United Talent Agency Acquires Esports Companies Press X and Everyday Influencers

By Stefanie Fogel

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – United Talent Agency (UTA) is expanding its foothold in the video game industry. The talent agency just acquired two esports companies — talent agency Press X and management company Everyday Influencers — it announced on Wednesday.

The acquisitions will add 90 top esports athletes and streamers to UTA’s portfolio, including “League of Legends” stars Aphromoo and sOAZ, along with streamers Imaqtpie, Pokimane, and Disguised Toast. This reportedly makes UTA the only talent and entertainment company currently representing both esports talent and streamers, as well as game developers.

“As we identify and adopt early trends within the digital ecosystem, we recognized that the acquisition of Press X and Everyday Influencers would be a forward-looking opportunity for us,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. “The gaming sector is projected to reach over $135 billion this year and esports and streaming are critical components of any strategy for growth. For UTA, these categories are complementary to our existing gaming practice and our business overall.”

UTA’s games division navigates publishing deals, employment contracts, intellectual property deals, and more. With Press X and Everyday Influencers, it will now offer a wider range of opportunities for clients like endorsements, book deals, and speaking tours. Some of its clients include “BioShock” creator Ken Levine, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson, Klei Entertainment, Big Huge Games, Panache Digital Games, Moon Studios, and “Her Story” creator Sam Barlow.

Press X and Everyday Influencers co-founder Damon Lau will head UTA’s newly minted esports group and report to UTA Games head Ophir Lupu (above) and UTA Ventures head Sam Wick. Attorneys for UTA included entertainment partner David Eisman and associate Allison Hunter of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Ned Sherman at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips negotiated on behalf of Press X and Everyday Influencers

This is the most recent UTA expansion. Previous UTA endeavors pushed into music, broadcast news, and live speaking. Earlier this year, UTA acquired one of the leading electronic music agencies, Circle Talent Agency, following the acquisition of the Greater Talent Network, one of the most influential speaker’s bureaus, in the fall of last year.