Rob Carlson, a motion picture literary agent whose clients include Hasbro, Michael Bay and Jon M. Chu, has joined UTA, the agency announced in a Tuesday statement.
Carlson, who reps some of Hollywood’s top screenwriters, comes from WME, where he began his career in the mailroom and worked for 25 years. He spent eight years as a TV packaging agent before transitioning into movies.
Carlson’s client list at WME also includes Ian Bryce, Jack Thorne, Mike Lesslie, Clay Kaytis, David Slade, Matt Shakman, Adam F. Goldberg, Tom Harper, Paul Tibbit, Richard Tanne, Jeff Wadlow, Scott Speer, the Spierig brothers, Mark Burton and Wash Westmoreland.
“Rob is a great agent whose reputation in the filmmaking world speaks for itself,” David Kramer, UTA managing director and head of the motion picture literary department, said in the statement. “We’re thrilled to welcome Rob to our team, and we know he and his clients will thrive at UTA.”
UTA, which was founded in 1991, has been aggressively growing in agents and divisions in recent years. Last year, the agency poached 11 CAA comedy agents in a daring raid, bringing A-listers including Will Ferrell and Chris Pratt along with them. Also in 2015, UTA acquired The Agency Group and combined it with an existing division to form UTA Music.