Notes From the Rep Biz ~ 10/16/2026

A mega writer/producer signs with WME, while comedians and content creators get new reps, and a Gersh agent moves to management! Plus, Eddie Murphy heads to TV, an 80s cartoon franchise gains a leading man, Zendaya books another sci-fi role, and our artist of the month goes to a very bloody prom! All this and more in today’s Notes From the Rep Biz! 

At WME:

Grammy nominated singer Taylor Hanson is now repped by WME. Hanson is best known for being a part of the band Hanson with his brothers Isaac and Zac, the band’s song “MMMBop” reached number one in 27 countries when Taylor was just 14 years old and led to three Grammy nominations. Taylor was also part of the supergroup Tinted Windows. He was on Dancing With the Stars this year, and his debut album is set for next year.

Raj Shamani is also a new sign for the agency. Shamani is a content creator, entrepreneur, and host of the podcast “Figuring Out with Raj Shamani” which explores personal development and entrepreneurship. 

Sam Esmail is also now agented by WME. Esmail is the creator, director, writer, and executive producer of USA Network’s hit series Mr. Robot starring Rami Malek and Christian Slater. Esmail was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Emmys and won a Golden Globe for Best Television Series, Drama. Email’s production company Esmail Corp (which is also now repped by WME) has produced the series Homecoming, Briarpatch, Gaslit, Angelyne, and The Resort. 

At CAA:

Comedian Marcus D. Wiley has now signed with CAA. Wiley is best known for his observational comedy that runs family friendly and clean. Wiley’s latest special Gimme 5, was released on YouTube in September and hit more than 500,000 views in its first week. He is currently on his Easy on the Eyes/Easy on the Ears tour scheduled for this fall and into next year.

Indie pop band LANY is also now repped by CAA. The duo’s latest album, Soft was released last year to positive critical reception and are currently on their world tour promoting the album. LANY has roughly 11 million listeners on Spotify.

CAA has also signed actress Ella Bright. Bright is best known for playing Hannah Wells in the romantic Amazon hit series Off Campus. The show became Amazon’s third highest rated debut just behind Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Fallout. Bright also performed a number of songs for the show including “Baby Now That I Found You” and “Girl That I Am.” Coming up she will co-star opposite Mason Thames in the comedy Narcs directed by John Phillips.  

At UTA:

Actor, writer, and comedian Al Nash is a new sign for UTA. Nash is a current SNL UK cast member as well as a digital creator creating short sketches on TikTok and Instagram and has amassed roughly two hundred thousand followers across both platforms. 

Maurice Kamara, another content creator,  is also now repped by UTA. Kamara posts content regarding high end fashion and celebrity man on the street style  interviews for his channel The People Gallery where he’s interviewed Oprah Winfrey, Pamela Anderson, and Michael B. Jordan. Kamara has amassed over 3 million followers across TikTok and Instagram.

Irish actress Bodhi Rae Breathnach is another new sign for the agency. Breathnach got her start in TV with roles on the series The Capture and So Awkward Academy, from there she moved to the stage with a role in the Beth Steel play Till the Stars Come Down at London’s National Theater. She broke out for American audiences playing Susannah, the sister to Hamnet Shakespeare in Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet. This year she appeared in the Jason Statham action thriller Shelter and can be seen this weekend in Georgia Oakley’s newest adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Next year she will be in Robert Eggers’ highly anticipated Werwulf. 

OTHER NOTES AROUND TOWN

Director Nick Simon is agented by IAG. Simon is a horror filmmaker whose credits include Coyotes and Untitled Horror Movie. His most recent film What Happened to Doris? premiered at this year’s fantastic fest and stars Heather Graham about the real life haunting of Doris Bither in Culver City.

Gersh agent Matt Vioral is moving over to the management side of the business taking a gig at Brillstein Entertainment Partners. His clients believed to be moving with him include Jacob Elordi, Drew Starkey, and Ryan Eggold.

Actress, writer, and director Natasha Ofili is now managed by Established Artists Management. As an actress Ofili has had roles in Creed III and a recurring role in Ryan Murphy’s The Politician. As a writer and director she wrote and co-directed the short Multi which landed her a staff writing position on a Warner Bros. and Starz production. Additionally she wrote, directed, and starred in the horror short What I Was Trying to Say. 

MUSIC NOTES

Singer/songwriter Yebba is now agented by The·Team. Yebba (real name Abigail Elizabeth Smith) first came to prominence with her YouTube channel and then providing backup vocals for Chance the Rapper’s performance of the song “Same Drugs” on SNL. Her latest album, “Jean,” was just released this past March. 

SPORTS NOTES

Cleveland Browns Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is now agented by Young Money Sports.

Equestrian showjumper Karen Polle is now repped by Range Sports.

Athletes First has signed Houston Texans Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. 

CASTING NOTES

Matthew Weiner is returning to TV and bringing a movie star with him! Eddie Murphy will be joining the Mad Men creator’s new Peacock series The Chairman. Details of the show are scarce, but it is exciting to see these two team up.

Continuing her hot streak of 2026 - Zendaya is now joining Alex Garland’s next sci-fi film. The film’s plot are being kept under wraps. Zendaya has had a packed 2026 between HBO’s Euphoria ending and high profile roles in The Drama, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. She will next be seen in Dune: Part 3. Garland’s next film is the video game adaptation Elden Ring set for release in 2028.

The latest 80s toyline and cartoon adaptation now has its leading man. Danny McBride is currently writing and directing a new adaptation of G.I. Joe, and has set Bradley Cooper as Duke. In the series Duke is the leader of G.I. Joe, an international anti-terrorist unit.

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Stephen King’s first published novel was Carrie in 1974. It was an instant hit and an iconic film was made in 1976 directed by Brian De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek. Over the years there have been a few other sequels and remakes, but the latest is an eight episode TV miniseries created by Mike Flanagan and starring our artist of the month Summer H. Howell. Carrie, which premiered last week on Amazon Prime stars the 22 year-old Howell as the titular psychic teenager Carrie White. Critics agree that Howell carries the series with her nuanced and empathetic portrayal of a bullied teen taken to the edge.   

Hailing from Canada, Howell is no stranger to horror as she made her feature film debut at eight years-old in 2013’s Curse of Chucky, a role she would later reprise in the next sequel Cult of Chucky in 2017. She has also made appearances in the series Channel Zero and the films Time Cut and Night of the Reaper. But Carrie is the biggest project the young actress has been involved in, and it's more than likely that bigger things will be coming her way. 

Horror has always been an avenue for up and coming directors, writers, and actors to prove themselves and 2026 is not changing that any time soon and we look forward to what Howell does next. She is repped by The Characters Agency in Canada and managed by LINK Entertainment.

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Sources: Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Variety, Celebrity Access, Music Row, Billboard, Pollstar

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