Agencies
CAA: Star Wars: Episode VII actress Daisy Ridley is now repped by Hylda Queally. She had previously signed with UTA two months ago. Ridley’s career recently jumped into hyperdrive when she landed a coveted lead role in the J.J. Abrams directed Star Wars: Episode VII. Her character has also been confirmed to take a prominent role in the second and third films of the trilogy as well. Looper and Breaking Bad helmer Rian Johnson will direct those films. Prior to Episode VII, Ridley had roles in several U.K. television series including Casualty, Youngers, Toast of London, Silent Witness and Mr. Selfridge. Her other credits have included the sci-fi short Blue Season, as well as the interactive film Lifesaver, which was nominated for a BAFTA. Ridley continues to be repped by attorney Shelby Weiser at Sloane Offer Weber Dern.
Equitable Stewardship for Artists (ESA): Television director and producer Dan Lerner is now repped by Paul Alan Smith. The busy helmer most recently directed episodes of Red Band Society, Resurrection, Extant, Lucky 7 and The Blacklist. He was also a co-executive producer on Lucky 7. Starting off as a camera operator, Lerner moved into directing in the late eighties. Since then, Lerner’s storied directing career has seen such highlights as thirtysomething, Profiler, Once and Again, House M.D., What About Brian, The Starter Wife and In Plain Sight. Lerner’s co-executive producing credits have included Once and Again, What About Brian, The Starter Wife and In Plain Sight.
Gersh: Actress Stana Katic is now repped by Alex Yarosh. She also recently signed with Larry Taube at Gotham/Principal. Katic’s currently starring in her seventh season as Detective Kate Beckett on ABC’s hit series Castle. Last year, she also appeared in Randal Miller’s period piece about the New York punk scene CBGB, as well as the indie feature Big Sur, opposite Kate Bosworth and Josh Lucas. Starting her career in the nineties, Katic had already built up an impressive film and television resume before landing her signature role on Castle. Her other series credits have included playing Collette Stenger on 24, as well as roles on The Shield, The Closer, ER, Brothers and Sisters and Heroes. Katic’s feature credits have included Quantum of Solace, The Spirit, The Double and the Polish Brothers’ For Lovers Only. In 2008, Katic started her own production company Sine Tore Productions. Next up, she’ll appear in The Tourist, which is currently in post-production.
ICM Partners: Writer, director and producer John Singleton is now repped by John Burnham, Toni Howard, Chris Silbermann and Joanne Wiles. He was previously with ICM. Singleton is currently in pre-production on his Tupac Shukar biopic Tupac, which he will write, direct and produce. Breaking through in a big way with 1991’s Boyz n the Hood, Singleton landed Academy Award nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Director for his film, becoming the youngest person to ever be nominated for Best Director and the first African-American. He has since gone on to write and direct Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Shaft and Baby Boy. His other directing credits have included 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers and 2011’s Abduction. Singleton also produced and financed Baby Boy, Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan.
UTA: Actor Joel Jackson is now repped by Chris Hart, Shani Rosenzweig, Scott Schachter and Louise Ward. Jackson recently got his big break when he was cast in the Sam Worthington miniseries Deadline Gallipoli. The four-part Australian series will air in 2015 and features an all-star cast that includes Hugh Dancy, Charles Dance and Anna Torv. Jackson himself is a newcomer to film and television, having graduated in 2013 from Australia’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). His credits at NIDA included A Lie of the Mind, Sucking Dublin and The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet. He also has a role in the short What We Know, which is currently in post-production. Jackson remains repped by Morrissey Management in Australia.
UTA: Director, writer and former actress Mia Hansen-Løve is now repped by Jeremy Barber and Bec Smith. Hansen-Løve is currently riding buzz off her drama Eden, which premiered at Toronto and sold its North American rights to Broad Green Pictures. Starting her career as an actress, Hansen-Løve appeared in Olivier Assayas’ features Late August, Early September and Les destinées. Later marrying Assayas, Hansen-Løve then went on to direct the shorts Après mûre réflexion and Offre Spéciale before making her feature directing debut with 2007’s Tout est pardonné (All is Forgiven). That film won Hansen-Løve nominations for Cannes’ Golden Camera, as well as Cesar’s Best First Film. Her second film Father of my Children won a Special Jury Prize at Cannes and in 2011, she directed Goodbye First Love. Eden will be released in Spring 2015.
UTA: Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes is now repped by Douglas Edley, Jay Gassner, Chris Hart, Rob Prinz, Matt Rice, Scott Schachter, Kevin Volchok and Allison Wallach. Sykes is currently appearing on Amazon’s Alpha House. She’s also executive producing NBC’s reboot of Last Comic Standing and will reprise her voice role as Granny in Ice Age 5. One of the top grossing female touring comedians, Sykes got her first major career breaks in the 1990s, winning an Emmy for her writing work on The Chris Rock Show. Since that point, Sykes’ prolific career has seen such highlights as starring in 2003 sitcom Wanda at Large and headlining the 2009 talk show The Wanda Sykes Show. Her television credits have included The New Adventures of Old Christine, Curb Your Enthusiasm and numerous voice roles. On the film side, Sykes has appeared in Monster-in-Law, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Evan Almighty and License to Wed, as well as the animated features Over the Hedge, Barnyard, Rio and Ice Age: Continental Drift.
WME Entertainment: Three-time Oscar nominated actress Michelle Williams is now a client. She was previously at CAA. Williams recently made her Broadway debut in Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall’s revival of Cabaret. She also starred in the 2013 hit Oz the Great and Powerful. Catapulting to fame with the WB teen drama Dawson’s Creek, Williams soon turned to features and made her mark with indies that included The Station Agent, Land of Plenty and Imaginary Heroes. Williams’ career hit its stride with her Oscar-nominated performance in Brokeback Mountain and she has since appeared in such features as I’m Not There, Wendy and Lucy, Synecdoche, New York, Blue Valentine, Take this Waltz and Shutter Island. Next up, Williams will appear in the World War II romance Suite Française, which recently completed shooting. Williams’ three Academy Award nominations were for her performances in Brokeback Mountain, Blue Valentine and My Week with Marilyn.