LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Although the announcement of the merger between The William Morris Agency and Endeavor is only a week old, the shakeup at the two agencies is already underway and a number of high profile departures have already occured.
Numbered among the ranks of the departing is Endeavor's Richard Abate. A well-regard figure in the lit-agent world, Abate joined Endeavor in 2007 to head up their new New York-based Lit department after a litigious departure from ICM. According to Variety, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh from WMA's beefier lit department will head up operations at the newly formed WME Entertainment.
Brian Lipson is also departing from Endeavor to join lit-management firm IPG, Variety said. Lipson spent a decade long tenure at Endeavor and will bring numerous lit clients with him, including Rex Pickett and the estate of author Stephen Ambrose.
Senior motion picture/lit agent Steve Rabineau, a founding partner at Endeavor, had been at WMA for 5 years but is headed to UTA in the wake of the merger.
Endeavor co-founder Tom Sticker also submitted a letter of resignation after the merger but has not yet made his destination clear.
The Los Angeles Times reported that there are rumors about other agents being in play, including the head of WMA's "reality television" department, Mark Itkin and heavyweight agent David Lonner. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
