively broaden its businesses…

The Harvey Weinstein scandal has touched every part of Hollywood, to the point where the business seems to be discussing little else. The major talent agencies and studios haven’t spoken out, yet. But UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer sent an internal memo to staffers late yesterday, assessing the Weinstein situation, and the…

"I think the town is very relieved that we are all going to keep working,” CBS Corp chairman and CEO Les Moonves said today during an A-list panel at the Milken Global Conference, regarding the strike-averting deal made early Tuesday morning between the WGA and the studios. "A lot of us who have been around a while…

Dis-inter-media-what? The buzzword coming out of the Milken Global Conference this year is “disintermediation,” meaning that there is little need for a middle man anymore in an age when investors can cut out brokers, the media allows celebrities to engage their audiences one-on-one, content creators can go directly to…

UPDATE: UTA’s party cancellation has certainly pleased one client. Per the agency, Iranian helmer Asghar Farhadi, who in the wake of President Donald Trump’s travel ban said he won’t be coming to see if his film The Salesman wins the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, texted the agency his reaction from Tehran after…

Longtime UTA Corporate Communications head Chris Day will exit the agency at year’s end. The exit was announced today jointly by Day and UTA managing directors David Kramer, Jay Sures and CEO Jeremy Zimmer. This ends a 17-year run for Day; that is a long time in a major agency job known for burning people out in that…

Expanding UTA has signed a new long-term lease at Vornado Realty Trust's 888 Seventh Avenue and plans to build a new NYC headquarters, the talent and literary agency announced Wednesday. With the recent acquisitions of  The Agency Group, the world's largest independent music agency, and New York-based Bienstock, the…

This morning at UTA headquarters, LinkedIn brought its ongoing “Discussion Series” of panel chats featuring high achievers in various industries to Hollywood for the first time. Moderated by LinkedIn Executive Editor Dan Roth, the panel with UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and Fox Co-chairman Stacey Snider was a lively talk…