Top 25 Representatives in Hollywood for 2009

Mailer 10

whoRepresents?com

The Top 25 Representatives in Hollywood for 2009

To measure a talent rep's achievements, look no further than the deals he or she has made. Our first-ever Top 25 gives the insider's perspective on who made the best deals on behalf of their clients over the past twelve months. Whether negotiating a multi-picture contract, or working to bolster an entire company in a volatile market, the measures taken by the representatives on this list have been bold, inventive and profitable.

#1 Ari Emanuel Agent - William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

While brother Rahm was getting used to "Chief of Staff" preceding his name, Ari was making plans for a new title of his own: co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. In a move that would impress fictional alter-ego Ari Gold of Entourage (and one the show's writers would later incorporate into their storyline), Ari Emanuel orchestrated the merger of his Endeavor agency with the venerable William Morris Agency. In finding a means of effectively marrying Endeavor's starpower with William Morris' worldwide reach, Ari has created a company that is sure to be a trendsetter in everything from securing financing to packaging talent.

#2 Richard Lovett Agent - Creative Artists Agency

As CAA president, Lovett commands what is still the largest ship in the Hollywood waters. Lovett client Steven Spielberg has been hard at work this past year bringing Indian firm Reliance BIG Entertainment into the Hollywood game through an investment in Dreamworks, which has reshaped itself as a private production company over the course of 2009. A revival of the lucrative Men In Black franchise is among the numerous projects Spielberg and Lovett have in the pipeline for 2010 (Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are also CAA clients). Although the initial deal was done two years ago, after the global domination of The Da Vinci Code, Tom Hanks' salary on last summer's Angels and Demons was rumored to be between $30 and $50 million before backend. The film ended up grossing over $480 million worldwide, which was good news for Hanks, as well as fellow Lovett clients Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.

#3 Patrick Whitesell Agent - William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

Whitesell is a co-CEO at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and was crucial to the merger's execution. Additionally, Whitesell has been at the center of the Bourne, Batman and X-Men franchises, which star clients Matt Damon, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman respectively. With fresh installments in the works for all of the above, it's likely Whitesell started negotiations for each of these actors at $20 million plus a percentage of the gross.

#4 Tracey Jacobs Agent - United Talent Agency

Jacobs represents Johnny Depp, whose latest deal with Disney, which includes a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, is reportedly worth $50 million - a solid investment given that the last two Pirates films averaged worldwide grosses of roughly a billion a piece. Within the past year Jacobs signed Gwenyth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez, both of whom have the type of global appeal that will increase her leverage in any negotiation. Jacobs was the first female board member at UTA (Shani Rosenzweig has now joined her), and is the linchpin for a talent department still poised to compete with CAA and WME².

#5 Kevin Huvane Agent - Creative Artists Agency

It is not every talent agent who can say he reps a client with a net worth in the billions, but that's what Huvane has in Oprah Winfrey ($2.7 billion at last tally). In signing Miley Cyrus earlier this year, Huvane landed a potential second member of that club, and there is no denying that client Sandra Bullock had a career year in 09. But perhaps most impressive for this CAA managing partner is the fact that client Meryl Streep is a bona fide box office draw at age 60. Streep is one of Huvane's most bankable clients after a string of well-selected hits including The Devil Wears Prada ($325 million worldwide),Mamma Mia ($600 million worldwide), and this year's Julie and Julia and It's Complicated.

#6 Bryan Lourd Agent - Creative Artists Agency

With a list that includes George Clooney, Sean Penn and Reese Witherspoon, it might be easier to list the movie stars Bryan Lourd has not done deals for, but a stand-out client for 2009 has to be Robert Downey Jr. The actor has a secondIron Man film in production, with a third sequel and the Marvel Avengers movie not far behind, and perhaps most remarkably, a Sherlock Holmes sequel is being penned before the film has even opened.

#7 Sam Fischer Attorney - Ziffren Brittenham LLP

Fischer's year included making Hugh Laurie one of the highest paid actors on TV (around $400,000 per episode), and working to secure Simon Cowell's gargantuan new salary on Idol ($145 million over the next three seasons). Judd Apatow and Steve Carell are also among those who benefitted from Fischer's stellar work in 2009.

