Jeremy Zimmer Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: If you thought the multi-million-dollar war of words and legal filings between UTA and former Medialink CEO Michael Kassan had been bare knuckles before, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor UTA announced Eric Iverson as chief technology officer, where he will lead information-technology strategy — joining the company as artificial intelligence and other tech developments are threatening to disrupt the industry. Most recently, Iverson served as director of product strategy Amazon MGM Studios, where he led product, user experience and AI efforts, and before that was chief technologist for media and entertainment in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) division.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer United Talent Agency has amended its lawsuit against former MediaLink chief Michael Kassan — striking its initial claims against its former partner to move those grievances to arbitration. The amended complaint offers new details of allegations of financial mismanagement against the advertising industry’s famous matchmaker and fixer, who blasts the litigation in a statement to Variety as a “smear” effort.

EXCLUSIVE: Amidst allegations of financial impropriety and corporate skullduggery, the collapse of the relationship between UTA and MediaLink founder Michael Kassan now sees the parties battling it out with competing legal actions  and lots of finger pointing – even by Hollywood standards.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer United Talent Agency has been accused of breach of contract and fraud in relation to its 2021 acquisition of the consultancy firm MediaLink. MediaLink founder and UTA partner Michael Kassan, whose exit from the company nearly a week ago has not yet been reported, claims that UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and two other top executives engaged in bad faith in the absorption and management of his company, according to documents filed with mediation service JAMS which Variety reviewed. This led Kassan to resign last week, the filing says.

Michael Kassan, CEO of MediaLink, the strategic advisory firm acquired by UTA in 2021, is out.

By Cynthia Littleton Hollywood’s season of strikes came at enormous cost to the entertainment industry. It came in projects that weren’t greenlighted, sleeper hits not realized, breakthrough gigs not booked and paychecks not earned. But by the simple math of Hollywood’s true bottom line, there’s no other way to say it: The strikes waged by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA were a short-term financial gift to studio conglomerates that had already been listing because of streaming losses.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing a new round of mockery from an animated series, this time from "Family Guy" on Fox. In an episode that aired Sunday night, main character Peter Griffin (voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane) is seen sitting in a bar with friends pondering how to get back money he is owed when he jokes that he’ll "go it alone, just like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry." The scene then cuts to cartoon versions of Harry and Meghan laying poolside as a butler approaches with an envelope.

Prince Harry reportedly earns seven figures as chief impact officer of BetterUp, but staff have now turned on him after more than 100 San Francisco-based employees were laid off last week as they claim his everyday responsibilities are "zero."

two entities parted ways earlier this summer after Markle and Harry produced just one project for Spotify, the 12-episode podcast “Archetypes.” In the wake of the breakup, Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of global sports strategy, called the ex-royals “f – – king grifters” and “lazy.” Another insider said the couple had come off as “difficult.” There were even reports that Markle didn’t conduct her own interviews for her “Archetypes” pod. But, in a new People cover story, some industry insiders are defending Markle and Harry.

It’s no secret Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been having a tough time finding their footing in Hollywood.

It’s been a rough few months for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In May, the couple were embroiled in what their spokesperson described as a “near-catastrophic” car chase with paparazzi in NYC. In June, their multimillion-dollar Spotify deal came to an abrupt end. And on July 27, Harry faced a setback in his ongoing lawsuit against a British tabloid, as a U.K. judge threw out the prince’s claims that the outlet had hacked his voicemails.

Some of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s joint business ventures are “falling apart” and they are facing some of their biggest problems, a royal expert has claimed to OK!. Royal biographer Tom Bower said since Harry and Meghan’s Spotify podcast deal has abruptly come to an end, the pair are going to find it a struggle to keep their brand “reputable”.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry might have "given away too much, too soon" amid claims that the Duchess is planning to rebuild her media empire after a series of setbacks in recent weeks.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in their "flop era" according to Rolling Stone Magazine.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s failed Spotify deal, a royal expert claimed.Speaking on Palace Confidential, Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English talked about the criticism over how the ending of the royal couple’s Spotify deal affected many jobs and people.“Part of this problem with Harry and Meghan is a problem with the entire podcast industry,” English said.

Meghan Markle has been described as "every broadcaster's worst nightmare" by journalist Dan Wootton after she was dumped by Spotify.

Meghan Markle's talent was called into question by United Talent Agency (UTA) CEO Jeremy Zimmer during an interview last week. The top Hollywood agent weighed in after Spotify abruptly ended its deal with the 41-year-old Duchess of Sussex and her husband Prince Harry following the cancelation of Markle's podcast "Archetypes" after just one season. "Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent," Zimmer told global news website Semafor when asked about the podcast cancelation at the 2023 Cannes Lions advertising festival in Cannes, France.

Sounds like Jeremy Zimmer might be a little salty!

The podcast game may not be Meghan Markle strong suit.

