Hollywoods New Leaders of 2023

AI. IP. Branding. Technology. Release windows. Fandom. Culture. DEI. Marketing. Touring. Publicity. Promotion. Social media. Partnerships. Finance. International ties. Not to mention human nature.

It takes a profound understanding of many of these concepts and disciplines to qualify for Variety’s New Leaders feature, which each year highlights the creatives and executives in film, TV, music, agencies, management, law and talent newly emergent at the forefront of the entertainment industry.

But most of all, it takes, well, leadership.

Classical definition: Leadership is the ability of an individual or group to influence and guide followers. But that doesn’t do full justice to the idea. True leadership involves setting an example and inspiring people to do their best work. And letting them do it.

Or, in the words of the late astronomer and communicator par excellence Carl Sagan: “Being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.”

Such an ethos explains the attitude of the TV executive on this list who finds reward in having taken a chance on hiring a TV director who ended up surpassing his expectations. And the film VP who mentors her juniors by encouraging them to ask questions and make mistakes. And the label exec who signs new talent on the basis of who they are as a person just as much as their music background.

The following list contains multiple examples of people who rose in their careers because they had the good fortune to work with bosses who let them fly and shine. And now that they’re in positions of leadership themselves, they’re ready to pay it forward and mentor the generation that will follow them.

For editorial inquiries, please contact Peter Caranicas at peter.caranicas@variety.com.

John Agbaje
SVP, Animation
Bad Robot
(Film & TV)
Agbaje, 36, helped to bring Charlie Mackesy’s “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” to life, earning Academy Award and BAFTA wins for animated short film, as well as four Annie Awards. Bad Robot is working on diverse animation projects across film and TV, including a two-season order for Bruce Timm’s “Batman: Caped Crusader” at Amazon, and an adaptation of “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” for Warner Bros.
Enduring power of animation: “I’ve seen such a resurgence and celebration of animation in different forms,” says Agbaje. “I could’ve never predicted we’d get films as diverse, technically impressive and creatively excellent as ‘Across the Spider-Verse,’ ‘Nimona,’ ‘Elemental,’ ‘Ninja Turtles,’ and our own Oscar-winning short, in the same 12-month period.”
Maxime Cottray
COO
XYZ Films
(Film & TV)
Newly appointed COO of the independent film studio XYZ Films, Cottray oversees the company’s financing, business affairs and day-to-day operations, as well as functioning as producer and executive producer for many of its titles. Cottray, 34, successfully raised the company’s multimillion-dollar production financing, established XYZ as a full-fledged independent studio and launched the company’s U.S. distribution. Cottray also initiated a collaboration between XYZ and the generative AI firm Flawless to create lip-synced versions of foreign-language films acquired for English-speaking territories.
Shrinking the world with AI: “AI can be used as a positive force to bring foreign-language content to a wider U.S. and global audience with the hope that the lip-syncing technology encourages consumers to no longer see these great movies as foreign and instead immerse themselves in new stories, cultures and filmmakers,” Cottray says.
Nicole Foster
Senior Business Affairs Executive
Amazon MGM Studios
(Film & TV)
Foster served as business affairs lead for titles such as “Red One,” “Candy Cane Lane,” “Red White & Royal Blue” and “My Spy 2.” She closed a multiyear first-look film deal with Macro and sealed the highly competitive rights deal for the universe-building graphic novel “Eight Billion Genies.” Additionally, Foster, 34, was a mentor for the Howard Entertainment Program — a partnership between Amazon Studios and Howard University designed to diversify the talent pipeline across entertainment — and served as professional development chair for the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Employee Network at Amazon.
Challenges of dealmaking: “Things are more exciting given our ability to contemplate wider theatrical releases on top of our standard streaming model,” says Foster, “and I’ve been challenged to creatively strategize a new approach to deal terms for the new model, while also staying both talent- and studio-friendly.”
Ryan Friscia
EVP, Finance and Business Development
NEON
(Film & TV)
As Neon pivots from acquisition to production, Friscia, 37, has played an integral role in helping fund that growth by arranging a $40 million credit facility with Comerica Bank. Since then, he has supervised the production financing of horror hit “It Lives Inside” and upcoming Hunter Schafer starrer “Cuckoo,” as well as helping Neon acquire the rights to Michael Mann’s “Ferrari.”
Finance is king: “If our slate is 12 films a year, a good balance between production and acquisition is 50/50,” Friscia says. With Hollywood feeling the pressure of inflation, he sees the role of finance as increasingly critical: “Things are starting to cost more and everybody’s pulling back on their spend. Getting a grasp on a project’s finances will become even more important.”
Sarah Gabriel
Head of Production & Development
Signature Films
(Film & TV)
Since pivoting from film sales to creative development and production, Gabriel, 37, has played a key role in building Signature Films’ production division. Her approach was to start off small, making eight movies in the sub-$2 million range during the pandemic. Signature then worked with bigger budgets on 2022 black comedy “The Estate” and the upcoming crime drama “Marmalade,” before taking their biggest punt: “Trap House,” starring Dave Bautista, which carries a price tag “in the $40-to-$50 million range,” per Gabriel.
Indie breeding ground: Gabriel attributes her seamless transition to production down to her diversified background. “It’s important to know how to make it work financially and understand the marketplace,” she says. “The best producers always come out of the independent space because they understand every aspect of how a movie gets made.”
Toni Gutierrez
Director of Development
Wind Sun Sky Entertainment
(Film & TV)
Gutierrez oversees the Canadian animation studio’s diverse slate of multiplatform IP for kids, YA and adults, and is responsible for expanding the company’s deep creative roster and building commercial franchises for the global marketplace. Based in Los Angeles and previously manager of development at Rooster Teeth and a creative executive at Nickelodeon, she’s helping to adapt a slate of hit Roblox games into deep narrative universes for scripted content production and beyond.
Multiple delivery methods: “We’re still learning about how to tap into different audiences across various platforms, as opposed to just utilizing traditional linear models,” she says. “All of our properties have cross-platform potential, and as we enter this new post-strike phase, we want to continue to be creative while getting interesting stories made.”
Sam Harowitz
VP, Content Acquisition & Partnerships
Tubi
(Film & TV)
Harowitz, 39, is key in leading expansion of Tubi’s content library to more than 200,000 movies and TV episodes and almost 250 FAST channels. Last year, he and his team worked to secure the popular HBO/Max series “Generation” and “Lovecraft Country,” and titles like “Deadpool” and “Deadpool 2.” Tubi has surpassed 74 million monthly active users and logged nearly 4 billion streaming hours for the first half of 2023. Tubi also reached an impressive 1.4% of total TV viewing time, according to Nielsen’s July 2023 the Gauge report.
The viewer rules: “I’d say the fun of my job is that I get to work with over 450 content partners,” Harowitz says. “It’s a huge win for TV viewers to access a show that previously had only been on HBO or HBO Max.”
Dane Joseph
VP, Unscripted Series
Hulu Originals
(Film & TV)
Joseph helped to launch Hulu’s unscripted vertical, bringing the Emmy-nominated “Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi,” “Spotify Presents Rap Caviar” and the streamer’s most-watched unscripted series, “The Kardashians.” He aims for 100% of Hulu’s unscripted slate to have LGBTQ+, persons of color, women and people with disabilities in senior creative roles and on camera. Joseph, 39, takes this a step further with his involvement with the Yard Mentoring program, which focuses on Disney’s engagement with historic Black colleges and universities.
Resonating with audiences: “Real people are so beautifully complicated and real stories so engrossingly unpredictable,” says Joseph. “That’s why unscripted is such a core genre for many. There’s such a wide range of entertaining yet emotionally impactful possibilities that make our shows ever exciting yet relatable.”
