The new management firm co-founded by former eOne executive Peter Micelli has launched with the group of agents who left in an exodus from top agencies like WME, CAA and UTA back in August, and the firm is now called Range Media Partners.
The new company is backed by Steve Cohen’s Point72 Ventures, as well as with participation from former New York Knicks Coach David Fizdale, former Microsoft CMO Mich Mathews-Spradlin, and Grubhub Founder and CEO Matt Maloney.
The company’s founders all have a joint stake of ownership in the company. Alongside Micelli, they include: Dave Bugliari, Mackenzie Condon Roussos, Rich Cook, Michael Cooper, Susie Fox, Sandra Kang, Rachel Kropa, Chelsea McKinnies, Lucinda Moorhead, Mick Sullivan, Byron Wetzel and Jack Whigham. An additional founding member who will lead a music division will be announced soon.
“We are incredibly proud to begin this exciting adventure together,” the founders said in a joint statement. “Each of us brings something unique and impactful to the table that contributes to our company’s mission and overall success. We want to take a deep, personal approach to our clients’ work while continuing to deliver great results. We have the utmost gratitude to those that have nurtured and supported our work for years, and we look forward to our continued collaboration. The entertainment community is such a special collection of hardworking artists and personalities, and we are honored to work alongside everyone.”
Last month, TheWrap obtained a sales deck that touted what was then known as Moxie Media that said it would focus on the top 1% of talent and eliminate the bloated client lists that the big agencies have that prevent agents from devoting the appropriate time and attention to their biggest earners. The deck highlighted examples like Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine as an example for how the new venture would aim to develop celebs’ brands and bolster their own production companies and voices.
The sales deck said that now was the perfect time to launch by pointing out the rift between the WGA and the agencies, as well as the need for massive media empires to find celebrities to curate content.
Micelli previously stepped down from his role at Entertainment One as the company’s chief strategy officer of film, television and digital in April after two years on the job. Before that he was at CAA for 23 years, and his move came after eOne was acquired by Hasbro for $3.8 billion last year. While Micelli was not involved with the Hasbro deal, he primarily handled packaging and domestic sales for television.
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