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EXCLUSIVE: Zach Carlisle, one of the original five who left WME to form Verve, was promoted Sunday from assistant to agent. These days, dealmaker-minting ceremonies are becoming more and more like Punk’d episodes, and the Verve partners really strung Carlisle along. First, he was asked to come to partner Adam Levine’s house yesterday to build a swing set for the agent’s sons. As if the indignity of giving up a summer weekend day to build a swing set didn’t leave him furious enough, the assistant was greeted in Levine’s house by Verve partners Bryan Besser and Bill Weinstein. They conducted a career intervention about Carlisle’s “questionable” future. Finally, before the young assistant completely blew a gasket, he was escorted to the backyard. Instead of a swing set, Carlisle was surprised by 25 colleagues, family and friends and told he was being made an agent. But his ordeal wasn’t over: he had to perform his favorite karaoke song, I’ve Got Friends in Low Places for the group, who would then vote on his Hollywood future. Carlisle passed the audition and was promoted on the spot. The captain of the Verve softball team, Carlisle was given a custom-made baseball jersey with the number 5, to denote his position as the 5th agent at Verve. He’s the second to be promoted from within, after Rob Herting was promoted last spring.
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I would totally respect this kid more if he had said “Fuck you. I quit” after all this humiliation. Then again, I suppose he doesn’t have too much self-esteem left.
Why? I think it’s an incredibly fun way to do that. It shows that they all have a sense of humor and what seems like a good working environment. Obviously if they thought he couldn’t handle the joke they wouldn’t have done it.
Wild.
Let me start by saying I don’t know him and I don’t work for or are repped by Verve. I WAS at a big agency for 3 1/2 years (when Besser was on Strickler’s desk — not an easy desk) so I DO know about these things.
“…You think this is abuse? You think this is abuse, you cocksucker? You can’t take this, how can you take the abuse you get on a sit? You don’t like it, leave.” -GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
I can’t speak for studios or prodcos, but you CLEARLY have never assisted at a big agency — and I don’t mean interning at that “boutique” that meditates before staff meetings while you fetch the one (and only) “partner” her Chamomile tea.
In between the heat you take from studios, the battles with producers, the all night slug-fests with business affairs and the bitchy, ungrateful clients that will end up leaving you the harder you work, it is a very fucking tough job that most people that don’t do it truly have no clue about.
Why not show the kid a little respect for getting his ass kicked for this promotion because the ass kicking you get is your “basic training” for what ends up becoming much worse when you graduate to the big kids sandbox.
And as far as your “Respect”? Yeah. I can see it now, “Yeah, dad. I’m fine. I’m getting promoted from fries to burgers next week. Not as cool as AGENT, but at least ABBY respects me!!”
And to “H” below (“I sure wouldn’t want to be represented by people who think that’s fun.”), “FUCK YOU TOO!!” – SCENT OF A WOMAN Assuming you have an agent, I guarantee you that you have NO IDEA what they do for “fun”! Agents are people too and the stress that comes along with their thankless job requires a little release.
I’m not an Agent. I’m not an assistant. I do know what they do and see how little respect and gratitude they get for doing it. I also HAVE had too much coffee so I apologize for coming off like a d-bag…
Congrats, Zach. Get a new haircut.
Oh please. If I hear another one of these “agents are the hardest working people in town!” rants I’m going to eat my own vomit.
Sure, agents work hard — guess what? SO DOES ANYONE WHO GETS ANYWHERE IN THIS NASTY CUT THROAT BUSINESS. Yes, including, and ESPECIALLY, people like writers and directors. Have you ever actually, you know, WORKED 18-hour days for two months as boom op or AD on an actual feature film? Or cranked out a page one rewrite on a studio deadline? Or pulled off an accelerated post schedule on a feature for a festival/distrib deadline? Yeah, pulling twenty-hour sound mixing and color correcting sessions for weeks on end is such a cakewalk.
How anyone thinks that talking on a phone all day constitutes so much HARDER WORK than what most everyone else does in this vicious business is beyond me. Yes, agents work hard, I’m sure being an assistant at one of the bigs gives you a front-row seat at how hard they do work, but guess what? Go write a spec script in 12 weeks that will get anywhere in this market and see how that goes. Oh, that’s hard? Really? See, I thought it was easy.
I don’t know what you do for a living Indrid, but imagine turning over ten percent of your life’s work and earnings to someone. What would you expect in return? Seriously, sign over ten percent of your next paycheck, see how it feels. Expecting a phone call returned every now and then makes you bitchy and ungrateful? Please.
I understand your venom, and sympathize. My post WASN’T about Agents being the hardest working — “hard work” is relative — my post was in defense of this particular trade and this young guys ascension into it.
Oh, and maybe this little point will give you some clarity — I was on an MP Lit Desk (that means writers and directors) and promoted, so yeah, I DO get it.