Graham Littlefield
Producer
The Littlefield Company
(Film & TV)
Littlefield, 38, co-executive produced Hulu’s Peabody Award-winning limited series “Dopesick,” which racked up 14 Emmy nominations. But he’s not resting on his laurels. He executive produces Jeff Bridges’ acclaimed FX series “The Old Man,” renewed for a second season, and is collaborating with K.J. Steinberg on adapting the Amanda Knox story for Hulu in what Littlefield calls a satisfying but unexpected way. He’s also hoping that “The Bends,” a drama pilot for FX, will get picked up.
Back to work: “We have to laugh about how many times ‘The Old Man’ has been shut down to external forces,” Littlefield says, referring to COVID, Bridge’s cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. “Right out of the gate [post strikes], we’re writing and prepping the rest of that season.”
Sherry Liu
SVP, Studio Franchise Strategy and Operations
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon
(Film & TV)
Liu, 38, works across Paramount Global to drive new business forward for its IP. Among the properties: “Dora the Explorer,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Paw Patrol” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” She also oversees emerging and evergreen content. This past year, Liu’s team saw the theatrical release of the positively reviewed “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which is driving $1 billion in retail sales this year, followed by the upcoming animated series and the new film.
Reinvigorating classics: “Fans enter the Turtles franchise through a fresh new lens, with a modern story, and an innovative animation style that still stays true to the franchise pillars of brotherhood, comedy and pizza, of course,” says Liu. “Fans really stick around because of the library of 500-plus episodes, six films and over 200 types of toys on the shelf.”
Kenny Madrid
Director, Current Series
Skydance Television
(Film & TV)
Madrid, 35, oversees Skydance’s slate of premium series from greenlight to release, including “Reacher,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Fubar” and the upcoming “Cross.” A native of Santa Clarita, he dreamed of going into politics or law, but after stumbling into a weeklong job on reshoots for “Mission: Impossible 4,” he wound up working as a page then an executive assistant at Paramount, before becoming one of the first Skydance hires in 2014.
Moment of arrival: He recalls the time when he successfully pushed to hire a certain director, and that person did a great job. “Instead of feeling like a kid in college talking with his friends about wouldn’t it be cool if this person was in this, I actually got to do it,” he says.
Andrew Norman
Director, Film
Netflix
(Film & TV)
Since joining Netflix six years ago, Norman, 38, has played an integral role in the development of some of the streamer’s biggest films, including “Red Notice,” “The Adam Project” and “The Gray Man.” He recently oversaw director Zack Snyder’s upcoming “Rebel Moon” movies and “Atlas,” starring Jennifer Lopez, and he’s currently developing feature adaptations of the videogames “Bioshock” and “Gears of War.” A drummer from the age of 12 who originally planned for a career in music, Norman is a big fan of film scores (particularly James Horner’s work on “The Rocketeer”) and his office has a jazz-themed décor.

Reduce IP-mining: Norman is no fan of sequels. “I would guarantee that the majority of your favorite films were original when you saw them as a kid, and we need to keep dreaming those up,” he says.
Kendall Ostrow
SVP, Business Development and Community
Candle Media
(Film & TV)
Ostrow, 38, joined Candle a year ago, describing it as a “modern media company for the future that’s really synergistic and explosive” with direct-to-consumer plays, live events, podcasts, books and other consumer products in its tool kit. Fast fooderie Chick-fil-A and online plays TikTok, Evite and Cameo are among Candle’s prominent partners — with Cameo being one she called on her first day on the job. Now that celebrity video greetings portal is yielding an animated “Cameo Kids,” which, she says, required tech-savvy development. And while social media has been blamed for turning potential readers into screengazers, Ostrow points to the new TikTok partnership which has Candle’s Hello Sunshine unit developing film, TV and audio opportunities for works that trend on BookTok and supporting under-appreciated authors through the Hello Sunshine LitUp Fellowship.
Book comeback: “The book industry credits BookTok for exploding its business,” says Ostrow, citing display space at Barnes & Noble as an example.
Marta Planells
Senior Director, News Digital
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
(Film & TV)
Planells, 34, launched Noticias Telemundo’s TikTok, its biggest social account, currently with 3.5 million followers. It’s TikTok’s most viewed Spanish-language news account and the platform’s second-most-viewed broadcast news account in any language. Her team also launched multimedia investigative specials “Salud de Alquiler” and “Sin techo en el paraíso,” with linear, digital and social components. This year they followed up with “Camioneros” and the Premio Gabo-nominated “Latinos sin Seguro.”
On notice: “Next year is going to be an unprecedented one in the history of the U.S.,” says Planells. “At Noticias Telemundo, we have been preparing to cover the election in the best possible way, with our arsenal of journalists ready to inform and combat the misinformation that disproportionately affects the Latin community.”
Gabrielle Blitz Rosen
VP, Social Media
Hello Sunshine
(Film & TV)
Hello Sunshine, Reese’s Book Club, the Home Edit, Fair Play and Unicorn Space all benefit from Rosen’s two decades of social media and editorial experience, not to mention her expertise on talent strategy, audience development and partnerships. Her marketing chops boosted the performance of films and series at the box office and on streaming platforms. Case in point: the success and social chatter surrounding “Daisy Jones & the Six” and “Where the Crawdads Sing.”
Effective branding: “Learning how to translate your brand’s integrity, values and tone into content that resonates takes a unique understanding of the brand,” says Rosen, 37. “Our content is made to inspire, connect, tell a story, create agency, empower and make you smile and laugh.”
Shelby Shaftel
SVP, Unscripted Series and Development, NBCUniversal Entertainment
Shaftel, 39, has an inherent understanding of the unscripted format, as evident in the awards-showered “The Voice,” which hit numerous television landmarks under her stewardship. More recently, Shaftel spearheaded “America’s Got Talent.” The show’s most recent season was also its most viral with 1.4 billion social views. She was also behind Emmy-nominated “That’s My Jam,” “Barmageddon” and popular new game show “Password.” Over her career, Shaftel has built a reputation for crossing genres and bringing digital breakthroughs to her tentpole series.
Resonating with audiences: “Unscripted openly embraces LGBTQ stories, contestants with disabilities, mental health struggles, people from different races, nationalities, faiths and socio-economic means,” says Shaftel. “We are made up of real people and we tell real stories that help push culture forward.”
Ryan Shuwarger
Head of Strategy, Original Movies
Amazon MGM Studios
(Film & TV)
Shuwarger, 39, helped build the studio’s 2024-2025 slate, which includes several commercial global movies with a high-profile cast, while facilitating the integration of MGM film content and optimizing the release strategies of the studio’s slate between direct-to-Prime Video and theatrical. This year he helped reposition the release of Ben Affleck’s “Air” from an exclusive streaming premiere to a global theatrical release, and leads the original movies strategy team, which guides tactics, content and release decisions for original movie acquisitions and productions on Prime Video.
A blended business: “Over the last year, as part of the integration of Amazon MGM Studios, we explored different release models, including global theatrical releases with varying windows to Prime Video, in addition to exclusive streaming premieres,” Shuwarger says. “We plan to continue ramping up our theatrical and streaming slates.”
Sera Tabb, Sydney Bright
Head of Global Television
Co-Head of Global Animation
Wattpad WEBTOON Studios
(Film & TV)
With the demand for content stronger than ever, Tabb, 38, manages the company’s growing slate of live-action TV adaptations of Webtoon properties and Wattpad web novels. Complementing this, Bright, 35, adapts notable IP into animated film and television projects. Given the popularity of their online platforms, they have the advantage of pitching franchises with built-in fandoms. “The real differentiator with the content that we’re developing is that when we go to a buyer, we can say, ‘Out of the millions of titles that exist between these two platforms, the audience has really gravitated towards this specific title,’” Bright says. “It’s already been tested by an audience.”
Compelling content: Tabb points out, however, that data doesn’t drive the creative. “There are things that are just so popular that we want to get them seen,” she says.
