The United Talent Agency has appointed six men and two women as new partners, the agency’s board of directors announced Friday.
Jacob Fenton, Ken Fermaglich, Susie Fox, Ben Jacobson, Ophir Lupu, John Sacks, Bec Smith and Mark Subias have been appointed from across UTA’s businesses, accounting for a 13 percent expansion of the company’s partnership. The agents come from the world of theatre, music, TV, movies, video games and more. Between them they have nearly 70 years of experience at the agency.
“These eight individuals from across our business have been a critical part of UTA’s growth over the past years,” the UTA Board of Directors said in a statement. “Their appointments reflect not just the longstanding contributions each has made, but their leadership, innovation and commitment to creating unique opportunities for our clients. We are proud to have them join our partnership.”
Jacob Fenton is an 18-year UTA veteran who started in the mailroom in 2001 and rose through the ranks to become an agent in TV Talent in 2005. His clients include Christine Baranski, Jenna Dewan, Colin Hanks, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Melissa Benoist, Uzo Aduba, Zach Woods, Aisha Tyler, Jake McDorman, Jane Krakowski, Juliette Lewis and Constance Zimmer. Fenton earned a Bachelor’s. in Marketing & Entrepreneurship from the University of Washington.
Ken Fermaglich joined UTA in 2015 as part of UTA’s acquisition of The Agency Group (TAG) and is a member of UTA’s music leadership team. He oversees the booking and touring for internationally acclaimed artists such as Guns N’ Roses, Paramore, 3 Doors Down, Muse, Bush, and A Day to Remember. During his 18 years at TAG he played a pivotal role managing a team of agents and cultivating the careers of many acts he represents today. He has been named to the Billboard Power 100 list for the last two years and was nominated for the Agent of the Year award at the International Entertainment Buyers Association Awards in 2016.
Susie Fox, a TV Literary and Talent agent, joined UTA in 2015. She represents and has developed some of the most important comedic voices of this generation, including Ali Wong, Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer, Jerrod Carmichael, Ramy Youssef, Nasim Pedrad and SNL’s Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney. She is known for identifying creators with unique points of view, that touch on a myriad of issues spanning identity, race and politics. Fox graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor’s in History.
Ben Jacobson, a 13-year veteran of UTA and TV literary agent, specializes in TV packaging and works with clients such as Alex Hirsch, Aida Croal, Ted Melfi, Patrick Macmanus, Corinne Brinkerhoff, Bryan Sipe, David Wiener, Danai Gurira, Freddie Highmore, Barinholtz & Stassen, Peter Chiarelli, Rick Remender, Moira Kirland, Escape Artists, Mandeville TV and The Lonely Island,. He started his career in the UTA mailroom after attending college at The George Washington University and Parsons School of Design.
Ophir Lupu, serves as Head of UTA’s Video Games division. An agent at UTA since 2011, he represents many of the world’s most respected and successful game creators and development studios, including Ken Levine, Moon Studios, Playdead, Midwinter Entertainment, Casey Hudson, Playful Corp., Redemption Games, Giant Sparrow, Panache Digital Games, Rocketwerkz, Squanch Games, Envision Entertainment, Klei Entertainment and genDesign. Most recently, Lupu oversaw UTA’s acquisition of Press X and Everyday Influencers and now co-manages the esports division which represents many of the leading pro esports players and streamers including Aphromoo, Contractz, Pokimane and NICKMERCS. He recently sat on the Board of Directors of Seismic Games, which was acquired by Niantic.
John Sacks, who joined UTA in 2015 as an agent in the Motion Picture Talent department. Specializing in comedy, he boasts a diverse roster of clients including Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, KJ Apa, Awkwafina, Bo Burnham, Jerrod Carmichael, Jim Gaffigan, Kumail Nanjiani and more. Sacks previously worked at talent agencies CAA and ICM after graduating from University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s in History.
Bec Smith, an 11-year UTA veteran, is a Motion Picture Literary agent representing acclaimed directors and screenwriters from around the world. Her clients include Garth Davis, David Michôd, Julius Avery, Lake Bell, Luke Davies, Joshua Oppenheimer, Hope Dickson-Leach, James Ponsoldt, Warwick Thornton, Chapman and Maclain Way, Agnieszka Holland, Sebastian Junger, Ellen Kuras, Anthony Chen and Mia Hansen-Løve. Smith is also a member of the UTA Independent Film Group where she’s worked on the packaging and sale of over 50 films including, I Feel Pretty, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Brigsby Bear, The Skeleton Twins, In A World, The Spectacular Now, Frances Ha and Margin Call. Smith executive produced David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom and was formerly head of development at the Sydney office of Working Title Films.
Mark Subias, a seven-year UTA veteran, serves as Head of UTA’s Theatre Department, where he represents clients who span film, television and theater, including Cynthia Erivo, Suzan-Lori Parks, Annie Baker, David Cromer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Ivo van Hove, Adam Rapp, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Denise Gough, Sam Gold, Pam MacKinnon, Common, John Leguizamo, Danai Gurira, Susan Sarandon, Michael C. Hall, Peter Morgan and more. Prior to UTA, Subias ran his own management firm SUBIAS in New York City. Subias is on the Board of Literacy Partners.