D.B. Sweeney Signs With Defining Artists Agency

Boxing legend Ricky Hatton has appeared to have confirmed his reported romance with former Brookside star Claire Sweeney, sharing an adorable post on her birthday.The pair, who both wowed audiences on ITV's Dancing On Ice, are reportedly smitten with one another. Ricky, 45, known for his prowess in the ring as 'The Hitman', and Corrie star Claire, 52, are reported to be dating, after being spotted on a pub crawl around Ricky's hometown in Greater Manchester. Fans were thrilled to see the chemistry between the two during their stint on the ice-skating competition, which was ultimately won by former Corrie actor Ryan Thomas.

EXCLUSIVE: Terrence Terrell (Giants, Obliterated) has signed with Ascend Artists Representation.

EXCLUSIVE: M88 has signed actor Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: Milo Ventimiglia, star of This is Us and Heroes, has new representation.

EXCLUSIVE: Sam Catlin has signed with CAA for representation. 

EXCLUSIVE: Tom Payne, the British actor who starred in Fox drama series Prodigal Son, has new representation.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Fresh off his win at WrestleMania 40, WWE star Damian Priest has signed with Paradigm for representation in all areas, Variety has learned exclusively. Paradigm will work to build his business across books, acting, marketing, unscripted and more. Priest, who was born Luis Berrios (Martinez), most recently won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship during Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract against Drew McIntire, who himself had just won the championship from Seth Rollins.

Veteran character actor J.C. Mackenzie has signed with Artists & Representatives for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed stand-up comedian, actor, and creator Frankie Quiñones (This Fool) for representation in all areas.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Heatseeking filmmaker Olmo Schnabel has signed for representation with WME, and with Black Bear for management. Schnabel’s breakout directorial effort “Pet Shop Days” played both the Venice International Film Festival and SXSW this cycle, scoring distribution from Utopia for a 2024 theatrical release. Starring Darío Yazbek Bernal, Willem Dafoe and Peter Sarsgaard, the film tells of a drug lord scion on the run from his powerful family.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Lucius has signed with Fantasy Records for future album releases, including the first to come down the chute in the deal, an all-new re-recording of the group’s seminal “Wildewoman” album. Set for release May 31, “Wildewoman (The New Recording)” will include 12-13 freshly recorded tracks, including songs with featured appearances by Brandi Carlile, Marcus Mumford and Devon Gilfillian.

EXCLUSIVE: Showrunner and screenwriter Trey Callaway (The Messengers) has taken on new reps at Independent Artist Group and Echo Lake Entertainment.

Katcy Stephan Filmmaker Caroline Lindy has signed with CAA, Variety can exclusively reveal. Lindy is the writer and director of the romantic-comedy horror film “Your Monster,” which debuted in the Midnight section at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Lindy previously directed the short films “Kindred Spirit” and “Aspirational Slut,” the latter of which was awarded the Audience Award at the 2022 SXSW and Montreal’s Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.

SHINee singer Taemin has officially signed with Big Planet Made, shortly after leaving longtime agency SM Entertainment.Big Planet Made announced today (April 1) in a statement to South Korean outlet Star News that the company has “signed an exclusive contract with singer Taemin, who is unparalleled in his activities both as SHINee’s main dancer and as a solo artist”, per Soompi. “We will actively support Taemin’s wide range of activities in his music career, and we will do our utmost so that he can soar in broader places and in a variety of directions.

EXCLUSIVE: Shakira Barrera has signed with Innovative Artists for representation.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Takashi Yamazaki, the Japanese filmmaker behind Oscar-winning smash hit “Godzilla Minus One,” has signed with CAA for representation. “Godzilla Minus One,” on which Yamazaki served as writer, director and VFX supervisor, earned the first-ever nomination and win for a Japanese production in the VFX category at the Academy Awards earlier this month. The film beat strong contenders such as “The Creator,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

EXCLUSIVE: Anthony E. Zuiker, the creator of the hugely successful CSI TV franchise, has signed with boutique management firm Literate.

EXCLUSIVE: Actor, writer, director, producer Tosin Morohunfola has signed with ColorCreative for management.

Katcy Stephan Actor and comedian Zach Woods has signed with the Gersh Agency for representation in all areas. Woods is best known for his work on critically acclaimed series “Silicon Valley” and “The Office.” He played Donald “Jared” Dunn for six seasons on “Silicon Valley” and joined “The Office” as Gabe Lewis starting in Season 6.

EXCLUSIVE: Saturday Night Live alum Chris Parnell has signed with Buchwald for representation.