#8 John Fogelman Agent - William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

When you become a WME² board member, and your list includes JJ Abrams and Michael Bay, you know you had a good Summer '09 (word is that Bay will have collected around $80 million for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and he has announced his commitment to have the third Transformers film out in 2011). Fogelman is a powerful agent, and a talented negotiator - enough so that he was able to keep wonder-boy Abrams at WME² after his previous point, David Lonner, decided to move on (Lonner now represents Abrams as a manager).

#9 Skip Brittenham Attorney - Ziffren Brittenham LLP

He is known around Hollywood as a maestro of the deal, and has negotiated on behalf of the A-List of the A-List. His client Harrison Ford made it onto Forbes' top-paid men in Hollywood for 2009 at age 67 thanks to a healthy piece of back end on the fourth Indiana Jones film. Brittenham had a role in both the Dreamworks financing deal, which is reportedly worth upwards of $600 million, and the establishment of the new Oprah Winfrey Network. Brittenham has done equal work on both sides of the table, representing studios and production companies as well as talent, putting him at a unique advantage in navigating the Hollywood landscape.

#10 Craig Jacobson Attorney - Hansen, Jacobson et al

Jacobson handled Ryan Seacrest's new deal on American Idol, which is one of the stand-out contracts for '09 ($45 million for three seasons), but he was also one of the key arbitrators of the WMA/Endeavor merger, which could be the negotiation of the year. Jacobson client Jennifer Aniston made her usual appearance on the list of top paid actresses, and client Mark Gordon remains one of the hottest producers in town.

#11 Todd Feldman Agent - Creative Artists Agency

Todd Feldman might have the hottest list of writers and directors in town, including the break-out director of the year, Todd Phillips, whose deal on The Hangover, which had him essentially leverage his salary to gain casting control, has earned him a reported $35 million. Feldman is the agent for frequent JJ Abrams collaborators Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, Damon Lindelof and Matt Reeves, all of whom have seen their value shoot through the roof in the past year.

#12 Cynthia Pett-Dante Manager - Brillstein Entertainment Partners

Over the years, Brillstein Entertainment Partners has weathered Brad Grey's departure and Bernie Brillstein's passing while maintaining its status as the most respected management operation in town, and Pett-Dante is a huge part of the reason why. Such is the case when you're Brad Pitt's manager. Undeniably one of the most popular actors in the world, and someone who is seen to tangibly elevate the quality of the projects he's involved with (a fact to which David Fincher can attest), Pitt had a guaranteed cut of first-dollar gross on Inglorious Basterds. In this case Pitt's star-power was worth every penny, and Basterds' success was a welcome relief for Quentin Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein, both of whom were in need of a credible hit.

#13 James Lassiter Principal - Overbrook Entertainment

James Lassiter and Will Smith exemplify the client/rep relationship that has become more common as stars at the very top of the game work to turn a career into an empire; Lassiter is Smith's manager, but also his business partner. Smith and Lassiter are calling all the shots now with a massive producing slate that includes follow-ups to both I Am Legend and Hancock. These two films grossed over a billion dollars between them, and should merit Smith earning over $20 million plus 20% of the gross.

#14 Jimmy Miller Manager - Mosaic Media

Jimmy Miller is still the one to beat when it comes to repping big-name funny men. He has not only helped Will Ferrell increase his net worth, but the two have turned Gary Sanchez Productions into a real presence in Hollywood via a full slate of TV and film projects, as well as internet sensation Funny or Die, the brainchild of Ferrell and partner Adam McKay (also a Miller client). Client Judd Apatow, whose Funny People did well with the critics but lagged at the box office, still had enough mojo this year to earn a new 3-picture deal at Universal.

#15 Jim Berkus Agent - United Talent Agency

He's the president of UTA, and has closed deals recently on behalf of clients the Coen Brothers, and Harrison Ford, who is set to don the fedora for Indiana Jones 5. At this juncture, however, Berkus is more than just an agency president; he's something of an old lion, the last agent of his generation still in a position of real power. Berkus has made sure that UTA has remained vital and active as two of the agency's primary competitors merged. He brought Theresa Peters and Louise Ward over from WMA before the merger was even announced, and since then he has had his pick of the agents WME² was willing to let go.

#16 Jason Sloane Attorney - Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern

Sloane specializes in diversified careers, handling deals for such business-savvy actors as Will Smith (see above) and Mark Wahlberg, who currently enjoys being both an above-the-title movie star and one of TV's hottest producers. But Sloane is no less capable when it comes to handling actresses whose appeal crosses genres, repping Amy Adams and Anne Hathaway, two stars who are just as likely to turn up in a summer tentpole as they are at a podium in the Kodak Theater.

