Exclusive: Amid allegations of financial impropriety and corporate skullduggery, the collapse of the relationship between UTA and MediaLink founder Michael Kassan now sees the parties battling it out with competing legal actions and lots of finger pointing – even by Hollywood standards.
Having resigned on March 6 from the agency that bought his strategic company just over two years ago, Kassan took UTA to court first at the start of business Tuesday with a $25 million action demanding arbitration. The filing in LA Superior Court this morning from NYC-based attorney Sanford Michelman on Kassan’s behalf not only names UTA as a defendant, but also points the finger of responsibility directly at UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer, who is named as a defendant too.
“This case is a result of Kassan resigning from MediaLink due to Zimmer’s breach of contract and repeated broken promises, and Kassan electing to waive his nearly $10,000,000 severance payment...
Having resigned on March 6 from the agency that bought his strategic company just over two years ago, Kassan took UTA to court first at the start of business Tuesday with a $25 million action demanding arbitration. The filing in LA Superior Court this morning from NYC-based attorney Sanford Michelman on Kassan’s behalf not only names UTA as a defendant, but also points the finger of responsibility directly at UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer, who is named as a defendant too.
“This case is a result of Kassan resigning from MediaLink due to Zimmer’s breach of contract and repeated broken promises, and Kassan electing to waive his nearly $10,000,000 severance payment...
- 3/13/2024
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
United Talent Agency has been accused of breach of contract and fraud in relation to its 2021 acquisition of the consultancy firm MediaLink.
MediaLink founder and UTA partner Michael Kassan, whose exit from the company nearly a week ago has not yet been reported, claims that UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and two other top executives engaged in bad faith in the absorption and management of his company, according to documents filed with mediation service Jams which Variety reviewed. This led Kassan to resign last week, the filing says. Through a spokesperson, UTA said it had fired Kassan for cause following an “an exhaustive third-party investigation into misappropriation of company funds.” The agency filed a lawsuit against Kassan, accusing him of misappropriating company funds as well as other claims.
MediaLink is a prominent but not easily defined agency that sits at the intersection of tech, entertainment and media. They’re known for...
MediaLink founder and UTA partner Michael Kassan, whose exit from the company nearly a week ago has not yet been reported, claims that UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and two other top executives engaged in bad faith in the absorption and management of his company, according to documents filed with mediation service Jams which Variety reviewed. This led Kassan to resign last week, the filing says. Through a spokesperson, UTA said it had fired Kassan for cause following an “an exhaustive third-party investigation into misappropriation of company funds.” The agency filed a lawsuit against Kassan, accusing him of misappropriating company funds as well as other claims.
MediaLink is a prominent but not easily defined agency that sits at the intersection of tech, entertainment and media. They’re known for...
- 3/13/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
UTA is expanding its marketing division, acquiring Juv Consulting, a company that specializes in connecting brands with Gen Z and youth culture.
Juv Consulting and its more than a dozen employees will join UTA’s Entertainment Marketing division, reporting to co-heads David Anderson and Julian Jacobs from offices in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Juv’s clients include Google, Unilever, Converse, E.L.F. Beauty, Lionsgate. UTA, meanwhile, has been pushing further into the marketing and consulting sectors ever since it acquired MediaLink for $125 million in 2021.
Jacobs, who was named to lead UTA’s New York office last year, is among the executives leading the charge into the advertising sector.
“Ziad Ahmed and the Juv team have become the clear leader in helping brands understand and engage with Gen Z and youth culture,” Jacobs says. “We are thrilled to have their unique expertise now part of UTA,...
Juv Consulting and its more than a dozen employees will join UTA’s Entertainment Marketing division, reporting to co-heads David Anderson and Julian Jacobs from offices in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Juv’s clients include Google, Unilever, Converse, E.L.F. Beauty, Lionsgate. UTA, meanwhile, has been pushing further into the marketing and consulting sectors ever since it acquired MediaLink for $125 million in 2021.
