Believing that building a successful career in entertainment with an agent can only happen in New York or Los Angeles is a thing of the past.
And United Talent Agency (UTA), along with a host of entertainment industry leaders, believe that the talent agency coming to set up shop in Midtown Atlanta can certainly help future generations of content creators unlock their potential. The company’s first ever event in Atlanta, UNLOQ404, was held on Oct. 14 at Overtime Elite Arena.
Fly Guy DC was the event’s MC, which was hosted by UTA and co-produced by Crown + Conquer. The day was chock full of panels, fireside chats and keynote speeches from successful entrepreneurs, executives and creators in sports, music, fashion, beauty, media, film, television, social media and finance.
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Seated in burnt orange mod chairs against a royal blue backdrop trimmed in fluorescent orange lights, each guest shared best practices for achieving success, sacrifices they made and the failures they experienced along their journey that redirected their path. The goal for the day-long event was to empower and equip creatives and aspiring entrepreneurs to find their spark and take their brands and businesses to new heights.
“We’re all here today because everyone is the ambitious next wave of creators,” said Steve Cohen, UTA partner and co-manager of the agency’s Atlanta office in Midtown. “The city is deserving of global institutions making the world shine a spotlight on this place. The youth of Atlanta define culture. They explain to us what’s cool, and that’s a major driver and motivator for us to come here.”
“UTA has always been about original voices, finding that undiscovered voice, and helping build and foster their careers whether they’re an actor, director, musician, athlete, creator, fine artist or a podcaster,” added Jeremy Zimmer, UTA’s CEO. “We built our business by being in business with people who have a dream and a passion, and we surround them consistently with resources and insights so they can really thrive.”
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul chopped it up with CNN anchor Victor Blackwell for the final keynote address about his recent memoir, “Lucky Me,” and the strides he made to negotiate multimillion-dollar deals for over 200 athletes. Using sports analogies during his presentation, he credits his success as an agent and company leader to taking advantage of opportunities whenever his clients gave him a chance to prove his value.
“I never settled for any deal,” said Paul. “It never caused me to change my energy, perception of someone or to get complacent. Most people in my position would’ve stopped a long time ago, but no one ever talks about the yards after the opportunity. It’s not up to someone else to score for you. If they throw you the ball, it’s up to you to run the rest of the way.”
It was Cohen who originally approached Paul about creating UNLOQ404 as a vehicle to help UTA set up shop in Atlanta. Crown and Conquer founder April McDaniel, who was brought in by Paul to help bring Cohen’s vision to fruition: sharing the Emory University alumnus’ commitment to utilize their influence to help those who are less fortunate.
“It’s about really giving back to the community and building opportunities,” said McDaniel. “It takes investing a lot of energy, time, remaining curious and thinking about how to get to the next level, which requires personal growth. The responsibility changes as you get bigger, and it’s really important to keep yourself around the right group of people that are continuing to show you the path before you get there.”
Husband and wife restaurateurs Derrick Hayes and Pinky Cole kicked off the day with a reenactment of their roundtable talk, American Sesh, which brings together celebrities, public figures and aspiring talent to all trade war stories and learn about what it takes to grow from one another.
The music representation panel included an array of artist managers, agents and label executives who spoke candidly about using their intuition to discover talent and setting expectations with their high-profile clients.
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Ebonie Ward, the founder of 11th & Co., an all-women-operated, full-service management company that represents Future, Gunna and Flo Milli, believes being an effective manager is about being completely transparent with their clients.
“Honesty is the best policy,” said Ward. “You have to be very straightforward, which can put us in very combative spaces. With the relationships that we’ve been able to build with each other over the years, we’ve been able to establish a level of trust and respect outside of love to where we have a complete understanding.”
Justin “Meezy” Williams and UTA agent Cheryl Paglierani traded off details about the challenges they faced and sacrifices they made together as partners to help 21 Savage obtain his U.S. citizenship this year. The two mapped out plans that included driving to shows across the country, chartering private jets and booking him stateside as a supporting act to ensure that the Grammy-winning rapper could tour as he was getting his naturalization in order.
“Cheryl was always the brainchild who figured out ways for us to hit the road and make it fresh everytime,” he said. “It was difficult and a lot.”
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Kawan “K.P. the Great” Prather and DJ Drama emphasized networking across, being a student of the craft and being able to adapt to new technologies during their chat on-stage. Prather, a DJ and the head of music for Pharrell’s company, iamOTHER, and Drama, the Grammy-winning producer behind Gangsta Grillz mixtapes and co-founder of Generation Now, agree that building sustainable careers in entertainment doesn’t start by connecting with the most popular person in the room.
“Every successful movement starts with people at the same level,” said Prather, a member of the Dungeon Family and veteran music executive. “Get with your brothers and sisters in a room and share, whether it’s information or food. You have to figure out how to make it work within your circle.”
Cam Kirk, who operates both a full-service studio, Cam Kirk Studios, and a record label-like imprint for photographers, Collective Gallery, in Atlanta shared his insights later that afternoon on turning his passion into a business. The Morehouse College alumnus credits keeping a vibrant, youthful team around him to fuel his creativity.
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
“I keep a lot of younger individuals around me whether I’m mentoring them or giving them a job opportunity,” said Kirk. “It keeps me fresh and connected to what’s actually going on. I get perspectives from other people like that.”
With the first event fully under its belt, UTA wants to concentrate on producing similar UNLOQ programming. The hope moving forward is to vet talent from each event but to also inspire the room to pursue whatever ambition moves them.
Cohen says going to different markets will satisfy the brand’s mission to diversify the talent pool and help support their creativity.
“This is a proof of concept for us that we feel like we can replicate in multiple cities and the world,” said Cohen. “If we can give breath and voice to those creators of color who are underrepresented, the lessons that we learned could help us be better and do more and work in a way with partners to really amplify the next generation of leaders and help them achieve their dreams. If we can do a sliver of that, that’s success.”
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