The New Bosses 2024: Cerys Vaughan, ATC Live
The 17th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses, in association with Futures Forum, was revealed in IQ 129, recognising 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.
To get to know this year’s class a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2024’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.
Cerys Vaughan began her career as a show rep in Leicester, as a teenager, running the shows at small venue, Firebug, while also stage managing at Handmade Festival in Leicester. While at the University of West London studying for a foundation degree in Events Management, she interned at the Association of Independent Festivals, helping to organise and run their Festival Congress event in Cardiff in 2014.
Post degree, she returned to Leicester, show repping once again, before landing a job as a promoter assistant at DHP Family, assisting Dan Ealam in London and working across acts like Ed Sheeran, Mystery Jets, The Growlers, and Calum Scott.
She moved to ATC Live six years ago, initially as agent assistant to Chris Meredith, but has since moved across lots of rosters to her current role as Will Church’s assistant working on a roster that includes Big Thief, Japanese Breakfast, Julia Holter, Snail Mail, Whitney and more. She also assists Alex Bruford on Fontaines D.C.
You’ve been involved in live music since you were a teenager – was someone else in your family involved in the business, or was there something or someone else who prompted your interest?
I grew up in a family that loved music, but no one in our family or life worked in the arts, so I had no connections to that world at all (and hadn’t even considered the potential of a career in it). I finished school and was trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life, deferred university for a year (Events Management at UWL), and was working in a bar in Leicester that had a venue attached. The venue booker, John Helps, asked one day if I’d like to try out show repping to get some events experience before going to university. It turned out that I loved it and ended up repping all the gigs and running the door before, during, and after university.
You were very successful at getting your foot in the door at the start of your career. What advice would you have for others who are looking to forge a career in the music industry?
Approach your local music venue and ask if they need anyone to run the door or if you could assist a show rep some nights – working on the ground at gigs is such valuable experience. You’ll learn so much about what it actually means to run a show, and it’s a great way to meet people in the industry and start to build a network.
You were on the promoting end of the business to start off with. What prompted you to move to the agency side?
I was still trying to work out what I wanted to do with my career, and a job coming up at ATC felt like a good opportunity to try something different. The idea of getting to work on shows taking place all across the world was really exciting, so I made the leap haven’t looked back since.
IFF, The Great Escape, and Futures Forum are great events to attend early in your career
In terms of expanding your network of contacts, are there any events, platforms or forums you attend that you would recommend to others?
IFF, The Great Escape, and Futures Forum (the young person’s day at ILMC) are great events to attend early in your career. Many of the international industry professionals travel to these, giving you the opportunity to put some faces to your ever-growing network of email addresses.
You work across quite a number of clients. What has been one of the biggest highlights of your career, so far?
I’ve worked with Fontaines D.C. for five years, and watching their growth has been incredible. A standout moment was at the end of their Hammersmith Apollo shows when they played ‘I Love You.’ Everyone was singing along, and red confetti with ‘I Love You’ written on it fell through the air. That moment was pretty magic, and I’ve kept a piece of that confetti on my dressing table ever since.
Is there anyone in your life that you see as a mentor, or who helped you learn the ropes?
Alex Bruford – he’s the busiest man I’ve ever known but he’ll always find the time to answer your questions, to guide you through a tricky problem or to give you a shout-out for doing a great job on something.
“It’s our duty to make sure every person along the way feels safe, comfortable and fully able to enjoy themselves”
As a new boss, what one thing would you change to try to improve the live music business?
We still need further diversity in the workforce across race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability and socio-economic backgrounds. Not only for the artists we are representing but also for the fans we are putting the shows on for. It’s our duty to make sure every person along the way feels safe, comfortable and fully able to enjoy themselves, and that’ll only be possible when all corners of society are represented in the planning.
Further understanding and care of mental health in the industry. It can be a highly stressful career, and even small improvements in employee care can prevent burnout and keep people feeling supported and valued. ATC Live provide an EAP (employee assistance program) that offers a 24/7 helpline, counselling sessions, and access to expert advice. Knowing that your employer is committed to providing this support feels incredibly reassuring.
What would you like to be doing in five years’ time?
Continuing to work alongside amazing artists and their teams, being a part of their journey as their careers grow feels very special. You never stop learning in this career so hopefully I’ll be wiser too.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Scam alert: Fraudsters pose as agents to the stars
Scammers have been masquerading as CAA agents, claiming to be booking tours for Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber.
