x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

UTA announces 26-strong partner class

UTA has announced the largest partner class in its 31-year history, elevating 26 team members across more than 15 divisions.

Music agents Mike “G” Guirguis, Jbeau Lewis and Matthew Morgan have both been promoted to partner alongside the company’s co-head of music brand partnerships Toni Wallace and Joe Kessler, global head of the firm’s UTA IQ research, data and analytics department.

The class also includes three recently announced partners with Stefanie Liquori as general counsel, Carmen Bona as chief strategy and corporate development officer and Richard Siklos as chief communications officer.

“These colleagues’ leadership, hard work, mentorship and dedication helps push our business forward every day”

“As UTA has grown, these colleagues’ leadership, hard work, mentorship and dedication helps push our business forward every day,” says UTA co-president David Kramer. “This partner class encompasses a wide range of expertise and backgrounds and reflects our commitment to providing clients with best-in-class representation and resources across all areas of the company.”

The new partners also include agents and executives from UTA’s motion picture literary and talent groups, unscripted television, ventures, production arts, sports, MediaLink, media rights, UTA Speakers and digital talent, as well as corporate functions such as legal and human resources.

 


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.

UTA adds Irene Agbontaen to brand partnership team

Leading talent agency UTA has announced the appointment of Irene Agbontaen to the newly created role of director of artist brand strategy on the music brand partnerships team.

Based in London, Agbontaen brings over a decade of experience and has consulted with top global brands such as Apple, Nike and YouTube Music and will focus on artist brand strategy for the UK office’s European roster of clients.

She will be tasked with developing strategies for artists in the brand partnerships space, leading endorsement and sponsorship opportunities, and building long-term brands and businesses for artists.

“Throughout her career, Irene has always been at the centre of culture, design, and fashion,” says Toni Wallace, UTA’s co-head of global music brand partnerships. “She is a tastemaker and entrepreneur who has continuously helped leading brands redefine how they connect with younger audiences and talent in music and the arts. She will be an invaluable asset to our London office and our clients around the world, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to UTA.”

“UTA has been a leader in successfully connecting the worlds of business and pop culture”

UTA represents artists including Post Malone, Bad Bunny, YG, Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Bebe Rexha, Guns N’ Roses, Lil Wayne, Burna Boy, Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly, Paramore, Rosalía, Florence and the Machine, Bring Me The Horizon, Christine and The Queens and Dolly Parton.

“UTA has been a leader in successfully connecting the worlds of business and pop culture,” adds Agbontaen, founder of accessible style brand TTYA London. “I am so excited to join the team and focus on using creative thinking to develop strategies and long-lasting partnerships for talent.”

UTA Music’s UK office has made over 10 significant new hires over the past year including Earth Agency co-founder Rebecca Prochnik, who serves as director of growth & strategy, UK music.


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.

Maverick’s Alisann Blood joins UTA as music partnerships head

United Talent Agency (UTA) has hired Alisann Blood as co-head of music brand partnerships.

Working alongside other co-head Toni Wallace and reporting to David Zedeck, UTA’s head of worldwide music, Blood will lead UTA’s growing music partnerships division, based out of the agency’s offices in LA, New York, Nashville and London.

The division – launched under Wallace in 2017 – has secured more than 250 partnerships for over 1,000 artists globally, and built an eight-figure brand business for the agency giant, working with acts including Post Malone, Chance the Rapper, the Jonas Brothers, HER, X Ambassadors, Common, Tierra Whack, Young Thug and Jimmie Allen.

Alisann Blood joins UTA from Live Nation-owned management firm Maverick, where she was vice-president of brand partnerships. Prior to joining Maverick Management, she held senior marketing/partnership roles at Crush Music and Capitol Music Group.

“Alisann’s skillset and experience will exponentially impact opportunities for all of our music clients”

“With Alisann’s addition to our world-class team, we are further solidifying our market-leading position in the music brand partnerships space,” Wallace comments. “Alisann’s skillset and experience will exponentially impact opportunities for all of our music clients around the globe.”

Blood is also a board member for Musicians on Call, an organisation that brings music to hospital patients, and an adjunct professor at Syracuse University.

“I have long admired UTA as a best-in-class company for the work they do on behalf of their clients,” she comments. “Toni has built a remarkable business and an incredible team in music brand partnerships, and I couldn’t be more excited to jump in and contribute to the group’s continued growth and success.”

 


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.

Columbia marketing exec Toni Wallace joins UTA

United Talent Agency (UTA) has hired branding expert Toni Wallace, most recently senior director of strategic marketing at Columbia Records, as head of music brand partnerships.

Wallace – who at Columbia headed up artist and brand partnerships for the west coast of the US, working with artists including Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, John Legend and Jack White – will work with the agency’s commercial and marketing departments to “harness the creative power of UTA’s talent roster to create new business opportunities for agency-represented artists in the brand world”, reads a statement from UTA.

Prior to joining Columbia/Sony, Wallace (pictured) ran marketing firm Media.NxT, where she developed campaigns for Beats by Dre, Warner Music and Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents.

“Toni’s depth of relationships, diverse experience and unique perspective position her perfectly to help advance our clients’ ambitions”

She says: “I couldn’t be more excited to be joining UTA. The intersection of music, branding and technology has never been stronger, and, with the addition of music brand partnerships, UTA is uniquely positioned to deliver all of the agency’s resources to cultivate holistic, long-term relationships between artists and brands.”

UTA Music’s Jbeau Lewis adds: “Toni is an incredible addition to our team. Her depth of relationships, diverse experience and unique perspective position her perfectly to help advance our clients’ ambitions. She will create amazing opportunities for our clients, not only in music but throughout our business.”

 


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.