BEVERLY HILLS, CA (June 20, 2023) – UTA, a global leader in talent, entertainment, sports and advisory, has acquired James & Co., a leading executive search and human capital consulting firm working across the sports, media, entertainment, digital and consumer sectors. Industry veterans Michele James and Roysi Erbes, who founded their firm 21 years ago, will continue to co-lead the company as a new division within UTA.

The addition of New York-based James & Co. continues the buildout of UTA’s range of capabilities for clients across entertainment, sports and business. The agency’s multi-year growth and expansion strategy has included partnering with top sports representation firm KLUTCH and the acquisitions of corporate advisory firm MediaLink, the UK’s venerable Curtis Brown Group, as well as publishing agency Fletcher & Co. With the transaction, the executive search team at MediaLink will become part of the new division at UTA, which will offer clients a full range of human capital services.

Andrew Thau, chief operating officer of UTA and co-head of UTA Sports, said: “Over the past two decades, James & Co. has gained enormous trust and respect from high-level clients across the worlds of sports, entertainment and more. Michele and Roysi are a great fit with UTA’s collaborative and entrepreneurial culture, and their expertise is unrivaled. It’s exciting to welcome them and their team to UTA as we help even more clients find and empower their most important assets – their people.”

Michele James and Roysi Erbes added: “James & Co. has been operating at the intersection of media, entertainment, sports, consumer and digital media for over two decades. UTA’s shared expertise in these sectors, as well as our aligned cultures, presents a unique opportunity to create a force multiplier effect. We have partnered with UTA many times over the years and are looking forward to joining the UTA family to continue to be a positive catalyst for building businesses and careers.”

James & Co. was founded in 2002 to provide blue-chip clients with a differentiated, contemporary approach to scale businesses in their sectors, provide real-time marketplace knowledge and insights into highly desirable candidate pools. Their services include executive search, performance management, organizational design, and transactional assistance. With a focus on C-suite and board-level roles, James & Co. works on a global basis with clients that range from sports teams and professional leagues to leading entertainment companies and other major Fortune 500 organizations. Recognized as a woman-owned business and a certified diversity supplier, James & Co has been a go-to firm for growth and pivots during a highly competitive time in an executive search marketplace driven by the increased demand for elite talent. The transaction will build on UTA and MediaLink’s existing executive search capability by forming a broader, global team.

Michael Kassan, CEO of MediaLink, commented: “Executive search is an important strategic offering for MediaLink partners, and this acquisition will catapult us to even greater heights. I’ve known Michele and Roysi for many years, and I look forward to working with them even more closely in the future.”

UTA, founded in 1991, has seen significant growth in its talent representation practice as well as its recent investments across entertainment, sports and advisory businesses, all designed to give clients increasing access to the company’s global range of capabilities and relationships. This ongoing strategic expansion has included the recent opening of a full-service base of operations in Atlanta, opening new London offices for UTA and Curtis Brown Group, and announcing the appointment of Thau as co-head of UTA Sports, signaling further expansion in that field.