LOONA’s Haseul signs with Modhaus, joins ARTMS project

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International “D.P.” creator Kim Bo-tong has signed with CAA for representation. The Korean screenwriter, who is also known as Kim Ho Yeol, is the creator and co-writer of the webtoon “D.P.” which was adapted into the Netflix military drama. The show, which premiered in 2021, earned multiple awards in various categories at the Baeksang Arts Awards in 2022, establishing it as one of the top Korean dramas of the year. “D.P.” returns later this month for Season 2. The series follows a team of Korean military police who are tasked with catching deserters. (Military service is mandatory for men between the ages of 18 and 35 in South Korea.)

EXCLUSIVE: Actor Nadji Jeter has signed with talent management company Cultivate Entertainment Partners for representation.

Margot Robbie was celebrating big at the premiere of her new movie, Barbie, in South Korea!

EXCLUSIVE: Alana Haim has signed with Entertainment 360 for acting representation.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed breakout actress Arsema Thomas for representation in all areas.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Puerto Rican superstar singer Ozuna has signed with Scooter Braun’s SB Projects, in partnership with his longtime manager Edgar Andino, CEO of Andino Marketing Group, the companies announced on Thursday. Ozuna, one of Latin music’s most popular artists, joins a roster that includes Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and others. Colombian singer J Balvin signed with the company in 2020 but left recently. “We’ve been following Ozuna’s career for years and we’re excited to be bringing him into the family to work with him and Edgar. Ozuna’s music is unmatched.  His ability to work across genres including reggaeton, Latin pop, and more, is phenomenal. With unique songs offering fresh perspective and beautiful sounds, We’re thrilled to amplify his artistry with this partnership,” offered Jennifer McDaniels, President of Management, SB Projects.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Los Angeles-based Syrian director and producer Sam Kadi, who helmed the doc “Little Gandhi” about the life and death of young Syrian peace activist Ghiyath Matar and produced the Oscar-shortlisted animation film “Lamya’s Poem,” has signed for representation with management company Bohemia Group. Kadi’s first feature was the 2012 indie immigrant drama “The Citizen,” starring Egyptian actor Khaled Nabawy as a Lebanese immigrant who wins a green card through the U.S. lottery system and arrives in New York to claim his documents on Sept. 10, 2001. The drama, also starring Cary Elwes, then follows the protagonist’s hellish 10-year path to citizenship in post-9/11 America, including his detainment by homeland security and his deportation trial.

EXCLUSIVE: Djimon Hounsou, the two-time Academy Award-nominated actor known for roles in Ed Zwick’s Blood Diamond and Jim Sheridan‘s In America, has signed with Range Media Partners for management.

EXCLUSIVE: After taking on a major recurring arc across multiple seasons of Taylor Sheridan‘s hit neo-Western drama series Yellowstone, actress Q’orianka Kilcher has signed with Silver Lining Entertainment for management.

K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY have filed a lawsuit against their agency Attrakt to suspend their exclusive contracts.On June 28, South Korean law firm BARUN released a statement on behalf of the girl group, announcing that they had filed to suspend their exclusive contracts with entertainment agency Attrakt due to its violation of contract terms.“The four members filed an application for provisional disposition suspending the validity of their exclusive contracts to the Seoul Central District Court on June 19, and the trial is currently underway,” said BARUN, per eDaily and translated by Soompi. “This is due to the fact that Attrakt violated contract terms and took actions that resulted in the destruction of a relationship based on trust.”The firm also alleged that Attrakt had been “discrediting” the members of FIFTY FIFTY through its continuous media statements in recent days.

EXCLUSIVE: Iñaki Godoy, the 19-year-old lead of Netflix’s forthcoming series One Piece, has signed with M88 for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: Seoul Searching director Benson Lee has signed with Verve.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Breakout Sundance star and rapper Tia Nomore has signed with Range Media Partners for representation in acting and music. Nomore is the lead in Savannah Leaf’s upcoming A24 drama “Earth Mama,” in which she delivered a critically acclaimed debut feature performance at this year’s Sundance Film Festival as a struggling single mother. Well established in hip hop, Nomore rose to prominence as an artist on the Oakland music scene. In “Earth Mama,” Nomore stars as expectant mom Gia, who already has two kids in foster care as she anticipates a third. Though she has the support of a tight-knit community in the Bay Area, she faces formidable challenges in reclaiming her family and building a new life. A24, the studio behind the Oscar winning “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” will release the film on July 7.

EXCLUSIVE: Kieran Culkin, coming off a four-season starring turn on HBO’s Emmy-winning drama series Succession, has signed with WME.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Highly touted British rapper Central Cee has signed a joint venture agreement with Columbia Records in partnership with Sony Music U.K., Variety has confirmed. Known to fans as “Cench,” the rapper became the first-ever British male rapper to be included in XXL magazine’s influential annual “Freshman Class” list, which was unveiled on Wednesday. Central Cee will also perform at this week’s 2023 Glastonbury festival, the largest festival in the U.K. The deal was led by Columbia executive vice president Bu Thiam with Central Cee’s manager, Bello. The fiercely independent rapper was the object of a heated bidding war in recent weeks; while terms of the Columbia deal were not announced, the joint venture suggests that he is likely to retain ownership of his recordings, as he has to date.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Trevor Noah, who left as host of “The Daily Show” in late 2022, is bringing his comedic voice to an original Spotify weekly podcast set to debut later this year.The weekly podcast will blend Noah’s “signature humor and razor-sharp wit with his global perspective to deliver a unique take on the hottest and most captivating topics of the moment,” according to Spotify. The series (whose name is TBD) will also feature in-depth interviews between Noah and “some of the most influential and interesting figures around the world,” the company said.While Noah’s podcast will be a “Spotify original,” it will not be exclusive to the streamer: The show will be available to listen to across numerous platforms.

LOONA have reportedly won their lawsuit against Blockberry Creative.Today (June 16), South Korean news outlets Segye Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily reported that the Seoul High Court’s civil affairs department ruled in favour of LOONA members – namely Haseul, Yeojin, Yves, Olivia Hye and Go Won – in their lawsuit against Blockberry Creative.According to the two reports, the court had ruled in favour of suspending the Blockberry Creative contracts of the K-pop idols as it believed that there was an issue over the company’s decision to transfer the girl group’s contracts to Universal Japan without the members’ consent.Some members of LOONA have since reacted to the news with posts on Instagram. Notably, Yves posted an image of actress Nicole Kidman after her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Halsey has signed with Columbia Records, Variety has confirmed. The move comes just two months after the singer parted ways with her longtime label, Capitol Music Group. The move actually reunites Halsey, who uses she/they pronouns, with the label behind one of the two biggest hits of their career: “Closer,” the Chainsmokers song featuring her on co-lead vocals, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for some 12 weeks in 2016. Halsey also reached No. 1 in 2018 with “Without You.” Halsey first signed with Capitol’s Astralwerks imprint in 2013 and quickly became one of the company’s hottest acts. Yet their fierce independent streak — she often tells a story about a label exec saying she wasn’t ready to make an album, so she asked her fans via Twitter whether they wanted one, to rapturous response — often put them at odds with it.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed Emmy Award-nominated, author, director, and Jeopardy! co-host Mayim Bialik for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of Saturday’s Season 2 premiere for his Apple sports drama series Swagger at the Tribeca Festival, actor Isaiah Hill has taken on new representation, signing with APA in all areas.