Brian Tannenbaum
Head of Originals
Roku Media
(Film & TV)
Tannenbaum, 34, leads original programming for the Roku Channel, included scripted, unscripted and feature films. Via deals with major showbiz players, his efforts have positioned the channel as a major provider of AVOD services, reaching about 100 million people. Recent initiatives include expansions into sports, Spanish language and live events. Sports deals of note: partnerships with NFL Films and Skydance Sports as well as WWE and A. Smith & Co. Prods. The foray into the expanding world of Spanish-language programming includes a slew of new series greenlights. Tannenbaum was also at the forefront of Roku’s deal to bring the Miss Universe competition to the channel, and in January, the 71st Miss Universe finale became its most streamed live show.
The power of free: “In record time, Roku originals have redefined what audiences can expect from a free streaming experience,” he says. “We look forward to taking smart creative bets to further build on our offering in key categories.”
Meredith Wieck
SVP, Production & Development
Lionsgate

Wieck, 37, broke her father’s heart when she ditched her plans for law school to pursue a career in showbiz, but things seemed to have worked out just fine. At Lionsgate, she’s shepherding some of the studio’s most high-profile upcoming movies, including the “Hunger Games” prequel, the “Dirty Dancing” sequel, “Now You See Me 3” and a big-screen adaptation of Kayvion Lewis’ just-published YA crime heist thriller “Thieves’ Gambit.” She also has a leadership role in Chrysalis, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting the homeless to find and retain employment, and volunteers for Young Storytellers.
Mentoring her juniors: “I always encourage them to ask as many questions as they can, and to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes,” she says.
Scott Zanghellini
SVP, Co-Head of Revenue Strategy and Development
WWE
(Film & TV)
Through either the expansion of existing partnerships or the launch of new alliances for the house that Vince McMahon built, Zanghellini helped the wrestling enterprise achieve the largest revenue year in its history: $1.3 billion in 2022. Previously an agent at CAA, the 31-year-old exec brokered a multiyear partnership with Endeavor’s On Location and inked a long-term deal for WWE-branded merchandise with Fanatics.
Only the best: “Working with WWE president Nick Khan, our revenue team has the good fortune to help grow the company’s monetization opportunities by partnering with best-in-class companies — like Fanatics and On Location — to bring the property to life in new ways for our fans,” Zanghellini says.
Bianca Bhagat, Ben Akinbola
General Manager
Head of Growth
AWAL
(Music)
Bhagat, 36, guides AWAL’s marketing, digital, creative, sync and brand partnerships. “There’s not one road map to how you’re going to find success with an artist,” she says. “For some, it may be digitally focused, and, for others, it could still be radio-driven. My role is to get everybody working towards the same purpose.” The results were instant with AWAL — a Sony Music subsidiary — enjoying a record year due to the success of JVKE, Lizzy McAlpine and Laufey, who recently had the biggest debut for a jazz album in Spotify history. “We’re able to look at the current global streaming landscape and build a team and resources based on what an artist needs in 2023 versus trying to retrofit a more traditional model.” For his part, Akinbola, 31, has grown the label’s global roster into emerging markets by signing artists such as Nigeria’s Wizard Chan. He led the acquisition of India’s OKListen, a music platform for independent artists.
Path to discovery: AWAL serves as the independent artist development arm of Sony, Akinbola points out. “For an A&R who’s on the ground in Dubai, for example, if they discover an exciting artist who hasn’t put out a track yet, it often doesn’t make sense for Sony Music to do a deal,” he says. “But AWAL can be a sensible home.”
Warda Baig
Tour Promoter
Live Nation
(Music)
Regularly recognized on power lists and nominated for Pollstar’s rising star and talent buyer of the year awards, Baig, 34, has made her mark in the touring industry. Recently, she worked on Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers” tour, the highest-grossing rap tour of all time, and Kirk Franklin’s record-breaking Kingdom tour, among others. Additionally, Baig is invested in addressing diversity and gender gaps through Asian Nation, Live Nation’s Asian employee resource group, and through the company’s Femme It Forward young women mentorship program.
Diversity goals: “I’ve helped with the production of events that aim to educate, create awareness and celebrate Asian culture,” says Baig. “My goal is to help Asian Nation create a sustainable and long-term presence within Live Nation that can be recognized all year long.”
Nick Bral
VP, Creative
Sony Music Publishing
(Music)
Billboard’s Top 10 is the playground for Bral’s hitmaking signees — among them Rob Bisel, Mike Sabath and Dan Nigro who, respectively, have had No. 1s with SZA’s billion-streaming “Kill Bill,” Raye’s Ivor Novello-winning “Escapism” and Olivia Rodrigo’s latest chart-topper, “Vampire.” Bral, 32, signed new talent d4vd and renewed SMP’s deal with Noah Kahan, whose deluxe reissue of his album “Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever)” had 18 songs simultaneously chart.
Human factor: “The first thing I always look for in a new signing is who they are as a human outside of their music or artistry,” says Bral. “If I align with them on that level, then trust immediately begins to build between us.”
Laura Carter
EVP/Head of Urban Marketing
Interscope Records
(Music)
Having steadily progressed through the corporate ranks, Carter, 37, now supervises marketing initiatives for Interscope’s roster of hip-hop and R&B artists. She played an integral role in the execution of Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers” rollout, helped the label’s partners at CMG break Memphis rapper GloRilla and nurtured the growth of rage-rap in conjunction with the team at Opium, Playboi Carti’s influential imprint. Carter’s other clients include J. Cole, Summer Walker, Moneybagg Yo, JID and Destroy Lonely — a blockbuster lineup that demands an all-hands approach.
Strength through unity: “As a leader, I very much like to share my experiences,” she says. “I support and encourage us as a family unit, sharing marketing ideas across the department because it only makes us stronger.”
Layne Cooperstein
General Manager
The Darkroom
(Music)
The Darkroom’s ethos of artist development, creative strategies and fan engagement are carried forward with Cooperstein, 29. She has spearheaded the development of multiplatinum up-and-comer d4vd, including securing a performance at Valentino Men’s Fashion Week and his tour announcement with SZA. In the past year, she’s built an in-house creator marketing team and an international marketing department focused on global strategy.
Artist goals: “My main goal is to help our Darkroom artists grow in every facet of their career while building a global story around the worlds they’re creating,” says Cooperstein. “Some of the most exciting things we’ve done have been as a result of chasing opportunities that align with our artists’ personal interests and goals while simultaneously producing out-of-the-box ideas that evolve those interests into high-visibility moments.”
Andie Cox
VP of Communications
Recording Academy
(Music)
With Cox’s publicity strategy, the most recent Emmy-nominated Grammy Awards show garnered 12.4 million viewers, a 30% increase from the previous year. Cox, 39, covers the Grammy Awards, Grammy Week initiations, all 12 of the Recording Academy’s Chapters as well as advising execs. In the past year, Cox has been involved with advancing legislation that protects artists’ First Amendment rights and advocating for Peace Through Music.
On AI: “Above all else, the Academy supports, advocates, protects, and represents human artists,” says Cox. “But we also understand that it would be unrealistic to dismiss AI’s significance as a tool to enhance creativity.”
Brandon Davis and Jeff Levin
EVP & Co-heads of Pop A&R
Atlantic Records
(Music)
Since being promoted to co-heads of pop A&R, Levin and Davis, both 34, have left their mark on Atlantic — a label they have both called home for their entire careers. Levin A&R’d Charlie Puth’s third album and Melanie Martinez’s chart-topping “Portals,” while Davis produced the all-conquering “Barbie: The Album,” featuring Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and Lizzo. While they continue to guide established artists to new highs, the duo is very much focused on the next generation. “We’re looking for one-on-one talents,” Levin says, referencing recent signings Sam Barber and Jake Kohn. That sentiment is echoed by Davis. “We’re trying to be very progressive, but also stick with the fundamentals of signing the best voices and the best creators.”
Forming the future: The duo’s goal is to shape Atlantic’s legacy. “What is the gallery wall at Atlantic Records going to look like over the course of the next 10 years?” Levin says. “That’s what we’re defining with the artists we sign.”
