In early 1991, 20-year-old Tupac Shakur was torn between ambitions of acting and rapping, and struggling to catch a break on both fronts. He had studied theater at the Baltimore School for the Arts and toured with the west coast hip-hop collective Digital Underground, but acting opportunities were scarce and he had yet to finish the demo tape that would launch him to stardom. His luck would turn when Digital Underground’s road manager, Sleuth, received a call from Cara Lewis, the group’s booking agent at William Morris. A film director named Ernest Dickerson was looking for actors for a movie called Juice and they invited Money-b, a fellow member of the collective, to audition. Dickerson had earned acclaim for his work as Spike Lee’s director of photography on a run of films, including She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, and Jungle Fever.
- 10/24/2023
- by Staci Robinson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Confidence, self-sufficiency and a certain amount of audacity were the themes of an hour-plus-long appearance by Diy rapper Russ at New York University’s Steinhardt School on Wednesday, where he told the story behind his own path to success and gave advice on the positives and pitfalls along the way. The 25-year-old Atlanta-based Mc’s official debut album, “There’s Really a Wolf,” was released last May on his own Russ My Way label through Columbia, debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 7 and has been certified gold by the RIAA; the singles “What They Want” and “Losin’ Control” are certified platinum; he’s clocked over 675 million total YouTube views. Russ (full name: Russell Vitale) writes, produces, engineers, mixes and masters his recordings entirely by himself.
Interviewed by Larry Miller, director of NYU Steinhardt’s Music Business Program, Russ peppered his history with career advice. (The panel was hosted by NYU...
Interviewed by Larry Miller, director of NYU Steinhardt’s Music Business Program, Russ peppered his history with career advice. (The panel was hosted by NYU...
- 3/29/2018
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Hip-hop agent Cara Lewis is leaving talent agency CAA, Billboard has confirmed. The New York-based Lewis joined the firm in 2012 after a 23-year run at rival William Morris Endeavor. She has represented the likes of Kanye West, who left CAA for UTA in March, Eminem, Tupac Shakur and Public Enemy. Her more recent signings include Iggy Azalea, Magic!, Waka Flocka, Rita Ora and Pusha-t. { "nid": 799742, "type": "news", "title": "See the CAA Defectors in New UTA Partner Class Photo", "path": "http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/see-caa-defectors-new-uta-799742", "relative-path": "/news/see-caa-defectors-new-
read more...
read more...
- 11/4/2015
- by Lars Brandle, Billboard
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CAA and veteran music agent Cara Lewis agreed to part ways, yesterday. Lewis joined the agency several years ago after ending 23 years with Wma/Wme when they could not come to terms on a new deal. Shortly after that, she brought her longtime client Kanye West to the CAA fold. He has since left, and her current client list includes Eminem, Chance The Rapper, Travis Scott, Hoodie Allen, Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora. Lewis was still there yesterday, but I didn’t get a return…...
- 10/30/2015
- Deadline
Spike Lee is making his next movie for Amazon Studios and the Oscar-nominated filmmaker is courting Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Piven, Common and Kanye West for the ensemble cast of “Chiraq,” multiple individuals familiar with the project have told TheWrap. Representatives for Common and West did not respond to multiple requests for comment, while a representative for Amazon declined to comment. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but “Chiraq” became synonymous with Chicago as the city became increasingly plagued by gun violence in recent years. Also Read: Kanye West Drops Longtime CAA Agent Cara Lewis for UTA (Exclusive) Piven and West are.
- 4/8/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Former CAA agents Jason Heyman, Martin Lesak, Gregory McKnight, Greg Cavic and Nick Nuciforo have joined UTA as agents and partners of the agency, TheWrap has learned. Representatives for CAA and UTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment, which quickly prompted an official announcement from UTA. Heyman will also serve as a Special Advisor to UTA’s Board of Directors, while Nuciforo will head the agency’s comedy touring division. Also Read: Kanye West Drops Longtime CAA Agent Cara Lewis for UTA (Exclusive) As a group, Heyman, Lesak, McKnight, Cavic and Nuciforo represent leading artists working in film,...
- 3/31/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Kanye West has left CAA and his longtime agent Cara Lewis for UTA, which will represent the Grammy-winning artist in all areas, TheWrap has learned. An individual with knowledge of West’s agency move told TheWrap that West felt CAA wasn’t delivering for him in areas outside of touring, which represented the agency’s best chance to generate income for the outspoken musician. CAA didn’t commission the majority of West’s touring because of his deal with Live Nation. A representative for CAA declined to comment. Also Read: Kanye West Apologizes to Beck for Grammy Outburst The “Yeezus...
- 3/25/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Kanye West has moved to CAA, following longtime agent Cara Lewis to the agency she joined in January. Lewis counted A-list music talent, such as Eminem, Rihanna and Cee Lo Green, as her clients while at Wme and earlier William Morris, where she worked for more than 20 years. After she moved from Ari Emanuel's Beverly Hills shop to Century City, many speculated about which of of her clients would come with her. West is a key client, given his thriving music career and interest in areas such as fashion and film. The 18-time...
- 7/19/2012
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Exclusive: CAA has just signed Kanye West. He reunites with Cara Lewis, the music agent who repped West at Wme before she moved to CAA in January. West is a big piece of business. He’s won 18 Grammy Awards and sold more than 19 million albums and 32 million digital songs. His recent tour team up with Jay-z, Watch The Throne, is the highest grossing hip hop tour of all time.
- 7/19/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Kanye West had been tweeting only sporadically in the last few weeks, but the Grammy-nominated rapper went on a Twitter tear on Wednesday, Jan. 4. In what began as a moment of clarification, West kicked off his rant at just after 10 a.m. Pst, writing that his former agent Cara Lewis, who had recently left William Morris Endeavor for CAA, was not fired. Rather, he cut off professional ties with the agency after she quit. He also confirmed, as the Hollywood Reporter previously reported, that he is currently without representation. Review: Jay-z, Kanye West: 'Watch The Throne'
read more...
read more...
- 1/5/2012
- by Shirley Halperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update: CAA has confirmed the hiring of Cara Lewis. Release appears below original story. Exclusive: Cara Lewis, a dominant agent in the hip-hop sphere, has landed at CAA. Deadline revealed that she was leaving her longtime perch at Wme after that agency didn’t renew her contract. Lewis spent 23 years at Wma and Wme, and her client list includes Kanye West, Eminem, Rihanna, B.o.B, Big Boi, Common, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, Nas, Ne-Yo, Pitbull, Soulja Boy, the Roots and Tinie Tempah. Los Angeles (January 3, 2012) – Music agent Cara Lewis has joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency. Lewis comes to CAA from William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (Wme), where she was a Senior Vice President. Lewis will be based in the agency’s New York office. “Cara has built a remarkable career cultivating the careers of some of the most acclaimed artists in music today,...
- 1/3/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Exclusive: A "floater" working in WME Entertainment's NYC office sent this goodbye email to the entire agency on Friday. My insider tells me he "got support from so many people afraid to speak up inside those quiet walls. Funny thing, it was the talk of our office. They eventually recalled the email and erased it from everyone's computers... But by that time, everyone had already read it." His name is Marcus Washington, he's an African American, and his main area was music. He started off assisting for Cara Lewis. So why did he ultimately leave, especially at a time when [...]...
- 4/12/2010
- by Nikki Finke
- Deadline Hollywood
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.