Gersh has made a total of 14 promotions across multiple departments, Variety has learned.
Valentijn Sloot has been named vice president, while Brittany Albis, Benjamin Atkins, Ariadne Bazigos, Jimmy Cheng, Shannon O’Halloran, Lyra Tan, Alyssa Urgo, and Caroline Welker have all been promoted to agent.
In addition, five employees have been promoted to coordinator: Lily Creed (Theater), Jasmine Escareno (Below the Line), Jon Mabie (Comedy), Jake Teall (Theater), and Krystal Virulchanya (Motion Picture Lit).
Sloot began his career in Comedy Central’s talent and specials department before transitioning to representation in 2012 before joining Gersh in 2017. In his new role as vice president, he will oversee high-level talent development, drive strategic touring and digital growth initiatives, and enhance cross-departmental partnerships.
Further details on the agent promotions can be seen below.
–Brittany Albis (Digital) began her career working in digital representation at Buchwald. She became a coordinator at A3 Artists Agency and moved to Gersh as a part of its acquisition in January of last year.
–Benjamin Atkins (Branding & Conventions) previously worked in Canadian politics as a consultant, serving on campaign leadership teams for multiple cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials. Atkins began his entertainment career at ICM before joining Gersh in 2022 as a coordinator.
–Ariadne Bazigos (Digital) began her career booking talent in Viacom’s Ad Sales division and later worked in digital marketing for a number of AI startups. In 2022, she joined the digital department at A3 and joined Gersh as a coordinator as part of the acquisition.
–Jimmy Cheng (Motion Picture Literary) began his entertainment career working in development before making the shift to representation. Cheng has been with Gersh since 2021, serving as an assistant and then coordinator.
–Shannon O’Halloran (Comedy) joined Gersh in 2021 as a comedy touring assistant and was elevated coordinator 18 months later. Alongside Gersh’s Alyssa Urgo, she also launched Loud Mouths – a monthly comedy show aimed at connecting comedians with industry professionals.
–Lyra Tan (TV Literary) began her career at Gersh as a floater in the TV lit department in 2021. After a time as an agent assistant, she was promoted to coordinator in 2022.
–Alyssa Urgo (Talent) joined Gersh in 2021 as an assistant in the talent department and was quickly elevated to coordinator, working across both the comedy and talent departments. Along with O’Halloran she founded Loud Mouths.
–Caroline Welker (Alternative) began her career as an assistant at Ryan Seacrest Productions before moving to A3 Artists Agency as an assistant in the alternative department. Welker was promoted to coordinator in 2022 and moved to Gersh in 2024.
The promotions follow the recent leadership restructure at Gersh that saw Leslie Siebert named sole president. Gersh also recently launched new divisions in digital, voice, and sports representation, doubled its staff to over 600, and expanded its global footprint to 16 countries.