Sources tell us that Marissa Smith and Matthew Morgan, WME music agents, have left the agency to go to UTA. Variety. This news comes after Scott Clayton’s departure as one of the three co-heads for music at WME. Last week, it was announced that Clayton would be co-heading the global music division of UTA alongside Sam Kirby Yoh (and David Zedeck).
Morgan was a WME agent and worked with clients like Lizzo, Cam, and Zac Brown Band. Phillips was a rock agent. Clayton and Phillips came together to WME from CAA in 2017.
Smith’s territory included east coast colleges and universities, and she also headed WME’s “Virtual Appearance” group, and served as firm’s social action music agent.
All three of them are based in Nashville. WME and UTA representatives were not available immediately for comment.
UTA has made a number of new hires over the past year, including agents Jeffrey Hasson, Brett Saliba, Matt Korn, and Emily Wright, who are based in Nashville; agents Matt Meyer and Robbie Brown, based in Los Angeles; Director of Creative Strategy Rebecca Prochnik and agents Carlos Abreu and Matt Lee, based in London. It also acquired the U.K.-based Echo Location Talent Agency, founded and led by Obi Asika, who now serves as Co-Head of UTA’s U.K. office alongside Neil Warnock.
UTA represents a wide range of artists across all genres of music, including Post Malone, Deadmau5, Bad Bunny, YG, theJonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Marshmello, Bebe Rexha, St. Vincent, Young Thug, Common, Tyga, Offset, Lil Wayne, Burna Boy, Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly, Rosalía, Swedish House Mafia, James Blake, Florence and the Machine, Toby Keith, Jamey Johnson, Midland, Jimmie Allen, Matt Stell, Tori Kelly, Tierra Whack, Bring Me The Horizon, Christine and The Queens, Deep Purple, Arlo Parks, Foals, Sigrid, Katherine Jenkins, Romeo Santos, Alesso, Jamiroquai, 21 Savage and Dolly Parton, among others.