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Well, that was quick. I’ve confirmed that the William Morris talent agent Theresa Peters has landed at United Talent as a partner with all of her clients, including James McAvoy, Mandy Moore, Kirsten Dunst, Rachel Bilson. She’s telling pals that she needed to make a change “in order to grow”. The word is UTA paid “fair market value” to bring her in. It’s interesting that, in this time of lowered bonuses and even layoffs, UTA (which has had its share of roiling) is adding partners.
What’s Really Happening Inside Morris?
William Morris Starts Laying Off Agents…
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just curious, what is “fair market” value to bring an agent over with clients?
Fair market value for an agent is what?
$3 and a twinkie?
I worked inside that agency many years. These posts were obviously written by a lot of frustrated assistants. The problem at WMA is not the top tier leadership it’s the department heads. Fogelman, Gaby, Kaplan, Wellins are all assholes and are feared and hated by most people there because they are so abusive. People who are truly horrible and treat others like shit are not good leaders but they are good agents and have a lot of clients and that is at the crux of the problem. These are the people who need coaches so they can be leaders.
I met Theresa a few years agao when my friend was working as her assistant. I do not know much about her work in the business, other than the obvious fact that so much talent seems to go to her, but I do know something about her character and in today’s world that seems even more important. She was kind and generous to me and immediately welcoming. She is a good person at the core. UTA is lucky to bring such a great person on board and its no wonder that so many people trust her with their careers.
great sign for UTA, but I am surprised that they made her a partner. UTA is not one, at least in the past, to throw partnerships at people. That is Endeavor’s thing.
Good for Theresa Peters, she’ll excel a lot further outside the halls of WMA! Too bad WMA doesn’t have someone like Theresa as a partner. Instead, we’re faced with the likes of Irv Weintraub et al.
Eric:
While you are correct, the problem does indeed lie at the top.
Okay, I too worked with many of these people. Let me be perfectly clear, I bear no agenda as I think many of these agencies (most especialy CAA are full of themselves in addition to other things) BUT, Aaron Kaplan at WMA is so drunk on his own (belief) of power and is so abusiv to anyone he perceives as threatening that power, that there are a tremendous amount of people in town who do not wish WMA well. He cast a pallor over the agency enough so as to make you root against them. I know when I have the ability to steer people, I will steer them AWAY from WMA due to Aaron Kaplan. He believes he’s the star. And here’s the thing, if he was the star, and I was the agent, I’d still fire him!
Fogelman is lazy and also full of himself. I agree get rid of the heads. It’s not Wiatt. It’s not Dave. It’s Kaplan and Fogelman. Not only wastes but deterrents. I am but one of many who feel this way. It’s a wake up call Jim! Time to reshuffle the deck, once you pop Aaron’s baloon it’s just a bunch of hot air…
There are so many agents who are full of themselves at WMA. I find them way worse than ICM, ENDEAVOR (except for, of course, for Ari,) and CAA. Aaron Kaplan is full of hot air. John Fogelman is a joke. He doesn’t return calls, and then dumps them either after hours or during lunch. Wake up call, boys – everything comes around. You’re not in the league of CAA or even UTA.
Never seen an agency more disliked, more unfriendly to buyers, studio execs, producers than WMA…
Watch your backs guys on Russell Crowe, Denzel W, and Vanessa Hudgens. They’re all on the move.
is she crazy? tracey jacobs and jeremy zimmer are her new bosses. that ain’t worth fair market value x 2.
I love agent speak…its such bullshit…agents…actors who couldn’t make it.
Why would Denzel, or Russell or Vanessa be on the move. Their careeres are on fire. It’s INSANE for people to start rumors. We do a very good job for these actors, and if they are going to be that disloyal as to want to leave, then WE DON’T WANT THEM!
If Peters had an issue with WMA, just wait until she experiences the dysfunction of her new partners! UTA is a total mess – partners leaving huge amounts of money on the table just to escape.
The UTA partners despise each other and don’t speak to each other. Berkus is desperate to sell the company to WMA or any other bidder (would’nt that be funny Theresa?) and his partners just want to cash out. Jay Sures begs the heads of the other agencies to “just make an offer” and they will totally screw all of the “ponzi scheme” partners underneath them since none of them will vest and they will have done all of the hard work for no payoff. Talk about a scam!