IQ has been alerted to messages sent by fraudsters from multiple random email addresses, with promoters advised to “check when something seems too good to be true”.
One set of mails also says that CAA have changed email addresses due to a data breach, which is untrue. All legitimate email addresses for CAA staff are from @caa.com. An example of a recent scam email, purporting to be from CAA’s Mark Cheatham, read as follows:
“We are thrilled to bring you an exclusive opportunity to secure dates for the upcoming *Faith* World Tour, starring global superstar and multi-Grammy Award®-winner Justin Bieber. The tour will begin on December 1st, 2024, and will wrap up on July 30th, 2025, in celebration of his latest album *Faith*.
“This announcement has not yet been made public, providing you with a rare opportunity to book your dates before the official news is released.
“Justin Bieber’s *Faith* World Tour is set to be a monumental event, with performances that will resonate with fans across the globe.
“Contact us today for more details and availability!”
Such scams are not uncommon in the touring business, with fraudsters posing as the representatives of major artists including Radiohead, Adele, Ariana Grande, System of a Down, Beyoncé, Mark Knopfler and Eminem in the past, emailing concert promoters and asking for deposits in exchange for non-existent live dates.
Elsewhere, the leader of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme in the US involving bogus music concerts was jailed for almost five years last month.
The UK’s Entertainment Agents’ Association previously issued a checklist, urging promoters to adopt the following steps if unsure of an agent’s identity:
1. Check the email address is correct – in particular the email domain – and if in any doubt call the agency to confirm it. Do not use the telephone number on the email
2. Check the artist’s website for any conflicting touring plans
3. Make sure you have full contact details of the agent with which you are working and speak to them on the phone at least once
4. Before sending a deposit, call the agency to confirm the booking and check their account details
5. Check with promoters in other markets to verify the artist is touring in that region at that time
6. If an offer is accepted and seems too good to be true, it probably is
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
LGBTIQ+ List 2024: Paul Lomas, WME
The LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – IQ Magazine’s fourth annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.
The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s fourth Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.
To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.
Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Catch up on yesterday’s interview with Luke Mulligan (he/him), director at Circa 41.
The series continues with Paul Lomas (he/him), booking agent at WME.
Paul Lomas is a booking Agent at WME, having previously worked at X-ray Touring, Festival Republic and Eventim Apollo. He currently lives in Hackney with his boyfriend and their three-year-old dog named Melon. He’s lived in London for the best part of 16 years after coming to university in 2008 to study media and cultural studies. He enjoys live music and festivals, dining out, travelling, and dog walks on the weekend.
Tell us about the professional feat you’re most PROUD of in 2024 so far.
Watching clients I work with take huge steps in their careers. One of my acts Somebody’s Child went from playing Omeara in Feb 2023 to selling out their biggest headline show to date at Heaven in April. Seeing that growth from 300 to 1,100 people in the space of 14 months was really amazing for me and I’m very excited for the next album and what’s to come. I work on Cigarettes After Sex alongside my boss Josh Javor and to watch their rapid rise over the last 18 months has been incredible. Three sold out nights at Eventim Apollo last year and now two nights at The O2 later this year. They are a great band that I love working with.
“Diversity and inclusion are becoming a massive part of working life in general and it’s great to see it being taken seriously”
What’s your most pressing challenge in the agency business right now?
I wouldn’t say it’s pressing but I think managing expectations for new artists is important. As much as we’d all love to get every festival slot and a big tour support for our developing acts in the first year, it’s not as easy as that, so I think it’s important to be honest from the get-go with any new artist you start working with on what is possible in the early stages and not make too many promises. There are certain things you should work towards rather than rush into right away. Also not taking on too many artists too quickly. It’s easy to get caught up in a buzz act that everyone is after and want to sign everything, but if you end up with too many at the same level you end up competing with yourself.
Name one thing the industry could do to be a more equitable place.
I think as an industry, the live world is doing pretty well. This IQ Pride List is a great example! Diversity and inclusion are becoming a massive part of working life in general and it’s great to see it being taken seriously. At WME, we have dedicated colleagues who work on inclusion and advocacy and have inclusion programmes you can sign up for where there are organised events and conversations on an ongoing basis. It would be great to see more companies do this.
“It’s important to support anything that has to do with mental health or homelessness due to issues with coming out and not being accepted by family and friends”
Name one queer act you’re itching to see live this year.
