As expected, veteran agent Scott Clayton, who left his role as co-head of music at WME late last month, has joined UTA as co-head of its global music division and as a partner, the company announced Monday.
Clayton and current UTA Global Music Co-Heads Sam Kirby Yoh and David Zedeck will together “createa powerhouse leadership trio spanning UTA’s New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville music hubs and further solidify the agency’s reach across all music genres,” according to the announcement.
UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said in a statement, “Scott is the epitome of what we look for in a leader at UTA: he is a strong advocate for artists and has a long history of supporting and mentoring colleagues. Sam and David have done a great job building a world-class team and we are very excited for Scott to join us as we continue to grow our music practice.”
Kirby Yoh and Zedeck jointly added, “We are excited to have Scott join us as a co-head of the music group.He is a relentless champion for his clients, and we know that he will bring that same energy to UTA.He is a dedicated leader who has played a significant role in building so many people’s careers and we look forward to collaborating with him as we continue to build our team and do great work for our clients.”
Over the years Clayton has worked closely with such artists as John Mayer,Zac Brown Band, Kings of Leon, Dead & Company, Train, My Morning Jacket, Michael Franti, Rodrigo y Gabrielaand many others.
Clayton, who’s been based in Nashville since 1994, made headlines in November 2017 when he left his position as co-head ofCAAand moved over to WME. first came to Nashville in the early ’90s when he helped Buck Williams start PGA, the first rock agency in Nashville. He joined CAA Nashville in 2000, with the aim of diversifying a country- and CCM-focused roster to include more pop and rock acts. These eventually included artists like John Mayer and Kings of Leon, both of which joined Clayton when he made the move to WME four years ago, where he was called to lead the agency’s the rock division.
“Over the past few years, I have witnessed the incredible job UTA has done to expand and elevate the music department,” stated Clayton.“Sam, David, and the team have shown true innovation and leadership during this unprecedented time and have really delivered for their artists across all genres. I am very excited to be joining a company that has built a culture that is grounded in transparency with colleagues and in service to clients.”
UTA has made a number of new hires over the past year, including agentsJeffrey 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.-basedEcho Location Talent Agency, founded and led byObi Asika, who now serves as Co-Head ofUTA’sU.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.