UTA is on the sales block and nobody but the senior partners will reap the benefits…….
Was out for dinner last night with my husband at AOC. While waiting for our table, there was a couple at the bar who were going on and on about your website (which I had never heard of)and the very troubled William Morris. When we sat down, we were seated next to four guys. Again, this was the topic of conversation at their table. Seems like there is not a lot of love for WMA or their management.
Observer, you are actually quite wrong about UTA. Ever since Stevens and company departed, UTA has been a much better place. Your claims about the it being up for sale is old stale news. Of all the agencies around, UTA is probably the most healthy one right now.
hey ‘observer’
nice try, but you can always smell a jealous rival a mile away. uta has represented me for a long time, and theyve been nothing short of excellent. they dont need to build some stone ego fortress or have a tv show named after them, they dont give a shit about that. they do, however, give a shit about me – a client – and that’s all that matters in this business. i’ve always found them to be friendly to one another and totally professional to me, so spare yourself the agony of wondering how they get along. they do just fine.
For mr. observer…..re: mr. berkus wanting to sell…times have changed…he is part of a board…that board doesn’t do anything without the other members…After the “witches of uta” fires months ago…the best thing that ever happened to UTA, the board is energized to make UTA what is is truly about – TALENT.. They may be the best thing happening for real ARTISTS…which is what actors/directors/writers are truly about… how refreshing. Theresa’s addition with her actors lists, is a true signal that this is their focus… GO UTA!
With all of this bullshit talk about crappy agents and fickle stars, I just thought a little reality check was needed…a major star who has excelled in film and theater as an actor, writer, producer and director got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this Friday, that being Tim Robbins. His wry yet perceptive take on it:
“I used to take the bus from here to Burbank to go to work,” he recalled. “When the bus was late, I would walk up and down and throw my cigarettes down. Now I have the honor of having this done to my star.”
The lesson? It’s the WORK that counts, not the personalities. WMA? UTA? CAA? Fuck all the alphabet nonsense. The best agents have always known it’s what’s on the screen that counts, be it a 10 foot by 30 foot theatrical projection, a TV screen, a computer monitor or a PDA in your pants that counts, and they know that deep in their hearts, even the most reprehensible of the lot. All the rest is bullshit.
Prediction: five years from now UTA will be the elite agency. Never in terms of money, or power, but just sheer quality.
NegativeNelly you are completely right. I have certainly noticed and heard that ever since Nick Stevens and company jumped to Endeavor it is like a huge negative weight has been lifted. Now, they are much more united and ready to move forward and be successful. Sure, they lost great clients, but they got rid of what ailed them.
UTA sucks. They are finished. Theresa should have gone to Endeavor or CAA if she wanted to grow. She probably (like everyone else) just hated Gaby so much that she couldn’t take another casting meeting being run by the dragon lady. It amazes me that WMA bosses had no idea on how much this woman was disliked inside and outside their agency.
Who would you rather gave at your agency Theresa Peters and Holly Baril or Gabby Morgerman and Joanne Wiles? WMA is a sinking ship. Wake up Jim and stop the cronyism.
So she’s a partner!
Guess what? That means nothing! She got duped! She still reports to Zimmer and Jacobs and will not, just like her other partners, make any money in success since the UTA partnership has been changed to only benefit the top tier.
Partner at UTA is best defined as, “a way to keep your income down and your optimism high – and NO CHANCE of having any real money down the line”.
Go check out the top tiers income and assets and then look at the rest of them – talk about a scam….
Modern day pirates at UTA – Corporate greed – Sad, Sad, Sad……..
I am an assistant at UTA and probably shouldn’t be writing this but people are very upset by this hire. It feels like a bunch of agents have been waiting to be made partner and have been passed over yet again for someone from the outside. First Camacho and now this new one. There is supposed to be a big agency retreat this week and I heard my boss say that a group of agents are preparing to be VERY agressive about this going down. More disruption in a place that is already in total turmoil.