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I told you that, back in March, the first meeting between WMA book agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and Endeavor book agent Richard Abate went really, really badly. Apparently, the two hated one another. Both decided there was no way they could work with one another. There was even an unsuccessful attempt by WMA’s Walsh, backed up by Jim Wiatt, then and there to push Abate out. But Ari pushed back on behalf of Abate. Soon everything seemed to calm down. I’m told it was because Ari later saw that WMA has a $20 million book business whereas Endeavor’s is still wet behind the ears. And profit trumps personality conflicts. Today, the other shoe dropped in this little drama: Richard Abate will not be joining the newly merged WME. As an insider tells me, “It’s all amicable. Everyone knew it was coming. He was not fired.” Round One to WMA.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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man, they didn’t even wait, did they?
The fun has officially begun. Nikki – please continue the update. Here is who should be next….Dubin, Smoller, Unger, Slater, Button, Mass, David, Morgerman, Lon Rosen, Kaplan. Someone should look into Smoller’s revenue vs.expenses. She’s a waste of time. Promises everything and delivers NOTHING. Also, two faced.
Damn Nikki, you’re keeping score on jobs lost by each. Haha, I love Hollywood.
can someone explain to me what $20 million book business they are talking about? is that yearly? by decade? over all time? WMA’s book dept (on the film side) is lamer than lame because their supply of books from the NY dept is incredibly weak. there is no way this dept is making $20 mill!!!!! seriously, i want to know because it makes no sense when this number gets repeated.
I shall always remember the musical name of Jennifer Rudolph Walsh as one of the first agents who took an interest in my first (and most terrible) book I penned at 22 before finally passing…*memories*
CAA Book Dept.-time to clean house! You have been given the opportunity to cut the fat! Maybe we will finally get a shake-up in the lazy, self-satisfied and very self-important Book Dept. at CAA. Sally Wilcox, Sherri Smiley, long overdue for the axe.
Finally someone mentions Mass. He is a good guy, but does nothing and adds no value. They pushed him out of the consulting group although some how he managed to stay on the board and have Jim’s ear. Consulting must be hurting now that GM is going under, they were their big source of revenue. I also heard Starbucks doesn’t even pay a retainer and they have added no value there either. There are a lot of areas within the organization that can be slashed.
Slater needs to go. Somehow this guy has skated by on his positive attitude. He reads nothing and just is another frat guy. He is going to resign or have his salary cut in half for the board to agree to keep him on board.
Button – need I say more
Morgerman – please stay at home in Malibu and let your husband place his clients with someone who can add value
Nicole David – WMA no longer represents George Burns so let the old lady go
Unger – Let her and Irv go and have Suzy stick around with Irv and maybe she can add a few pounds while Irv tries to shed some of the excess weight.
Richard Abate is the best lit agent I ever had and Jennifer the worst. Big loss for Endeavor.
Abate’s a class act. Can’t say the same for Jennifer Rudolph Walsh.
Walsh is a winner and has turned the WMA book dept from a dusty joke into the dominant book agency in NY. She lured heavy hitter Gluck from ICM and brought in Bill Clegg and Eric Simonoff to give the place some much needed literary credibility. Like them or not, they are the best.
abate tried to screw icm and thought he was hot and he won that victory but has today lost the war. the reality is that he is good at his job but this will be the first of many solid people to go…richard, ethic are important and ironically the lack of WMAE ethics will result in your departure from another agency.
Abate is gold. Losing him is just stupid.
I finally have a shot at skipping passed security with all the new faces while everyone is dazed and confused and getting my novel script to Cassian’s desk. Someones got to read this. I will be the next inde star.
Trust me Nikki, I know for a fact that Ari never pushed back. He was at that breakfast and saw Abate completely lose his cool. Abate was always gone as of that day. Ari agented Abate — he just thinks he left on his own accord.
BTW, bookie, JRW’s authors include Ann Brashares, Anita Shreve, Alice Munro, Sue Monk Kidd, Kathy Reichs, Annie Flagg, Ken Burns among others. Publisher’s Weekly reported today that “WM has 11 Pulitzer-winning clients and, since 2002, its clients have produced 550 New York Times bestsellers. The agency also has 97 of its clients book titles currently under option for film and television.”
I got this info from google. I’m over at Endeavor – -fingers crossed I make the cut.
Bookie, wake up. Pick up a New York Times best seller’s list and you’ll see that WMA books are all over the place. They may be a little bit light on literary fiction but they absolutely KILL in non-fiction. And they just added Eric Simonoff. Their backlist alone probably pulls in millions.
I love these anonymous posts… probably Abate’s wife and Walsh’s husband.
The clients of WMA are suffering. Most of the agents are not working. They are worried about themselves. The bosses have created fear throughout the company. Clients are not being serviced. Nobody has seen Dave Wirchister for the last few days. Great leadership DZW. Fogelman told his deptartment that some will be let go and the ones that stay might have to reduce there contracts because they make more money then the agents at Endeavor Good job Johnny. Are you taking a reduction. Ari is already telling people he got the better deal. Jim and Dave got agented again. Irv its time for you to retire.
Did the ghost of Abe Lastfogel kidnap Norman Brokaw or something? Where the hell is he? Hiding out…trying to find Doc Brown and go back to 1999 and perhaps make Sam Haskell the President. I bet it would be a much better place.
is is not the way to treat loyal warriors boys. Lets get this straight, the Endeavor guys are running the show. No if’s ands or but’s about it.
Clients beware, others are getting your jobs
And all this is going during staffing season. OMG! If writers who usual work don’t get jobs and are at one of these agencies, you know why. I got a call last night from a covering agent at 830 just checking in. Right. He told me this whole thing is a disaster and he might be gone. I better get a gig or hello CAA, UTA, ICM!
Very true about the WME clients not being serviced. Several of us have projects that were being pushed through the pipeline quickly until the past week where suddenly all of our agents went into the void.
Hopefully the firings/leaving on amicable terms will wind down so we can all get back to business. This just helps keep our dwindling economy, dwindling even further.
Thanks for all the up to the minute reporting Nikki!
please please please get rid of morgerman. the woman can’t keep clients or assistants. she is disliked across the board – even internally.
wma sent smoller across the street internally because she was doing nothing and a joke internally.
both get huge salaries.
Sally Willcox is one of the smarter people in the business.
It’s better to be anonymous than to be a nobody who’s trying to get attention by linking to his blog.
It’s never amicable. Why do people even bother to pretend? He won’t be joining the new enterprise because he hates his mirror at WMA to the point where they can’t even put their differences aside to run a major section of a new mega-agency? How is that amicable?