Chappell Roan! Her album has been on heavy rotation since it came out last year and I’ve watched loads of videos of her playing on talk shows, live sessions and her Tiny Desk performance – she’s just amazing and so much fun.
Shout out your biggest ally in the live music industry.
Maddie Arnold at Live Nation (who was on this list in 2021!). We met at university in 2008 and have been best friends ever since. It’s great to have such a close friend doing the same thing as you and it’s a pleasure to watch her do so well and I have no doubt that she’ll be one of the top promoters in the country in no time!
Shout out any LGBTIQ+ cause(s) you support.
MindOut and akt are great causes that stand out to me that are helping people in need. It’s important to support anything that has to do with mental health or homelessness due to issues with coming out and not being accepted by family and friends.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Former Marshall Live head launches boutique agency
Ex-Marshall Live Agency head Stuart Vallans has announced the launch of boutique agency TRUST. Artists.
With a roster including The Meffs, Gallus, Cucamaras, Hotel Lux, Snake Eyes, Carsick and Aiko, among others, the new agency is focused on developing artists’ careers across the UK and Europe.
Vallans, who boasts more than 20 years’ experience of booking bands, has parted ways with Marshall – the British music company best known for its guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets – and gone solo, taking the live agency arm of the business with him.
Having helmed Marshall Live over the last four years, Vallans believes the time is right to go solo as he bids to take it to new heights.
“The new agency is being built using the model of many of my friends’ European boutique agencies”
“My vision for TRUST. spans back nearly two decades, having worked with many incredible artists and many, many talented industry professionals, I’ve always wanted to do things my own way,” says TRUST. Artists owner Stuart Vallans. “The new agency is being built using the model of many of my friends’ European boutique agencies; working with a smaller roster of bands, but having tighter relationships with them.
“I personally believe there is always a better way of doing things, a much more agile way of booking shows, something I will be working on at TRUST. to further all my artists’ careers.”
Commenting on the move, Trust clients, punk duo The Meffs say: “From day one of being our agent, Stu got behind The Meffs and everything we stand for. We’re a team. Nothing has ever been too much trouble and no opportunity has ever been too big to fight for. Stu’s famous phrase is ‘let me dig in’ and we never have doubt that he’s going to dig! Trust is the core value that bands need from an agency, and it’s guaranteed with this diamond.”
Marshall Live Agency was one of a number of new booking agencies to pop up during the pandemic, alongside the likes of Mother Artists, One Fiinix Live, Route One Booking and Runway Artists in the UK, as well as Arrival Artists, Mint Talent Group and TBA Agency in the US and Rebel Beat Agency in Spain, in 2020, amid a wider fragmentation of the global agency sector in response to the Covid shutdown.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
LGBTIQ+ List 2024: Emma Davis, One Fiinix
The LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – IQ Magazine’s fourth annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.
The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s fourth Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.
To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.
Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Catch up on yesterday’s interview with Dustin Turner (he/him), music marketing executive at CAA.
The series continues with Emma Davis (she/her), general manager/agent at One Fiinix Live.
Tell us about the professional feat you’re most proud of in 2024 so far.
The first one was when I went to Bangkok for Ed Sheeran’s shows out there. To be on the other side of the world and see shows I’ve played a part in making happen play out was just such a huge privilege and something I’ll never forget. My second one was seeing RØRY play to a sold-out Electric Ballroom in February, surrounded by the whole team at One Fiinix Live. She’s an incredible artist with a truly inspirational story and deserves all the success she is getting. To be surrounded by such a supportive team of people from the agency that I have been a part in putting together too just made that feel so special.
What’s your most pressing challenge in the agency business at the moment?
Avails!
The vast majority of your extensive roster identifies as queer, was this intentional on your part?
I don’t know if I’ve done it intentionally, but I connect more with music and artists that are relevant to my personal interests. I’m a big believer that you get back what you put out into the world, so I guess the more I’ve embraced my authentic self the more queer my roster has got, and I’m totally here for it.
“I’d love to see more women and queer people in leadership roles, I think this industry would be a much kinder, more considerate and equal one if that were the case”
As a queer agent, are you able to better serve your queer artists?
I definitely think it makes me more empathetic – I know what it is like to turn up at a venue and be the only non-straight white male in a room, how intimidating and even unsafe that can feel. I make effort to make sure the best provisions are in place for my artists. I really think about who the right promoter is – will they understand the artist, their needs and their audience? Even things like making sure to discuss appropriate show reps so the first person artists meet on a show day is going to appreciate their needs and ensure they have the best possible experience.
