Jeremy Zimmer Named CEO Of UTA

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday January 30, 2012 @ 10:38am PST

EXCLUSIVE: Jim Berkus remains chairman and just sent out a notice to staff. Jeremy Zimmer is one of the Hollywood agency’s 6 owners and is a UTA co-founder and managing director. The 53-year-old Zimmer tells me that he took on the CEO role because “it’s important as the company reaches outside its traditional business into finance, international and digital. It’s a title people more readily identify with. My opinion is that this is only 10 years overdue — which is why we’re doing this right now.” Zimmer immediately becomes the agency’s heir apparent to Berkus. Zimmer told me that UTA “is in a great place in terms of stability and solidarity. And also to some degree the partners are acknowledging the role I played in helping us accomplish some of that stuff. It’s positioning for the future.” The other 6 UTA owners are Berkus, Peter Benedek, Jay Sures, Tracey Jacobs, and David Kramer. Zimmer now oversees more than 125 agents and 350 employees in Beverly Hills and New York in motion pictures, television, music, intellectual property, digital media, video gaming, branded entertainment as well as film and television packaging, film finance, corporate consulting, branding, licensing, endorsements, and the representation of production talent.

Zimmer was once known as the bad boy among Hollywood agents but has worked hard to become relentlessly respectable inside the agenting profession. What kept his career going despite some stops and starts was that he was known for having great taste in material. The grandson of legendary Hollywood studio chief Dory Schary began his career at age 19 in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency. After moving to Los Angeles in 1984, he joined ICM and eventually ran both the Motion Picture Literary and Motion Picture Packaging departments. Zimmer was asked to leave  ICM for an infamous episode when he told an Industry gathering that the agency profession was engaged in “raping and pillaging”. He became a partner at the Bauer/Benedek Agency, and in 1991 he helped found United Talent Agency through a merger of Bauer/Benedek and Leading Artists Agency.

Clients represented by Zimmer include Andrew Adamson, Noah Baumbach, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Christopher Guest, Curtis Hanson, Jimmy Hayward, Anthony Hopkins, Barry Levinson, director-producer Frank Marshall, Peter Morgan, director-producer Brian Robbins, Chris Wedge, as well as verge culture retailer Karmaloop and HiT Entertainment. Zimmer is also involved in United  Entertainment Group, the joint venture company formed with advertising veteran Jarrod Moses, which is among the industry’s largest independent branded entertainment and integrated media firms. Zimmer’s official bio credits him with establishing UTA’s Branding, Licensing & Endorsements division as well as UTAOnline and UTA’s Agent Trainee Program.

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UTA Moving To New Beverly Hills Location: 9336-9346 Civic Center Complex Named UTA Plaza

Beverly Hills (November 15, 2011) —- United Talent Agency and global property developer and owner Tishman Speyer today announced that UTA, one of the world’s largest talent and literary

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UTA Unveils New Logo At Agency Retreat

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday October 13, 2011 @ 1:19pm PDT

EXCLUSIVE: So here it is on the occasion of United Talent Agency’s 20th year in existence — in black and white, the result of 2 years of re-branding, unveiled at the start of the tenpercentery’s Ojai retreat. I like its freshness. What … Read More »

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United Talent Agency Signs Angelina Jolie — As Writer And Director Client

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday March 11, 2011 @ 5:48pm PST
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Angelina Jolie has just signed with United Talent Agency, which will represent her as a writer and director. She doesn’t have an agent for her acting work. The signing comes after she made her writing/directorial debut on a Bosnia-set … Read More »

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UTA Signs Actor’s Actor Paul Giamatti

He just left ICM last week. Paul Giamatti has signed with UTA in all areas. The Oscar nominee (Cinderella Man) and Emmy winner (John Adams) will next be seen in Win Win, and then Barney’s Version based on the best-selling novel. He was nominated for 45 separate awards between 2001 and 2008, … Read More »

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Kramer And Jacobs Boosted To UTA Board

EXCLUSIVE: David Kramer, a 16-year veteran who started in the mailroom, and Tracey Jacobs, a 10-year veteran who came over after a long career at ICM, have been promoted to members of United Talent’s governing board of directors. Agency head Jim … Read More »

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UTA Partner Defects To Endeavor

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday March 19, 2008 @ 9:11pm PDT

korman_marc.jpgMarc Korman was United Talent’s most junior partner, one of 20, and one of six TV lit agents at the tenpercentery. Now he’s jumping to Endeavor talent agency where I’m told he’s joining several good friends. Korman had been part of the UTA … Read More »

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Vince Vaughn Fires Agency And Manager

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday March 18, 2008 @ 10:30am PDT

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UPDATE: Vince Vaughn Signs With CAA

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve confirmed that Vince Vaughn has axed both his manager Eric Gold and his agency United Talent. Someone close to Vince just told me he did it by cell phone. … Read More »

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