Andrew Thau: Last News

McKinley Franklin editor UTA has acquired executive search firm James & Co.  Founders Michele James and Roysi Erbes will co-lead the company as a new division within UTA. The acquisition continues the expansion of specialities that UTA ’s brings to clients across entertainment, sports and business. UTA’s growth and expansion strategy has also included partnering with sports representation firm Klutch, in addition to acquisitions including MediaLink, Curtis Brown Group and Fletcher & Co.  “Over the past two decades, James & Co. has gained enormous trust and respect from high-level clients across the worlds of sports, entertainment and more,” said Andrew Thau, COO of UTA and co-head of UTA Sports. “Michele and Roysi are a great fit with UTA’s collaborative and entrepreneurial culture, and their expertise is unrivaled. It’s exciting to welcome them and their team to UTA as we help even more clients find and empower their most important assets – their people.” 

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Two high-profile UTA execs — partner Andrea Nelson Meigs and co-head of sports Andrew Thau — are leaving the company. In addition, UTA has made a small round of layoffs among its agent ranks. Both Thau and Nelson Meigs will be exiting UTA at the end of 2024.

EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Thau is leaving UTA after 17 years. A longtime COO of the agency, he most recently served as the Co-Head of UTA Sports. His departure was announced in an internal memo today, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline from sources.

UTA has named Bob Roback, a veteran music and tech exec and entrepreneur, as its chief operating officer.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor UTA named Bob Roback, a veteran entertainment and tech entrepreneur and executive, its new chief operating officer. In joining the firm, Roback will also be a partner and join UTA’s board of directors. Roback takes over the COO role from Andrew Thau, who will continue as co-head of UTA Sports.

William Earl administrator Variety and Sportico will host the second annual co-branded Sports & Entertainment Summit presented by City National Bank on July 12 in Los Angeles. The day-long summit will feature keynote conversations and panel discussions highlighting trends across programming and storytelling, multiplatform game coverage, athlete branding and representation, NIL dealmaking and more.

William Earl Klutch Sports Group has acquired sports agency Rep 1 Baseball as UTA‘s sports partner looks to expand beyond its stronghold in basketball and football representation. The deal calls for Rep 1 CEO Chris Koras to serve as head of Klutch Baseball.

UTA-backed Klutch Sports Group has acquired sports agency REP 1 Baseball, using it as a foundation for a newly formed division, Klutch Baseball.

UTA said today it has acquired James & Co., a New York-based executive search and consulting firm working in the sports, media, entertainment, digital and consumer sectors.

Eric Jackson UTA veteran Andrew Thau has been named co-head of UTA Sports alongside Rich Paul, the founder of agency Klutch Sports Group. The two executives have been working together since UTA made a big investment in Klutch in 2019. UTA Sports was created nearly four years ago in anticipation for greater investment in sports while leveraging Klutch’s client sheet, which includes high-profile pro athletes such as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Paul says appointing Thau was a “no-brainer” due to his rapport and complementary skill sets. “We’re interchangeable in a lot of ways in terms of this initiative,” Paul, a UTA board member, said in a video interview. “You need that duo, that one-two punch, and more. It makes all the sense in the world.”

UTA has named Stefanie Liquori general counsel and partner, reporting to the agency’s chief operating officer Andrew Thau.