YouTube explorers Sam and Colby have signed with CAA.
Who got signed, promoted, hired or fired? The Hollywood Reporter’s Rep Sheet rounds up the week in representation news. To submit announcements for consideration, contact .
Paranormal activity
CAA has signed Sam Golbach and Colby Brock, who have amassed 9.6 million social media followers for their videos exploring abandoned and haunted sites around the world. Their most popular video, “Scariest Night of Our Lives: Queen Mary Room B340,” has 8 million views, and they recently completed a sold-out U.S. tour produced by Fullscreen Live.
On April 7, Sam and Colby posted a video claiming to be quitting YouTube because of a near-death experience. But days earlier, at the April 4 Snap Partner Summit, the pair was announced to star in Stranded With Sam and Colby, a new Snap Original docuseries from Bunim/Murray.
Sam and Colby continue to be represented by Scale Management and attorney Ashley Silver of Bloom Hergott.
Rapid rise
UTA has signed vlogger Kennedy Walsh, whose YouTube channel already has more than 934,000 subscribers since launching 10 months ago. The agency will help the colorful haired influencer, 19, transition to acting while also pursuing opportunities in digital talent, licensing, branding and endorsements.
UTA also has signed international stand-up comic, writer and actress Enissa Amani in all areas. Born in Iran and raised in Germany, Amani is fluent in German, Farsi, English and French, and the agency will help her pursue business in film, television and touring in both Middle East and English-language markets. Her TV debut — a five-minute stand-up set on a German late-night show — racked up more than 5 million views in its first few days, and last year she became the first woman in Europe to get her own Netflix Original comedy special, Ehrenwort. The streamer released her second special, Comedian Goals, eight months later. Amani, who also has developed, written and produced two ProSieben TV series, continues to be repped by Erhan Dogan and Claude Leyer.
Transcending boundaries
Performer, writer and transgender activist Shakina Nayfack has signed with Abrams for theatrical, commercial/voiceover and literary. Most recognizable as Lola on Hulu’s Difficult People, she also has appeared on Netflix’s Jessica Jones and TBS’ The Detour. Nayfack was a writer-producer on Transparent’s upcoming musical series finale, and she is now developing a semiautobiographical musical sitcom with SMAC Entertainment. She continues to be represented by attorney Adam G. Cooper of Jackoway Tyerman.
Abrams also has signed five gamers:
- Matthew Cobuzio, whose YouTube channel mcsportzhawk has more than 765,000 subscribers and 168 million views, while his other channel Top 10 Trends has more than 1 million subscribers. The Syracuse alumnus, who holds dual degrees in film and information studies, hosts Twitch’s Arcade Cloud Live and co-owns creative agency Playback Media.
- Britanni Johnson, who provided the performance capture for Angel in the Borderlands video game series. The gaming and esports host has 21,500 followers on Twitter and 14,900 on Instagram.
- SayNoToRage, whose brand is about “helping you rage less and enjoy your games more.” He has more than 145,000 followers on Twitch, 58,000 on Instagram and 20,000 on Twitter, as well as 1.3 million views on YouTube.
- Sam Seum, a full-time streamer and mom who has amassed more than 1.2 million views on Twitch. She has hosted the Nexon release of MapleStory 2 at PAX West 2018 and raised funds for St. Jude at GuardianCon 2018.
- Meg Turney, who has covered video game, comics and other features for Nerdist News, deviantART, SourceFed and Rooster Teeth’s news channel The Know, the latter of which she helped grow to more than 1 million YouTube subscribers. The longtime cosplayer also has appeared on Syfy’s Heroes of Cosplay and has 640,000 followers on Instagram and 445,000 on Twitter.
April showers
Rain Management Group has signed:
- Shadowhunters showrunners and executive producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer
- Emmy-nominated writer-producer Laurence Andries, who recently wrapped Epix’s upcoming crime drama The Godfather of Harlem and next is joining the writers room of ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder.