Jordy Freed
Director, Head of Brand & Business Development and Head of Partner Marketing & Strategy, Personal Entertainment Business
Sony Corporation of America
(Music)
“Synergy,” a corporate buzzword in the early 2000s, is still embraced by Sony. Freed, 33, couldn’t be happier. He plugged Daft Punk into a 360 Reality Audio campaign for Sony-Honda joint venture Sony Honda mobility, an electric auto company that will market vehicles starting in 2025 under the Afeela brand. He mined Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson catalogs to promote the 360 Reality Audio brand and enlisted Khalid to market Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones. And the July launch of global audio brand For the Music, tied in R&B star Miguel and a flank of emerging artists from Soundcloud.
Productive relationships: “We’re really proud of the partnership with Sony Music and various Sony Music artists over the past several years, like SZA, Khalid and Alicia Keys, on a variety of different projects,” he says. “It’s one thing to work with an artist to market a pair of headphones that consumers will buy; it’s another to work on developing new technology that’s used in-studio.
Jessica Fusco
Catalog Music – Label Relations Lead
Amazon Music
(Music)
From putting together campaigns to accompany new catalog releases to shining a light on an artist’s greater discography in the leadup to a new release, Fusco, 39, is always looking for new ways to champion great music. In the past year, she masterminded “The D.A.I.S.Y. Experience” to celebrate the arrival of De La Soul’s catalog on Amazon Music. The live event took on a new meaning when band member Dave Jolicoeur died on Feb. 12
New release incubation: Fusco also developed the company’s new release warm-up strategy, which links releases from the past and present. “We use catalog music consumption and engagement to warm up audiences and fan bases leading into a new release.”
Evan Hancock
VP, Music
Wasserman Music
(Music)
Hancock, 38, is a rising player in the live music agency world. He helped book Kaytranada as support for the Weeknd’s current international tour as well as the upcoming U.S. tour. Hancock also booked residencies for artist Fred Again, including three shows at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium and eight shows at L.A.’s Shrine Expo Hall, where every show was
sold out.
Breaking new artists: “There’s not an MTV ‘TRL’ out there right now. There’s not a lone place where people are fine saying this is the music that everyone’s listening to. So, I think people are finding out about music from other artists,” says Hancock. “If a major artist says he likes Kaytranada, then everyone looks there and finds out more about this new artist.”
Gabz Landman
VP, A&R
Warner Chappell Music
(Music)
Landman, 33, manages Amy Allen, so it’s no surprise she brought the Harry Styles collaborator — and one of the first nominees for the new songwriter of the year Grammy — to Warner Chappell. Landman says Allen “is just as excited about working with developing artists as she is about working with superstars. I think her true love of music and deep knowledge of its history explains why she’s one of the very few people who works with artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Harry Styles.” The VP also signed Laufey, the jazzy singer/songwriter from Iceland, along with Sol Was and Elie Rizk, and shepherds the work of Ian Kirkpatrick, Nolan Lambroza, Justin Tranter, Ross Golan and Cleo Tighe.
Networking: “Our writers get more opportunities at Warner Chappell because our A&R team prioritizes our relationships and networks,” Landman says.
Angelica Merida
VP, Business & Legal Affairs, International & Digital Business Development
Universal Music Publishing Group
(Music)
Merida, 34, is Universal’s go-to lawyer for negotiating deals, especially in Latin America, where she played a major role in licensing the label’s catalog with digital service providers such as Spotify, Amazon and Apple. Additionally, she extended UMPG’s publishing relationships with Megan Thee Stallion, J. Cole, Rosalía and Selena Gomez as well as negotiating new deals for rising stars such as Yahritza Martinez and Iván Cornejo. “I would describe my leadership style as versatile and authentically me,” Merida says. “I bring to the table my background, culture and perspective.”
Unity through music: “Our goal has always been to bring together through music UMG’s global community to address issues of equality, bias, equity and inclusion that people from marginalized communities face across the world,” she says.
Andrew Sexton
Principal, Label Relations
Amazon Music
(Music)
When Amazon Prime snagged the rights to “Thursday Night Football,” the streamer knew there was potential for synergy with Spotify’s New Music Friday, a playlist that updates each week. Before long, the concept for “Amazon Music Live” — a weekly post-game concert series — crystallized and label relations guru Sexton, 39, was tasked with booking artists. In the first season, he landed hip-hop stars like Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion and A$AP Rocky. This year, Sexton cast a broader net with talent as diverse as Ed Sheeran, Colombian singer/songwriter Feid and rap sensation Lil Durk.
Swift-crazy: Sexton was also integral in Amazon’s partnership with Taylor Swift to promote “Midnights” during NFL games. “It was our first-ever music integration,” Sexton says. “Taylor teased music video clips and a promo message that ran in the third quarter. Obviously, the world went crazy.”
Russ Tannen
President
Dice Ticketing
(Music)
Did you notice how President Biden focused on surprise fees from ticket sellers and other industries during his State of the Union address? Dice co-founder Tannen, 37, sure did because that sound bite led to an invitation to a White House event on that topic. “Putting the full price up front and being transparent around that, that’s something we did nine years ago when we launched,” he points out. “We’ve never done pricing any other way, and over time the arc of history has bent in our direction.”
Taking on Ticketmaster: After launching in the U.K. in 2014, the company set up shop in the U.S. in 2019, undeterred by the market leader Ticketmaster. “Biden can literally point to us and say, ‘Here’s a company that’s successful that doesn’t have to dupe the fan every time.’”
Richard Vega
Agent, Music
WME Music
(Music)
With Latin music emerging as a dominant force in pop culture, Vega, 35, makes sure WME sees a rightful share of the category’s huge growth, signing Álvaro Diaz, Bizarrap, Gabito Ballesteros, Kevin Kaarl, Yahritza Y Su Esencia, Iván Cornejo, Natanael Cano and Nicki Nicoleto the company’s roster. In 2022, before his 18th birthday, Cornejo became the youngest solo act ever to win the Billboard Latin Music Awards’ New Artist of the World title. Vega is also pivotal in the music competition show “La Firma,” which runs globally on Netflix. Artists Lex Borrero and Tainy developed the show and serve as judges with Nicki Nicole.
Latin flavor: Nashville-based Vega notes music competitions are usually “U.S.-centric for the most part, but in this scenario, we pulled kids from Mexico, from Colombia, Chile, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.”
Koral Chen, Jose Diaz
SVP, Brand Development and Licensing
EVP, Strategic Partnerships and Communications
SMAC Entertainment
(Representation)
With Deion Sanders taking on the moniker Coach Prime, the multisport legend’s oversight of the University of Colorado football program this fall has Diaz brimming. “While we have three different divisions — talent management, licensing and production — the work we’re doing on Coach truly transcends all divisions,” he says. With doc series “Coach Prime” already up on —where else — Amazon Prime Video, a scripted show is also on the way about Sanders’ life and branded Coach Prime products. Sanders isn’t SMAC’s only sports-related client, which makes sense since the firm was founded by another former NFL great, TV personality Michael Strahan, with partner Constance Schwartz-Morini. Aside from Sanders and Strahan, the agency also reps sports broadcaster Erin Andrews and, fresh from a recent Super Bowl halftime show, Snoop Dogg. With such deals, SMAC is developing its own bench of executive talent, which thrives inside the 20-person company. Diaz, 37, and Chen, 30, both started as interns.
Boutique power: “We are a small but mighty company,” says Diaz.
Denise Draper
Partner & Co-Head of Domestic Non-Scripted Television
Range Media Partners
(Representation)
In the spring of 2022, Draper, 34, observed that Range Media Partners was “forward thinking and ahead of its time,” so she left ICM to become co-head of Range’s unscripted division. At Range, she’s sold shows to major streamers, cable networks and broadcast nets, and her department quickly made its mark in the larger world of unscripted representation. Producer clients include Elizabeth Jones (“The Kardashians”), Jeff Thacker (“So You Think You Can Dance?”), Darren Ward (“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) and Ailee O’Neill (“Bling Empire”). She also reps production companies including Jeff Jenkins Prods., Hot Snakes Media and Big Table Media.
