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Talitha Watkins wasn’t looking to leave one of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies, Creative Artists Agency her home for the last four years.
But when Issa Rae, the star and cocreator of HBO series “Insecure,” approached Watkins about leading a talent management firm focused on supporting women and people of color, it was an opportunity she couldn’t refuse.
“George Floyd, Amy Cooper and COVID all put a lot of things in question for me,” Watkins said. “There’s that infamous saying, ‘If not now, when?’”
It’s a choice more talent agents are making. As Hollywood grappled with the delay in productions, talent agencies also suffered when their clients were not getting paid. That resulted in significant cutbacks, including layoffs and salary reductions, at major agencies including CAA and WME.