Last year I had two of my US artists over and we met in person for the first time, they both said “You’re just like me!”, and it really hit home for me how important representation can be for artists.
Name one thing the industry could do to be a more equitable place.
I’d love to see more women and queer people in leadership roles, I think this industry would be a much kinder, more considerate and equal one if that were the case. When I first started working as an assistant at one of the major booking agencies, someone said to me: “Don’t be too good at your job, or they will never promote you”. One of the most frustrating things I see in this industry is really talented women getting stuck in support roles because they still aren’t considered in the same way as their mostly mediocre male counterparts. Some of the best agents, promoters, and managers in the business are women who spent YEARS in support roles and have had to work ten times harder and shout WAY louder than they should to be heard.
“I’m a big believer that you get back what you put out into the world; the more I’ve embraced my authentic self the more queer my roster has got”
Name one queer act you’re itching to see live this year.
The Japanese House. This is cheating, but I also can’t wait to see Chappell Roan, and we are very excited to bring Alice Longyu Gao back over here – Jess Kinn and I represent her, and genuinely think she is one of the most exciting artists out there right now.
Shout out your biggest ally in the live music industry.
Jess Kinn. She (as well as Jon Ollier) is my number-one cheerleader, always has my back and gives the best pep talks you’ll ever get. She always stands up for what she thinks is right and I find her so inspiring in so many ways. Jess, along with her sister Martha, and the work they do for the LGBTQIA+ community goes above and beyond allyship.
Shout out any LGBTIQ+ cause(s) you support.
Mermaids. It’s a charity that supports transgender and non-binary young people and their families. Also would love to mention West London Queer Project too.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
CAA trio appointed co-heads of global touring
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has announced senior agents Emma Banks, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin as co-heads of global touring.
The trio, all long-time senior members of the firm’s leadership team, will oversee the department’s continued international growth and build upon the work of predecessor Rob Light, who was recently named CAA MD after 25 years as head of global touring.
“With the most talented team of agents ever at one agency, and serving the most influential artists in the world, we see unlimited opportunities ahead,” say Roskin, Eaton and Banks. “The live business has never been stronger nor had more momentum, and artists have never had more ways to express themselves and grow their careers, making this an absolutely incredible time to help chart CAA’s path for the future.
“We’re fortunate to have shared in the success, stability and uniquely strong culture that the department has enjoyed under Rob’s outstanding leadership. Our vision, and commitment moving forward, is to foster cutting-edge ideas that drive the market and ensure that CAA remains the most exciting and empowering agency for the industry’s best agents and artists to thrive.”
With employees in Los Angeles, Nashville, London, New York, Austin, Miami, and Toronto, CAA’s Global Touring department boasts a roster including The Weeknd, Harry Styles, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, John Mayer, Rüfüs Du Sol, Jelly Roll, Kelly Clarkson, Blink-182, Kelsea Ballerini, Peso Pluma, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Trevor Noah, Red Hot Chili Peppers and David Guetta. In the past year, CAA has booked more than 38,000 shows.
Banks has co-led the agency’s now 60-person London music office since joining CAA in 2006. In addition to her new leadership position, she serves on CAA’s internal agency board and also chairs UK music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins.
“CAA remains the dominant music and comedy touring agency thanks to a profoundly deep culture of collaboration, innovation, and unyielding devotion to clients”
Eaton and Roskin became CAA’s co-heads of contemporary music for North America in 2015, running the day-to-day operations of the North American touring department and supporting more than 100 agents and 280 employees.
Eaton, who joined CAA’s mailroom in 1991, has led the agency’s efforts to launch and grow its electronic, Latin, and hip-hop/R&B divisions, while Roskin began his career at CAA and has worked in the touring department for 35 years. He was an original member of CAA’s internal agency board, formed in 2020, and was part of the company’s leadership group that completed the integration of talent agency ICM.
“CAA remains the dominant music and comedy touring agency thanks to a profoundly deep culture of collaboration, innovation, and unyielding devotion to clients,” says Light, who recently signed a long-term contract to remain at CAA, alongside all the other MDs. “For years, Darryl, Rick and Emma have been extraordinary partners to me in leading our touring group in North America and London, respectively. I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved to date and look forward to what they will create in the years ahead.
“Along with my new strategic responsibilities, I look forward to continuing to sign and empower great artists, creatively build long-term careers, and mentor young executives.”