Jacobs, who was named to lead UTA’s New York office last year, is among the executives leading the charge into the advertising sector.
“Ziad Ahmed and the Juv team have become the clear leader in helping brands understand and engage with Gen Z and youth culture,” Jacobs says. “We are thrilled to have their unique expertise now part of UTA,...
- 3/1/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Media and entertainment veteran Kim Williams is to be appointed the next chairperson of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Australian federal prime minister Anthony Albanese’s office announced on Wednesday.
Williams takes over from the departing Ita Buttrose and will have a five-year mandate. He joins at a moment when the ABC is enduring a moment of editorial turbulence. The public broadcaster has recently been criticized for its coverage of the war in Palestine.
On Monday, union members passed a vote of no confidence in the ABC’s MD David Anderson “for failing to defend the integrity of the ABC and its staff from outside attacks.” The ABC’s Buttrose-headed board hit back on Tuesday with a unanimous vote of confidence in Anderson.
“Williams has extensive experience across the screen, music, sports and media industries, and has made eminent and substantial contributions to the cultural life of the nation. He...
Williams takes over from the departing Ita Buttrose and will have a five-year mandate. He joins at a moment when the ABC is enduring a moment of editorial turbulence. The public broadcaster has recently been criticized for its coverage of the war in Palestine.
On Monday, union members passed a vote of no confidence in the ABC’s MD David Anderson “for failing to defend the integrity of the ABC and its staff from outside attacks.” The ABC’s Buttrose-headed board hit back on Tuesday with a unanimous vote of confidence in Anderson.
“Williams has extensive experience across the screen, music, sports and media industries, and has made eminent and substantial contributions to the cultural life of the nation. He...
- 1/24/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Lauren Probyn Aouad has joined UTA as a marketing executive, marking the company’s first senior hire in its newly opened Atlanta division.
As an executive, Aouad will be responsible for growing the division’s presence within the community and developing new partnerships with brands at the intersection of entertainment and advertising. She will report to Julian Jacobs and David Anderson, UTA partners and co-heads of the entertainment and culture Marketing division. She will work closely with Steve Cohen, partner and co-head of UTA’s Atlanta office.
“We’re excited to welcome Lauren to our team,” said Anderson, “Our group has expanded substantially over the past few years, both domestically and globally, and we look forward to having her help us grow the business.”
Prior to UTA, Aouad served as VP of growth marketing at Fan Controlled Sports + Entertainment, where she spearheaded brand marketing, public relations and digital media strategy.
As an executive, Aouad will be responsible for growing the division’s presence within the community and developing new partnerships with brands at the intersection of entertainment and advertising. She will report to Julian Jacobs and David Anderson, UTA partners and co-heads of the entertainment and culture Marketing division. She will work closely with Steve Cohen, partner and co-head of UTA’s Atlanta office.
“We’re excited to welcome Lauren to our team,” said Anderson, “Our group has expanded substantially over the past few years, both domestically and globally, and we look forward to having her help us grow the business.”
Prior to UTA, Aouad served as VP of growth marketing at Fan Controlled Sports + Entertainment, where she spearheaded brand marketing, public relations and digital media strategy.
- 3/30/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Shamier Anderson is known for going to inordinate lengths to prepare for his movie roles, from embedding himself in street gangs to sleeping in the desert.
“My preparation process is always rooted in anxiety and not wanting to f**k it up,” the Scarborough-born actor tells Et Canada. “It’s like studying for an exam, you know what I mean?”
For his new family drama “Bruiser”, he did everything he could to get into the mindset of his character Malcolm, a car-salesman stepdad caught in a complicated relationship with his 14-year-old son Darious, played by Jalyn Hall, and his biological father Porter, played by Trevante Rhodes.
Read More: The Next Generation Of Black Canadian Talent Celebrated At The First-Ever Legacy Awards
“I went to a car dealership every day and sold cars as Malcolm, as a car salesman,” Anderson shares. “I shaved my head bald because stress [causes] hair loss. I...
