CAA has named Emma Banks, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin as co-heads of Global Touring, the agency announced Thursday.
The trio will oversee the department’s continued global growth and its more than 340 employees across music, comedy and podcast touring, brand partnerships, tour marketing, private events and crossover opportunities in film, television and books.
The newly named heads, all long-time senior members of the leadership team who have helped drive CAA’s unprecedented run as the world’s No. 1 music and comedy touring agency, will build upon CAA veteran Rob Light’s more than 25 years as head of Global Touring. Light was recently named a CAA managing director, working alongside other company leaders in guiding the agency’s overall strategic direction.
“With the most talented team of agents ever at one agency, and serving the most influential artists in the world, we see unlimited opportunities ahead,” Roskin, Eaton and Banks said in a statement to TheWrap. “The live business has never been stronger nor had more momentum, and artists have never had more ways to express themselves and grow their careers, making this an absolutely incredible time to help chart CAA’s path for the future. We’re fortunate to have shared in the success, stability and uniquely strong culture that the department has enjoyed under Rob’s outstanding leadership. Our vision, and commitment moving forward, is to foster cutting-edge ideas that drive the market and ensure that CAA remains the most exciting and empowering agency for the industry’s best agents and artists to thrive.”
“CAA remains the dominant music and comedy touring agency thanks to a profoundly deep culture of collaboration, innovation and unyielding devotion to clients. For years, Darryl, Rick and Emma have been extraordinary partners to me in leading our touring group in North America and London, respectively. I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved to date and look forward to what they will create in the years ahead,” Light added, after recently signing a long-term contract to remain at CAA, as all the company’s managing directors have. “Along with my new strategic responsibilities, I look forward to continuing to sign and empower great artists, creatively build long-term careers and mentor young executives.”
“Rick, Darryl and Emma have long been among the most talented and widely admired leaders in the industry, not to mention three of the best agents in the world,” CAA co-chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd added. “The leadership role they each already play at CAA has earned them deep respect and trust among our colleagues across all departments.”
With employees in Los Angeles, Nashville, London, New York, Austin, Miami and Toronto, CAA’s Global Touring department boasts a roster of the world’s most successful artists across genres and geographies, from superstar headliners to emerging acts. Among many others, CAA’s touring clients include The Weeknd, Harry Styles, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, John Mayer, Rüfüs Du Sol, Jelly Roll, Kelly Clarkson, blink-182, Kelsea Ballerini, Peso Pluma, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Trevor Noah, Red Hot Chili Peppers and David Guetta.
In the past year, CAA has booked more than 38,000 shows. Billboard recently named CAA the No. 1 agency, representing more than double the number of 2023’s Top 25 highest-grossing tours of the next closest agency.
CAA’s post-pandemic momentum has been highlighted by the hiring of top agents and welcoming many new clients — including Shawn Mendes, My Chemical Romance, Janet Jackson, Cody Johnson, Koe Wetzel, the 1975 and Bleachers, among many others.
A trailblazer of the business, Banks co-led the agency’s now 60-person London music office since joining CAA in 2006. In addition to her new leadership position in Touring, she serves on CAA’s internal Agency Board that focuses on the company’s highly regarded culture of service, collaboration and excellence. She was the first female executive to receive the music industry’s coveted MITS (Music Industry Trust) Award in 2018, was honored with the prestigious Strat Award in 2023 for outstanding contributions to the music business and serves on the board of Nordoff Robbins, the U.K.’s premier music therapy charity.
Roskin and Eaton became co-heads of Contemporary Music for North America in 2015, running the day-to-day operations of the North American Touring Department and supporting more than 100 agents and 280 employees.
Eaton, who joined CAA’s mailroom in 1991, has played a pivotal role in the department’s expansion, leading its efforts to launch and grow its Electronic, Latin, and Hip Hop/R&B divisions. Roskin began his career at CAA and has worked in the Touring department for 35 years. He was an original member of CAA’s internal Agency Board, formed in 2020, and was part of the company’s leadership group that completed the successful integration of talent agency ICM.
They have not only focused their efforts on signing a roster of superstar clients, but on the development and recruitment of leading agents.
