Notes from the Rep Biz - 6-22-2018

At WME:
 
Comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis has signed with Adriana Alberghetti, Paul Haas, and Thomas Wellington. The Eisner award winning Bendis was at Marvel Comics for 17 years where he was responsible for some of the biggest crossovers such as “Secret Invasion” and “House of M,” as well as the creator of characters Miles Morales and Riri Williams. This past November it was reported that Bendis was moving on from Marvel and signed an exclusive multi-year deal with competitor DC Comics. However, he won’t leave the Marvel stable completely as he’s currently developing an X-Men spinoff with Deadpool director Tim Miller.
 
Omari Hardwick, star of Starz’s Power, has signed with Brandt Joel and Hanley Baxter. Hardwick will next be seen on the big screen in Tyler Perry’s Nobody’s Fool opposite Tiffany Haddish in November. He also has a one man show, HerO: A Work in Progress with Omari Hardwick, opening on June 29. On top of that the fifth season of Power drops on July 1. He continues to be managed by Estelle Lasher at Lasher Group.
 
At CAA:
 
Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya has signed with Alex Mebed, Elan Ruspoli, and Maha Dakhil. Kaluuya took the world by storm with his performance in sleeper hit Get Out, which garnered him Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA nominations. He was also in this year’s monster hit Black Panther, and can next be seen in Steve McQueen’s Widows. He remains repped by agent Conor McCaughan in the U.K. and manager Evelyn O’Neill at Management 360.
 
Remember that viral video of a kid yodeling at a Walmart? Well that “Yodeling Kid,” Mason Ramsey, has signed with Michael Bryan in the Nashville office. The eleven year old was an internet sensation earlier this year when the video of him singing Hank Williams Sr.’s “Lovesick Blues” at a Walmart went viral. The video garnered 20 million views in one week, landed Ramsey a record deal and an appearance on Ellen.
 
Eric Shonberg has been promoted to agent in the Motion Picture Talent department. Shonberg was previously a coordinator.
 
At UTA:
 
Emily Mortimer has signed with UTA. Mortimer has been very busy lately; not only will she appear in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns, but she also has starred in Stacy Cochran’s Write When You Get Work, Sally Potter’s The Party and Isabelle Coixet’s The Bookshop. She continues to be managed by Aleen Keshishan, Margaret Riley and Scott Wexler at Lighthouse Management & Media and agented by Angharad Wood at Tavistock Wood Management in the U.K.
 
At ICM:
 
Sportscaster Kenny Smith has signed with Ted Chervin, Doug Johnson, and Andy Stabile. Smith, a former basketball player, is part of TNT’s Emmy award winning Inside the NBA. He is also developing a scripted drama called Hoop Dreams, an adaptation of the 1994 documentary of the same name.
 
Actor Jason Biggs has signed with Sean Liebowitz, Ruthanne Secunda, and Brad Schenck. Biggs is best known for his role of Jim in the hit American Pie series. He was last seen in Who We Are Now, opposite Julianne Nicholson. He’s also recently had roles in the Freeform TV movie Angry Angel and Orange is the New Black. He continues to be repped by manager William Choi at Management 360.
 
Sources: Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Billboard