Notes From the Rep Biz ~ 10/2/2026

The creator of Minions to WME! An up and coming filmmaker to CAA! A Love Islander, a BookTok sensation, and Uncle Jesse all have new reps! A major videogame adaptation gets its star and Jennifer Lawrence heads to Zach Cregger’s next film. Plus, our Project of the Month sprouts fangs to kick off the spooky season! All this and more, in today’s Notes from the Rep Biz!

At WME:

Director Pierre Coffin is now agented by WME. Coffin is best known for his work on the Despicable Me franchise. In particular he is the creator of the lovable yellow screwups the Minions. He co-directed Despicable Me in 2010, Despicable Me 2 in 2013 (which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film), the spinoff Minions in 2015, and Despicable Me 3 in 2017. Despite saying he wanted to move on from the franchise, Coffin solo directed this summer’s Minions & Monsters.   

Internet personality, actor, model, and producer Juanpa Zurita is also a new sign for the agency. Hailing from Mexico, Zurita got his start making comedy videos for Twitter’s short lived Vine platform. He has since pivoted to YouTube and TikTok and has amassed over 90 million followers. He is the creator and star behind La Peor Vuelta al Mundo for Hulu and Disney Plus. He is currently developing a film for Netflix and more content for Hulu and Disney.

WME now reps rising country singer/songwriter Kinsley. The Nashville native started releasing her music on YouTube through her series Midnight Sessions with raw acoustic melodies and lyrics the series became super popular on the platform. Her popularity led to signing with MCA Records and the release of her debut EP Learn to Live on September 25th.  

At CAA:

Actor, director, and writer Rightor Doyle is now agented by CAA. Doyle is best known for the 2018 sex comedy series Bonding which he wrote, directed, and starred in, the series premiered at Cannesseries before migrating to Netflix the following year. He made his feature directorial debut in 2023 with the comedy Down Low starring Zachary Quinto, Lukas Gage, and Judith Light. As an actor Doyle has made appearances in Barry, Beef, and You’re the Worst. 

Another filmmaker now repped by the Death Star is Nick Kozakis. Kozakis’ most recent feature Kick On just premiered at TIFF. The film follows a group of friends who find themselves at odds with a mobster’s son. His previous film the horror pic Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism won the People’s Choice Award at the 2023 STIGES festival. He is also the director behind the Tones and I music video “Dance Monkey.” 

Actress Sadie Stanley is also a new sign for the agency. Stanley is a rising star with several major credits behind her, making her debut in 2019’s live action Kim Possible TV movie as the titular hero. From there she starred in last year’s Karate Kid: Legends and had recurring roles on The Goldbergs, and Netflix’s Dead to Me. Next up she will star in Lauren Iungerich’s Netflix series Poser alongside Daisy Jelley and Annie Murphy, and the next installment of the 47 Meters Down franchise titled The Wreck.  

At UTA:

Actor Reggie Absolom is now repped by UTA. Absolom is about to become a major name when Club Kid hits screens in November. The film directed and starring Jordan Firstman premiered at this year’s Cannes film festival in the Un Certain Regard category. Absolom received high praise for his performance with some critics stating that he completely steals the movie. Absolom also appeared in season 2 of Apple TV’s Silo and The Other Bennet Sister.

Caleb McDaniel is another new sign for the agency. McDaniel was a breakout star on season 8 of Love Island USA arriving on day 7 and became a fan favorite due to his southern charm. An elevator technician by trade he has pivoted to modeling and has over 1.5 million social media followers. 

Director Will Ropp is also a new sign for the agency. Ropp’s debut feature Brian, premiered at SXSW this year, and stars Ben Wang as a painfully shy seventeen year-old who runs for class president to get closer to Natalie Morales, his English teacher who he has a crush on. He is already finishing up his second film Dedicated to Morris Burke which stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph as a woman investigating the mysterious man her late husband dedicated his book to.  

OTHER NOTES AROUND TOWN

Self published author Quan Millz is now repped by Verve. Millz has taken BookTok (the area of TikTok that focuses on books) by storm with a veritable publishing empire, publishing over 70 books since 2017. Millz is the pen name of Colby Durden and his books are a genre blend of satire, romance, action, and horror with over the top titles such as: This Hoe Got Roaches in Her Crib, My Pastor Got a Stripper Pregnant, and Pregnant by my Mother’s Gay Husband. The books have become a viral sensation leading Millz to gain over 1 million followers on TikTok, and even Lizzo recreating some of his covers for Halloween. 

