Exclusive: Talent agency KMR Talent has left the Talent Agents Association (ATA), the trade organization for talent agencies that negotiates agency franchise agreements with major entertainment unions and lobbies legislatively on behalf of its members.
The exact timing of the exit is unclear but recent. One source suggests this may have happened after Deadline’s report on Friday about major delays in customer payments by the agency sparked rumors that it might back down. KMR owner and president Mark Measures did not respond to an email seeking comment.
In an interview with Deadline Friday, Measures admitted that the agency is facing a “collapse in talent pay” as reps who partner clients with KMR revealed to Deadline that reps have been waiting for months to get their checks. There are additional testimonials in the comments section of our story about how long this took and how the agency was handling customer payment requests.
Measures blamed the situation on banking issues, payment database disruptions, and the loss of KMR’s head of talent payments, stressing that the agency was “actively working on an exit”.
When pressed about the future of KMR Talent, Measures maintained that the agency was “not in danger of closing” given its “vibrant client list” and group of “dedicated agents,” and criticized Hollywood’s “rumor mill” for spreading speculation.
Comments on the measures were met with skepticism by KMR staff and clients who contacted Deadline after our story.
KMR Talent, also known as Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates, began as The Wormser Agency, which in 1957 became the first commercial voice-over agency in Los Angeles. It represents a large number of actors who work in television series and has a strong commercial division in New York.