Hollywood Reps & Producers Offer The Next Generation Advice For Getting Ahead: “Curiosity, Relentlessness & Hard Work” — Zurich Summit

A Zurich Summit panel of Hollywood reps and producers offered “the next generation” their insights on how to get ahead in the business.

The lineup consisted of former Netflix and Universal exec David Kosse, now an independent producer; Jason Sloane, Partner at blue chip law firm Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern; Theresa Peters, Partner UTA; Dawn Olmstead, former Anonymous Content CEO and current CEO at Secret Menu; and Marc Mounier, Manager and producer at Entertainment 360.

Peters, who reps talent including Kirsten Dunst and James McAvoy, said: “We often ask whether we’d encourage someone to go into agency business today, because it’s very different than when I started. I always say yes, because I love my job, and am fortunate to have my job, and I’m still motivated every single day. It’s certainly a little bit different, but one of the things that is constant, is passion. We get to work with super creative people, and no matter where they are in their careers, you just never know where they’re going to go. And that’s always exciting. Who would have predicted Baby Reindeer a year ago, for example. So, be passionate about who you’re going after, but also don’t overwhelm yourself. Don’t sign too many people. Don’t get too many people on your list that you can’t really service and be in their lives and have input. Have a balance in life. It’s really important to have balance. When you have balance, you bring more to the job.”

Olmstead added: “I think it’s a huge misconception that you need to “know someone” to get into the business. I think this is the greatest job. It’s never boring. When I start filming I know I’ll still have that feeling when I’m pulling up and I see the trucks and hundreds of people that have never met all working together to pull off a film and giving it their all. But it’s hard work, and you have to have the stomach for it. There are great years and there are not so great years. There are pandemics, there are strikes, but at the end of the day, if you’re a curious person, it’s one of the greatest industries that exists.”

Entertainment 360 manager and partner Mounier agreed with Olmstead that contacts aren’t essential in the first instance: “I came from Switzerland. I didn’t know anybody in Hollywood. I went to grad school and made connections. It’s possible to make it happen by following your passion and nurturing the flame through the challenges that come.”

Kosse said: “Curiosity, relentlessness, hard work. Sometimes smarts are helpful, but also kind of overrated, because I think it’s also about trying a lot of different things and something comes up. Not making enemies, is also important. I learned a lot from observing someone like Ron Meyer and how he operated. I often think, what would Ron Meyer do?”

Leading lawyer Sloane proffered: “The power of just really working hard [is most important]and being detail oriented. As lawyers, it may be less about the big picture or small picture but it’s about putting it all together. It’s the hard work that is appreciated and the attention to detail.”

Peters also talked about the changing nature of representation and the need for agents to be more entrepreneurial and “producorial”, while not fulfilling the role of a traditional producer.

“We definitely are more producorial. The packaging part of it is more prevalent than ever. When you represent artists that can trigger financing, it’s super competitive, but the names are changing. You need to find those buyers out there that are excited about your talent.”

Kosse was asked for his take on the health of the current market. He replied: “I think the business always has challenges. When we’re having the ‘go, go years’, the challenge is always competition and availability of talent, and when you’re having a correction, it’s just harder to get something over the line. I think we’re in one of those periods where there’s a correction happening. It’s just a question of where we are in that correction. We’ve been through strikes, the pandemic, and significant changes at studios like Paramount, Warner Bros, and Netflix. I think we’ve now moved into a slightly more settled place, even if it’s still not super comfortable for all of us.”