UTA Publishing has hired Zoe Nelson as its first U.K.-based foreign rights agent, Variety can exclusively reveal.
The hire comes as UTA Publishing actively expands its global reach.
Nelson, whose full title is foreign rights director, will tap into her considerable network of international publishers on behalf of UTA’s clients as well as look for and engender new opportunities and broader audiences in translation.
“We are thrilled to welcome Zoe to the team,” Byrd Leavell, head of UTA Publishing, told Variety in a statement. “We work with each of our clients through the entire publication process to ensure their book has every chance of success. The skill and experience she brings to the position now ensures that we will be able to reach readers all over the world.”
Nelson boasts over a decade of experience in foreign rights, during which she created international strategies for authors, who include Booker and Nobel prizewinners as well as commercial blockbusters.
She was previously at Janklow & Nesbit Associates’ U.K. branch, where she oversaw translation sales for both the U.K. and U.S. branches of the company’s client lists as well as launching and heading up its transatlantic rights department.
Nelson began her career in foreign rights at Rogers, Coleridge & White Literary Agency.
UTA Publishing, whose clients span the worlds of global talent, entertainment and sport, has made a number of moves to build on its presence outside of the U.S., particularly in the U.K., including the acquisitions of The Agency Group and Echo Location Talent Agency.
