Manu Rios Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Manu Rios has new representation…

The 24-year-old Spanish actor and singer, best known for his starring role on Netflix’s popular Spanish YA series Elite, has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for representation.

Rios portrays Patrick Blanco on the international hit series, which is heading into its seventh season on the streamer.

Rios will next be seen starring alongside Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal in the upcoming short film Strange Way of Life from Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodóvar. The short is set to premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The story follows the reunion of an outlaw and a sheriff after 25 years apart, and the romance that followed them there.

Rios is also set to star in the upcoming Netflix limited series El Silencio from Aitor Gabilondo.

He was previously seen in the limited series La Edad de la Ira for Atresmedia.

Alejandra Vasquez Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandra Vasquez has new representation…

The Mexican-American filmmaker and Sam Osborn, the directors behind the Sundance Film Festival-bound feature documentary Going Varsity in Mariachi, have signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME).

Marking Vasquez’s feature directorial debut and Osborn’s sophomore feature, the film makes its world premiere in U.S. Documentary Competition on January 22.

It’s set in the competitive world of high school mariachi, where the musicians from the South Texas borderlands reign supreme. Under the guidance of Coach Abel Acuña, the teenage captains of Edinburg North High School’s acclaimed team must turn a shoestring budget and diverse crew of inexperienced musicians into state champions.

The film is produced by James Lawler and Julia Pontecorvo of Osmosis Films and Luis A. Miranda, Jr. for Embeleco Unlimited. Impact Partners and Embeleco Unlimited co-financed with Fifth Season, which is also handling worldwide sales.

Vasquez is a director and producer raised in rural Texas who, with Osborn, directed the short Folk Frontera, which was awarded the Jury Prize for Texas Short Film at SXSW 2022 and premiered on PBS’ The Latino Experience. She also helmed the short When It’s Good, It’s Good, co-produced with Latino Public Broadcasting.

The up-and-comer cut her teeth on the producing side as part of the teams behind the award-winning features Matangi/Maya/M.IA. (2018) and Us Kids (2020) and is set to co-produce an upcoming feature from Sundance and SXSW prize winner Nanfu Wang.

Nathy Peluso Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Nathy Peluso has new representation…

William Morris Endeavor (WME) has signed the 27-year-old Argentine singer-songwriter as a client in all areas.

The agency will build Peluso’s business across touring, acting, fashion, talent ventures and more.

“I absolutely love performing live and visiting the world with my music, is such an enormous privilege,” Peluso said in a press statement. “I’m very happy to be represented by a team of strong women that believe in me and support me. I feel we will achieve great things together.”

Peluso’s female-led team includes her manager Florencia Juri; Lucy Dickins, who’s leading the WME team; and agents Ashley Gonzalez and Phoebe Holley, among others, in addition to her publicist Jordan Frazes of Frazes Creative.

Peluso’s R&B-tinged vocals full of soul, unapologetic in-your-face lyrics and killer dance moves have put her on the map since she began placing her music on YouTube in 2017. She explored her passion for music when she was studying abroad and would write street poetry and rap bars as part of the then-underground hip-hop movement in Spain.

In 2020, Peluso released her sophomore album Calambre under Sony Music Entertainment España, where she experiments with neo-soul, perreo fusions, old-school ‘90s rap, tango and tropical music, to name a few.

“My music has an honest identity,” the former Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise previously told Billboard. “If I create music from the heart, it will always be different. Summarizing it to one genre or a specific style would be lying to you.”

Also in 2020, Peluso was a two-time nominee at the 2020 Latin Grammys for best alternative song for “Buenos Aires,” along with the coveted best new artist award.

In 2021, Calambre won the Latin Grammy for best alternative music album and was nominated for best Latin rock or alternative album at the Grammys.

Earlier this year, Peluso made her grand debut at the coveted Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where Latin colleagues such as Karol G and Grupo Firme also took center stage.

J Balvin Returns to Longtime Agency William Morris Endeavor

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

J Balvin is back with a familiar team…

The 37-year-old Colombian singer, known as the Prince of Reggaeton, has returned to his longtime agency William Morris Endeavor (WME).

The move follows a short stint with United Talent Agency (UTA) that started in May. No reason was given for his departure from or return to WME.

