Latest in WME

EXCLUSIVE: WME has signed comedian Ricky Velez in all areas. Velez has an upcoming one-hour comedy special titled Ricky Velez: Here’s Everything—executive produced by himself, Judd Apatow, and Pete Davidson—debuting on Oct. 23 via HBO. On the acting front, the Queens native starred in (and co-produced) the 2020 film, T…

WME said today that Mike Berkowitz and Allysa Mahler will spearhead the agency's comedy crossover group. Also on the team are Kathleen Lewis, a new hire from Anonymous Content, and Katie Marshall, who’s been promoted to agent.   Since joining WME in 2018, Berkowitz has led the agency's comedy touring group, and Mahler…

(Updated with more from Code Conference) "No," a blunt Ari Emanuel told the Code Conference on Tuesday when asked whether he would buy UTA now that CAA has acquired ICM Partners. "We don't need it," the Endeavor CEO told conference attendees at the Beverly Hilton, stressing that WME is still “the largest agency in the…

Endeavor on Tuesday said that it has hired 17 members in its first class of Impact Fellows, its fellowship program created to give young people from underrepresented backgrounds outside major entertainment markets a route to career opportunities in the sports, entertainment and fashion industries. The first class was…

Latin Grammy-winning singer and actor Daddy Yankee has signed with WME in all areas. Yankee, born Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, is credited as a founder of the reggaeton genre earning him the nickname “The King of Reggaeton.” He recently made history as the only Latin artist to log more than 1 billion Spotify streams on…

EXCLUSIVE: Christine Ko, who starred in Alan Yang’s Tigertail and currently plays Emma opposite Dave Burd on his FX comedy series Dave, has signed with WME to be represented in all areas. The news comes after Ko starred in Yang’s directorial debut feature film Tigertail, which bowed on Netflix last year. In July, she s…

WME Sports has hired veteran sports agents Jim Murray and Michael Stival as well as former LA Angels GM Billy Eppler to lead its baseball representation business as partners. Murray and Stival both join WME from Excel Sports Management. Eppler, until 2020, was general manager of the Los Angeles Angels. Eppler’s move…

EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Kenward, who spent eight years as an agent at WME, has joined digital brand Friday Beers as President and Chief Operating Officer. Kenward (left) will work closely with CEO Jack Barrett, Chief Creative Officer Max Barrett and Head of Production Alex Edge to expand the company's business, particularly…

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off the Venice Film Festival world premiere of his upcoming drama, 7 Prisoners, director Alexandre Moratto has been signed by WME. The Netflix title is in the Horizons Extra section here and will next screen at the Toronto International Film Festival. A protégé of filmmaker Ramin Bahrani, Moratto…

EXCLUSIVE: Gustin Nash, the screenwriter of Amazon Studios’ in-the-works movie Kate Warne, which has Emily Blunt attached to star in the story of the first female Pinkerton Detective, has signed with WME. The agency deal for the scribe comes after Deadline scooped earlier this month that Amazon acquired Nash’s pitch…

Avi Gandhi, a former WME agent and executive at Wheelhouse, has joined Patreon as head of creator partnerships. Reporting to Chief Revenue Officer Kerri Pollard, Gandhi will oversee and enlarge the creator partnerships team, working with creators to help them optimize their presence on Patreon. Like Substack and a…

EXCLUSIVE: WME plans to have everyone back in the Beverly Hills headquarters on Sept. 7. The agency has informed staff that after Labor Day, they would be required to be in the office five days a week, I have learned. Everyone also will have to be vaccinated as well as wear a mask in compliance with the Los Angeles…