ICM Partners has acquired New York-based Headline Media Management, the boutique talent agency that reps TV news and sports personalities including “Today’s” Savannah Guthrie, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, and ESPN’s Chris Berman.
The deal greatly expands ICM’s activity in the realm of anchors, hosts, and producers who work in TV news, sports, and unscripted lifestyle programming. HMM CEO Lou Oppenheim and president Michael Glantz will become partners at ICM. Oppenheim will serve as head of ICM’s new broadcasting department; Glantz will oversee the news and programming side of the department.
Oppenheim and Glantz owned the agency outright. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. HMM has about 12 employees, including three agents who will all be joining ICM.
“Lou and Michael have built an incredibly successful business representing clients at the forefront of sports and news broadcasting,” ICM Partners’ Chris Silbermann and Ted Chervin said in a statement. “Their client-first approach to representation perfectly aligns with the way we run our company.”
HMM’s roster also includes such personalities as Meredith Vieira, Mike Golic, Kevin Harlan, Mike Emrick, John Berman, Tom Jackson, Brad Nessler, Keith Hernandez, Brianna Keilar, Ryan Clark, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire.
Oppenheim said the union with ICM would benefit clients by giving them access to ICM’s resources and intel in other sectors of media and entertainment.
“We’ll continue to provide hands-on, personal service, while drawing on the resources of the agency that extend our reach to opportunities in film, television, branding, publishing, live appearances, and digital ventures,” he said. Added Glantz: “We look forward to integrating our staff into the team at the agency, building on our business, and providing our clients with unparalleled representation.”
The deal came together over the past two years after ICM worked with Oppenheim and Glantz on deals for Vieira in the production and endorsement arena. The companies realized they had similar philosophies and approaches to repping clients. ICM partner Chuck James facilitated the initial relationship with ICM, Vieira, and HMM.
“This was a very painstaking process,” Chervin said of the acquisition. “We wanted to make sure that it met everybody’s needs and that everybody felt great about it.”
HMM in its current state was founded in 2004. It previously operated as Athletes & Artists, Marquee Group, and SFX Media Group. Oppenheim began his career at Athletes & Artists in 1981; Glantz joined Athletes and Artists in 1990.
The HMM team will move under the same roof as ICM’s New York team when the agency moves into a new office space in Midtown later this year.
(Pictured: Michael Glantz, Lou Oppenheim)
