Thorne Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorne is getting Creative…

The 18-year-old half Cuban American actress/singer and former Disney Channel star has signed with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

The move comes as Thorne, who has been branching out fast into feature films as both an actress and producer, just finished filming Midnight Sun opposite Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween and The Babysitter with Robbie Amell and directed by McG.

On the TV side, her Freeform pilot Famous in Love, adapted by Marlene King, has landed a series order.

Her recent credits include the SXSW pic Shovel Buddies, which she also produced, and Thorne now is in production on a second Awesomeness Films movie, You Get Me, in which she will also star and produce. She is voicing a role in Focus Features’ animated Ratchet and Clank and over the summer will begin production on Xavier Dolan’s The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.

She had been repped by WME.

Thorne has 11.3 million Instagram followers, 9.9 million Facebook fans and 6.3 million Twitter followers. She also has a novel, Autumn Falls, and another, Autumn’s Kiss, coming in the fall.

Argentina Submits Trapero’s “The Clan” as Its Foreign Language Oscar Entry

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Trapero’s latest project is representin’…

The 43-year-old Argentine filmmaker’s The Clan, which won the Best Director Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival after its world premiere there, has been selected as Argentina‘s entry in this year’s Foreign Language Oscar race.

The film about Argentina’s notorious Puccio crime family is produced by Spain’s Agustín Almodóvar and Pedro Almodóvar and their El Deseo production company.

It’s already a box office hit at home as El Clan, beating the record set by Argentina’s last Academy Award-winning film, 2009’s The Secret In Their Eyes.

And it played well in its North American premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform sidebar earlier this month.

Days after Trapero’s Venice win, he was signed by CAA; Trapero has had two films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscars, Lion’s Den and Carancho.

The film was released by 20th Century Fox with Fox International Pictures in Latin America, and Fox will release it in the U.S.

Ferreira is Moving From CAA to William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Sky Ferreira is switching teams…

The 23-year-old part-Brazilian singer-songwriter, model and actress has moved from Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to William Morris Endeavor (WME).

She already was represented by IMG Models, which was part of the WME | IMG acquisition last year.

Ferreira is currently the face of the Jimmy Choo fragrance Illicit and will soon be featured in Paco Rabanne’s next fragrance campaign with Gabriel Day-Lewis.

She starred in Eli Roth’s cannibal horror film The Green Inferno, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013 and will be released in the U.S. later this month.

Ferreira will also be seen in the true-life drama Elvis & Nixon, starring Michael Shannon and Kevin Spacey as the titular title characters, and in crime thriller The Trust, starring Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood.

As a recording artist, Ferreira’s 2013 Capitol Records debut Night Time, My Time opened at No. 45 on the Billboard 200 before finding its way onto Rolling Stone‘s list of that year’s top albums and Pitchfork‘s list of the decade’s top 100 albums.

She currently is recording her sophomore album, Masochism, due out next year.

Carey Signs with United Talent Agency (UTA)

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey has new representation…

The 45-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) in all areas, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Carey was previously at Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

UTA will represent the Grammy winner across all areas, including music, touring, film, television, digital, licensing and endorsements. Carey is currently maintaining a Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, where #1 to Infinity began this May and will run beyond next February.

In December she’ll return to New York City for a series of Christmas concerts before embarking on a European tour in the spring, which UTA will put together. It will be her first tour in that continent in 13 years.

“Mariah is one of the greatest artists of this or any generation,” UTA chairman Jim Berkus said in a statement. “She is a true multi-talent, and we’re thrilled to help her continue to push every creative boundary.”

Carey has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and won five Grammy Awards, starting with best new artist and best pop vocal performance, female in 1990. The latter was for her breakout single “Vision of Love,” and through 2008’s “Touch My Body,” the legendary songstress has had 18 singles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, more than any solo artist ever.

In the fall, Carey is slated to direct a TV movie for Hallmark. As an actress, her screen credits include Precious and Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

Lovato to Partner with Pocket Gems for Mobile “Create Your Own Adventure” Game

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s game on for Demi Lovato…

The 22-year-old part-Mexican American singer/actress has partnered with mobile game developer Pocket Gems to create a game that recreates the storyline of becoming a famous musician.

The still-untitled game, to be released later this summer, is a “choose your own adventure” type story, says Pocket Gem’s Jameel Khalfan. Players will join Lovato on tour and backstage as they build their own music careers. It will run on Pocket Gems’ Episode platform, which powers dozens of interactive stories, and will be available to both iOS and Android users.

Why did Pocket Gems seek out Lovato? Khalfan says the company surveys its users about the kind of content they want and which people they admire. One recurring theme from its predominantly female user base was the desire to be famous. Pocket Gems eventually found out through CAA, Lovato’s agency, she was interested in this kind of project.

“If you incorporate an artist like Demi, it becomes more real,” Khalfan tells Billboard. “You get to see things that have helped her along the way. We wanted to come up with a compelling story our users will love. They’re all aware of her story.”

As for Lovato’s involvement in the game’s development, Khalfan says she has helped give it authenticity. She has helped craft her dialogue, the clothes and outfits her avatar will wear. Her dog Buddy will also be featured. Khalfan says Lovato’s original recordings will be incorporated in the game “in a few different ways” depending on the story.

