Indie Stalwart ICM Agent Bart Walker To Gersh; Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee Among Top Director Clients Making Move
04.08.2022 - 18:11
/ deadline.com
Bart Walker will join Gersh as Senior Partner in the New York office. The longtime ICM agent, who decided not to stay when CAA acquired that agency, will continue to represent his esteemed clients in film, television and theatre including Oscar nominees/winners such as David Byrne, Lisa Cholodenko, Sofia Coppola, Tamara Jenkins, Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Oliver Stone and Thomas Vinterberg; Cannes, Venice and Sundance prize winners such as Mati Diop, Michel Franco, Mia Hansen-Love, Jim Jarmusch, The Kloster Brothers, and Lorenzo Vigas: and multi-hyphenate artists such as Benoit Delhomme, Iram Haq, Sally Potter, Richard Press, and Olmo Schnabel.
Walker, along with ICM indie film head Jessica Lacy, have been fixtures of the film festivals and the independent filmmaking sphere for as long as I can remember. Lacy recently left to join Range Media Partners. He had been talking with agencies and management companies and landing Walker is a coup for Gersh.
“The challenge of the moment in representation is focus and advocacy that is specific to the individual clients,” Walker said in a statement. “My clients and I are thrilled to be joining the team at Gersh. David, Bob and Leslie have created a unique environment, and the agents there have impressed me across the board with their clarity about what it means to represent artists with passion and skill. I believe this is the direction of the future.”
Said Gersh partners Bob Gersh, David Gersh and Leslie Siebert: “Bart Walker is a brilliant agent with impeccable taste. The list of filmmakers he represents is formidable and we anticipate amazing integration with our existing clients. He is one of this industry’s unique agents with an expertise in sourcing financing and securing