Exclusive: Cesd Talent Agency has expanded its theatrical talent agent roster with two new hires from the former A3 Artists Agency. Aron Giannini has joined Cesd as Co-Head of its L.A. Theatrical Talent Department and Ross Silver as an Agent in its New York Theatrical Talent Department. Their new roles are effective immediately.
“We are very pleased to bring Aron and Ross to our agency’s team. They’ve each proven themselves to be unique and vital assets to their clients and to the representation business. Aron is a highly respected leader and a dynamic agent. Ross is a new generation representative and strong advocate for clients. Their arrival signals Cesd’s commitment to engaging not only the best available agents, but also to expanding our theatrical representation footprint for all our clients,” said Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty, Cesd’s partners.
Giannini and Silver are expected to bring...
“We are very pleased to bring Aron and Ross to our agency’s team. They’ve each proven themselves to be unique and vital assets to their clients and to the representation business. Aron is a highly respected leader and a dynamic agent. Ross is a new generation representative and strong advocate for clients. Their arrival signals Cesd’s commitment to engaging not only the best available agents, but also to expanding our theatrical representation footprint for all our clients,” said Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty, Cesd’s partners.
Giannini and Silver are expected to bring...
- 3/7/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Bill Cunningham has died. The original voice of the Ken doll died earlier this month in West Hollywood, California, the Cesd Talent Agency, which Cunningham founded, confirmed on Instagram. He was 96.
Born in San Francisco in 1927, Cunningham, a World War II veteran, had a love of movies from a young age, according to Deadline.
Cunningham got his start on “Voices of Walter Schumann” and “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show”, before singing on soundtracks for multiple studios and appearing in many commercials.
On top of that, Cunningham, who was the original voice of Ken for Mattel, toured with Judy Garland and had his debut album, I’m Always Chasing Rainbows, financed by Fred Astaire.
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A post shared by Cesd Talent Agency (@cesdtalent)
At the urging of Peggy Taylor, in 1963, Cunningham invested his life savings in Pacific Artists Agency. Four years later, the Los Angeles-based company became Cunningham & Associates.
Born in San Francisco in 1927, Cunningham, a World War II veteran, had a love of movies from a young age, according to Deadline.
Cunningham got his start on “Voices of Walter Schumann” and “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show”, before singing on soundtracks for multiple studios and appearing in many commercials.
On top of that, Cunningham, who was the original voice of Ken for Mattel, toured with Judy Garland and had his debut album, I’m Always Chasing Rainbows, financed by Fred Astaire.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Cesd Talent Agency (@cesdtalent)
At the urging of Peggy Taylor, in 1963, Cunningham invested his life savings in Pacific Artists Agency. Four years later, the Los Angeles-based company became Cunningham & Associates.
- 7/28/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Bill Cunningham, the original voice of Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, and a singer once backed by Fred Astaire who 60 years ago launched the company now known as the Cesd Talent Agency, has died. He was 96.
Cunningham died July 15 at his home in West Hollywood, the agency announced.
The founder was “among the great innovators and gentlemen of the talent representation business,” Cesd partners Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty said in a statement. “Bill set the template for client and customer service, particularly in commercial, voice-over and print. He was a warm, gregarious, classy man who made a positive impact on all those he represented and employed. It was our honor to know him and to learn from him.”
With the encouragement of friend and singer Peggy Taylor, Cunningham in 1963 invested his life savings into starting the Pacific Artists Agency, one of the first commercial and voice-over agencies in Los Angeles.
Cunningham died July 15 at his home in West Hollywood, the agency announced.
The founder was “among the great innovators and gentlemen of the talent representation business,” Cesd partners Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty said in a statement. “Bill set the template for client and customer service, particularly in commercial, voice-over and print. He was a warm, gregarious, classy man who made a positive impact on all those he represented and employed. It was our honor to know him and to learn from him.”
With the encouragement of friend and singer Peggy Taylor, Cunningham in 1963 invested his life savings into starting the Pacific Artists Agency, one of the first commercial and voice-over agencies in Los Angeles.
- 7/27/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
William “Bill” Cunningham, who more than 50 years ago founded the company that became Cesd Talent Agency, has died at 96. The agency said he died July 15 at his West Hollywood home but gave no other details.
Starting out as Cunningham & Associations in the early 1970s, Cesd now is led by partners Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty. Specializing in commercial, voice-over, print, digital influencer, theatrical/TV-film and young performer talent, it has 32 agents spread over two offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Born on January 2, 1927, in San Francisco, Cunningham was enamored with the movies at an early age and eventually found his way to Hollywood. But his country called, and Cunningham enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served aboard the PGM11 minesweeper craft during World War II. He also was a singer, and joined and toured with Fort Emory Drum and Bugle Corp, playing to audiences throughout the Pacific theater.
After...
Starting out as Cunningham & Associations in the early 1970s, Cesd now is led by partners Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty. Specializing in commercial, voice-over, print, digital influencer, theatrical/TV-film and young performer talent, it has 32 agents spread over two offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Born on January 2, 1927, in San Francisco, Cunningham was enamored with the movies at an early age and eventually found his way to Hollywood. But his country called, and Cunningham enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served aboard the PGM11 minesweeper craft during World War II. He also was a singer, and joined and toured with Fort Emory Drum and Bugle Corp, playing to audiences throughout the Pacific theater.
After...
- 7/27/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Cesd’s NYTheatrical Department has hired longtime agent Danielle De Lawder as Vice President.
