Percenteries help stars surf social wave

Talent agencies are creating ties with a brand new generation of start-ups specializing in controlling celebrities' footprint across social networking.CAA, UTA and WME have struck different kinds of these alliances due to the growing importance and complexity of image maintenance around the growing quantity of platforms, from Twitter to Facebook, where clients participate in a 2-way conversation with an incredible number of fans every day.InchBig agencies like ours sit in an exceedingly unique position," states Brent Weinstein, mind of digital media at UTA. "We have seen the requirements and interests of artists similarly, and alternatively we have seen and therefore are associated with a higher amount of interesting technology and services. We take what we should know of the latter and marry it towards the former."For UTA, that came to signing startup company Fantapper like a client in June. CAA went a measure further and incubated a business of their own known as WhoSay, where the agency still keeps a minority stake. WME also offers a stake within the Audience, which has not even formally released yet.All these companies goes concerning the business of handling the cyber-presence of celebs in different ways. But in the easiest level, all of them provide the agencies a try-to selection for clients whose reps know all to well that no actor or music performer are able to afford not have an oar within the huge ocean that's the web, even as it were.CAA first contacted Steve Ellis, Boss of WhoSay, a couple of years back about enhancing the agency develop an answer for his or her clients. "These were frustrated because others had to have their customers and driving business from their store,Inch he states.Now WhoSay has funding from CAA, Amazon . com and venture-capital businesses that keep the organization maintenance a lot more than 700 celebs, including Jennifer Lopez, Katie Couric and Tom Hanks. WhoSay does from supplying an automatic copyright on every image or video which comes from the clients to some mobile application that alerts their particular publicists when a lot like a tweet will get distributed.While such firms as WhoSay make their choices open to CAA-repped talent, more clients originate from outdoors the company. No agency-affiliated firms are limited to exclusive plans.Additionally to managing social networking for such stars as Nick Cannon, Peter Facinelli and Ashlee Simpson, Fantapper comes with an innovative feature able to changing stars' Internet photos right into a hub for related content they are able to control."It comes down to creating direct associations using the stars," states Ryan Steelberg, Boss of Fantapper. "If that may be caused by getting associations with UTA and management groups directly, you have to be everywhere."Digital 25The PGA and Variety recognition leaders who've advanced digital entertainment and storytelling John Rubey of AEG Network Live Sangam Pant and Umesh Shukla of Auryn Zach Galifianakis of "Between Two Ferns" Michael Fleischman and N Roy of Bluefin Labs Meyer Shwarzstein of Brainstorm Media Seth Eco-friendly of "ControlTV" Jon Kirchner of DTS Dick Glover of Funny or Die Asi Burak of Games for Change Nolan Gallagher of Gravitas Endeavors Zooey Deschanel, Molly McAleer and Sophia Rossi of Hello Giggles Mike Chambers of "Beginning" Leigh Blake and Alicia Secrets of Have a Child Alive Charles Adler, Perry Chen and Yancey Strickler of Kickstarter Felicia Day's Knights in combat of excellent Productions Troy Carter and Rhianna of LadyGaga.com Lisa Roth of Majesco Entertainment Susan Margolin and Steve Savage of recent Video Sharon Calahan of Pixar Animation Galleries Peter Vesterbacka of Rovio/Angry Wild birds John Calkins of The new sony Pictures Home Theatre Ken Ralston of The new sony Pictures Imageworks Nicole Skogg of SpyderLynk Thierry Coup, Nick Largman, Dale Mason and Mark Woodbury of Universal Creative Joe Letteri of Weta DigitalRELATED LINKS: The TV's turn to have an extreme transformation Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com