(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) – Major changes abound at the 56-year-old family-owned and operated boutique, The Gersh Agency.
The company will break ground next year on new headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, which will open its doors in early 2007. Also, for the first time, the agency has bestowed partnerships upon 10 major agents at the company.
Co-presidents and principal owners David and Bob Gersh, who ran the agency with their father, late founder Phil Gersh, announced the company shifts earlier this week, according to Variety. The brothers will head the core management committee along with Leslie Siebert, who became the sole non-Gersh to become a partner at the company nine years ago. Siebert has now risen to senior managing partner status.
Elevated to partner level are L.A.-based film and television agents Lorrie Bartlett, David DeCamillo, Chuck James and Ken Kaplan; comedy/personal appearance division head Rick Greenstein; feature literature head Richard Arlook; and television literature division head Gary Loder. Gersh also made partners out of New York-based head Bill Butler, and talent agents Stephen Hirsh and Rhonda Price.
While they won’t give the exact location of the new digs, Variety is reporting that they will have 40,000 square feet and state-of-the-art screening and conference rooms. The company will remain the New York office as well, and will be expanding the space.
“We’ve had tremendous growth for the past five or so years in all areas of this company and wanted to both reward the people who’ve been a big part and ensure for future success with the people we’ve cultivated,” Bob Gersh said. “We wanted to give them a sense of ownership, to get away from the notion this is just a job.”
David Gersh said, “This helps us get away from the notion this is simply a family business, and it is valuable to be able to go out in the community and offer someone a stake in the company.” It is, he added, “a perception-changing move for us.” –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