Arnold Schwarzenegger May Star in the Gullon-Penned Dark Film “478”

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Javier Gullon is about to get Terminated…

The Spanish writer has penned the dark script 478, with Arnold Schwarzenegger aligned to star in the film.

Gullon is best known for his exceptional work on the Denis Villenueve-directed Enemy, an adaptation of the Jose Saramago classic novel The Double that Jake Gyllenhaal starred in.

Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa is producing and the aim is to shoot in the fall.

In 478, Schwarzenegger plays a man whose wife and child die in a plane crash. The tragedy was caused by an air traffic controller’s screw-up. The air traffic controller is vilified for his mistake and placed into protective custody. Schwarzenegger cannot let it go, and is determined to seek vengeance. Though is sounds like a standard revenge film, I’m told it isn’t. It is much more subtle than that — a real character piece more than an action film and gives Schwarzenegger a chance to show the chops he displayed on Maggie.

CAA will represent the film’s domestic distribution rights.

Nicky Jam Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Nicky Jam is getting Creative…

Months after signing as a recording artist with Sony U.S. Latin and performing rights organization SESAC Latin, the 34-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation in all areas.

CAA will rep Nicky Jam (real name Nick Rivera Caminero) in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and will look to create opportunities for him in all areas, including touring, TV, film, brand partnerships and publishing.

Nicky Jam’s single “El Perdón,” featuring Enrique Iglesias, continues at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

He’s currently in the midst of a South American tour that includes stops in Colombia, Argentina and Chile.

He’s slated to tour the U.S. this summer with exact locations to be announced soon.

Fania Records Signs with Creative Artists Agency

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Fania Records is experiencing a resurgence…

A half-century after its founding, the iconic Latin music label is capping off its 50th anniversary by signing with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Founded in New York City in 1964 by Dominican Republic-born bandleader Johnny Pacheco and attorney Jerry Masucci, Fania Records went on to represent artists including Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Ismael Miranda, Ruben Blades, Cheo Feliciano and Roberto Roena. That impressive roster help cement the label’s status as the definitive home for genres like Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo, salsa and Latin R&B.

Masucci became Fania’s sole owner in 1967 (Pacheco stayed on as artistic director), and when he died in 1997, the label, which had fallen dormant for decades, became entangled in probate court.

Miami-based Emusica Entertainment Group purchased Fania’s assets from Masucci’s estate for a reported $9 million to $12 million in 2005 (ownership was later transferred to Codigo Group). The new management got to work sorting through its newly acquired catalog (it eventually unearthed almost 3,000 albums, 3,000 compositions and approximately 10,000 master tracks) and remastering and reissuing them for a new generation of listeners.

The new Fania has been adroit at adapting to changing times. In 2013, the label resumed profitability with approximately a quarter-million albums sold, most of them via digital download. In April, the label partnered with Spotify to launch a dedicated Latin-music app, a first for the genre. The app makes Fania’s entire digital catalog available for streaming, along with visually rich artist pages and a timeline of the label’s 50-year history.

This year, Fania also issued digital compilation albums and DJ remixes and partnered with Central Park’s SummerStage program for a concert series that married its classic tunes with “new school artists,” including DJ Turmix, Canyon Cody, Timothy Brownie and Whiskey Barons.

“Fania has evolved into a robust entertainment brand,” Codigo CMO Michael Rucker said in a statement. “CAA, with its breadth and depth of expertise in harnessing the power of pop culture, will guide us as we move forward into new creative and business territory and introduce us to a broader fan base.”

Roday Signs with ICM Partners

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

James Roday has new representation in Hollywood.

ICM Partners has signed the 38-year-old Mexican American actor and former Psych.

Rodriguez is s best known for his eight-season turn playing the lead, fake psychic Shawn Spencer, on the USA crime dramedy created by Steve Franks, also an ICM client.

The show and Roday developed a big following on social media and also were a top draw at Comic-Con. In addition to starring, Roday wrote and directed several episodes of Psych. Following the end of the series earlier this year, he wrote and directed Shoot The Moon for USA and Psych producer Universal Cable Prods. through a development fund. The presentation will be delivered to USA for pickup consideration in the next few weeks.

Roday, who was at CAA, co-founded Red Dog Squadron, a Los Angeles theater company, and took over the El Centro theater on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood in order to give actors the opportunity to realize stage passion projects as actors, writers and/or directors.

He also wrote and directed the indie Gravy, starring Lily Cole, Sarah Silverman, Dule Hill and Gabourey Sidibe.

Roday is managed by Gotham/Principal and also repped by law firm Peikoff Mahan.

Garcia Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Andy García has new representation.

The 58-year-old Cuban actor has signed on with one of Hollywood’s top talent agencies, Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

García had previously been repped for a long time by Paradigm, dating back to the days of The Untouchables, Godfather III, Black Rain, Internal Affairs and the Ocean’s Eleven films.

He’ll next be seen in Let’s Be Cops, and Kill The Messenger opposite Jeremy Renner.

He’s also percolating some projects that include Hemingway & Fuentes. He intends to direct the script he wrote with Hilary Hemingway, about her uncle Ernest Hemingway. The film is about how the writer befriended a boat captain, Gregorio Fuentes, who inspires him to write The Old Man and The Sea. Garcia intends to play Fuentes.

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