I don’t think “talking on the phone all day constitutes harder work” in the same way I don’t think writing that OWA at home in your boxer shorts while sipping iced coffee in between episodes of Oprah and emails to your mgr requesting more time from the producer “constitutes harder work” — I’m kidding (a little) in an effort to make a point.
What do I do now? Professional (barely) screenwriter. And what do I expect in return for my 10%? (So we’re not counting my 10 for mgr and 5 for atty?) I expect MORE than 10% out of my rep.
“Hard” is a difficult word to define in this context. An 18 hour day as a boom op ain’t a cakewalk. Despite having been on several sets in the last 24 years, I’ve never done it so I won’t comment. But I have endured the emotional trauma of the Agent lifestyle. A boom op probably sleeps a HELLUVA lot better…
This all was merely an attempt to add clarity and understanding to a position so many don’t understand and so many others (like yourself) clearly resent.
no one. I mean, NO ONE, understands the most under-rated, rarely paid, un-recognized, ignored, people in this town. The 100,000+ unemployed actors. Working, toiling, suffering, in piece of crap little holes that pass for theaters in Hollywood and the Valley. Paying some non talented casting asst. for a chance to audition for their boss someday. Singing for their supper. Literally. Theatre actors work for love. And lately, it hasn’t paid the piper. Maybe, if they’re in AEA, they will get 7-9$ per show. After 6 non-paid weeks of rehearsal in un-air conditioned caves.
So an agent assistant has to put in what, 1-3 years of abuse, then gets all the perks? Please. Most wanna be agents become agents. Most wanna be actors become just that. Wanna bees. And I’ve witnessed it for over 30 years in this town.
P.S. Congrats to the kid! I’m sure he deserves it. Now get off your ass and go see the great talent the L.A. theatre scene has to offer. That’s your future paycheck!
And that is why you are probably still an assistant! Glad some companies still know how to have fun!
I don’t know whether to find this endearing or incredibly annoying.
I think this is awesome, but I have no idea why.
Congrats ZC
Congrats to Zach!
Creepy!
What a great tale of hollywood deuchebaggery. Trust me when i say the guys at verve sat down and wondered about how this would all read on dhd prior to planning the whole thing, without question!
Oh those jokesters! I want that type agent! What’s next a panty raid?
Well deserved. Verve knows how to breed em!
Smart and cute – Nice work, Verve! I hear he’s single…can anyone confirm?
Um, okay. How very Super Sweet 16.
I heard his I’ve Got Friends In Low Places rendition was subpar
I heard Verve lost to WME in softball this weekend
Slow news day?
Zach Carlisle is truly one of the best assistants I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He is a great guy and will make a fantastic agent. Another big win for VERVE!!
Don’t know this dude but that is a cool story. Congrats.
You gotta like the Verve. They do things right.
Don’t know Zach, but this is a great story!!! As an over worked, underappreciated assistant, it’s nice to hear of a fellow assistant making it to agent and it’s even nicer to hear that the company really made it special!! Bravo!
I can’t imagine I’ll be the first to say (or think) this, but…wow. I sure wouldn’t want to be represented by people who think that’s fun.
I took a screenwriting class and a writer, a very successful one with at least one blockbuster to his credit, came in to talk to us. One thing he said that struck me was that agents were all horrible and totally unscrupulous people, without exception. I don’t know if I believe that but it does seem to draw a certain type of cut-throat personality, and the culture of Hollywood seems to encourage the worst impulses in everybody. And this story is actually pretty mild compared to some of the stuff that goes on.
YAY ZACH!!! Well deserved! Hope Verve keeps on growing!
So is Verve hiring for assistants?
Wow. Sounds like a tedious fucking nightmare. The life of an agent I mean – not the initiation.
Why should anyone care about a promotion at Verve?
Take it easy man, my maid is an agent at Verve.
I think it’s very nice that Endeavor promoted an agent this way. Ooops, er, I mean Verve. Apple / Tree Deja Vu all over again.
Seems incredibly childish.
no mention of new clients he’s signed or what actually got him promoted? i’m confused….isn’t that what being an agent is about. not just being a nobody’s assistant.
He could have brought in numerous young clients that the other agents signed. He clearly has shown he has what it takes.
What is it with all these clueless people that don’t work in the business posting on deadline?
Annoying, isn’t it?
Nikke needs to modify this site so that you’re only allowed to comment if you’ve been “accepted” based on your credentials.
Course, I could stop procrastinating and stay off these boards entirely, but what fun is that?
Um, this hasn’t been an “industry” site for years. The whole reason DHD is what it is is because it was able to reach beyond people like you. As for credentials, let’s go over to ESPN and tell people they’re not allowed to comment until they’ve proven they work in professional sports in some capacity. Great idea guys. And Indrid, glad to see that you feel it’s your place to tell Nikki (yes, it’s with and “i”, but seeing as you’re “in the industry”, I’m sure you already knew that) how she should run her site. Clearly it’s been struggling up to now.
Relax, DEL. I was kidding. Everything will be okay.