“Rick, Darryl and Emma have long been among the most talented and widely admired leaders in the industry, not to mention three of the best agents in the world,” adds CAA co-chair and CEO Bryan Lourd. “The leadership role they each already play at CAA has earned them deep respect and trust among our colleagues across all departments.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Runway Artists: ‘Popular culture isn’t shaped by ageing white men’
Runway Artists founder Matt Hanner has told IQ about the agency’s strategy to invest in the next generation of agents.
Hanner (formerly of ATC Live, Coda) launched the London-based independent booking agency in the spring of 2020, against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
Notably, the agency’s first hires included emerging executives Amg Greig and Dotun Bolaji (now at Primary Talent), with Greig set to move from a freelance role to a full-time position in June.
Indeed, Hanner says recruiting and training young and diverse agents is baked into the firm’s game plan.
“I want to build a talented team that represents the artists we work with and society as a whole,” he tells IQ.
“Younger, digital native agents will definitely have the upper hand when it comes to identifying and nurturing new artists”
“Popular culture is not shaped by aging white men and as something of an underdog in the agency landscape I want to give Runway a fighting chance when we’re up against the competition – if artists can look across the table and see a company that reflects and understands them then hopefully they’ll give us a shot.”
In fact, Hanner believes that having young agents on the team is an advantage when it comes to scouting talent.
“Someone in their early 20s has only ever consumed music in an ecosystem in which DSPs are a major player; the associated shift in consumption habits has massively altered how people approach genre and that feeds into talent development and discovery,” he explains.
“Personally when looking at new artists I feel I can’t stray too far from my ‘lane’ as I don’t know the tastemakers outside certain genres but streaming has moved the goalposts completely and younger, digital native agents will definitely have the upper hand when it comes to identifying and nurturing new artists.”
The younger generation of Runway recently expanded with Louise McGovern (an agent who has previously worked for Midnight Mango and DHP) and intern Emer Marcus, who joined Heather Mosselson, Steve Backman, Zac Peters, Craig Wylie, Georgia Chrysanthopoulos and Karen Murray.
“The shift in age and gender balance of the company should bring a new dynamic”
But Runway’s commitment to diversity isn’t just reflected in its team. Having partnered with gender-equality initiative Keychange, the agency has pledged to maintain a minimum of 50% female-led or majority-female artists across the agency’s roster.
“Additionally, we are looking to address the racial imbalance across the artists we represent,” reads a mission statement on the agency’s website.
McGovern – who represents KEG, Alien Chicks, Spyres, Toby Sebastian, Jaws The Shark, Cable Street Collective, Dutch Criminal Record, Jade Helliwell and Kima Otung – says Runway’s DEI strategy is partly what attracted her to the company.
“They invest a lot into grassroots artists and venues and have a people-first approach, and equality, diversity and inclusion are important concepts to me, so I was thrilled to see them sign up to the Keychange pact,” she says. “In terms of their roster, they have a diverse range of artists, and I could see my roster and my future roster fitting in well there.”
Meanwhile, Marcus has been interning at Runway for nine months now and says her experience at the agency has been “crucial” in an industry that can be “daunting for young people to enter”.
“Talent and aptitude for the role are more important than experience, so assuming we’re getting that bit right once the doors are open we want to see people running through them,” says Hanner.
As an independent agency, Hanner believes Runway can give less experienced executives broader exposure to agency work and progress them quicker into an agent role.
“I think, in general, agencies have been hiring as young and cheap as they can for years with very different motivations,” he says. “You could argue it would be more financially prudent and less work to bring in experienced staff and those with a proven roster but one of the advantages to being an independent company is that we can be idealistic and take a gamble because we believe it’s the right thing to do.
“The shift in age and gender balance of the company should bring a new dynamic and I am hoping we empower our newly expanded team to drive Runway forward in an exciting direction,” Hanner says.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Wasserman promotes nine, creates orchestral arm
Talent agency Wasserman Music has announced the promotion of nine team members, as well as the creation of a dedicated orchestral division.
Promotions include London-based agent Holly Rowland, who started out at Wasserman precursor Coda in 2014, and serves clients including Louis Tomlinson, Rag’n’Bone Man, INJI and Liang Lawrence.
Other promotions include New York-based Alex Christie (agent), Annie Cole (manager, touring), Owen Hynes (manager, tour marketing) and Noah Plotnicki (agent), Nashville-based Anna Kathryn Groom (manager, brand partnerships), and Los Angeles-based Kara Klein (manager, brand partnerships) and Lindsay Roblesi (agent).