Data-driven: Draper believes in the power of data. “Range is a company that has unique access to data, and having data and information is powerful,” she says. “For example, we have used this data to back up how big of an audience a show could have, or to demonstrate that there is interest in a specific subject matter, piece of talent or IP attached to a concept. This data has helped in making projects become must-buys.
Dean Fluker
Talent Agent
UTA
(Representation)
Fluker, 38, has secured multiple high-level deals including Cristin Milioti’s villain role in the Max series “The Penguin” opposite Colin Farrell, attaching Archie Madekwe to Sony’s “Gran Turismo” and “Saltburn,” and reuniting Michaela Jaé Rodriguez with Ryan Murphy in the upcoming “American Horror Story: Hamptons.” He also reps such talent as Xolo Maridueña, Jessica Alba and Thomasin McKenzie.
From the beginning: “I love that as an agent you get to see a project happen from incubation,” Fluker says. “A client comes to you with just a small idea. Then you help them develop and get it to the screen or you find a project that has a cool script and go out there and help your client get involved in it.”
Michael Krepack
Founder & CEO
For Services Of (F/S/O)
(Representation)
As a former talent manager, Krepack, 37, saw a gap for an agency that worked with brands seeking high-profile placements within the entertainment industry. Based on that hunch, he launched F/S/O in 2019. “I’m a broker on both sides,” he says. “I sell sponsorship and buy talent by working with traditional agencies and management companies.” It’s an approach that has already paid dividends, with F/S/O negotiating for Happy Hour Tequila Seltzer to be the official premixed drink of the Greek Theater and bringing in Coke and Amazon Studios as season partners at Cinespia.
Follow the growth: Krepack, 37, sees the agency’s niche growing in the future. “I think we’re going to see more brands spending marketing dollars to bring people together experientially,” he says. “Dollars that were spent for out-of-home or digital advertising are shifting to in-person.”
Allysa Mahler
Co-head, Comedy Crossover; Partner, Scripted TV
WME
(Representation)
Comedy agent Mahler’s client Erin Foster is the creator and EP of an untitled Kristen Bell series, which was ordered to series in March at Netflix and starring Bell and Adam Brody. The Peacock series “Girls5eva,” which was created by client Meredith Scardino, aired Season 2 in 2022 and, jumping ship, will be moving to Netflix for Season 3, slated to premiere next year. Alex Edelman, another client of Mahler, 36, opened his one-man show “Just for Us” in June on Broadway, and client Bridget Everett’s “Somebody Somewhere” recently aired Season 2 on HBO and was picked up for a third season.
Next generation focus: “I’m proud of helping to usher in and mentor the next generation of comedy agents at WME alongside my partner, Mike Berkowitz,” says Mahler. After a pause: “Oh, and giving birth to my son!”
Kailey Marsh
Manager/Producer
Brillstein Entertainment Partners
(Representation)
Horror has served Marsh well, as witnessed by the longevity of BloodList, an annual ranking of the best unproduced genre film scripts and TV pilots that she created when she was an assistant. Of the scripts on the list, 23% have been produced, including Apple TV+’s “Severance.” After running her own management and production company, Marsh, 36, joined Brillstein in 2018. With Wasserman’s acquisition of the company, Marsh has been able to diversify her clients’ ventures, expanding into podcasts, books and sports.
Satisfaction: “When reading a screenplay, I respond to the characters and their journey, not necessarily just the hook or the world,” says Marsh. “Developing a character that we want to follow for an entire film, book, or TV series is the most satisfying part of the process to me.”
Daniel Molina
Agent, Talent
WME
(Representation)
Molina is on a roll. Over the last year, he helped sign new clients including “Fast & Furious” franchise star Michelle Rodriguez, and “Heartstopper” star Kit Connor. Molina also secured soon-to-screen roles for clients Gal Gadot in Julian Schnabel’s film “In the Hand of Dante,” Nico Parker in Universal’s live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” and Wagner Moura in
“Sinking Spring.”
Adapt to survive and thrive: “The pandemic accelerated the changes that probably would have happened regardless,” says Molina, 35. “As an agent, it’s crucial that you quickly adapt to the constantly changing landscape. Now more than ever, it’s necessary to have a strong understanding of the different creative arenas and businesses your clients can play in, as well as take advantage of international opportunities.”
Steven Nossokoff
Manager
Untitled Entertainment
(Representation)

Nossokoff, 38, represents a wide range of talent in front of and behind the camera. Clients include David Corenswet, the newest actor to portray Superman, as well as “Live With Kelly and Mark” co-host Mark Consuelos. He’s repped Oscar-nominated actress Andrea Riseborough for the last 12 years, and works with “Yellowjackets” and “Wednesday” star Christina Ricci, and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” star Ethan Peck.
Post-strike philosophy: “We should anticipate less content being produced across the board,” Nossokoff warns. “It has really put the spotlight on reps to try and identify the standout material that clients can develop and star in. It’s even more important in the immediate future to make sure every aspect of my clients’ goals are covered across the board creatively and financially.”
Joshua Rittenhouse
Senior VP, Music
Independent Artist Group
(Representation)
Rittenhouse, 35, began his career on the retail side of the business in Pennsylvania, designing merchandise for touring bands. Ten years ago, he packed up his car and drove to Los Angeles to join the APA agency (now IAG), where today he is one of the rising stars in the R&B and hip-hop space, helping clients mount major concert tours while cultivating crossover careers in film and TV (e.g., Ne-Yo and 2 Chainz, who co-star in the Starz series “BMF”). Other clients include $NOT, Bktherula and recent signings Eem Triplin, BigxThaPlug, Tee Grizzley, Bleu and Arin Ray.
Making mint in Middle America: “Some of these places, like Omaha and Madison, Wisconsin, that don’t get the talent that the major markets do, are doing very well,” he says.
Matt Shichtman
Partner and Head of Emerging Technology
The Gotham Group
(Representation)
Building intellectual property outside of the traditional Hollywood system is Shichtman’s bread and butter. At the Gotham Group, he uncovers client opportunities in VR, gaming, Web3 and interactive storytelling. With a roster of clients that includes “Lights Out” auteur David F. Sandberg, whose big break was a viral short, and YouTube-bred “Final Space” creator Olan Rogers, Shichtman, 37, prides himself on meeting audiences where they’re at.
AI, of course: Shichtman’s role also entails grappling with AI. “It’s natural to be afraid of AI, because so much of the conversation is focused on the ways it could potentially hurt talent,” he says. “For me, what’s most exciting is the ways these same tools can be used to give power back to creators, allowing them to do things that they’ve never been able to do before.”
Lesley Silverman
Head of Web3
UTA
(Representation)
Silverman is certainly a forward-thinking exec. Her accomplishments include the execution of a deal with Zora x Grimes at music fest UMF, where Grimes released a time-limited open-edition NFT collection whereby fans were able to claim a free collectible, resulting in 78,000 minted avatars and more than 2,600 newly created fan wallets. She also facilitated a partnership between ThankYouX and Axiom Space, which sent a painting by ThankYouX into orbit for nine days via the AX-2 mission, Axiom Space’s all-private flight to the International Space Station.
Clients come first: One of the challenges of the last two years has been “building a business in a nascent, rapidly growing arena, and determining what makes sense for our clients and our business,” says Silverman, 38. “Our mission is to be client-first by creating new avenues of opportunity with an eye toward both empowering and protecting them.”
Matt Snow
Agent, Literary Content
Paradigm Talent Agency
(Representation)
What do the following deals have in common? A near-$1 million pact with Amazon for Justin Piasecki’s thriller “Stakehorse”; Amazon agreements for Kristen SaBerre’s “Pretty Little Wife” and Henry Chaisson’s “The Deep”; an overall Disney deal for former playwright Qui Nguyen; showrunner roles for “Stranger Things” writer Paul Dichter; a seven-figure, two-year Netflix deal to adapt Jeff Noon’s sci-fi novel “Vurt”; and screenwriter Halia Abdel-Meguid (Duffer Brothers-produced Netflix series “Death Note”). These are among the feats inked by Snow, 40.
