Exclusive: SAG-AFTRA is expected on April 25 to meet with former and current clients of Kmr Talent who haven’t received compensation for work they already completed. The union is asking members to show “proof of loss” in the wake of Kmr’s “talent payment breakdown,” as Deadline first reported in March.
“The response from aggrieved members seeking SAG-AFTRA assistance and support has been substantive and continues,” according to a SAG letter sent to Kmr clients. “At this time, we are asking all aggrieved performers to ensure that all of your requested documentation is complete so that any arbitrators and/or claim specialists can be handed a finalized or “perfected” claim for you. At our aggrieved members’ meeting, we will address options that are available to you, both as individuals and/or as a group, and we will attempt to answer any questions that you may have about where we are...
“The response from aggrieved members seeking SAG-AFTRA assistance and support has been substantive and continues,” according to a SAG letter sent to Kmr clients. “At this time, we are asking all aggrieved performers to ensure that all of your requested documentation is complete so that any arbitrators and/or claim specialists can be handed a finalized or “perfected” claim for you. At our aggrieved members’ meeting, we will address options that are available to you, both as individuals and/or as a group, and we will attempt to answer any questions that you may have about where we are...
- 4/19/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Two more senior Kmr Talent agents, Doug Kesten and Tracey Goldblum, Vice Presidents and Co-Heads of New York On-Camera Commercials, have left the agency, whose franchise with SAG-AFTRA was suspended on Friday following weeks of mounting problems with client payment delays.
The veteran duo has joined Los Angeles-based agency Brady Brannon & Rich, which is focused on commercial representation, to open a New York office. They also are bringing with them their assistant.
“All of us at Bbr have admired the outstanding work ethic, integrity, and care for performers Doug and Tracey have exhibited throughout their careers,” said Bbr CEO Stuart K. Robinson. “It’s an honor for us to have them join the Bbr team.”
Goldblum worked in the commercial department of Abrams Artists for almost 36 years, rising to SVP, before she joined Kmr in 2019 to launch a New York commercial department. In 2020, she was joined by Kesten, who...
The veteran duo has joined Los Angeles-based agency Brady Brannon & Rich, which is focused on commercial representation, to open a New York office. They also are bringing with them their assistant.
“All of us at Bbr have admired the outstanding work ethic, integrity, and care for performers Doug and Tracey have exhibited throughout their careers,” said Bbr CEO Stuart K. Robinson. “It’s an honor for us to have them join the Bbr team.”
Goldblum worked in the commercial department of Abrams Artists for almost 36 years, rising to SVP, before she joined Kmr in 2019 to launch a New York commercial department. In 2020, she was joined by Kesten, who...
- 3/25/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The fallout from Kmr Talent’s growing problems with client payment that culminated with the agency on Friday suspending its SAG-AFTRA franchise, continues.
One of Kmr’s top agents, Jed Abrahams, today resigned from his post as SVP and head of the agency’s New York office. He announced his departure in an email to colleagues, clients and friends, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline.
“My beloved NY colleagues and I stand together in our profound disappointment and melancholy,” he wrote in the email. “It has been demoralizing as we powerlessly watched the unfolding of recent events and the consequent challenges now confronting so many we treasure.”
Kmr owner and President Mark Measures on Friday sent a letter to SAG-AFTRA, informing them of the decision to inactive the agency’s franchise. The move, which would not allow any guild member to work with Kmr agents during the suspension,...
One of Kmr’s top agents, Jed Abrahams, today resigned from his post as SVP and head of the agency’s New York office. He announced his departure in an email to colleagues, clients and friends, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline.
“My beloved NY colleagues and I stand together in our profound disappointment and melancholy,” he wrote in the email. “It has been demoralizing as we powerlessly watched the unfolding of recent events and the consequent challenges now confronting so many we treasure.”
Kmr owner and President Mark Measures on Friday sent a letter to SAG-AFTRA, informing them of the decision to inactive the agency’s franchise. The move, which would not allow any guild member to work with Kmr agents during the suspension,...
- 3/24/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Kmr talent agency, which has been grappling with “talent payment breakdown,” has suspended its franchise with SAG-AFTRA. Kmr owner and President Mark Measures today sent a letter to the guild, informing them of the decision.
“After careful consideration and much deliberation, I have concluded that it is in the best interest of Kmr and its clients to temporarily inactivate our franchise with the union,” he wrote. “This decision is not taken lightly, but it presents us with the opportunity to address and rectify the issues that have been causing significant distractions in recent times.”
The move, which we hear left agents inside Kmr blindsided, comes after Deadline revealed last Friday that agency clients had been waiting for months to get their payments. Over the past week, we learned of more Kmr checks that have bounced though at least one person saw their latest checks clear.
In the letter to SAG-AFTRA,...
“After careful consideration and much deliberation, I have concluded that it is in the best interest of Kmr and its clients to temporarily inactivate our franchise with the union,” he wrote. “This decision is not taken lightly, but it presents us with the opportunity to address and rectify the issues that have been causing significant distractions in recent times.”
