UTA signs ‘godfather of grime’ Wiley
United Talent Agency (UTA) in London has signed British grime star Wiley for worldwide representation.
The platinum-selling British rapper, real name Richard Cowie Jnr MBE, will be represented by a team of global agents at UTA, who in addition to touring will “explore opportunities for him across a wide scope of services”, including digital, branding, endorsements and TV.
Agent Billy Wood, who joined UTA from WME last March, says: “We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic tastemaker in music. He has played an integral role in elevating grime globally and still remains close to his roots. We look forward to working with Wiley and his team worldwide.”
Wiley was formerly represented by Wood at WME.
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Three new agent hires for UTA Music
Respected British agent Bex Majors, formerly of CAA, has joined United Talent Agency (UTA)’s Beverly Hills-based music team.
She is one of three new hires for the fast-growing agency, along with fellow UK agent Billy Wood, most recently of WME, and NiteVision Management (Chris Brown, Akon) founder Mike Guirguis.
The latest announcement comes during a period of expansion for UTA, whose clients include Mariah Carey, Muse, Guns N’ Roses and DJ Khaled, and follows the appointment of Greg Janese, formerly of Paradigm, to head up corporate events, Toni Wallace as head of music partnerships and Rob Walker as an agent in New York.
“Each one of these agents brings an extraordinary understanding of the business”
While Majors joins UTA in LA, booking international dates for artists including The King Blues, Cereper, Amanda Palmer and Pvris, Wood will book his roster (Christinia Milian, Dappy, Run DMC, Tinchy Stryder, etc.) from London. Guirguis, meanwhile, will “focus on creating new opportunities for artists, including establishing new partnerships across all areas of entertainment and building new businesses around clients”.
“I’m proud to welcome Bex, Billy and Mike to our rapidly growing music team,” comments UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. “We are committed to continuing to hire industry leaders who will collaborate across the agency to maximise opportunities for clients. Each one of these agents brings an extraordinary understanding of the business, and we are excited to utilise their expertise and skills as we continue to expand our suite of services.”
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