Ben Schwartz Signs With CAA

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Desi Lydic, who has gained notice during her recent tenure as one of the correspondents at Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” has signed with Artists First, the talent-management firm known for its stable of comic actors. Lydic joined “The Daily Show” as a correspondent in September 2015, just as Trevor Noah started his tenure as host.

EXCLUSIVE: Indian filmmaker Nikhil Nagesh Bhat has signed with WME.

Variety cover star Ice Spice has signed with WME for global representation in all areas, multiple sources confirm to Variety. Terms of the deal are unclear; reps for the artist, her label and WME either declined or did not respond to requests for comment or confirmation. She was previously with CAA.

EXCLUSIVE: After winning one of the highly sought-after roles in the highly-anticipated Beetlejuice 2, Arthur Conti has also found a new agency as the actor has signed with WME.

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy Award-winner Johan Renck has signed with WME.

Naman Ramachandran India-based Banijay Asia has signed with CAA for representation. “Banijay Asia and CAA will work closely to unlock creative opportunities across content and entertainment,” the companies said in a statement.

The cancelations continue ahead of the holiday weekend.

EXCLUSIVE: Buchwald has signed Grammy-winning multi-hyphenate Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose Cyrus for worldwide representation in all areas. 

EXCLUSIVE: Independent Artist Group has signed Terrence Howard, the Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor known for roles in Hustle & Flow, Crash and Empire, for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: Comedic multi-hyphenate Paul Scheer has signed with Sugar23 for management.

EXCLUSIVE: Futureverse, an artificial intelligence and metaverse technology and content company, has signed with Creative Artists Agency.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Tyra Banks is shaking things up at her production company. Formerly known as Bankable Productions, the production shingle will now go by the name SMiZE Productions. The move is a nod to Banks’ ice cream company, SMiZE & Dream.

Bankable Productions, the entertainment company founded by Emmy-winning television producer, host, entrepreneur and supermodel Tyra Banks, is relaunching as SMiZE Productions, a nod to her globally expanding, impact-driven ice cream company, SMiZE & Dream with locations in Australia (coming January 2024) and Dubai.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter, one of the biggest female streamers and gaming creators in the world, has signed with WME for representation. She most recently was repped by UTA. Valkyrae is known for streaming games “Among Us,” “Fortnite” and “Valorant,” among others.

EXCLUSIVE: Pete Davidson has signed with WME. Davidson has been with WME agent Mike Berkowitz for years on the touring front and will now be repped in all areas by the agency.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Jasmina Kuhnke, a German-born writer, actor, author and activist, has signed with CAA for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. Kuhnke’s debut novel, “Black Heart,” is a bestseller. The semi-autobiographical book recounts her experience growing up on the outskirts of the Ruhr region in Germany in the ’90s, and how she grappled with racism.

BreAnna Bell Edward Enninful has signed with WME for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. He continues to be repped for Business Affairs by Tahir Basheer and Chris Paget at Sheridans.

EXCLUSIVE: Courtney Taylor has signed with Anonymous Content for representation.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor CAA has signed Haley Kalil, a scientist turned Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue model, comedic content creator and actor. The Minnesota native attended St. Cloud State University where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in medical biology and psychology and a minor in chemistry.

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy nominee Camila Morrone has signed with Brillstein Entertainment Partners for representation.