United Talent Agency

Elizabeth Banks stopped by UTA for a screening of her film “Skincare” and a pre-reception hosted by Archer Roose Wines, which she co-owns. In “Skincare,” Banks plays influential aesthetician Hope Goldman, whose business faces sabotage when a rival boutique opens across the street. Aided by her friend (Lewis Pullman), Hope sets out to uncover who's trying to ruin her reputation. “I felt very connected to this idea of desperate times calling for desperate measures,” Banks says of her character. Among those in attendance: Banks’ “Charlie Angels” co-star Jonathan Tucker and longtime BFF, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who joined her in introducing the film. 

“We want to build partnerships that last. If an artist has a 30-year career, we want them to work with that brand partner over and over again. And you really find that when there's true love and passion for one another,” says Toni Wallace (Head of Music Brand Strategy & Partnerships). Wallace and Emily Fletcher Wright (Agent, Music) spoke to Hits Daily Double about the explosive growth of brands in every sector partnering with musicians across all genres. Think Bad Bunny and Pepsi, Cardi B and NYX Cosmetics, Brittany Spencer and Victoria’s Secret, and Megan Moroney and Charlotte Tilbury. The two discuss what it takes to not only to forge an impactful partnership but to make it last — expanding audiences through these deals as a result — plus, the brand category they’d like to see lean deeper into music. Read the full Q&A below.

Last week, Next Gen, a practice of UTA Entertainment Marketing, hosted its two-day ZCON conference in New York. The annual conference brought together Gen Z leaders from industries like beauty, tech, and entertainment to discuss strategies to reach younger consumers. This year, ZCON hosted more than 150 content creators with some 800 people in attendance. Ziad Ahmed (Head of Next Gen) spoke to ADWEEK about why brands can’t ignore Gen Z. “[They] represent the communities that are most culturally impactful in terms of where the zeitgeist is, and where it’s headed.” Read more below.

We're thrilled to announce "Matriach," the new memoir by Tina Knowles, will be published April 2025. "I have always been a storyteller, and it’s something I learned from my mother. When I had a family of my own, I believed that my daughters needed to know where they came from in order to know where they were going," Knowles shared on social media. "I’m now ready to share my story with all of you, so that we can all celebrate these themes of strength, motherhood, Black pride, and identity." "Matriarch" hits shelves on April 22, 2025, released through Random House's One World imprint. Pre-order at TinaKnowlesBook.com.

Brands looking to connect with Gen Z often don’t know how to connect with them. Talent agency giant United Talent Agency hopes to change that. https://adweek.it/40cjHdP

Kirsten Dunst stopped by UTA for a screening of “Civil War” and Q&A moderated by film critic Katie Walsh.  Released this spring, critics were unanimous in their praise of Dunst’s performance as veteran war photographer Lee Smith, with Entertainment Weekly writing, “Dunst pulls focus through the calamity with a slow-burning performance that ends up as the best turn of her career” and “oughta get an [Oscar] nod.” 📷: Roger Kisby

💫 Scenes from day one of ZCON, a first-of-its-kind conference — created by Gen Z, for Gen Z, and powered by UTA. Stay tuned to see much more from this year's two-day event in New York City, hosted by Next Gen, a practice of UTA Entertainment Marketing. [h/t Ziad Ahmed, Shaina Zafar, Olivia Frary, Nate Jones, and the entire Next Gen team!]

“This is my biggest, most ambitious dream that I could have ever tried to tackle,” says director Jon M. Chu about his upcoming “Wicked” adaptation in Wall Street Journal's upcoming Innovators Issue. Read the full cover story below.

Jackpot!: The iconic game show, now led by UTA client Seacrest, became the most-watched entertainment show across broadcast, cable, and syndication in September. According to Nielsen data, “Wheel of Fortune” averaged nearly 8 million viewers during the premiere month of its latest season (September 9 through October 6). Seacrest has also helped the show reach its best premiere month audience in three years, up 12% from last year. https://lnkd.in/gg3jkteJ

UTA’s Sam Glynne (Executive, UTA Entertainment & Culture Marketing) attended this year’s MIPCOM Cannes event to speak on a panel called, “The Subtle Art of Integrating Brands into Drama” panel.  She spoke about barriers to entry for brands in entertainment, the necessity for authenticity in placing a brand or its products in a show, and examples of impactful integrations for UTA clients, from Piaggio in “The White Lotus” to Coca-Cola and American Express in “The Bear.” “It was exciting to be representing UTA at MIPCOM’s 40th anniversary TV market, talking not just about entertainment, but about the meaningful role that brands can play in creating culture-defining moments that travel across territories,” Glynne says.