TALENT AGENCIES.

Ranked by number of L.A. County agents

THE PACESETTER

CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY 

WITH a stable of talent that includes Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow and dozens of other A-list Hollywood movers and shakers, Creative Artists Agency has been established for some time as the most star-studded talent agency in town. This year, it adds a new title: L.A.'s biggest talent agency.

Established in 1975 by Michael Ovitz, who later left the company to take the president's post at the Walt Disney Co. and then started a management firm of his own, CAA is now headed by Richard Lovett. In addition to some top-name actors, directors and producers, CAA also represents writers and musicians and is involved in concert-tour management and a variety of new-media endeavors, said senior publicist Andrea Galvin

CAA beefed up its operations this year by adding 14 new talent agents, bringing its Los Angeles-based total to 136 agents. In assuming the top spot on the Business Journal list, CAA overtook the venerable William Morris Agency, which registered 23 fewer agents this year from an industry high of 142 in 1999.

Among those signing on with CAA this year were actress Kate Hudson and "The English Patient" director Anthony Minghella.

Two CAA clients having a huge year are Imagine Entertainment co-founders Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, who scored with "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" and then hit the jackpot with "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

"The Grinch" is an example of how CAA can wield clout by representing clients in all levels of the filmmaking process.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DESPITE a new leader, this year's list of the top 15 talent agencies in Los Angeles bears a striking resemblance to the 1999 roster. Although several companies switched spots on the list, no newcomers managed to break into the big leagues of talent management in 2000.

However, it's been anything but a quiet year for L.A.'s talent agencies.

In November, negotiations to form a new governing agreement between the Association of Talent Agents and the Screen Actor's Guild stalled over money issues.

Agents say that current SAG rules are antiquated and financially restrictive. They say that managers, who often act like agents but are free to finance and produce films and television shows, are moving in on what has traditionally been agents' territory.

However, SAG has argued that Creative Artists Agency, ICM and others already wield inordinate power in the industry because of their ability to package productions in which they represent actors, directors, producers and writers.