EXCLUSIVE: In the old days, to be a board member at the William Morris Agency, you had to be an "Elder" with white hair, a slight stoop, Red Buttons as a client, and pants pulled up to the waist. 
As of today, the Morris board is much younger, almost hipper, suddenly rockin'. Who'd a thunk it? I'm told that the tenpercentery just added these agents to its 20-member governing body and upped them to the rank of executive vice presidents: Paul Bricault, head of corporate consulting; John Ferriter, head of non-scripted television; Marc Geiger, head of contemporary music; Aaron Kaplan, head of scripted television; Jon Rosen, head of East Coast television; Rick Shipp, co-head of WMA Nashville; David Snyder, head of adult contemporary music.
To briefly list their clients, Bricault works with MySpace, General Motors, Anheuser-Busch and oversees. Ferriter has Ryan Seacrest Inc, Larry King, Chelsea Handler and also oversees other clients. Geiger co-founded Lalapalooza and reps Nine Inch Nails among other groups. Kalan has Darren Star, Barry Sonenfeld and also oversees. Rosen is Mr. Food Network with clients Rachel Ray, Giada Di Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, etc. Shipp has all those country music acts like Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flats, etc. Snyder reps Herbie Hancock, Kenny G, Natalie Cole, Julio Inglesias.
What many don't realize is that while Morris in the old days was a TV cash cow on the one-time strength of the syndication market, its influence in television (especially scripted network shows) has waned in recent years. Its motion picture department boasting a small cadre of Triple-A list directors/writers/actors has always been an insignificant profit center. So the agency is now relying on the powerhouse music division to bring in the big bucks what with clients like Kanye West, Foo Fighters, The Eagles, The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Weezer, Pearl Jam, The Beastie Boys, Rage Against The Machine, Rihanna. (WMA booked over 22,000 dates last year alone...) Meanwhile, chairman and CEO Jim Wiatt likes to joke how he now finds himself among the oldest guys on the board versus a lot of the newcomers who are only in their 30s and 40s. Interestingly, there hasn't been a board shake-up since I wrote about The Big One back in 2004. (See All Shook Up in LA Weekly.)
“the Morris board is younger, hipper, and rockin’.”
Look everyone, it’s the new and improved “Old Boys” club, 7 positions…all going to the younger, hipper, and rockin’ penises. WOW so 2008, not a woman in the bunch.
Comment by btl teamster — June 20, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
Looks like WM is gearing up for something big…
They’ve got their soldiers in line, who will they be attacking?
Comment by Clayton — June 20, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
This is merely an extra title. WMA has a smaller board which actually makes the decisions and has the real power.
Comment by Boardee — June 20, 2008 @ 3:12 pm
at least these are all GREAT GUYS. Every single one a gentleman, so the real question is why are they putting people of substance on their board?
Dave Snyder, Rick Shipp and Marc Geiger rock.
Comment by clifton — June 20, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
so true, btl teamster
they are pathetic and terrified of strong women
women need to form their own studio, their own agency, their own political party
Comment by Boo — June 20, 2008 @ 8:47 pm
In an era when music sales continue to decline, in both live and in album form, isn’t this a bit like giving the reins to people who understand the radio era when television is in its prime?
Comment by Elliott — June 21, 2008 @ 10:19 am
they actually have a number of powerful women on the board - cara stein, jennifer rudolph walsh, suzanne gluck…
Comment by interesting — June 27, 2008 @ 8:05 am
1) WMA never puts anyone on the board without kicking someone off, you should look into who has been asked to step down or is slowly being pushed out of the company (at least two of those women are under pressure, it’s still a boys club).
2) It’s true, there is a smaller board, a compensation committee that really holds the power and decides salaries and bonuses, then gives themselves additional bonuses in March, unbeknownst to the rest of the company…it’s such a racket.
Comment by Oh Please — July 1, 2008 @ 5:55 pm