Balvin left WME for UTA in May after postponing his 25-date José tour. The move was surprising considering Balvin’s long and storied history with the agency. WME began booking Balvin when he still an emerging artist, and the agency played an integral role in his global touring and branding, securing early placements for him in major festivals.

UTA never formally announced its deal with Balvin, but the agency has been growing its Latin roster and currently represents several high-profile Latin stars. Bad Bunny, Balvin’s Universal Music labelmate Karol G and Brazilian powerhouse Anitta are all currently on UTA’s roster.

Balvin has grossed more than $20 million and sold over 300,000 tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. All six of the Colombian star’s full-length studio albums — including the collaborative Oasis album with Bad Bunny — have reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, with four of them hitting No. 1. He’s charted 93 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, including 35 top 10s and nine No. 1s. In every year from 2014 through 2021, he’s finished as one of the year’s top 10 artists on Billboard’s annual year-end Top Latin Artists chart.

Other WME Latin acts include Nicky Jam, Juanes, Ozuna and Shakira.

Balvin continues to be managed by longtime manager Fabio Acosta along with Scooter Braun’s SB Projects.

Sarah Shahi Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a new endeavor for Sarah Shahi.

The 42-year-old part-Spanish actress and Sex/Life star has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for representation.

Shahi portrays Billie Connelly in the provocative Netflix drama series which is heading into its second season.

Inspired by BB Easton’s self-published memoir 44 Chapters About 4 Men, Sex/Life is the story of a love triangle between a woman, Billie Connelly (Shahi), her husband, and her past, which takes a deliciously steamy new look at female identity and desire.

The series quickly became one of Netflix’s best performing shows and drew more than 67 million viewers in its first season.

Shahi received critical praise for her portrayal of DA’s office investigator Rachel Behnam in Showtime’s City on a Hill. She also starred in an episode of the Netflix Dolly Parton anthology series Heartstrings, in which each episode is based on a Dolly song.

She also starred alongside Nathan Fillion on NBC’s The Rookie, and in the Steven Spielberg-produced NBC series Reverie.

She also is known for her roles on CBS’ Person of Interest, USA’s Fairly Legal and Showtime’s The L Word. Her other television credits include Chicago Fire, Life with Damian Lewis, The Sopranos, Ray Donovan and Alias.

Shahi next stars in the anticipated Warner Bros./DC superhero feature Black Adam alongside Dwayne Johnson, set for release in October. She also has signed on to star in the upcoming Amazon film Red, White and Royal Blue, based on the best-selling book, and she is attached to executive produce and star in The Hollys, written by Floriana Lima, Yolanda Pecoraro, and Ilaria Urbinati, with Di Novi Pictures producing.

Ozuna Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ozuna has new representation…

William Morris Endeavor (WME) has signed the 30-year-old Puerto Rican singer and rapper in all areas.

“I am excited to collaborate with many of the top agents at WME to further connect with my incredible fans in inventive ways and continue to bring my culture to the masses,” the Puerto Rican singer born Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado said in a statement. “As an artist, I want to expand my brand and develop new and exciting opportunities together in all aspects of entertainment.”

His WME signing comes on the heels of the announcement of his 2022 global tour Ozutochi, which kicks off June 30 in Seville, Spain, and will make its way across Europe and the U.S. before wrapping on December 9 at the FTX Arena in Miami.

Ozuna kicked off 2022 with his Christina Aguilera duet, “Santo,” and dropped a trio of singles over the past few months, including “Deprimida,” “G-Wagon” and “Apretatio.”

Most recently, he released “Ceremonia,” which will appear in the upcoming HBO Max remake of Father of the Bride.

The artist is also working on his fifth studio album, which will follow his sets Odisea, Aura, ENOC, and Nibiru, all of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. Additionally, he’s placed over 100 entries in Hot Latin Songs, including five No. 1 hits: “Te Bote,” “Taki Taki,” “Otro Trago,” “China,” and “Mamacita.”

Natanael Cano Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Natanael Cano has major representation…

William Morris Endeavor (WME) has signed the 21-year-old Mexican rapper and singer-songwriter for representation in all areas.

Marking Cano’s first-ever agency agreement, WME will build the singer’s business across touring, acting, fashion and talent ventures.

Cano’s signature corridos tumbados first got on the radar with his 2019 single “Soy El Diablo,” while a Bad Bunny-assisted remix earned him his first entry on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

Cano released his half trap and half corridos studio album NataKong, where he reflects on his maturity and growth as an artist, earlier this month.

