United Agents, UK Agency That Reps Kate Winslet & Ricky Gervais, Sparks Sale Speculation With Limited Company Move

Peter White and Jake Kanter
·2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: The talent agency scene in the UK has been the talk of the town since UTA snapped up Curtis Brown Group last year.

Now a move by rival United Agents, which reps the likes of Kate Winslet, Olivia Colman, Ricky Gervais and Kit Harington, has added fuel to that fire.

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The agency, which was founded in 2007 by a slew of former Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) agents, has turned itself into a limited company. It previously was a limited liability partnership.

The financial transaction, which went through last week, has spurred a fresh wave of acquisition rumors as British agencies become the hot new plaything for the major American talent agencies.

UTA snapped up Curtis Brown, which reps the likes of Robert Pattinson, Stanley Tucci and Margaret Atwood, in June.

Next, eyes will be on the likes of CAA and WME owner Endeavor as to whether they follow suit and buy into the London talent scene with deals for companies including United Agents and Independent Talent Group.

We hear that some within United Agents are keen for a sale, but others are opposed, so it could be an interesting few months.

The move to become a limited company likely will make it easier to sell, but sources close to United Agents suggest that this wasn’t the reason for the transaction. There are understood to be no personnel changes as a result of the move and that it remains business as usual.

United Agents has a strong client list of actors including James Corden, Taron Egerton, Luke Evans, Tom Hardy, Charlie Cox, Phoebe Dynevor, Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Redmayne, Matthew Rhys, Kathleen Turner and Kate Walsh. It also reps writers and directors such as Richard Curtis, Emerald Fennell and Sharon Horgan and has a solid literary and book business.

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