“My preparation process is always rooted in anxiety and not wanting to f**k it up,” the Scarborough-born actor tells Et Canada. “It’s like studying for an exam, you know what I mean?”
For his new family drama “Bruiser”, he did everything he could to get into the mindset of his character Malcolm, a car-salesman stepdad caught in a complicated relationship with his 14-year-old son Darious, played by Jalyn Hall, and his biological father Porter, played by Trevante Rhodes.
Read More: The Next Generation Of Black Canadian Talent Celebrated At The First-Ever Legacy Awards
“I went to a car dealership every day and sold cars as Malcolm, as a car salesman,” Anderson shares. “I shaved my head bald because stress [causes] hair loss. I...
- 2/24/2023
- by Alex Nino Gheciu
- ET Canada
Kelsey Grammer as Chuck Smith in Jesus Revolution. Photo Credit: Dan Anderson In the based-on-a-true-story film Jesus Revolution, Joel Courtney plays a youth minister who is mentored by a pastor during the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and ’70s. The pastor is played by Kelsey Grammer, an actor who Courtney has long admired, and he talked to us about what it was like to work with one of his heroes.(Click on the media bar below to hear Joel Courtney) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Joel_Coutney_Kely_Grammer_Jesues_.mp3 Jesus Revolution is now playing in theaters.
The post Working With Kelsey Grammer Was A Dream Come True For Joel Courtney appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post Working With Kelsey Grammer Was A Dream Come True For Joel Courtney appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 2/24/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Joel Courtney as Greg Laurie and Anna Grace Barlow as Cathe in Jesus Revolution. Photo Credit: Dan Anderson The Jesus movement, which started on the West Coast in the late ’60s, was the movement that birthed the term “Jesus freaks.” Now, there’s a movie — based on the book co-written by one of the movement’s eventual leaders, Pastor Greg Laurie — about its rise throughout the ’70s. Joel Courtney plays Laurie in the film, and he talked to us about why the movement gained so much traction back in those days. (Click on the media bar below to hear Joel Courtney) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Joel_Courtney_Jesus_movie_.mp3 Jesus Revolution opens in theaters on Friday.
The post New Film Recalls The Rise Of The ‘Jesus Revolution’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post New Film Recalls The Rise Of The ‘Jesus Revolution’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 2/20/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
ABC staff have voted overwhelmingly to reject the proposed deferral of a 2 per cent pay rise which was was agreed on in last year’s three-year Enterprise Agreement.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher wrote to ABC MD David Anderson in May asking ABC employees to accept the same six months wage rise pause imposed on the Australian Public Service in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
In an email to staff earlier this month, ABC chair Ita Buttrose said the board had decided to ask staff to vote on whether to accept the deferral, which would have delivered a one-off benefit of $5 million but would not help the broadcaster achieve the annual savings requirement of $41 million by fiscal 2022.
As she pointed out, the ABC Act guarantees the independence of the Corporation and the sole responsibility for setting the pay and conditions for staff rests with the ABC Board.
The Act also requires...
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher wrote to ABC MD David Anderson in May asking ABC employees to accept the same six months wage rise pause imposed on the Australian Public Service in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
In an email to staff earlier this month, ABC chair Ita Buttrose said the board had decided to ask staff to vote on whether to accept the deferral, which would have delivered a one-off benefit of $5 million but would not help the broadcaster achieve the annual savings requirement of $41 million by fiscal 2022.
As she pointed out, the ABC Act guarantees the independence of the Corporation and the sole responsibility for setting the pay and conditions for staff rests with the ABC Board.
The Act also requires...
- 9/30/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Ita Buttrose.
ABC staff will vote next week on whether or not to accept the Federal Government’s request to defer for six months a 2 per cent pay rise that is due to come into effect on October 1.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher wrote to ABC MD David Anderson in May proposing that ABC employees accept the same wage rise pause imposed on the Australian Public Service in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
In an email to staff, ABC chair Ita Buttrose said the board has been considering this request and after exploring many options decided to ask ABC staff to vote on whether to accept the deferral.