The move, which we hear left agents inside Kmr blindsided, comes after Deadline revealed last Friday that agency clients had been waiting for months to get their payments. Over the past week, we learned of more Kmr checks that have bounced though at least one person saw their latest checks clear.
In the letter to SAG-AFTRA,...
- 3/23/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Talent agency Kmr Talent has left the Association of Talent Agents (ATA), the trade organization of talent agencies that negotiates agency franchise agreements with the major entertainment guilds and does legislative lobbying on behalf of its members.
The exact timing of the exit is unclear but it is recent. A source indicates that it may have happened following Deadline’s report on Friday about major delays in client payments by the agency which have triggered rumors that it may fold. Kmr owner and President Mark Measures has not responded to an email seeking comment.
In an interview with Deadline Friday, Measures admitted that the agency is grappling with a “talent payment breakdown” as reps who share clients with Kmr revealed to Deadline that actors have been waiting for months to get their checks. There are additional testimonies in the comments section of our story about how long this has...
The exact timing of the exit is unclear but it is recent. A source indicates that it may have happened following Deadline’s report on Friday about major delays in client payments by the agency which have triggered rumors that it may fold. Kmr owner and President Mark Measures has not responded to an email seeking comment.
In an interview with Deadline Friday, Measures admitted that the agency is grappling with a “talent payment breakdown” as reps who share clients with Kmr revealed to Deadline that actors have been waiting for months to get their checks. There are additional testimonies in the comments section of our story about how long this has...
- 3/17/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Talent agency Kmr Talent is grappling with a “talent payment breakdown,” a set of logistical and staffing issues that have resulted in late payments to clients, owner and President Mark Measures tells Deadline.
The revelation come following outreach to Deadline on the part of multiple talent reps, who say money owed to clients is now several months late. The situation triggered a wave of rumors that the agency may be going under.
Highlighting banking issues, the crashing of a database involved with payment, and the loss of the agency’s Head of Talent Payment as factors behind issues with pay-out, Measures stressed that the agency is actively “working [its] way out” of the situation, in dialogue with talent payment companies, as well as talent reps and unions.
When further pressed about the situation at Kmr Talent, Measures stressed that the agency is “not under threat of closure,” as proved the...
The revelation come following outreach to Deadline on the part of multiple talent reps, who say money owed to clients is now several months late. The situation triggered a wave of rumors that the agency may be going under.
Highlighting banking issues, the crashing of a database involved with payment, and the loss of the agency’s Head of Talent Payment as factors behind issues with pay-out, Measures stressed that the agency is actively “working [its] way out” of the situation, in dialogue with talent payment companies, as well as talent reps and unions.
When further pressed about the situation at Kmr Talent, Measures stressed that the agency is “not under threat of closure,” as proved the...
- 3/15/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Don Pitts, longtime voice-talent agent and radio personality, died on April 7. He was 90.
Pitts represented a who’s-who of classic voice talent, including Orson Welles, Casey Kasem, June Foray, Wolfman Jack, Mel Blanc, Paul Winchell, Janet Waldo, Gary Owens, and many more. He was well-known for his kind and friendly personality, and was much loved by his clients.
“His clients treasured him and he treasured his clients,” says Cindy Kazarian, CEO of Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates, who worked with Pitts when it was the Jhr Agency in the early 1980s. Kazarian, Pammela Spencer, and Pitts purchased Jhr in 1988 and renamed it Kazarian/Spencer and Associates. It later became Kmr.
“He was an incredible man, very special. They don’t make them like him anymore,” says Kazarian. “He never had a mean word or negative thing to say about anybody. He was not who you would expect to be in this business.
Pitts represented a who’s-who of classic voice talent, including Orson Welles, Casey Kasem, June Foray, Wolfman Jack, Mel Blanc, Paul Winchell, Janet Waldo, Gary Owens, and many more. He was well-known for his kind and friendly personality, and was much loved by his clients.
“His clients treasured him and he treasured his clients,” says Cindy Kazarian, CEO of Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates, who worked with Pitts when it was the Jhr Agency in the early 1980s. Kazarian, Pammela Spencer, and Pitts purchased Jhr in 1988 and renamed it Kazarian/Spencer and Associates. It later became Kmr.
“He was an incredible man, very special. They don’t make them like him anymore,” says Kazarian. “He never had a mean word or negative thing to say about anybody. He was not who you would expect to be in this business.
- 4/17/2018
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
The actor in the gold dress arrived with a pile of headshots. She smiled wide and handed her demo reels, only one of which had her name on it, to manager Phil Brock, head of the Santa Monica, Calif.–based management company Studio Talent Group."You have to label that," said Stg staff member Mary Beth Kratky, who was seated next to Brock. "Otherwise, I'll put it in the pile and no one will know what it is. It'll be lost.""I know. My Sharpie ran out of ink," the actor, Crystal Coney, said. "I know that's not an excuse." Coney collected herself and launched into her one-minute monologue.For years, scenes like this have played out in agents' and managers' offices all over the country. The difference between Coney's audition and others was that hers was set up via Twitter. According to Twitter, the service now has more than 145 million registered users.
- 9/22/2010
- backstage.com
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