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Jay Sures
Sures in 2022
Born (1966-11-02) November 2, 1966 (age 58)
Canada
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles
EmployerUnited Talent Agency
TitleVice Chairman
Board member ofRegents of the University of California
SpouseLinda Nyvltova[1]
Children3

Jay Sures (born November 2, 1966) is an American entertainment industry executive and talent agent, and vice chairman of United Talent Agency.

Early life and education

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Born in 1966[2] in Canada, Sures was raised in Los Angeles and is of Jewish descent.[3][4] He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he has been an assistant visiting professor for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.[5]

Career

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Sures' career with United Talent Agency (UTA) began with the establishment of the agency in 1991, where he worked in the mailroom and assisted co-founder Peter Benedek.[5][6][7] He became a talent agent when UTA first formed,[8] and was promoted to partner in 1998.[9] Sures joined the board of directors in 2003.[8] He and David Kramer held managing director roles starting in 2010,[6][10] and both became co-presidents in September 2017.[6][10] Sures was named vice chairman of UTA in September 2022.[11] Sures is also a co-founder of the UTA Foundation, the agency's non-profit organization.[5]

Sures leads the agency's news, broadcast and television divisions,[6] as well as the acquired Greater Talent Network speakers division.[5][7][10] He began managing UTA's news and broadcast division after leading the agency's 2014 acquisition of N.S. Bienstock.[5][12][13]

Sures was appointed to the Television Academy's Executive Committee in 2014,[14] and inducted into Broadcasting & Cable's Hall of Fame in 2016.[15]

Throughout his career, Sures has represented Fareed Zakaria, David Muir, Anderson Cooper, Bret Baier, Norah O'Donnell, Margaret Brennan, Jen Psaki,[16] Jake Tapper,[17] Chuck Todd, Elizabeth Vargas, Jenna Bush Hager, Chuck Lorre, Steve Levitan, Darren Star, Larry Wilmore, and Ryan Seacrest.[5][18]

Sures led contract negotiations between United Talent Agency and the Writers Guild of America. Focusing primarily on a practice known as packaging, the impasse resulted in a lawsuit and WGA members firing their agents in April 2019.[19][20] After months of backchannel negotiations,[21] Sures announced that United Talent Agency had reached an agreement with the Writer's Guild, becoming the first major talent agency to do so.[21]

Beginning in 2016, Sures has hosted an annual party in Washington, D.C., the night before the White House Correspondents Dinner that blends the worlds of politics, entertainment and media.[22]

In September 2023, Sures was named chairman of the board of Triad National Security, which manages the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is chairman of the board of governors that oversees the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Both labs are managed in part by the University of California and the Department of Energy.[23]

In October 2023, Sures in his role as a UC regent, publicly rebuked the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council request that UC leaders retract their statement declaring the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel “an act of terrorism…that deserves and requires our collective condemnation.” [24] In November, the UC Regents committed $7 million to emergency mental health services, programs focused on better understanding antisemitism and Islamophobia, and training for faculty and staff on how to navigate their roles as educators.[25]

Personal life

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Sures is a political activist and a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party.[12] In 2016, he hosted a fundraiser for Senator Tim Kaine, then Hillary Clinton's selection for vice president in the U.S. presidential election.[26][27] Earlier in the race, he had supported Joe Biden.[28] He pledged his support for Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom in California's 2018 gubernatorial race.[29]

Sures joined the Entertainment Industry Foundation's board of directors in 2008.[30][31] Sures was appointed to the Regents of the University of California[32] in January 2019 by former Governor Jerry Brown. He was reappointed for a 12-year term by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020.[33]

