UTA has taken a step towards “evolving London into a major international hub” by appointing partner Darnell Strom to head up the agency’s UK office.
In the newly-created role, Strom, who reps the likes of Michaela Coel, Malala Yousafzai and the creators of Industry, will oversee UTA’s UK operation and continued expansion into key markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He will will work closely with UTA’s London teams across music, creators, brand marketing, comedy, production arts and advisory services, while closely collaborating with Curtis Brown – acquired by UTA in 2022 – and the recently-bought ROOF Football Agency.
Strom is currently a partner and Head of Culture & Commerce at UTA, a role that he will continue to perform alongside representing clients and his UK duties. The agency vet was brought in to head up the new Culture and Leadership division in 2019.
“This marks an exciting new chapter for UTA,” said CEO David Kramer. “Darnell has long been a connector across departments, industries, and geographies. His deep relationships and creative vision make him uniquely suited to lead this next phase of our international expansion.”
Strom’s client list also includes Grace Wales Bonner, Jonathan Anderson, Jon Batiste, Karlie Kloss, Jose Andres, Whitney Wolfe Herd and Alexis Ohanian. Prior to UTA, he was an agent at CAA, and way back when he was Deputy Director of Scheduling to former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Strom said: “London is one of the most dynamic and creative markets in the world, and UTA has only scratched the surface of what’s possible here. I’m honoured to lead our next phase of growth working with the incredible team we have in London, to build a stronger and more connected UTA across London, Europe and beyond.”
UTA opened its circa-150-staff London office between Fitzrovia and Soho two years ago, around 12 months after it acquired storied agency Curtis Brown. The UTA office is a stone’s throw away from the Cunard House offices of Curtis Brown.
Upon the opening of the London office in 2023, Kramer told us: “We watched some of our competitors send film and TV agents to London and we learnt from that. It wasn’t always received well. When we bought [Curtis Brown] we didn’t want it to feel like the ‘Americans were coming in over the wall’. We’ve taken the approach of having agents go to London and embed themselves and spend some time there.”