Power of creativity: “I tend to gravitate towards writers and directors who I have a creative connection with and who have the ambition and point of view to be creators of their own series,” says the agent. “I love being challenged by their work and then I use the motivation of where they want to go as a challenge to position their projects in the marketplace.”
Ali Trustman
Motion Picture Talent Agent
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
(Representation)
As the new Hollywood landscape emerges, Trustman’s advice to the industry is to empower actors and pair them with like-minded creatives. She’s done just that for her impressive client list: Lady Gaga, for whom she struck the deal to play Harley Quinn in “Joker: Folie a Deux”; America Ferrera’s “Barbie” deal; and a slew of agreements negotiated for Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine. She also completed successful negotiations for Octavia Spencer, Riley Keough, Kate Hudson, Glen Powell, Natalie Portman, Suki Waterhouse, Lena Dunham, Sam Claflin, Sofia Boutella and Olivia Wilde, to name just a sampling.
Thrill of discovery: “I love discovering new material and the creatives at the center of that material,” says Trustman, 39. “When building new relationships, I always prioritize the shared work and mutual benefit — the idea that we can be stronger together.”
Myles Worthington
CEO and Founder
WORTHI
(Representation)
Spotting a gap in the market for an agency that authentically engages with Black, Latin, LGTBQ+ and other underrepresented communities, Worthington, 35, founded Worthi in 2022. The entrepreneur recognized an innate value proposition: “Brands need to do this because these audiences are massive,” he says. “They have huge buying power, they’re wildly influential to the broader culture.” In just over a year, the agency has grown to 14 employees and built a roster that includes Tubi, HBO, Lionsgate, Paramount, Peacock, Disney and Amazon Studios.

Progress moves forward: While the push for diversity sparks debate, Worthington sees change as inevitable. “‘The Little Mermaid’ controversy was interesting,” he says, referencing the backlash at casting decisions. “Well, we’ve had to watch all these very white characters for a long time and find some sort of relatability in them, and we did.”
Pooneh Aminian
Partner
Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLC
(Law)
Promoted to partner in January, Aminian, 37, thought the added responsibilities would prevent her from the client work she loves, but they haven’t. While still maintaining clients in the youth and YA space — she represented Line by Line Media on “Blue’s Big City Adventure,” At Will Media on the YA podcast series “Academy,” and provided business and legal services for “The Summer I Turned Pretty” — Aminian now tackles a wider variety of projects. She also mentors younger associates, encouraging them to advocate for themselves and their clients.
Lawyer hard: “When I’m tailoring my services to an individual client’s need or for the specific circumstance, and using all the tools at my disposal, that’s when I feel like I really lawyered, and I feel good about that,” she says.
W. Joseph Anderson
Partner
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
(Law)
Anderson repped Mirrored Media in all matters related to the Anthem Award-winning Barbie You Can Be Anything doll series. He also handled Jason Momoa’s Pride of Gypsies in connection with the company’s productions, securing deals for two unscripted television projects: “Climb” for HBO Max and “On the Roam” for Discovery. Other clients include creatives through film/TV, podcast, endorsement and experiential deals.
Changing landscapes: Post-pandemic deals “have to cover a much wider variety of options and possible outcomes,” he says. “An ever-increasing number of distribution/exploitation strategies across all media result in an ever-increasing number of needs/asks from all participants.”
Audrey Benoualid
Partner
Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Young + Light
(Law)
Benoualid, 35, is the firm’s youngest partner. The bulk of her work consists of handling touring agreements, album clearances and publishing deals for high-profile performers, including Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande and Erykah Badu. She recently closed nine-figure music catalog acquisitions for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Justin Bieber, and lists the latter among the most complicated transactions she’s ever handled. Benoualid measures success less by financial value and more by how she can help established clients and emerging artists — such as 19-year-old Karri — achieve their dreams.
AI and the law: “The law isn’t clear yet on whether machine learning that’s based on pre-existing copyrights is an infringement,” she says. “I would argue it is. [We need to] figure out where and how AI should be used — how artists can be protected from it, but also use it as a tool.”
Amy Bickersteth
Associate
Frankfurt Kurnit
(Law)
Bickersteth, 29, has gathered a global client list of young scripted-entertainment talent. A Virginia native who was raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and London, she has a roster of clients that are at least bi-national, including Natalie Portman’s and Sophie Mas’ MountainA, a production company behind the Cannes competition title “May December”; Paris-based producer/financier Anton; British-Pakistani playwright Maatin; British-Ghanaian hyphenates Caleb Azumah Nelson, an author, photographer and filmmaker, and Taiye Selasi, author of “Ghana Must Go.”
West Africa rising: “West African culture is so well represented and respected in music now, but we still have a way to go in film and television,” she says. “I want to be a part of bringing the Nigerian ‘Squid Game’ or ‘Call My Agent’ to global audiences. In fact, I’m actively working on that.”
Kristina Chen
Senior Counsel
Granderson Des Rochers
(Law)
As an Asian-American woman who entered the business with no contacts or connections, Chen, 35, had to fight for the things she wanted, and she applies that same force of will when advocating for her clients. In recent months, the Queens, N.Y., native has closed deals for novelists Kennedy Ryan (sale of “Before I Let Go” to Peacock), Diane Marie Brown (sale of “Black Candle Women” to Universal Television) and producer Ilya Stewart (feature adaptation of Andrew D. Kaufman’s book “The Gambler Wife”).
Minority report: “Oftentimes, I’m one of the few minorities in the room and I think that makes me an even better lawyer,” she says. “I contribute to conversations where there are certain creative sensitivities that other individuals might not be willing to mention.”
Mariah Comer
Partner
LaPolt Law
(Law)
Comer works with some of the music world’s biggest stars, having negotiated Cardi B’s brand partnerships with Knorr and Beats by Dre. She led negotiations for songwriter/A&R extraordinaire Alexander A.E. Edwards’ publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing, and is a board member of We Are R.I.S.E., a nonprofit organization that empowers young women of color. She also spearheaded negotiations to get various artists out of their unfair production deals, effectively taking back control of their music and careers.
Beyond music: “Earlier this year, our firm expanded by launching our film and television practice, which has been very exciting and is already growing quickly,” she says. “Our firm is truly becoming full-service — we are not just music lawyers, we are entertainment lawyers.”
Graham Fenton
Associate
Greenberg Glusker
(Law)
Fenton’s nearly decade-long stint as Frankie Valli in the musical “Jersey Boys,” spanning 1,300 performances, gives him a unique perspective on the wants and needs of his clients. It also gave the attorney, 40, a late start in the legal field, but since joining Greenberg Glusker in 2020, he’s already made a big mark, negotiating celebrity endorsement deals on behalf of Kim Kardashian’s brand Skims and Khloe Kardashian’s brand Good American, as well as handling the sales of intimate apparel maker Cosabella to Calida Group, haircare brand Ouai to Procter & Gamble and social media marketing company XX Artists to S4 Capital.
Senior savvy: “I get gently ribbed by the senior associates and partners who are actually younger, but I bring street smarts to the game,” he says.
Francesca Grea
Partner
Fox Rothschild
(Law)
Grea closes deals on behalf of established industry A-listers and stars on the rise, including Joe Pesci in his return to TV in Peacock’s “Bupkis,” and Chris Ludacris Bridges’ endorsement deals with Stella Artois, Jif and Rice Krispies. An L.A. native, she was the first in her family to go to college and the first lawyer in her family; at age 32, in her first year of eligibility, she became one of only three female partners in the firm’s entertainment group.
