Hollywood’s New Leaders and 10 Assistants to Watch, along with their guests, mingled in the wide aisles of the Theory clothing boutique in West Hollywood on Oct. 24 at the Variety event celebrating the new generation of leadership in entertainment.
The crowd included agents, managers, lawyers, bankers, execs — all 36 and under. Up-and-coming coordinators and assistants rounded out the partygoers.
Viola Davis (above, center) sang the praises of Kaylon Hunt, one of the Assistants to Watch. “He keeps our lives organized, and makes sure things run smoothly even in the middle of a storm,” she said. Hunt helps manage JuVee Productions, the company Davis runs with husband/partner Julius Tennon.
JuVee is expanding, said Tennon, from its focus on projects for Davis into a larger shop that will offer more opportunities for people of color. Davis and JuVee are repped by CAA.
Veteran multihyphenate Jerry Weintraub, recipient of Variety’s 2013 Creative Leadership Award, shared his thoughts on the biz with the young group, whose average age was less than half his own.
In a conversation with Variety executive editor Steven Gaydos, he advised them not to be in awe of anyone they do business with. “If you are, they can control you,” he said.
Weintraub, a self-admitted vodka imbiber who started out in the William Morris mailroom, shared that the only part of his career he didn’t enjoy was being an agent. A 24/7 workaholic, he considers work to be fun and fun to be work: “I love to work. I don’t like beaches. For me, working is a vacation, going to the beach is work.”
“I’ve never been afraid of anything,” added the Boston Red Sox fan, whose team was losing Game 2 of the World Series even as he was speaking. “I keep going like the Energizer Bunny.”