In January 2019, it was announced that Sures, along with Rande Gerber and his spouse Cindy Crawford, Michael Meldman, and Jeff Shell would purchase the iconic Hollywood deli, Nate ‘n Al, to keep its doors open after three generations of family ownership.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Don Lemon's CNN Ousting Didn't Stop Him from Having Fun". 26 August 2023.
  2. ^ Hollywood Reporter: "The THR 100: Hollywood Reporter's Most Powerful People in Entertainment - Jeremy Zimmer, David Kramer and Jay Sures CEO; Managing directors, United Talent Agency" June 21, 2017
  3. ^ Klug, Lisa (23 June 2016). "Who said Jews run Hollywood? Inaugural list of 100 prominent players in Tinseltown shows a lack of diversity -- and a whole lot of MOT". Times of Israel.
  4. ^ Variety Magazine 500: Jay Sures retrieved October 21, 2017
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Jay Sures". Variety. 4 October 2017. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Littleton, Cynthia (September 6, 2017). "UTA Promotes David Kramer and Jay Sures to Co-Presidents". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Wyche, Elbert (September 6, 2017). "David Kramer, Jay Sures named co-presidents of UTA". Screen International. ISSN 0307-4617. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Schneider, Michael; Adalian, Josef (October 20, 2003). "UTA partner Sures tapped for tenpercentery's board. (United Theater Artists appoints Jay Sures to board of directors)". Daily Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
  9. ^ Petrikin, Chris (April 23, 1998). "UTA ups 5 agents". Variety. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Sun, Rebecca (September 6, 2017). "UTA Ups David Kramer and Jay Sures to Co-Presidents". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  11. ^ Hayes, Dade (2022-09-13). "UTA Elevates Co-Presidents David Kramer To President, Jay Sures To Vice Chairman". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  12. ^ a b "The Playbook Interview: Jay Sures". Politico. Capitol News Company. April 1, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  13. ^ Rose, Lacey; Guthrie, Marisa (January 22, 2014). "UTA Acquires New York TV News Power Agency N.S. Bienstock". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  14. ^ "TV Academy Names John Landgraf, Michael Lombardo, Steve Mosko, Ted Sarandos, Jay Sures, Nina Tassler To Executive Committee". Deadline Hollywood. 24 January 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  15. ^ "Broadcasting & Cable Names 2016 Hall of Fame Class". Twice. July 26, 2016. ISSN 0892-7278. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  16. ^ Malcolm, Shawna (June 28, 2013). "Henry Bromell's Legacy Looms Large Over 'Homeland'". Variety. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  17. ^ Andrews-Dyer, Helena (June 15, 2015). "Jake Tapper celebrates new gig at the Palm". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  18. ^ Rosman, Katherine (March 20, 2012). "A Man of Many Screens". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. OCLC 781541372. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  19. ^ "Over 7,000 Writers Fire Their Agents as New Reality Takes Hold". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  20. ^ Kay2020-07-15T09:47:00+01:00, Jeremy. "UTA, Writers Guild of America break deadlock". Screen. Retrieved 2020-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ a b Robb, David; Andreeva, Nellie (2019-05-23). "WGA Accepts Agencies' Offer To Resume Talks Initiated By UTA's Jay Sures – Update". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  22. ^ Lejeune, Tristan (2018-04-05). "United Talent Agency announces third annual White House Correspondents' party". TheHill. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  23. ^ Writer, Matthew Narvaiz / Journal Staff (2023-12-14). "LANL management contractor names new board chair". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  24. ^ Tapp, Tom (2023-10-31). "UTA's Jay Sures Condemns Israel-Gaza Letter From UC Faculty Group, Calls Missive "Appalling And Repugnant"". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  25. ^ Zinshteyn, Mikhail (2023-11-15). "UC regents tackle free speech, safety concerns amid Israel-Palestine conflict". CalMatters. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  26. ^ "Tim Kaine headlining fundraiser at Eva Longoria's home". Los Angeles Daily News. Digital First Media. September 15, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  27. ^ "Tim Kaine to Begin 2-Day Fundraising Swing Through Los Angeles". KCAL-TV. September 19, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  28. ^ Johnson, Ted (September 25, 2015). "Hollywood Donors Weigh a Hillary Clinton vs. Joseph Biden Race". Variety. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  29. ^ Johnson, Ted (April 27, 2018). "UTA's D.C. Bash Will Reflect Era of Trump, Even if He's a Correspondents Dinner No Show". Variety. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  30. ^ Kivel, Matthew (July 17, 2008). "EIF organization announces board". Variety. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  31. ^ "Toast of the valley". Napa Valley Register. Lee Enterprises. July 7, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  32. ^ Lincoln, Ross A. (2019-01-05). "UTA Co-President Jay Sures Appointed to UC Board of Regents". SFGate. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  33. ^ Thorne, Will (2020-01-21). "UTA Co-President Jay Sures Reappointed to University of California Board of Regents". Variety. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  34. ^ Donnelly, Matt (2019-01-13). "Hollywood Power Players Assemble to Save Iconic Deli Nate 'n Al". Variety. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
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