“This album is the separation of the 17-year-old Nata who was just starting. It mirrors who I am now,” Cano told Billboard. “I can no longer pretend I’m a kid because I never really got the opportunity to be a kid so, in reality, I was faking it. I don’t want to seem dumb or get into problems. I want to keep doing music because I love it.”

Cano’s WME signing comes on the heels of his debut at the 2022 Coachella festival on Sunday (April 17), where he performed in front of a full house at the Gobi stage.

Sticking strictly to his core corridos tumbados sound, Cano sang “Soy El Diablo,” “Sin Ti,” “El de la Codeína” and his chart-topping hit “Amor Tumbado” as fans waved Mexican flags. At one point, he wore a flag as a cape.

Cano returns to Coachella next weekend.

Victor Fontanez, aka VicBlends, Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Victor Fontanez has new representation…

William Morris Endeavor (WME) has signed the 22-year-old part-Latino social media star, known commonly as VicBlends, for representation in all areas.

The agency will build his business across non-scripted television, podcasting, speaking, brand partnerships, licensing and beyond.

Fontanez, a barber and entrepreneur, has grown his side hustle from cutting hair in his mom’s garage to becoming a renowned celebrity barber and business mogul.

In under a year, he has amassed more than 9M followers and over 100M likes on TikTok. He also has a significant following on Instagram with 1.2M followers and YouTube with 555K subscribers.

Fontanez recently got off tour with Lil Baby, and his client list includes NLE Choppa, Nelly, Trae Young and Polo G. He is a barber by trade, but changing lives is his mission. On social media he shares inspiring videos of him giving out free haircuts to unassuming strangers. During these cuts, he engages in deep conversations from home life to personal dreams to sports to relationship advice. Giving back to his community and leaving a legacy are two major goals for Fontanez, which prompted him to launch Vic Blends Academy.

His barber school, The Vic Blends Academy, is an online curriculum for the next generation of barbers. Also he recently announced the launch of the first licensed barber schools in California prison history. This program, created with producer and social justice advocate Scott Budnick, will give prisoners the opportunity to obtain their barber’s license while incarcerated with hopes of setting them up for success upon release.

Fontanez previously was represented by A3 Artists Agency.

Tom Segura Signs with WME (William Morris Endeavor)

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Tom Segura has new representation…

The 42-year-old half-Peruvian American comedian, actor and podcaster has signed with WME (William Morris Endeavor) for representation in all areas.

Segura is best known for his Netflix specials Ball Hog, Disgraceful, Mostly Stories and Completely Normal.

While he’d planned to unveil an additional Spanish-language special on Netflix last fall, its release has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Segura previously released the hour-long stand-up albums White Girls With Cornrows and Thrilled in 2012 and 2010, respectively.

He’ll kick off his latest world tour, I’m Coming Everywhere on December 31, with two shows at the Hawaii Theater Center in Honolulu, and will continue touring throughout 2022.

Segura’s film credits include Paramount Pictures’ comedy Instant Family, in which he starred opposite Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, comedian Steve Byrne’s The Opening Act, Justin Dec’s horror-thriller Countdown and Cameron Van Hoy’s crime drama Flinch.

He’s appeared on the television side in The Cabin with Bert Kreischer, Workaholics, Happy Endings and more.

Segura also has his own podcast network, Your Mom’s House Studios, which he runs with his wife, comedian Christina Pazsitzky. It’s home to the hit podcasts Your Mom’s House, which he co-hosts with Pazsitzky, and 2 Bears 1 Cave, which he co-hosts with Bert Kreischer, among others. Notably, YMH Studios was one of the first networks to create successful livestream podcast events as a creative outlet amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted the stand-up scene to varying degrees over the last 20 or so months.

Segura was previously with ICM Partners.

Ricky Velez Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ricky Velez is ready for new endeavors…

William Morris Endeavor (WME) has signed the Latino comedian for representation in all areas.

Velez has an upcoming one-hour comedy special titled Ricky Velez: Here’s Everything—executive produced by himself, Judd Apatow, and Pete Davidson—debuting on October 23 via HBO.

On the acting front, the Queens native starred in (and co-produced) the 2020 film, The King of Staten Island. He’s also appeared in Netflix’s Master of None.

Velez was a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and has appeared on Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar.

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