#17 Steve Warren Attorney - Hanson Jacobson et al

Webslinger Tobey Maguire is back for Spider-Man 4, which should be as close to a sure thing as a studio could hope for, although script problems may delay production. Nonetheless, we'll presume Maguire's deal is as sweet as they come. Warren's clients also include Leonardo DiCaprio (acting in and producing The Low Dweller), Reese Witherspoon (starring in James L. Brooks' latest comedy) and Drew Barrymore (acted in, produced and directed this year's Whip It).

#18 Alan Wertheimer Attorney - Jackoway Tyerman et al

Wertheimer represents some top-notch artists, but there is enough business in JJ Abrams alone to warrant mention here. The super-hot writer/producer/director cleaned up with this summer's Star Trek (over $380 million worldwide), and his Bad Robot remains one of the most prolific companies in town for both features and TV. His deals on the next installments of Star Trek, Cloverfield and Mission Impossible are no doubt stratospheric.

#19 Robert Offer Attorney - Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern

Offer did Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson's deal for the latest sequel, reported at $12 million plus back-end, which ain't bad for a 23 year-old with a handful of credits. Offer is also the attorney for Michael Bay, whose success with the Transformers franchise is now the stuff of legend. Bay's genre shingle, Platinum Dunes, just closed a new first-look deal at Paramount.

#20 Rick Yorn Manager - Yorn Management Group

Rick Yorn, along with sister-in-law Julie, split from The Firm last year with the promise they would set up a new company. That company opened its doors this year without fanfare - perhaps because Yorn has been busy closing deals for Leonardo DiCaprio (see above), Cameron Diaz (lending her voice to newest installment in the billion-dollar Shrek franchise) and Martin Scorsese (an executive producer on the new HBO series Boardwalk Empire).

#21 Mark Itkin Agent - William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

Reality TV ace Itkin was at the top of his game over at WMA, and when the dust settled on the merger, he was a WME² board member. His department lost Ryan Seacrest (after the monster deal), but picked up Mike Fleiss a week later, which bodes well for the bottom line.

#22 Jake Bloom Attorney - Bloom Hergott et al

Bloom not only handles Pirates star Johnny Depp, he also represents the franchise producer, Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer had Confessions of a Shopaholic and G-Force out in 2009, which might lead some to think it was a sub-par year; but thanks to his television business, he still came in third on Forbes' highest paid men in Hollywood for 2009 at a cool $100 million. Bruckheimer returns to Disney (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) and action-adventure (Prince of Persia: Sands of Time) for 2010.

#23 Charles King Agent - William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

King is an agent on the rise, repping one of the great phenomena in entertainment right now, the one man studio named Tyler Perry. King, along with attorney Matthew Johnson, has worked to keep Perry uniquely autonomous in his deals as an actor, director, writer and producer. This remarkable situation has proven highly profitable in all phases of Perry's career. In 2009 Perry got a pick-up on his second TBS sitcom, Meet the Browns, and a new two picture distribution deal with Lionsgate - no surprise, given that the entire budget on a Perry film is less than what most stars want in salary, and his first seven features took in a total of $350 million.

#24 David Wirtschafter Agent - William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

Wirtschafter was intially named the third co-CEO at WME², and the only member of the executive trio to have come from WMA. He has since relinquished this title, but with former WMA chief Jim Wiatt all but exiled from the new company, keeping any degree of status at WME² may well represent Wirtschafter's greatest achievement in '09. Nonetheless, he is an agent with an unusually broad range of experience in dealmaking, working with athletes, musicians and some of the best filmmakers in the business. Intriguingly, he represents both Taylor Swift and Kanye West in their film interests - not a package he's likely to put together any time soon.

#25 Sam Gores Agent - Paradigm

Paradigm was long considered the mid-size agency most likely to someday join the ranks of "The Big 5," that is, CAA, WMA, Endeavor, ICM and UTA. Only time will tell how the agencies will be rearranged in this Post-Merger world, but Gores' leadership has been good for Paradigm overall. He has built up the branded marketing and music divisions, and added some strong agents to the talent department, including Erwin More and David Guillod. Additionally, Gores client Laurence Fishburne stepped into CSI this year at a salary we can safely say is anything but mid-sized.