Notes from the Rep Biz - 01-08-21

At WME:
 
Even during the height of the holidays, a handful of meaningful moves were underway. WME added two young women on the rise in Israeli model and actress Reef Neeman (Fauda) and multi-talented comedian Kylie Brakeman.
 
But the big news of the past several weeks out of WME is that talent agent Meredith Wechter is departing the agency, likely to become a manager at Michael Sugar's Sugar23. This just reflects the rapid growth of Sugar23, which to this point has repped clients Sugar brought over from Anonymous Content, but now appears to be adding the likes of Gal Gadot, Josh Gad and Jason Momoa to the roster. Sugar23, along with a handful of other newly formed management companies (Range Media Partners and M88 among them), could drastically reshape the rep landscape in Hollywood post-Covid.
 
At ICM Partners:
 
Blair Erskine, an Atlanta-based comedian with a sizeable Tik Tok following, has signed with the agency, as well as with management outfit Sweet 180.
 
ICM continues to bet on music touring coming back strong one of these days. They've recently added veteran touring agents Ron Kaplan, Garry Buck and Alex Buck, who should be bringing along classic acts like Buddy Guy, Van Morrison and Roger Daltrey. As it happens, Kaplan and the Bucks come over from Paradigm, which has been hemorrhaging agents since Covid hit Hollywood.
 
At UTA:
 
Harry Lawtey, one of the stars of HBO's Industry, as well as photographer/director Estevan Oriol and rising R&B star Nevaeh Jolie are all new signs for the agency.
 
Elsewhere Around Town:
 
CAA has signed in-demand playwright and screenwriter Michael Mitnick (The Giver).
 
A3 Agency continues to offer refuge to the former Paradigm lit department, this time adding TV agent Doug Fronk to the fold.
 
APA has signed actor/producer Danny A. Abeckaser, who has brought numerous tales of life in NYC to the screen.
 
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Variety