Top trio departs UTA for Endeavor

UTA partners Nick Stevens, Lisa Hallerman and Sharon Sheinwold -- whose client list includes Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Owen Wilson and writer-producer Judd Apatow -- will strengthen rival Endeavor's pitch as the "clear alternative" in the film business to industry leader Creative Artists Agency.

Industry executives predict more musical chairs among high-profile agents, as the five major firms strive for an advantage after the three-month Hollywood writers strike. They are also grappling with the trend toward reality TV programming and away from scripted shows that have traditionally been a huge source of revenue.

The shifts could spur further consolidation, like the 2006 purchase of television specialist Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann by International Creative Management, one of the five big agencies. The others are CAA, UTA, Endeavor and William Morris.

On Sunday, Stiller confirmed that he would work with the Stevens team at Endeavor.

Stevens and Endeavor partners declined to comment on the exits from UTA.

UTA Chairman Jim Berkus said long-simmering tensions between Stevens, who ran the agency's talent division, and other partners finally came to a head, prompting the move.

Berkus said Stevens, 44, who had spent more than a decade and a half at UTA, chose to leave when the agency asked him to step down from the board as part of a management "restructuring."

"We enjoyed a lot of success together, but over the last few years his vision and our vision of how this agency should be run started to diverge," Berkus said. "Over the last few months, the divergence became wider and at some point untenable."

The shake-up had been rumored for about a week but terms weren't hashed out until Friday night, according to agents at both firms.

Berkus and senior partners Tracey Jacobs and David Guillod will oversee UTA's talent division, at least for now.

Stevens has a reputation for keeping irregular hours, handling business by cellphone and spending a lot of time with his family, but also for working hard on behalf of his clients.