Meghan Markle couldn't land Taylor Swift as a guest on her podcast. Amid drama surrounding Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry's, media deals,  published a new report with bombshell claims about the Sussexes.In the article, the outlet says that Meghan wrote Taylor a personal letter asking her to appear on , the podcast the Duchess of Sussex hosted about the stereotypes that hold women back.

UTA, which last year acquired UK agency Curtis Brown, is opening a new office in London as it eyes further international growth.

William Earl Variety will return to the Riviera for three days of programmed interviews with leaders in the industry at the Variety Cannes Lions Interview Studio presented by Canva. The studio will take place from June 20-22 with all conversations moderated by a Variety editor. Kevin Hart, Will.i.am., Keke Palmer and Amanda Gorman are among the slate of speakers who will take part in the studio, as well as Kelly Campbell, president, Peacock; Claudine Cheever, VP of global brand and marketing, Amazon; Jeremy Zimmer, CEO, United Talent Agency; Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer, Mastercard; and Julia Goldin, chief product and marketing officer, LEGO.

UTA and partner company Klutch Sports Group announced the opening of their Atlanta office today, setting up a full-service base of operations in the city for artists, athletes, musicians and brands with strong ties to the region. It’s located at 1401 Peachtree Street in the Midtown arts and business district, with a gallery on the lower floor.

Brent Lang Executive Editor UTA is setting up shop in the Peach State. The talent agency and its partner company Klutch Sports Group officially opened their Atlanta offices on Wednesday. The companies say its the first among the industry’s biggest talent, sports, entertainment and marketing agencies to establish a full-service base of operations in Georgia’s biggest city, which has become an important hub of movie and television production and a locus of other artistic endeavors. “Atlanta is a vibrant city for music, sports and arts, and there is a ripe opportunity to create another center of gravity for film and television,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. “We are excited to bring our full range of services to the community of talented artists, athletes, musicians and creators who call the Southeast their home.”

United Talent Agency cut the ribbon to its Atlanta offices Wednesday, marking the first of the major talent agencies to offer a full-service office expansion in the growing market of the Peach State’s capitol.“Atlanta is a vibrant city for music, sports and arts, and there is a ripe opportunity to create another center of gravity for film and television,” UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said in a statement. “We are excited to bring our full range of services to the community of talented artists, athletes, musicians and creators who call the Southeast their home.” UTA Atlanta co-heads Steve Cohen and Rob Gibbs jointly added that the city “planting our flag here gives us the ability to support clients with investments and opportunities across the city’s growing creative ecosystem.”UTA’s Atlanta offices will offer representation across entertainment and talent divisions, including film and television, music, sports, digital talent, marketing, gaming and fine arts.

UTA has expanded its board of directors, adding Main Street Advisors CEO Paul Wachter and Nexus Management Group founder Ceci Kurzman as independent members.

Kanye West returned to Instagram after allegedly being restricted by the social media platform, and wrote that he lost $2 billion in one day amid a swirling controversy centered on anti-Semitic comments made by the rapper-entrepreneur.

As the fallout from Kanye West’s anti-Semitic rants continues, the rapper made an “unannounced” visit to a Skechers corporate office in LA on Wednesday and was escorted from the building.

In what may be the toughest blow, ego-wise, in the fallout from Kanye West’s antisemitic rants last week, Forbes announced today that the rapper is no longer on its glitzy list of the world’s billionaires. A chief cause for the change was Adidas ending its relationship today with Ye, as he is now known. He had been among the first hip-hop moguls to make the list.

Adidas is the latest of Ye’s big-name partnerships to end its business relationship with the hip-hop star after he made repeated antisemitic comments and espoused disproven conspiracy theories last week. The company faced calls from all quarters yesterday to drop the former Kanye West from its list of partners.

Adidas may be slow to act, but more people in Kanye West‘s orbit are cutting ties with him!

Kanye West is no longer represented by CAA. The agency is the latest business to cut ties with the rapper following his recent anti-Semitic outbursts and amid a growing call for a Hollywood boycott against him, Deadline has confirmed.

MRC said Monday that it was not moving forward with its recently completed documentary about Kanye West, the news coming amid growing criticism of the rapper/entrepreneur’s recent anti-Semitic statements.

Jeremy Zimmer, co-founder and CEO of United Talent Agency, is the latest prominent Hollywood figure to speak out against Kanye West’s controversial claims of alleged mistreatment by Jewish people, which he has been doubling down on in media interviews.

UTA announced new roles for two senior leadership members, promoting Jay Sures to vice chairman while naming David Kramer as president. The pair had served together as co-presidents of the company since 2017.In addition to his roles in building UTA’s television group, Sures oversees UTA’s news, speakers, and culture and leadership practices, while also representing a wide roster of talent. He was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2016.The company did not specify what new responsibilities Kramer would assume as solo president.