United Talent Agency is acquiring N.S. Bienstock. The combined agency will be the world’s largest in the broadcast news space, according to a press release on the merger.
N.S. Bienstock will retain its name, location and all of its agents. Richard Leibner and Carole Cooper will remain co-presidents of the company and will also serve as special advisors to UTA’s Board of directors.
“Aligning with UTA and utilizing their global reach and resources while still retaining our personal touch is a significant step forward in the growth and evolution of N.S. Bienstock,” Leibner said in a statement.
Read the release after the jump.
LEADING BROADCAST AND NEWS AGENCY N.S. BIENSTOCK
JOINS UNITED TALENT AGENCY
Richard Leibner and Carole Cooper Continue Their Long-Time Leadership of N.S. Bienstock as Co-Presidents
Acquisition Makes UTA the Entertainment Industry’s Largest Agency
in the TV News Space
N.S. Bienstock Represents the Biggest Names in TV News, Including
Bill O’Reilly, Anderson Cooper, Robin Roberts, Megyn Kelly, Bob Scheiffer,
Norah O’Donnell, David Muir, Glenn Beck, Steve Kroft, Bob Simon,
Lara Logan, Dan Abrams and Becky Quick
NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES (January 22, 2014) – N.S. Bienstock, the world’s leading broadcast and news agency, has joined United Talent Agency (UTA), a global talent and literary agency, in a significant transaction announced today. UTA’s acquisition of N.S. Bienstock and its dominant market share representing TV news personalities makes UTA the world’s largest agency in the broadcast news space. The announcement was made by UTA Managing Directors Jeremy Zimmer, David Kramer and Jay Sures along with N.S. Bienstock founders and co-presidents Richard Leibner and Carole Cooper.
N.S. Bienstock represents the biggest names in TV news – including Bill O’Reilly, Anderson Cooper, Robin Roberts, Megyn Kelly, Bob Scheiffer, Norah O’Donnell, David Muir, Glenn Beck, Steve Kroft, Bob Simon, Lara Logan, Dan Abrams, Becky Quick and many more – and is responsible for some of the biggest deals in the history of the television news industry.
N.S. Bienstock also is bringing its highly-regarded unscripted television and packaging division which represents the production companies and packages behind successful programs such as On the Case with Paula Zahn (which just celebrated its 100th episode on Investigation Discovery) and History Channel hit Mountain Men. Bienstock’s broadcast clients also include the executive producers and show runners of popular daytime and syndicated programs including Live! with Kelly and Michael, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Rachael Ray, The People’s Court, Divorce Court, Inside Edition and Dr. Oz.
Through this deal, N.S. Bienstock clients in broadcast, news and unscripted television will now have access to UTA’s full breadth of resources, including new opportunities across digital content platforms, motion pictures, scripted television, online entertainment, video gaming, books, theatre, touring, branding, licensing, endorsements, voiceovers and speaking engagements.
N.S. Bienstock founders and co-presidents Richard Leibner and Carole Cooper will remain co-presidents of the company, managing day-to-day operations, and will serve as special advisors to UTA’s Board of Directors. Longtime Bienstock executives Jonathan Leibner and Adam Leibner have been made partners at UTA, while remaining in their current senior roles at Bienstock. N.S. Bienstock will retain its name, corporate identity, location and corporate ethos with the entire leadership team and agents remaining in place. UTA Managing Director Jay Sures will oversee the relationship.
UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer commented, “We are excited to expand our representation platform with N.S. Bienstock. UTA will continue to seek new opportunities that offer artists and other professionals the best and broadest representation. As the entertainment, media, news and technology industries comingle in new and exciting ways, we see tremendous potential for broadcast news talent across every conceivable media platform.”
UTA Managing Director Jay Sures said, “We share the same strong belief in the clients-first approach with Richard, Carole and the entire N.S. Bienstock team, and we believe the complementary strengths and resources that UTA brings to the table will be a tremendous benefit to present and future N.S. Bienstock clients.”
N.S. Bienstock co-founder and co-president Richard Leibner said, “As the leader in broadcast news representation, we strive every day to innovate on behalf of our clients. Aligning with UTA and utilizing their global reach and resources while still retaining our personal touch is a significant step forward in the growth and evolution of N.S. Bienstock.”
Carole Cooper, N.S. Bienstock co-founder and co-president, commented, “Richard and I and the extended Bienstock team are excited to leverage our new relationship with UTA and our shared ‘clients-first’ approach for the benefit of all of our clients.”