“The decision is yours,” she said, noting a deferral would deliver a one-off benefit of $5 million but would not help the broadcaster achieve the annual savings requirement of $41 million by fiscal 2022.
“It will enable us, however, to make a significant investment in two...
ABC staff will vote next week on whether or not to accept the Federal Government’s request to defer for six months a 2 per cent pay rise that is due to come into effect on October 1.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher wrote to ABC MD David Anderson in May proposing that ABC employees accept the same wage rise pause imposed on the Australian Public Service in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
In an email to staff, ABC chair Ita Buttrose said the board has been considering this request and after exploring many options decided to ask ABC staff to vote on whether to accept the deferral.
“The decision is yours,” she said, noting a deferral would deliver a one-off benefit of $5 million but would not help the broadcaster achieve the annual savings requirement of $41 million by fiscal 2022.
“It will enable us, however, to make a significant investment in two...
- 9/17/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Libbie Doherty.
The ABC has confirmed Libbie Doherty as head of children’s production after she served as acting head of children’s content for the past year.
She stepped up following the promotion of Michael Carrington to acting director of entertainment and specialist.
In the new position she will commission more than 350 hours of content annually across the ABC’s two children’s TV channels, which reach up to 94 per cent of Australians aged under 15.
She will oversee in-house development and production across ABC Kids, ABC Me, ABC Kids listen and on children’s digital products and third-party platforms and take the lead on commissioning external producers.
That’s the first major appointment since David Anderson was confirmed as the MD, suggesting there will be a high degree of continuity at the broadcaster.
Since joining ABC children’s as commissioning editor in 2015, she has been influential in the creation...
The ABC has confirmed Libbie Doherty as head of children’s production after she served as acting head of children’s content for the past year.
She stepped up following the promotion of Michael Carrington to acting director of entertainment and specialist.
In the new position she will commission more than 350 hours of content annually across the ABC’s two children’s TV channels, which reach up to 94 per cent of Australians aged under 15.
She will oversee in-house development and production across ABC Kids, ABC Me, ABC Kids listen and on children’s digital products and third-party platforms and take the lead on commissioning external producers.
That’s the first major appointment since David Anderson was confirmed as the MD, suggesting there will be a high degree of continuity at the broadcaster.
Since joining ABC children’s as commissioning editor in 2015, she has been influential in the creation...
- 6/4/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths lead the cast of ‘Black B*tch’.
Leading the ABC’s drama slate in 2019 is Blackfella Films’ Black B*tch, starring Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths, with the broadcaster reconfirming its commitment to Australian stories and diversity at its upfronts today.
Other new drama/comedy series on the ABC’s slate for new year include the previously announced Frayed, a Mermaid Television production that stars Sarah Kendall, RevLover’s Diary of an Uber Driver, Synchronicity Films’ The Cry, and 30-episode serial The Heights, from Matchbox and For Pete’s Sake Productions.
Speaking at the content launch, ABC acting MD David Anderson put forward that the ABC is Australia’s “chief storyteller”. He cited statistics from the most recent Screen Australia drama report – that showed the ABC invested more in Australian drama content than any other single broadcaster in the last financial year, and that its...
Leading the ABC’s drama slate in 2019 is Blackfella Films’ Black B*tch, starring Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths, with the broadcaster reconfirming its commitment to Australian stories and diversity at its upfronts today.
Other new drama/comedy series on the ABC’s slate for new year include the previously announced Frayed, a Mermaid Television production that stars Sarah Kendall, RevLover’s Diary of an Uber Driver, Synchronicity Films’ The Cry, and 30-episode serial The Heights, from Matchbox and For Pete’s Sake Productions.
Speaking at the content launch, ABC acting MD David Anderson put forward that the ABC is Australia’s “chief storyteller”. He cited statistics from the most recent Screen Australia drama report – that showed the ABC invested more in Australian drama content than any other single broadcaster in the last financial year, and that its...
- 11/19/2018
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
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