Looking ahead: “It’s important to anticipate what’s coming in the future with dealmaking,” she says. This involves “thinking about multiple steps ahead, planning for the bigger picture, building out brands and creating multiple revenue streams through all of the models that are available to talent.”
Michael Isselin
Partner, Entertainment & Medis Group
Reed Smith
(Law)
Expert negotiator Isselin, 35, is leading change in the advertising industry. He’s guiding his clients into a future where brand storytelling is key and celebrities see their endorsements not as a side hustle but as something essential to protecting their relevance and building their brand. Beyond his role at Reed Smith, Isselin was joint counsel to the Joint Policy Committee, which negotiated the SAG-AFTRA commercials pact that took effect in 2023. In that role, he helped ensure that advertisers’ interests were represented and educated advertisers about compliance with the new agreement.
Story selling: “Storytelling has become even more important post-COVID because brands realized that the best way to communicate with consumers is through these stories,” he says. “There’s a drive for authentic creativity that I don’t think was there the last few years.”
Paige Kaplan
Associate
Greenberg Traurig
(Law)
Kaplan, 30, has a practice that spans digital, film, TV and music. She reps digital media/content creator management companies such as Outshine Talent, Palette Media and Project15. Kaplan negotiated Palette’s political consulting services for the DNC. She cleared Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars” book and is integral to Pokémon’s media licensing and production teams. She’s also advisor to clients such as Katy Perry, Sheryl Crow, John Williams and Yo-Yo Ma. Kaplan works with Antoinette Media, promoting diversity in content creation.
Unique deals: “With digital, every deal you see is completely different,” she says. “So thinking creatively and expecting and anticipating every possible outcome and planning for that has been interesting — because you never know what’s coming next. You also get to see what really benefits your clients.”
Theresa Clardy Lafazia
Counsel, Entertainment Tax
Venable LLP
(Law)
As a tax attorney, LaFazia, 39, may seem to have one of showbiz’s least glamorous jobs. Still, she’s a hero to her high-profile entertainment clients when she successfully defends them in an audit or secures multimillion-dollar penalty abatements from the IRS and other tax authorities. She also does end-of-year wealth planning and international tax work for well-known actors, directors, producers, authors and professional athletes, as well as execs, entrepreneurs and other high-net-worth individuals, analyzing cross-border issues and encouraging clients to negotiate tax indemnity agreements to help reduce their tax bills.
Keeping things in perspective: “I always joke to my husband that, in the tax world, I’m a rock star, but in the normal world, I’m like a strong clarinet player,” she says.
Natalie Locke
Senior Associate
Donaldson Callif Perez
(Law)
Locke had her big Hollywood moment earlier this year when she attended the Academy Awards with her client Ian Stokell, an adapted screenplay nominee for “All Quiet on the Western Front.” It was a long way from her career beginnings as a sole practitioner, handling contracts for producers of microbudget horror films. But since joining Donaldson Callif Perez in 2021, Locke, 39, has built an impressive resume as a production counsel for top independent prodcos and producers, including Neon, XTR (“We Dare to Dream,” Untitled Diane Warren Project), Ringer Films (HBO series “Music Box”), Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat, and Jonathan Schwartz and Logan Lerman (“Skincare”).
Oscar red carpet: “I would describe it as an almost out-of-body experience,” she says. “It felt like old Hollywood in the best possible way.”
Jillian N. London
Senior Associate
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
(Law)
Despite spending recent years working on behalf of AMC on headline-making litigation over “The Walking Dead” and handling high-stakes disputes for UMG, Netflix, Sony, TikTok, Brad Pitt and the L.A. Philharmonic, London says assisting on the firm’s amicus brief for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in the Palin v. New York Times appeal was especially satisfying, since it’s about
protecting all-important First Amendment freedoms.
Before the court: “When I was younger, I had this tiny inkling to maybe be an actress one day, and I think a lot of litigators are people who wish they were actors,” she says. “So it’s great to have that public-speaking aspect of my job and get to go into a courtroom, while at the same time fighting for the rights of my clients.”
Ben Moskowitz
Counsel – Entertainment Group
Frankfurt Kurnit
(Law)
Moskowitz, 36, started out aiming to be a producer, but he now enjoys his place in the inner circle of his producer clients, crafting deals that ensure their vision can be realized. In the last year, he’s supported documentary “Pamela,” from clients Tripod Media and Dorothy Street Pictures, and JTS Prods.’ recently canceled Apple TV+ series “The Problem With Jon Stewart.” “We had the opportunity to see a completely different side of Pamela Anderson and ‘TPWJS,’” he says, “because it pushes us to think more critically about big topics.” Newly promoted to counsel, his other clients include Jason Hehir and Little Monster Films (“Wild Life”).
Hard truths: “Even with the best preparation and planning, people and real-life circumstances are unpredictable, so the key is staying open to understanding the situation and focusing on solutions,” he says.”
Lulu Pantin
Owner/Founder
loop legal
(Law)
Pantin is the youngest and perhaps first Latin woman to launch a music law firm, and she did so in a revolutionary way. Technological innovation — like her Loop Lounge proprietary software — gives clients real-time updates of their transactions and lets them make updates, sign documents, and pay digitally. She appreciates that the new generation of talent is focused on protecting their rights and understanding business matters. Pantin is certified in mental health first aid to better help clients in crisis, and encourages employees to get certified, too.
Paradigm shifted: “Unfortunately, the historic reality of entertainment can’t be disentangled from the exploitation of people and their art,” she says. “I think my view of artists and creators as partners instead of products flips the entire system on its head in terms of how contracts should be structured.”
Amy Stein Simonds
Partner
Pryor Cashman
(Law)
Simonds typically focuses on representing production companies in financing, distribution, and rights involved in ﬁlm, television, music documentaries, podcasts, and digital media deals, but her experience in navigating guild issues — especially understanding the nuances of SAG’s Global Rule One governing independent and international productions — made her a go-to resource in recent months. The attorney, 36, is eager to study the new guild agreements and help clients understand how they impact their business.
Post-strike onslaught: “We need to be there for our clients to get things done and out and finished as quickly as possible,” she says. “There are going to be, knock on wood, a firestorm of projects needing our attention. The biggest hurdle is TBD, since we don’t know what has been agreed to. We’ll have to navigate that once it comes in.”
Ashleigh Stanley, Felipe Ruiz Ricagni
Managing Associates
Sidley Austin LLP
(Law)
Three things make Stanley, 30, and Ricagni, 32, a formidable team: complementary skill sets, mutual trust, and a shared desire to find advantageous solutions for their clients and the parties they’re negotiating with. Case in point: representing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in launching Artists Equity. While Stanley focused on the financing components of the complicated deal, Ricagni found ways to protect their clients’ need for creative freedom while respecting investors’ overall goals for the deal. The duo share many clients, including the Gersh Agency and Warner Music, but also work with their own clients.
Non-strike industry challenge: Ricagni says issues that were put on hold during the strikes haven’t gone away. “Definitely, access to debt financing is going to be a huge challenge in the coming months. [Finding] banks willing to lend funds at not-so-ridiculous interest rates — that has slowed mergers and acquisitions this year in the entertainment space.”
Jackie Ward
Senior Associate
Ramo Law
(Law)
Ward, 31, has established herself as a prominent production attorney in Los Angeles. On the cutting edge of rights-and-clearances deals in emerging media, her work is impactful on the client level as she shapes productions from the ground up. She’s currently working on negotiating both sales and acquisitions of several complex properties, helping her clients navigate which rights are essential as they make their idea a reality. She has most recently worked with Kevin Hart’s production company Hartbeat, Lion Forge and Imagine, as well as the upcoming Rebel Wilson starrer, “Bride Hard.”
An approach: “My job is to advocate for these new structures and architect the deals on behalf of my clients in order to maintain maximum exploitation optionality and rights valuation,”
she says.