In addition, Miami-based agent Brittany Miller, who joined Wasserman precursor AM Only in 2014, moves to the agency’s global festivals department as director, festivals, focusing on electronic music events around the world.
“Nurturing and advancing the careers of talented members of our global team is central to our culture of support and empowerment, so we’re proud to announce these well-earned promotions,” says Lee Anderson, Wasserman Music EVP and managing executive. “Continually creating new ways to super-serve our clients is our core mission, and it’s most gratifying when we’re able to do that by elevating exceptional Team Wass colleagues to serve them even better.”
“Emily has been able to see the enormous opportunity in the live symphonic space beyond just talent booking”
Meanwhile, in a “first-of-its-kind” move for a major talent agency, Wasserman has also announced the creation of a new dedicated orchestral division headed by VP Emily Threlfall Yoon.
The new division represents IP-driven symphonic properties such as SQEX’s Final Fantasy VII REBIRTH World Orchestra Tour and the dozens of titles produced by Disney Concerts, including Marvel Studios’ The Infinity Saga Concert Experience, as well as a group of conductors, orchestrators, and arrangers.
The division will also partner with artists across Wasserman Music’s client roster, such as John Legend, Melissa Etheridge, Laufey, and Zedd, to conceive and produce new popular programming symphonic projects.
“Emily has been able to see the enormous opportunity in the live symphonic space beyond just talent booking,” adds Anderson. “By working as a creative partner with artists and IP-driven properties – whether movies, TV, video games, or pop music – Emily and our new orchestral division are taking the music that people love in their everyday lives and presenting it in exciting new ways to fans of all kinds.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
WME hires agent to represent creative directors
WME has hired Erin Kapor as an agent with a focus on representing creative directors.
Kapor, who brings more than a decade of experience in creative representation and strategy, most recently served as SVP of creative at Original Creative Agency and previously worked for Downtown Music Publishing and Red Light Management, before switching to consulting as a creative strategist.
Her work has involved leading a roster of clients spanning music, politics, sports, fashion, brands and art.
WME says the hire is “a response to the rising number of talent across culture verticals”
The company says Los Angeles-based Kapor’s appointment is “a response to the rising number of talent across culture verticals continuing to blur the lines” between the various fields.
Joining Kapor at WME are clients including Ben Chappell, who has worked with acts such as Arctic Monkeys and Niall Horan, Clare Gillen (Rihanna), Cody “SSION” Critcheloe (Kim Petras, Robyn), Franc Fernandez (Lady Gaga, Miguel), James “Yimmy Yayo” Bailey (Alicia Keys, Nintendo), Joe Perez (Beyoncé, Louis Vuitton), creative studio TAWBOX (Drake, Boygenius), and Undercard Studio (FKA twigs, Blur).
They join WME’s existing roster in the space, which already includes designer KidSuper, Ethan Tobman, creative director for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, The Weeknd’s creative director La Mar Taylor and design studio Vita Motus, which has created concepts and installations for Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
CAA promotes trio to agents
Global talent firm Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has announced a trio of promotions in its music touring department.
Lola Castillo Murphy, Hugh Parsons and Matthew Rutledge have each been elevated to agents at the company.
London-based Murphy began her career as an intern in The Agency Group (now UTA) a decade ago before joining CAA in 2015 as a general department assistant. She worked with Jon Ollier, Rebecca Nichols, Ben Coles, Emma Banks, and Mike Greek prior to being promoted to coordinator in 2022, before being accepted to the agency’s trainee programme Elevate in 2023.
CAA’s Elevate programme is designed to nurture the talents of its agents and executives in training
Parsons, who is also based in London, started out at Island Records in 2016, where he worked in their Marketing team. In 2017, he joined CAA as an assistant to Laura Newton, and subsequently to Ben Kouijzer and Jen Hammel. He was accepted into Elevate in 2022 and promoted to coordinator in 2023.
Nashville-based Rutledge, meanwhile, held positions at The Agency Coalition and Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) before joining CAA as an assistant to Brian Waymire in 2021. He was upped to booking professional for the agency’s country fairs and festivals division within the music touring department last year.
CAA Elevate is the firm’s next-generation training and practical development curriculum with “an emphasis on entrepreneurialism, inclusion, curiosity, collaboration, service, and a growth mindset”. It is designed to cultivate best practices, encourage innovation, foster global strategic-thinking and nurture the talents of CAA’s agents and executives in training.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.