Verve, the talent and literary agency, is expanding into the endorsements arena as it looks for ways to grow its representation business.
The agency, led by newly promoted CEO Bill Weinstein, said on February 6 it hired ICM, Gersh and CAA veteran Max Nagler to oversee partnerships, and will eventually look to add positions to the newly created Commercial Endorsement and Strategic Innovation unit.
Verve, which now counts 120-plus employees and 52 agents, and has offices in Los Angeles and New York, has aimed to reach beyond its literary agency focus to compete with full-service majors like UTA, WME and CAA for film, TV, audio and publishing clients.
Nagler most recently ran his own firm, titled the Union Agency, that focused on commercial endorsements and made deals with T-Mobile, Twitch, Discord, Balenciaga, Unilever, Crocs, TOMS and Armani Beauty.
He began his agency run in the mailroom at ICM before working in CAA’s Lifestyle & Licensing Group and then, in 2013, shepherding Gersh’s Commercial Endorsement and Licensing Group, before moving back to CAA to work on music merchandising. In 2015, Nagler made The Hollywood Reporter‘s Next Gen executives list, which noted he closed pacts for clients including Sharon Stone (for Restylane), Jeffrey Tambor (for DirecTV), Kevin Nealon (for State Farm) and Patricia Arquette (for Marina Rinaldi).
“Verve is thrilled to welcome Max to the Verve team and expand our business to include commercial endorsements,” read a joint statement from Verve’s 11 partners. “By offering these services, we can help our clients continue to build their personal and professional brands, and help brands and companies connect with the right talent.”
Nagler, who will be based in the Los Angeles office, added, “Verve is different than any other agency I have been exposed to. They care deeply about building business around and for their clients, with creativity and storytelling being the guide.”