UTA appoints Matt Rice as president of newly formed Filmed Entertainment unit
The agency also created a Filmed Entertainment board and elevated four senior partners to managing partners.
By Felo News Desk · Published
United Talent Agency announced on Thursday that Matt Rice, previously head of its television department, has been promoted to president of a newly created Filmed Entertainment unit.
What happened
In a staff memo, UTA president David Kramer explained that the agency is consolidating its Motion Picture Literary, Television Literary and Talent departments under a single leadership structure. The memo, dated Thursday, outlined the creation of a Filmed Entertainment board composed of senior partners and the appointment of managing partners for the unit.
What the reports add
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the board will include 17 senior partners such as Mickey Berman, Jason Burns and Larry Salz, while Variety listed the same names and added that the board also features Dan Erlij and Chris Hart among others. Both outlets reported that the new department heads are Amanda Hymson and Jordan Lonner for Motion Picture Literary, Lucida Moorhead and Mickey Berman for TV Literary, and Hanley Baxter and John Sacks alongside talent chief Mike Jelline for the talent side. Variety further specified that the board members are agency stalwarts, echoing the list provided by the Hollywood Reporter.
What was said
David Kramer said in the memo that the changes are intended to create “a streamlined, future‑focused leadership structure for our Filmed Entertainment group which reflects the evolving business of film and television and will enable us to maximize opportunities for clients,” as reported by the Hollywood Reporter. Variety quoted Kramer similarly, noting that UTA “has taken a dramatic step to streamline the leadership of its film and TV lit and talent departments to reflect the industry trends of blurring lines between disciplines.”
How it came about
Earlier this year, UTA announced a series of internal promotions aimed at strengthening its talent representation across film and television. The agency’s recent restructuring follows a broader industry trend of consolidating literary and talent functions, a theme also covered in Felo News’ October 1 article on the agency’s earlier leadership changes. The creation of the Filmed Entertainment board mirrors similar moves at other entertainment firms to centralise decision‑making.
Key facts
- Matt Rice was promoted to president of UTA's new Filmed Entertainment unit (hollywoodreporter.com)
- David Kramer sent a memo outlining the restructuring on Thursday (hollywoodreporter.com)
- Four senior partners – Allan Haldeman, Blair Kohan, Jay Gassner and Julien Thuan – were named managing partners (variety.com)
- A Filmed Entertainment board of 17 senior partners was created (hollywoodreporter.com)
Sources
- [1] hollywoodreporter.com
- [2] variety.com