De Lawder moves to Cesd after 21 years at A3 Artists Agency and its predecessor Abrams Artists Agency, where she worked her way up from assistant to, most recently, partner in the Talent division.
The majority of her clients have followed her to Cesd including Chaske Spencer, Ethan Slater (Wicked, Tony nom SpongeBob), Will Chase, Patti Murin, Guy Lockard, Annie Golden (Into The Woods, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Ivory Aquino, Nikiya Mathis, Stephen Rider, Rodney Hicks, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Wass Stevens, Lenny Venito, Maria Grabriela Gonzales (Fantasy Island) and Royce Johnson.
“Danielle...
De Lawder moves to Cesd after 21 years at A3 Artists Agency and its predecessor Abrams Artists Agency, where she worked her way up from assistant to, most recently, partner in the Talent division.
The majority of her clients have followed her to Cesd including Chaske Spencer, Ethan Slater (Wicked, Tony nom SpongeBob), Will Chase, Patti Murin, Guy Lockard, Annie Golden (Into The Woods, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Ivory Aquino, Nikiya Mathis, Stephen Rider, Rodney Hicks, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Wass Stevens, Lenny Venito, Maria Grabriela Gonzales (Fantasy Island) and Royce Johnson.
“Danielle...
- 1/25/2023
- by Denise Petski and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
If you happened to watch Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” this weekend, you might have noticed something was not quite right. You weren’t alone — quite a few Twitter and Reddit users noticed that some scenes appear to have dead pixels, or completely white spaces, on various parts of the screen.
Army of the Dead Pixel pic.twitter.com/H14f40CHdB
— Paul Doherty (@thepauldoherty) May 24, 2021
One user wrote, “Army Of The Dead really had me thinking my TV was messed up with 2 broken pixels and turns out it was in the movie.”
Viewers questioned whether the pixel problem with Snyder’s zombie VFX opus was an issue with their TV screens or a Netflix glitch after the film dropped on the streaming platform on May 21. Eagle-eyed audiences instantly noticed the dead pixels and quickly weighed in. A Reddit user wrote, “It is not visible in every scene,...
Army of the Dead Pixel pic.twitter.com/H14f40CHdB
— Paul Doherty (@thepauldoherty) May 24, 2021
One user wrote, “Army Of The Dead really had me thinking my TV was messed up with 2 broken pixels and turns out it was in the movie.”
Viewers questioned whether the pixel problem with Snyder’s zombie VFX opus was an issue with their TV screens or a Netflix glitch after the film dropped on the streaming platform on May 21. Eagle-eyed audiences instantly noticed the dead pixels and quickly weighed in. A Reddit user wrote, “It is not visible in every scene,...
- 5/25/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Rita Vennari has been elected president of the Association of Talent Agents, which has been locked in a battle with the Writers Guild for the past nine months. Vennari, who is president of the Sutton Barth Vennari talent agency, had been the Ata’s 2nd vice president.
She is the first female president of the Ata, succeeding Apa CEO Jim Gosnell in the post.
“I am very grateful to the Ata membership and the Ata board of directors to be elected president – and the first woman president,” Vennari said. “It is both humbling and gratifying. I vow to continue my long-standing commitment to this association. I take my role and the trust the membership puts in me very seriously and I promise to continue my service on critical committees and use my voice to represent the needs of the Ata members.”
Said Ata executive director Karen Stuart: “I congratulate...
She is the first female president of the Ata, succeeding Apa CEO Jim Gosnell in the post.
“I am very grateful to the Ata membership and the Ata board of directors to be elected president – and the first woman president,” Vennari said. “It is both humbling and gratifying. I vow to continue my long-standing commitment to this association. I take my role and the trust the membership puts in me very seriously and I promise to continue my service on critical committees and use my voice to represent the needs of the Ata members.”
Said Ata executive director Karen Stuart: “I congratulate...
- 1/15/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Don Pitts, longtime voice-talent agent and radio personality, died on April 7. He was 90.
Pitts represented a who’s-who of classic voice talent, including Orson Welles, Casey Kasem, June Foray, Wolfman Jack, Mel Blanc, Paul Winchell, Janet Waldo, Gary Owens, and many more. He was well-known for his kind and friendly personality, and was much loved by his clients.
“His clients treasured him and he treasured his clients,” says Cindy Kazarian, CEO of Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates, who worked with Pitts when it was the Jhr Agency in the early 1980s. Kazarian, Pammela Spencer, and Pitts purchased Jhr in 1988 and renamed it Kazarian/Spencer and Associates. It later became Kmr.
“He was an incredible man, very special. They don’t make them like him anymore,” says Kazarian. “He never had a mean word or negative thing to say about anybody. He was not who you would expect to be in this business.
Pitts represented a who’s-who of classic voice talent, including Orson Welles, Casey Kasem, June Foray, Wolfman Jack, Mel Blanc, Paul Winchell, Janet Waldo, Gary Owens, and many more. He was well-known for his kind and friendly personality, and was much loved by his clients.
“His clients treasured him and he treasured his clients,” says Cindy Kazarian, CEO of Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates, who worked with Pitts when it was the Jhr Agency in the early 1980s. Kazarian, Pammela Spencer, and Pitts purchased Jhr in 1988 and renamed it Kazarian/Spencer and Associates. It later became Kmr.
“He was an incredible man, very special. They don’t make them like him anymore,” says Kazarian. “He never had a mean word or negative thing to say about anybody. He was not who you would expect to be in this business.
- 4/17/2018
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
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