United Talent Agency partners Rich Klubeck and Dan Erlij are accustomed to the hectic nature of Hollywood. They have to be to drive more original voices and stories on screen.
Erlij, co-chair of UTA's television literary department, represents such risk-taking talents as “Succession” creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong. Klubeck is a partner in the Beverly Hills agency's film group, and his clients include “The White Lotus” creator Mike White.
Clients of UTA, Hollywood's third-largest talent agency, have received nearly 60 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards in approximately 30 categories and nearly 30 Academy Award nominations this year. One of her clients, comedian Ali Wong, was the first woman of Asian descent to win an Emmy Award for Lead Acting for her role in “Beef.”
But there are challenges ahead. Studios, including Paramount Global, are laying off hundreds of workers, canceling nearly completed projects and becoming more cautious. All the more reason why agents need to support their clients.
“I wouldn't paint a rosy picture of the exact market we're in now, but things are still selling,” Erlij said. “You can still eliminate the noise.”
The two officers spoke to The Times earlier this month. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
How has the market been after the two Hollywood strikes last year? What are studios interested in buying?
Erlij: As for television, there is currently a somewhat conservative approach in the market. People seek out what they see across the board as something commercially attractive, something escapist, and something fun. There have been some programs that have been successful in the last six months that have led to some of this perspective. Things like [the Apple TV+ thriller] “Hijack”, the “Reacher” series that has been successful for Amazon.
There is a real fight for eyes right now in a way that has been different. Buyers are less willing to take risks than before the strike. I think it's going to be something temporary. If everyone is looking for the same thing, at a certain point, there will be a saturation of those types of programs and the audience will look for something different.
We are committed to following our clients as artists to support those visions. Of course, we are going to tell you what the market tells us, but we don't want you to be just followers. We want them to be able to do what they really want to do.
Klubeck: There are similarities on the movie side. I wouldn't say it's that extreme, but there's definitely a sense that buyers are looking for material that they consider global or that will have instant broad appeal. And that is a starting point.
There is still a huge appetite for original artists with original voices, artists who have worked with a strong point of view, who really set a single goal and achieve it.
Actors have expressed concern that studios are stopping taking risks on original stories.. For example, issa rae has He said black shows are being canceled and They are increasingly less of a priority. How does this align with what you're seeing?
Erlij: We went through a period in this country, post-George Floyd, where the focus was heavily on that in a very important way. Unfortunately, this city also has a short attention span. Things happen, they focus on a strike, they focus on other issues, so I can definitely see there is less focus than there was a few years ago.
I think there's still a real intention and desire to have representation, and all the executives I'm talking to still talk in terms of that. I think it's to a lesser degree, and this idea of worrying about profitability and safety affects those decisions. But I don't think we'll ever take a step back to where we were before George Floyd and before the way people view the idea.
The globalization of television, the public's willingness to watch television programs in their original languages with subtitles, that's not going away.
Klubeck: There's a lot of focus on just finding what can work and what can really galvanize an audience. I think diversity of voices and representation of voices is part of that. That's how you reach broader audiences.
What has been the business impact of UTA's recent customer awards season success? ?
Erlij: A lot of the wins, whether it's “The White Lotus” or “Beef” or “Succession,” these shows are really defined by people who have an incredible point of view of their own, and they're creating a world that people haven't seen. before. What has resonated in a market that has so many shows is having that strength of vision from the author, because all of these shows are commercially successful. For an agency that defines itself by representing strong artists, it reinforces that we are on the right path.
What factors do filmmakers consider when choosing between a streamer like Netflix or a traditional theatrical distributor?
Klubeck: There was a time when it was a binary choice: streaming was a choice over theatricality and looking for a different economics. Today, the streaming market compared to cinema is much more complex. It is much more varied.
Apple has partnered with studios and is building its own theater and Amazon is doing the same. There are still real differences between traditional studios and streamers, but they are no longer mutually exclusive. It's really much more about the specific needs of the filmmaker and the project.
Erlij: A movie like “Anyone But You” that was intentionally a theatrical release: it's a movie in which we represent the director. [and co-writer] Will Gluck. It has become an unexpected success. He spread by word of mouth in a way that if it had appeared on a streamer it probably wouldn't have had the same impact.
Klubeck: It's different to have to rely on theatrical success as a key driver of the film's life. It's successful in all secondary markets and there's a real upside to a movie like that. This is exclusive to a theatrical release.
What would it have been like if it was on a streaming service?
Klubeck: I think you still would have gotten a substantial audience. Of course, it would still have resonated in the culture, but you probably wouldn't have had the kind of group experience that you have at a theatrical release, where what's important is both the quality of the film and the enjoyment of the film itself in terms of experience. collective.
Erlij: From an economic perspective alone, selling to streaming would have guaranteed a specific premium, but it would have been limited. At this time, because this has become a success and because it was made for a certain price, the benefits for the participants will be much greater.
What types of movies would it make sense to release on a streamer first instead of? On cinemas?
Klubeck: There are categories where you can see the advantages, such as documentaries. We recently sold [the Will Ferrell Sundance Film Festival hit] “Will and Harper” to Netflix. While that film clearly could have been successful at the cinema, there's no doubt, the reach of a streamer with a documentary is extraordinary. The same can be said for foreign language films where you see streamers reaching audiences with films in languages other than English.
Erlij: I think there's a kind of big-budget movie… around $125 million, $150 million that has a certain type of star, that has original intellectual property like “The Gray Man.” That's a big bet for a studio to release it in theaters. If it doesn't work, it will be a huge financial hit and the risk to them will be much greater because it is an original idea. Joining a streamer ensures the talent gets a payday and gets the result those streamers apparently want in terms of landing a well-known talent in front of a globally appealing type of film. So I think there's a safe area around those bigger budget original films.
How has cost reduction and consolidation been? in the studies Has it affected your clients and how you market your projects?
Erlij: That's part of the turbulent waters we face. We've seen many places where shows that were ordered to series have been pulled. Rooms that were ordered and literally closed the day they were supposed to start or a few days before. It's just difficult. The problem is that there are people who come up with great ideas, combine them with great material, and what you have to do is just believe in the product and move forward.
At the moment it's going to be a little more difficult. We believe that once this consolidation moves through the system, there will be a time when the elastic band will recede and people will buy aggressively. And then we just have to get through this moment.
When do you think that moment will happen?
Erlij: That's the million dollar question. At the beginning of the year I would have said summer. I think it will be a little later than that. When it comes to real recovery, it may not be until next year.
