Three of the execs who co-founded digital content studio Studio71 — Reza Izad, Dan Weinstein and Michael Green — have teamed up for a new venture: Underscore Talent, which they tout as a next-generation management company for creators.
Studio71, founded in 2007 as Collective Digital Studios (CDS), is owned by German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1, which acquired full control of CDS in 2015. Green left Studio71 in 2017, and Izad and Weinstein stepped away from the company last fall.
Joining Underscore Talent’s trio of co-founders as partners are Austin Mayster, previously digital agent at UTA and manager at Studio71; Linnea Toney, formerly at Ryan Seacrest Prods. and manager of talent including Hannah Hart; and Megan Brown, former department head for branding and digital at APA. Additional managers include Noah Swimmer of APA and Vanessa Beals, former partner manager at Collab.
Underscore Talent’s roster of artists, creators and entrepreneurs includes the LaBrant Family, the Royalty Family, Alex Wassabi, Alex Costa, Jon Cozart, Kayla Nicole, the Onyx Family, De’arra and Ken, John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen, Kati Morton and Joy Wilson. The company claims in the last few months it has “executed millions of dollars” worth of brand deals with clients including Clinique and Verizon.
L.A.-based Underscore Talent promises that the creators it reps will receive “a personalized and scalable 360 management experience,” ranging from growth and optimization to brand partnerships and ecommerce opportunities.
“We founded Underscore Talent to pioneer a new style of ‘representation’ — one borne out of our new world and designed with an eye towards the future and not reliant on the playbooks of the past,” Izad said in a statement.
Weinstein added, “We believe that the future belongs to those who can capture meaningful attention to win audiences and ultimately build real influence. The modern entertainer needs to be more than just a creator or personality; they need to be small media businesses growing enterprises optimized to drive engagement and scale of audiences.”
Green, Izad and Weinstein have previously worked with and repped talent including Rhett and Link, Lilly Singh, iJustine, Smosh, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Prince and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Pictured above (l. to r.): Reza Izad, Dan Weinstein, Michael Green