United Talent Agency acquires Curtis Brown

California-based United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed an agreement to buy Curtis Brown Group (CBG) for an undisclosed sum, confirming a step that had been widely rumoured to be underway in recent months. Under the terms of the deal, London-based CBG will continue to operate under its current name, and all staff and leadership will remain in place, including c.e.o. Jonny Geller, a joint announcement said.

The announcement noted that this structure "will allow both Curtis Brown Group and UTA to continue their fruitful and longstanding relationships with other agency partners in the UK and US."

The deal was said to be "driven by a shared desire to ensure greater opportunities for clients across an increasingly global entertainment and culture landscape, in which traditional buyers and distributors such as studios and streaming services are expanding far beyond their home markets". The acquisition "provides Curtis Brown Group with resources to continue to build out its business, and the benefit of UTA’s expertise across a wide range of capabilities in such areas as brands, podcasts, digital talent, endorsements, media rights, data analytics and more". Meanwhile for UTA, which describes itself as "a global leader in talent, entertainment and sports", the deal "significantly expands its global footprint in one of the world’s most important and thriving creative markets" and "further accelerates the company’s momentum", which has seen it undertake expansion including the 2021 acquisition of advisory and marketing firm MediaLink, and in 2019 the buy of a significant stake in Klutch Sports Group.

Geller said: "We have long admired UTA under the leadership of David Kramer and its c.e.o. Jeremy Zimmer. Curtis Brown’s deep understanding of the European market combined with their culture of collaboration and innovation offers our company and our clients many great opportunities. This partnership will enable Curtis Brown to grow and to respond to the demands of an increasingly globalised world. We have always prided ourselves on our ability to nurture new talent across all our departments and provide an open and inclusive culture, and we are excited to begin a new chapter in this wonderful company’s 123-year history."

David Kramer, co-president of UTA, said: "This move is about the vanishing borders of the global entertainment business and our united determination to ensure artists and creators remain at the heart of the opportunities ahead. UTA and Curtis Brown Group have known each other and worked together for years, and we couldn’t be more excited to be taking this step together at a time when the UK’s creative industries are thriving. For UTA, this was driven by the profound respect we have for the Curtis Brown leadership, their deep roots in the UK, the team they’ve assembled, and their company culture. We’re coming together in a way that is designed to ensure Curtis Brown’s business and team - and their way of doing business in the markets they know best - continues to flourish and grow."

Jeremy Zimmer, co-founder and c.e.o. of UTA, said: "The brand of Curtis Brown has been synonymous with great storytelling and rigorous artist representation for more than a century. We are thrilled to align with such a great team. As the world of media grows and contorts, UTA is looking for great partnerships to drive our growth. In Curtis Brown, we believe we have found just such a partnership."

Curtis Brown, which has more than 240 employees, is expected to continue to grow as a result of the deal, UTA and CBG said, with no job cuts expected.

The two agencies already share representation of screenwriters including David Farr, Georgia Pritchett and Tony Roche, and have collaborated successfully with talent including Damian Lewis, Lily James and Alicia Vikander.