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UPDATE: Some agents have been given “the nod” that they are safe. Some people have been told nothing. I hear that, during this waiting period for state and federal approvals, no one can be fired officially.
I’m hearing much of the TV reality department led by Mark Itkin have decided to stay together and leave en masse to CAA. This apparently includes John Ferriter and Colin Reno.
Insiders tell me most of the TV lit department — but not Cori Wellins and Lauren Whitney – is out.
Talent agent Dana Sims was just escorted out of WMA today. I hear she asked to be relieved from her contract. Her TV and movie clients include 50 Cent, Ludacris, Common, Nelly, Ciara, Rihanna, Jill Scott, Nas, Young Jeezy, Fabolous, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, Keyshia Cole, Keri Hilson. (Obviously, these are repped by the music department, too.) An insider tells me, “Dana Sims was just announced that today was her last day. This has been the worst kept secret in the agency, as we all knew that she has been trying to break her contract for months now.”
(This is breaking news so I’ll clarify as the situation warrants…)
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Dana’s a sweetheart and a great agent, though a talent, not music booking agent. She co-reps for crossover into motion pictures and tv basically all of Cara Lewis’s 9,000,000 urban music clients. By all accounts she’s been doing a great job. I can’t imagine this rubs Lewis the right way at all. And she is by far the highest earning agent at WMA. Yikes. This HAS gotten ugly, and quickly.
Those are Cara Lewis’s clients not Dana….
Interesting that many NY agents were in town this week.
Will there be ANY TV lit casualties from Endeavor? There’s a fat lady I’m anxiously waiting to have bite it.
Anonymous, interesting that the intl people were back here in bh
Re: Dana Sims
To say these are all Cara clients is not accurate. Many are there or have stayed because of Dana.
Cara is a miserable human being. Ask ANYONE who works at WMA.
Holden Kaufield,
I 2nd that notion.I think I know which “fat lady” you are referring to and I would personally like to see a constantly sweaty, sleazy man leave.
Cara is NOT a miserable human being. She is a tough woman, and built a a career in a world where a white, jewish woman
On Dana Sims and C. Lewis
Many of the crossover music clients have stayed at WMA ONLY because of their communication and work with Dana Sims, not C. Lewis.
If I had a nickle for every time an agent is described as “miserable”… Is it not a prerequisite?!
To Very Curious:
You’d be miserable too if you had to work in that rotten place.
Reality TV to CAA? I think the Deathstar can fit a few new agents into the mix, but I’m hearing they won’t take WMA’s department en masse. Itkin is a killer, and Ferriter is useful when he’s not trying to sign new *female* clients, Collin Reno is largely effective, but Suzy Unger is an unmitigated dingbat with issues, Hans Schiff is soft on deals, and Cameron Kadison is too green to merit the shift. The drama is delicious and we’re only on the appetizers!!
RE: Sims and Lewis — of course the music clients are going to leave WMA with Dana. Cara has about as much in common with Luda and 50 Cent as Wirtshafter. And Cara’s screaming rants can be heard bi-coastally. She needs to up her meds. Or stop taking them. Or whatever. And no, it’s not becuz she’s a woman in a man’s world that she’s miserable, it’s because she’s miserable that she’s miserable. Stop enabling the abusers by validating their so-called “pain”. It’s hollywood, people, not Darfur.
The new Mantra at WME – IS IT SAFE?
WMA has a pretty good tv lit department, the young agents pull so much of the weight. I think the up and comers will be safe.
Yola Zola –
You need to finish your thought. But if you are going where I think you are, you really need to learn the history of the music business. Cara is not some rarity.
The fact remains that nobody at WMA wants to deal with Cara. She is widely hated, even the head of her own department doesn’t talk to her unless he has to.
Have some perspective people – these are agents – gloried HR people really. I never understood why they were given so much clout and power, they represent talented people but rarely have any talent themselves. There are also way too many of them and most are over paid for the kind of work they do. It’s not like they are saving a life or doing something for the greater good. The less the better…
any agents who want to get back and work for the clients and not a company and build something they can be proud of and represent PEOPLE the way people should be represented without all this b.s. can feel free to call me and move on with your life and career
and to those that stay, you’re in a good place again thanks to ari and the endeavors guys, they are good people, excellent agents and are smart
now when the get rid of irv, the company will be a better place
Dana is a doll and a very hard worker. William Morris is simply torture when you no longer want to be there and Dana needed a change. Her clients love her; especially Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. Dana will do something exciting and fabulous I am sure.
Holden…. Go fuck yourself, she does great work
what about the tv dept in ny?? who stays, who goes?
Cara couldn’t keep an asst. Never worked for her, but worked near her. impossible is putting it lightly. hellish is sugar coating it.
CL is by far THE WORST ever……….MISERABLE is NOT the word to
describe her personality she is horrendous!
This sounds like a true disaster. Why did Endeavor subject themselves to all this negative energy? There were a good agency. I don’t like to see people suffer but those cocky awful Jr agents at WMA made it so hard for anyone to feel sorry for them. What a harsh reality check.
Cara Lewis is an unappreciative pain in the ass. She recently tried to have an assistant fired for selling tickets to a Kanye West concert through the company. She has no direct relationship with the clients. Dana kept her money-making clients happy, they should have tried harder to keep Dana there.
The problem with WMA is management. They don’t pay attention to their clients and employees, only their own pockets. That a well-respected agent like Dana had been trying to get out of her contract that long goes to show how poorly Wiatt, Wirtschafter, and Fogelman treat their own.
I say good luck to her. I’ll probably be joining her in the job hunt shortly. Friggin merger…