John Ferriter, a prominent WMA television agent for two decades, died Thursday at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles from complications from pancreatitis. He was 59.
Jamie Gruttermeyer, Ferriter’s partner at management firm the Alternative, confirmed his death to Variety. Ferriter launched the Alternative in 2015 after five years at Octagon Entertainment.
Ferriter was a top packaging agent at WMA in non-scripted TV , working on “Project Runway,” “The Biggest Loser,” “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “On Air With Ryan Seacrest,” “The Donny & Marie Show” and “Chelsea Lately.” Clients included Ryan Seacrest, Carson Daly, Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla, Dr. Drew Pinsky and Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia.
Ferriter was the only WMA board member to vote against the 2009 merger with Endeavor. He then sued the successor agency WME over alleged deception about the status of merger talks and settled out of court in 2012.
Ferriter was also a television producer and a singer with the bands the Tearaways and Stingray. He was a California native who attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he served as student body vice president and worked at the school’s radio station as programming director.
Gruttermeyer told Variety, “John taught us all how to be a human being in the entertainment industry.”
Ferriter is survived by two brothers and two sisters. The family has suggested that donations be made to animal welfare and to the National Veterans Museum.