FUTURE LEADERS AGENTS
Solco Schuit
US
WME sschuit@wmeentertainment.com Clients include Babak Anvari, Otto Bathurst, Zach Dean, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Justin Simien
Like many good agents, Solco Schuit started out in the mailroom. Once he got on his first desk, he says he never looked back and the literary agent has wasted little time assembling a stable of emerging talent. He recently signed Iranian director Babak Anvari, whose genre feature Under The Shadow was one of the most talked about films in Sundance this year. Further clients include Justin Simien, the writerdirector of Dear White People, Peaky Blinders director
Daphné Thavaud
Pedro Tourinho
Clients include Nathalie Odzierejko, Raphael Descraques, Julien Josselin, Norman Thavaud
Daphné Thavaud belongs to a new generation of agents scoping out and representing top online talent. Often referred to as ‘the YouTubers agent’ in France, Thavaud represents many of France’s top web stars, including her younger brother Norman Thavaud, whose channel Norman Fait Des Videos (Norman Makes Videos) has 7.3 million subscribers. Thavaud trained in theatre production and segued into the talent business via film and TV production. “I was always drawn to performers, so becoming a talent agent was a natural progression,” says Thavaud, who set up Vacarme four years ago. “I didn’t plan to focus on web talent but my brother’s YouTube activities were taking off so I had direct access.” It was a baptism of fire as the young agent got to grips with the emerging economic model revolving around branding and sponsorship deals on the web, which has transformed many of her clients into millionaires. Thavaud does not confine herself to the web. Further clients include emerging actor Paul Scarfoglio, who will debut on the big screen this year in David Moreau’s Seuls and Christian Duguay’s A Bag Of Marbles. In 2015, Thavaud accepted an offer from top talent agent Bertrand de Labbey to join Artmedia, one of France’s biggest agencies, and de Labbey has become an important mentor for Thavaud. “I got to the point where I needed to grow my knowledge of a profession that I’d learnt all alone. I had other offers from producers and agents but somehow they didn’t gel. Bertrand, however, is extraordinary and it was the right move,” she explains. De Labbey stepped down as head of Artmedia earlier this year to focus on its sister agency Voyez Mon Agent (VMA). In a sign of her commitment to the veteran agent, Thavaud says her client list will be integrated into VMA in the coming months.
60 Screen International at Cannes May 12, 2016
BRAZIL
NoPlanB contato@noplanb.ag
FRANCE Vacarme By Artmedia daphne.thavaud@ vacarme-by-artmedia.com
Otto Bathurst, who is now preparing to direct Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx and Eve Hewson in Robin Hood: Origins for Lionsgate, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, now writing the new take on Tomb Raider as well as Transformers 5. Schuit gladly accepts referrals to develop his roster, although he strives to apply the right kind of energy. “Sometimes it can be a challenge to stop yourself from getting in that rhythm of just responding to e-mails and returning phone calls instead of proactively strategising,” he says. A team player, he likes to spend time with colleagues and clients, whom he says “are the heart and soul of WME”. That bustling milieu appears to be the one Schuit has set his sights on for the foreseeable future: “The course Ari [Emanuel] and Patrick [Whitesell] have set this company on will put WME in a unique position in five years and I’m extremely excited to be a part of that.”
Clients include Bruno Mazzeo, Fabricio Boliveira, Chay Suede, Fabiula Nascimento, Marco Pigossi
In 2009, Pedro Tourinho was living in Los Angeles on UCLA’s entertainment studies programme when he decided to open his own talent agency in Rio de Janeiro, adopting the same business model as the US industry. In Brazil, the talent market is still very small, since most actors, film-makers and writers are solely represented by managers. “My goal is to help my clients achieve all their artistic and commercial potential, without a plan B,” says Tourinho of the philosophy — and name — of his company. “Nothing is more rewarding then developing a career strategy and a plan and to see the results.” Tourinho has always been involved in the entertainment industry, working initially in advertising and branded content, as a TV director and marketing director for networks such as Record and Globo in Brazil. Becoming a talent agent was a natural step. While a manager handles public relations and business matters, as a talent agent Tourinho see himself as someone who will bring the best opportunities to his clients and help them to make the best decisions. “A manager doesn’t do multi-platform career planning,” says Tourinho of the difference. Today NoPlanB handles 25 clients, including Bruno Mazzeo, the star of three local hit comedies. “I don’t look for clients. I prefer to let them know my work through the success and work of my clients. They end up looking for me,” he says. “I like to work with proactive clients, most of them are busy actors in the industry. I represent people such as Thiago Soares, a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet in London, and Nego do Borel, the Brazilian funk and pop star.” Tourinho hopes to see the Brazilian talent sector develop and expand. “We need more agencies such as NoPlanB and more players from other markets. My growth is totally linked to the development of our talent industry.”
Ali Trustman
US
CAA mdavy@caa.com
Clients include Emmy Rossum, Julianne Hough, Sofia Boutella, Zoe Saldana, James Franco
Ali Trustman’s broad education at CAA has put her in good stead when it comes to fighting for clients and developing their appeal across platforms. She started at CAA in 2009 as an assistant in the film finance and sales group, where she learned the nuts and bolts of assembling a project. “I make sure to go to as many film festivals and watch as many movies at those festivals as I can,” says Trustman, who managed to see 40 fea-
tures at Sundance this year. “I find a lot of the talent I work with from that space.” She has also had a stint in the literary department, giving Trustman what she describes as a “360-degree background” and enabling her to be creative when generating opportunities for her clients. “I also care a tremendous amount about representing women and feel a responsibility to make sure we are putting out truthful representations of women that excite actresses and audiences,” she says. “Whether that is the Joy Mangano story [Joy] or supporting the reimagining of The Mummy as a woman, I want to be in the middle of that conversation.” »
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