Uncle Jesse has a new manager. Untitled Entertainment has signed actor John Stamos. Stamos is best known for the role of Uncle Jesse on the mega popular Full House in the 90’s, since then he has performed on Broadway multiple times, and has recently appeared in Palm Royale, Disney Plus’ Big Shot, and the Netflix reboot of Full House, Fuller House. Next up, he will appear in the second season of Netflix’s The Hunting Wives and the feature films Drag co-starring Lizzy Caplan and Golf Trip with Tom Segura, Andrew Santino, and Heather Graham.  

Actress Stephanie Hsu is now managed by Range Media Partners. Hsu first claim to fame was on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (which landed her an Ensemble SAG Award), but her breakout role was in the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) best picture winner 2023’s Everything Everywhere all at Once for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Hsu recently played Janet on Broadway in The Rocky Horror Picture show and was nominated for a Tony for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She will next appear in the Netflix animated films In Waves and Steps. 

MUSIC NOTES

Country star Brett Kissel is now repped by MPI Talent Agency. Hailing from Canada, Kissel has racked up more than 20 singles as top 10 hits, and four of those (“Airwaves,” “Drink About Me,” “A Few Good Stories,” and “Make a life, not a living”) hit number one on the Canadian airwaves. 

After releasing his latest single “Thank You” on September 21st, Jackson Wang then signed with Roc Nation. The rapper and singer hails from Hong Kong and got his start with the K-pop band Got7 in 2014. Mirrors Wang’s first solo album dropped in 2019 and hit number 32 on the Billboard top 200 chart. In 2022 his second album Magic Man hit number fifteen, and his third album Magic Man 2 hit number 3 last year. 

SPORTS NOTES

Agency Athletes First is starting up a Basketball division headed up by David Mulugheta, with agent John Noonan joining the team as well.

L.A. Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts will now be managed by 3 Arts Sports and Sanders Sports and Entertainment (SSE).

CASTING NOTES

According to Deadline, Reacher star Alan Ritchson is in talks to star in video game adaptation Helldivers to be directed by Justin Lin. Started in 2015 Helldivers is a satirical science fiction war series following a group of super soldiers fighting for a fascist Earth against various alien races.

Hollow the Sydney Sweeney produced and starring Sleepy Hollow reimaging has just cast its Brom Bones with Off Campus’ Belmont Cameli. The film will be written and directed by Lindsey Anderson Beer based on her forthcoming novel. 

Jennifer Lawrence is set to star in Zach Cregger’s next film, a sci-fi original film called The Flood. Not much is known about the plot of Cregger’s next film, but judging by Weapons and Resident Evil…it will be a wild ride.

PROJECT OF THE MONTH

Horror is on a hot street and as such everyone is looking for the next big genre breakout to match Obsession and Backrooms. Furthermore, vampires are an evergreen genre from Twilight to last year’s Oscar winning Sinners audiences love those blood sucking ghouls. So to kick off the spooky season, our project of the month is Bleed the Night from writers Keith Cooper and Zoe Cooper (from a story by Keith Cooper and Justin Dyck) which was just bought by Fox Entertainment.

The story recalls vampire classics such as Innocent Blood and Near Dark. Set in the summer of 1994, Bleed the Night follows a lonely teenager who answers a personal ad with the cryptic words “Must Love Blood.” Leading to what Deadline describes as “a bloody crime spree that tests just how far she’ll go for her first real friend.”

Keith Cooper, Zoe Cooper, and Justin Dyck are no strangers to horror. Keith Cooper wrote and Justin Dyck directed 2020’s critically acclaimed horror film Anything For Jackson. Additionally Dyck and Cooper have Casket Girls, another horror film with vampiric overtones set to release next year starring Mike Colter and Gabrielle Union. Zoe Cooper’s genre bonafides include work on a number of segments in the V/H/S anthology series, and Teacup for Peacock.

Zoe Cooper is agented by WME and managed by Gotham Group. Keith Cooper and Justin Dyck are repped by WME and Aperture. The project does not currently have a director attached, but it is believed they are actively looking for directors now. Aperture is producing the project. Deadline was the first to report the story.

Audiences love vampires and horror, so Bleed the Night could be the next breakout horror hit.

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Sources: Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Variety, Celebrity Access, Music Row, Billboard, Pollstar

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