UTA’s MediaLink Sets Senior Exec Team Amid Ongoing Legal Battle With Michael Kassan
UTA has set the leadership team at MediaLink as the company’s legal brawl with Michael Kassan continues.
The Marketing Consulting unit at MediaLink will be led by Donna Sharp, along with Andrea Kerr Redniss and Lena Petersen. Media & Tech Strategy Consulting will be headed up by Christopher Vollmer, Devrie DeMarco and Mark Wagman. All had already been working at MediaLink, and the new move is not quite a round of promotions, but their leadership roles are being officially highlighted in Kassan’s absence. They will report directly to UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer.
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The news was conveyed to employees Tuesday morning in a staff email.
“This group has been leading the work and delivering results for clients for many years now,” Zimmer said. “Diving in with them over the last few weeks has given us tremendous confidence in their ability to lead MediaLink and drive the business forward.”
UTA acquired MediaLink in 2021 for $125 million. Kassan, who founded the firm, was made a partner at UTA after the deal and continued to oversee the consulting practice. Earlier this year, however, a major rift in the relationship went public, with the parties suing each other, trading allegations of fraud and breach of contract. The case, which has been accompanied by pointed back-and-forth between the opponents, remains pending, with many of the claims referred to arbitration.
The newly reaffirmed top execs are “joined by a broader team of seasoned operators who deeply understand MediaLink’s business and culture and round out the company’s executive leadership,” an announcement said. The team will continue to offer a range of advisory services to brands, retailers, media companies, technology platforms, private equity investors and others.
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