UTA has acquired Greater Talent Network, one of the world’s top speakers bureaus.
Similar to how its 2014 acquisition of N.S. Bienstock instantly gave the agency the leading market share in broadcast news representation, "overnight this makes UTA the global leader among talent agencies on the speaking circuit," UTA co-president Jay Sures said in a statement. "GTN has been a great company in this market for decades, and the synergies on both sides will create both unlimited and unparalleled opportunities for our clients. The power of GTN’s brand and its resources and capabilities adds another major dimension to UTA’s full-service model."
Founded by CEO Don Epstein (who now becomes a UTA partner) in 1982 with inaugural clients P.J. O’Rourke and Tom Wolfe, GTN will maintain its New York City headquarters and Florida office. The bureau’s roster, which has in the past featured Hunter S. Thompson, Abbie Hoffman and Timothy Leary, today includes Billy Beane, Preet Bharara, Mark Burnett, Ed Davis, Louis Freeh, Dan Harris, Raymond Kelly, Michael Lewis, Marcus Luttrell, Ron Paul, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Ruffalo, Lesley Stahl, George Takei, Jeffrey Toobin and Elizabeth Vargas.
"Over many years, GTN has been approached with opportunities to combine our company with other organizations," Epstein said in a statement. "We chose UTA for its unique hands-on approach to servicing artists, public figures and content providers. Our clients will continue to experience the same level of service and expertise as they always have from GTN. But by becoming part of UTA, we will be able to vastly increase clients’ visibility and demand across all of these platforms."
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