- emerging writer-director Ryan Zaragoza, a recent alumnus of both Ryan Murphy’s Half Program as well as the HBO Access Directing Fellowship, for which he directed its first drama pilot, “Sterling”
Expanding the screen
Fullscreen has signed 10 new management clients:
- actress Mikaela Hoover (The Belko Experiment, Lucifer), who also has signed with ZTPR
- actress Estrella Nouri, who recurred as Melina Gold on season one of OWN’s Queen Sugar
- YouTuber Sierra Schultzzie, who makes videos about fashion and body positivity
- actress and singer Ava Frye, who has recurred on The CW’s iZombie. The 16-year-old plays the guitar and piano and is fluent in English, Chinese and Russian.
- basketball legend Bone Collector, whom Slam has called the Most Dangerous Streetball Player in the World and Complex has named one of the 25 Greatest Streetball Players of All Time. He has trained NBA players and hosts basketball clinics for college students and underprivileged youth.
- former pro tennis player Prakash Amritraj, who now serves as a host on The Tennis Channel. The son of Indian tennis great Vijay Amritraj also is an actor and producer (Sylvester Stallone’s Escape Plan: The Extractors)
- veteran British actor Selva Rasalingam, who starred as Jesus in Netflix’s word-for-word adaptations of the four Gospels. His other credits include Doctor Who, The Mummy, Skyfall and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
- YouTuber Luke Abercrombie, the former Viner whose comedic channel has more than 220,000 subscribers
- content creator Samantha Jo, whose fans are known as the Schreib Tribe
- social media personality and filmmaker Josh Ovalle, who began making short films at age 13 and has screened his work at festivals
The company’s talent management division also has added talent manager Blake Reading, previously of MGMT Entertainment and Gersh, and promoted Scarlett Perlman and Nick Coffey to senior talent managers.
Venerated hires
Four litigators have exited Kelley Drye & Warren to join Venable as partners in the commercial litigation practice in its Los Angeles office:
- Lee S. Brenner
- David E. Fink
- Michael J. O’Connor
- Sarah L. Connor
Five associates — Sarah E. Diamond, Cary L. Finkelstein, Ken D. Kronstadt, Michael C. Godino and Christina Nordsten — also have joined the practice.
Others on the dotted line
Vision PR has signed Marlon Wayans, up next in the Netflix feature Sextuplets (which he also wrote) and Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks.
Management company tact. media has signed Sierra Burgess Is a Loser’s Mario Revolori, who next stars opposite KJ Apa in Netflix’s The Last Summer and MGM’s upcoming Valley Girl remake.
Portrait PR has signed celebrity trainer Paolo Mascitti, whose clients include Nicole Scherzinger, Peter Facinelli, David Giuntoli, Alex Russell and Lucifer castmembers Tom Ellis, Kevin Alejandro and Lesley Ann Brandt.
MDM Media has signed actor Andre Urban, whose credits include Red Dead Redemption II and Amazon’s 2016 Super Bowl ad with Alec Baldwin.
Hollywood-based creative agency gnet has hired Midnight Oil Agency’s Michael Elkind as director of strategy and promoted Niko DeMordaunt to director of brand management.
National Talent LA has signed:
- Mitch Malloy, the new lead singer for rock band Great White
- actress and stuntwoman Michelle Lee (Venom, Suicide Squad, Pacific Rim)
- actress and stuntwoman Mayling Ng (Wonder Woman, The Scorpion King: Book of Souls, Lady Bloodfight)
- actress and stuntwoman Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez (The Fate of the Furious, Stargate Origins), who also performed additional voices in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
- stuntman Angel Manuel (The Purge: Anarchy, Independence Day: Resurgence, Straight Outta Compton, Shameless)
Bicoastal production company ArtClass has signed former advertising creative Tatjana Green as a filmmaker for U.S. representation.
Saville Productions has signed director Patrick Sisam for his first commercial and branded entertainment representation in the U.S.
Tool of North America has signed experiential director Emilie Baltz to its innovation roster.
Elsewhere in Rep World:
Jason Statham Exits CAA for WME
Oscar-Winning ‘Black Panther’ Costumer Ruth E. Carter Signs With WME
Malala Yousafzai Signs With UTA
Endeavor Sells Stake in Ad Agency Droga5
CAA Signs Albert Hughes
Cindy McCain Signs With UTA
UTA Signs NBC News’ Dylan Byers
CAA Signs Victoria’s Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel
Loaded Signs Streamers Dakotaz and Skadoodle, Esports Host Sjokz
Digital Veterans Launch UNCMMN Management Firm
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