Senior UTA Movie Lit Agent Leaving Biz

COMMENTS (13)

• What film financing division is the first question. I love it how all these agents who can’t even read a balance sheet or P/L statement or even know what a reg. D offering is label themselves as “film finance” agents.

  Regarding Shana, she had to be one of the most unpleasant and most uncooperative agents I have ever dealt with.

  Not surprised between her and a bunch of other agents who have self-destructive personas as it is, they self-implode and eventually get sick of what they hate to do anyway

  Maybe she’ll do what ever agent wishes they did initially–become a filmmaker

  Comment by UKfilmSnob — Wednesday November 19, 2008 @ 2:53pm PST  Reply to this post

• I couldn’t agree more UKfS – Shana was a decidedly unpleasant beyatch to deal with. Good luck, and good riddance.

  Comment by yoyo — Wednesday November 19, 2008 @ 7:02pm PST  Reply to this post

• The headline really should be the continued implosion of UTA. The agency that once stood strong with CAA and Endeavor as the leaders of the TV business now may be saying “uncle” to William Morris! You could, literally, start a fully functional agency just with the agents who have departed in the last 12 months. What’s historic here is not the retirement of an agent that no one could stand, but rather the largest exodus of high-level agents in the history of the business…..Let the countdown begin to WMA or ICM buying what’s left to try to keep up with CAA and Endeavor….

  Comment by Doubting Thomas — Wednesday November 19, 2008 @ 8:09pm PST  Reply to this post

• Word to UkfilmSnob and yoyo…this departure isn’t one of the “classy folks” whose presence will be missed.

  Let’s hope that she finds herself as a stay at home mom and stays away!

  Comment by Charlotte A. Cavatica — Wednesday November 19, 2008 @ 8:40pm PST  Reply to this post

• What agency do you work for? They lost Lisa Hallerman, Sharon Sheinwold – loses that were celebrated throughout the agency as getting rid of people that no one could stand working with inside or out. They lost Sue Naegle to go run a network. They brought in two agents from WMA that were coveted by other agencies – but they came to UTA. What Mass exodus are you talking about?

  Comment by Doubting Doubting — Wednesday November 19, 2008 @ 9:43pm PST  Reply to this post

• It’s sad that jealous and peevish people would dis a person who is without a doubt one of the absolute gems of this town. Shana is the most personable, caring, honest, idealistic – yet also effective – person I have met in Hollywood. She believes in her clients and their films, has impeccable taste. She will be terribly missed by those of us who actually know her.

  Comment by HerClient — Wednesday November 19, 2008 @ 10:09pm PST  Reply to this post

• Doubting Thomas there can be no doubt that you know very little about what you blog…CAA is eating their own every single day. Agents fear for their jobs while they slave away for their overlords hoping for a crumb. Endeavor is cutting their partners salaries, firing agents, and high fiving with one hand while stealing from each other with the other…do I even need to say Hallerman and Sheinwart, how about Phil “the genetic misfit” Raskind, Adam “5%” Isaacs, and many many more. For all their insanity UTA is still building stars, making money, and hiring new agents who people like, turning down agents that they don’t, and building for the future…sounds just terrible to me. There’s perception and then there’s reality….UTA is the happiest and most financially stable agency in town. It’s the crazy truth.

  Comment by sad and lonely — Wednesday November 19, 2008 @ 10:15pm PST  Reply to this post

• Guys, c’mon, or should I say, UTA agennts, c’mon! I’ll give you this–the partners did get rich when there was still a business (thier only excuse when they are compared to other agencies). That said, talk to every studio exec in town about where their material is coming from, especailly in TV. Whether or not Naegle left for a good gig isn’t the point…SHE LEFT! And say now what you will about Stevens and Korman, but like it or not, they’re stars with big lists. Sorry to say that the group of second-tier agents now in TV don’t quite make up for what’s been lost. And boy oh boy, those “new signings” that everyone wanted? Most people don’t even know who they are. And take my word for it, NO ONE believes UTA is a happy place….except for the 5 or 6 partners who are going to profit when it gets swallowed up. Guessing even lil ‘ole Paradigm could eat the agency up now…..

  Comment by Doubting Thomas — Thursday November 20, 2008 @ 11:58am PST  Reply to this post

• Dont know who Theresa Peters is? Do you not work in the business Doubting? As for Mark Korman – who did he really take about 3 or so major clients at my count to Endeavor and as for Nick – beyond Ben Stiller who is the major list? And Sue left – what other changes have their been in the tv dept? No tv business – last I checked they packaged True Blood, rep David Chase, Dick Wolf, Ed Bernero showrunning Criminal Minds, Alan Taylor who has been winning the Emmy, Tom Fontana, Berg & Schaffer running Curb, and the list goes on. Back up your arguement with evidence. I am going to guess you are an assistant at WMA, but maybe Im wrong.

  Comment by HUH? — Thursday November 20, 2008 @ 3:29pm PST  Reply to this post

• Exactly Doubting Thomas: I was saying to myself, here comes Paradigm. A perfect set up for Paradigm and help to justify that beautiful office. I wonder does Lew Wasserman’s ghost walk the halls whispering in the agents ears.

  Comment by joe gills — Thursday November 20, 2008 @ 8:59pm PST  Reply to this post

• why shed the tears for any agent or agency. these are some of the most untalented, self-centered, pariahs that have walked on t planet earth and it has gotten considerably worse in last ten years. when ovitz was at reigns at CAA, all the other agencies were still balanced with client basis–why–because the older agents were really into it for agenting–their proteges and the younger bucks are neurotic, insecure, deal killers–thus–kill too many deals–you destruct–

  The world would be much better place without agents–or managers. have the attorneys and publicists do the deals–funny how–now there is less money, but more ways of financing a film–yet agents are complete idiots in thinking outside the box on film finance–so their clients are working less and less–and in worse films too–

  And for the hopefully permanently departed Shana Eddy–well–this lunatic told me that unless I deposit $20 million into a UTA account for vince vaugn, he wont even read a script which is b.s.

  Comment by UKfilmSnob — Thursday November 20, 2008 @ 9:13pm PST  Reply to this post

• In my experience, Shana Eddy has always been lovely to deal with–smart, caring, professional and reasonable. She’s now leaving the business to take care of her child–instead of being bitter and nasty, why not wish her well and call it a day?

  Comment by beentheredonethat — Friday November 21, 2008 @ 11:00pm PST  Reply to this post

• well, you could tell by the look in shana’s eyes that wasn’t exactly happy to go to work in the morning, but she wasn’t as unpleasant as you all make her out to be. and lets get one thing straight, she was hot! when i was there

  Comment by hubub — Tuesday June 15, 2010 @ 4:33pm PDT  Reply to this post