Ryan Wedell
Associate
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
(Law)
Wedell, 32, served as production counsel for Showtime’s “George & Tammy” and “Waco: The Aftermath,” as well as “Ripley,” which moved from Showtime to Netflix. He’s also worked with Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” franchise for several years. He provided lead counsel for Ashland Hill Media Finance on projects including “Duchess,” “Fast Charlie,” and “3 Days in Malay,” and served as outside counsel for senior lenders in financing independent features. Wedell also represents talent such as “Shogun” star Hiroyuki Sanada, and helps brands such as Hershey expand into long-form content.
The guilded age: “A unique aspect of my identity as a lawyer — and what I’m kind of becoming a specialist in and is starting to dominate my practice — is guild expertise and advising clients on how to navigate guild rules and regulations, especially during the strikes,” he says.
Monica W. Zhang
Associate
Greenberg Traurig
(Law)
Zhang, a longtime music fan, loves working with artists to navigate issues around income streams, copyrights, M&A, trademarks and related rights. Her recent work includes Apollo’s Capital Solutions large asset-backed securitization offering of music rights with $1.8 billion in bonds secured by Concord’s catalog of 1 million-plus recorded music/publishing assets. Zhang, 33, also negotiated the Incubus/Mike Einziger publishing catalogs sale to HarbourView Equity and the Dierks Bentley partnership with Live Nation for the Seven Peaks Festival. Zhang is go-to counsel for both the Miles Davis estate and Playlist Push.
Creative output: “The rewarding part is when you get to work with artists in the context of catalog sales and you see them reap the rewards of their hard work and their creativity,” she says.
Mayola Charles
Global Lead, Social Impact Creator Partnerships
Meta
(Other)
Charles recently generated Instagram’s first editorial campaign for Creators for Change, a regular series highlighting youth changemakers. She’s also spearheaded a groundbreaking partnership between Meta, RCA Records and Girls Who Code, which empowers young women with augmented reality skills to work with nonprofits like the Chadwick Boseman Foundation for the arts. Charles, 34, who has a background in international affairs, has co-led campaigns with figures like John Legend, Jay-Z and Common. She works with nonprofits to help build Meta communities.
Tools of change: “We have a suite of tools that truly enable anyone to amplify whatever message that they want to scale,” she says. “We’re empowering folks to think more creatively.”
Jarelle Dampier
Director, Storyboard Artist
Sony Pictures Animation
(Other)
After cutting his teeth as a storyboard artist for animated TV shows, Dampier, 32, got his big break when he was chosen for Sony’s Leading and Empowering New Storytellers program. As part of the leadership training program, he was able to develop and direct “The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story,” a short film that premiered at Annecy, and then worked on the studio’s 2023 blockbuster “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
Life-changing: Dampier underlines the importance of initiatives like LENS that uplift artists from underrepresented groups. “They were looking for someone who had not had a time at bat, but who was creative and had ideas,” he says. “All I know is it changed my life, and I think that’s pretty powerful. I hope people see the value in that.”
Michael Geiser
Senior Publicist
Jill Fritzo PR
(Other)
Truly listening to his clients — many of whom come from marginalized and underrepresented communities — helps Geiser, 37, empower them to tell their stories, define their career aspirations and carve out their legacies. For Michael Strahan, that meant securing him a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s new sports entertainment category; he helped land “Stranger Things” actor Noah Schnapp a Variety cover story about coming out; and an FYC campaign led to Brian Tyree Henry’s Oscar nomination for “Causeway.”
Client connection: “Talent have to trust their representatives, and it doesn’t always happen overnight,” he says. “But it’s my goal to listen to them — not just as a rep but as a human being — and ultimately learn how to speak the same language. I want them to be comfortable enough to feel heard, seen
and understood.”
Tom Graham
CEO & Co-Founder
Metaphysic
(Other)
As AI threatens to upend the industry, Metaphysic offers a potential solution: the ability to copyright — and hence control — a client’s biometric data. It’s the Australian innovator’s attempt at putting guardrails on a technology he helped perfect on viral deep-fake videos of Tom Cruise. “That will go down in history as the inflection point when content created with algorithms was so realistic that hundreds of millions of people thought it was real,” says Graham, 38. A Harvard Law grad, he’s in a unique position to understand the legal implications of AI — and the need to use it ethically.
Fighting deep fakes: While copyright law struggles to keep up with technology, Metaphysic focuses on existing protections. “We help clients to copyright the AI version of themselves, so they have a legal basis for a take-down if someone makes an unauthorized deep fake,” he says.”
Lulu Cheng Meservey
EVP, Corporate Affairs & Chief Communications Officer
Activision Blizzard
(Other)
Your company is sizzling when a suitor like Microsoft stakes $69 billion to acquire it. Activision Blizzard milestones that attracted those dollars include “Call of Duty Modern Warfare II’s” 2022 launch topping $1 billion in revenues in 10 days. The company’s scale is immense. It entertains more gamers than Netflix has subscribers. Meservey, 37, navigated communications through Microsoft’s protracted bid while also messaging ongoing successes. She joined the gaming giant from Substack in October 2022
after serving seven months on Activision’s board.
Major impact: “We’re trying to advocate for gamers and this whole community to get more recognition for how big a phenomenon our business is worldwide,” she says. “Our industry needs to speak with more of a human voice, to be more transparent and accessible; we’re hoping to set that example for all other companies.”
Fassa Sar
Founder & CEO
Callo
(Other)
Even in the tech industry, where CEOs in their 20s abound, Fassa Sar, 27, is sui generis. With a father from Senegal and roots in politics and entertainment, she became an acquisitions executive at Sony Pictures at just 24, and in 2022 founded Callo, a tech startup that vets and connects creatives around the world, matching young filmmakers with compatible collaborators. Callo already has several thousand applicants on its waitlist; customers include Marvel, Harpo Films, Amazon, Sony Pictures, Netflix and Disney. On Sept. 11, Wieden+Kennedy became a B2B client of Callo.
Building bridges: “I wanted to bring together creatives who may have otherwise never found each other, then give them all the necessary tools to bring a project to life,” says Sar. “Callo leverages technology so that individuals and companies alike may successfully participate in the new
creative ecosystem.”
Frank Spada
Strategic Partner Manager, Entertainment
Meta
(Other)
Spada, 35, was key in the July launch of the Threads app. His group helped with onboarding of entertainment media companies to attract early users. Spada also spearheaded a Rolling Stone partnership that launched a creator-focused event series across some of the biggest and most culturally significant live gatherings, including SXSW and Coachella. He worked with BuzzFeed, Billboard and Complex to drive participation in the global expansion of Facebook Reels.
Core values: “We’re still just building experiences that can really empower creators to build communities and nurture kind of the fandom they have,” says Spada. “While the medium and the technologies are changing, I think we’re still grounded in those principles that allow us to connect with people around the world.”
Jeremy Tran
COO & Executive Director
Gold House
(Other)
Tran, 36, has deftly blended a triple crown of commercial sustainability, cultural imperative and critical acclaim, changing the landscape of stories and opportunities for the Asia-Pacific entertainment community. His efforts have helped nonprofit Gold House become the first Asia-Pacific call for every major studio and network, and has worked on more than 100 projects, including “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Parasite,” “Minari” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Change everywhere: “It’s been a tumultuous year for the entertainment industry, from the historic wins of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ to prolonged difficulties during the strikes,” he says. “But I’m optimistic that these big moments of change and uncertainty will inspire artists to create the most innovative and inclusive stories ever seen on-screen.”
Dawn Yang
Global Lead of Business Development, Entertainment
TikTok
(Other)
Yang, 38, could well be the secret weapon behind TikTok’s pop culture takeover. She ushered in the new Pulse Premiere program and developed integrated and global partnerships in the entertainment industry that helped propel TikTok’s growth. Through the #BookTok community, she’s helped bring new storytellers’ work to the attention of decisionmakers in the film, TV, and premium audio spaces.
Entertainment ties: All of Yang’s efforts—including several strategic deals she’s reached with top media players — have expanded overall access to publisher content, IP, brand integrations and monetization while fortifying TikTok’s value to the industry.

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