UTA appoints Scott Clayton as co-head of global music

United Talent Agency (UTA) has appointed Scott Clayton as co-head of its global music division, and as a partner.

He will join existing UTA global music co-heads Sam Kirby Yoh and David Zedeck to form a leadership trio spanning UTA’s New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville music offices.

Clayton joins UTA from WME where he was a partner and co-head of the agency’s music division. He has worked with artists including John Mayer, Zac Brown Band, Kings of Leon, Dead & Company, Train, My Morning Jacket, Michael Franti and Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Based in Nashville, Clayton previously worked at CAA for 17 years as a co-head of its Nashville office, served as co-chair with the mayor of Nashville of the city’s Music City Music Council, and is a member of the Nashville Public Radio board of directors.

The move follows the hires of Carlos Abreu and Matt Lee, based in London, and the acquisition of UK-based Echo Location Talent Agency Echo was founded and led by Obi Asika, who now serves as co-head of UTA’s UK office alongside Neil Warnock.

Other hires include agents Jeffrey Hasson, Brett Saliba, Matt Korn, and Emily Wright, who are based in Nashville; agents Matt Meyer and Robbie Brown, based in Los Angeles and director of creative strategy Rebecca Prochnik.

UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said, “Scott is the epitome of what we look for in a leader at UTA: he is a strong advocate for artists and has a long history of supporting and mentoring colleagues.

“Sam and David have done a great job building a world-class team and we are very excited for Scott to join us as we continue to grow our music practice.”

Clayton said, “Over the past few years, I have witnessed the incredible job UTA has done to expand and elevate the music department.

“Sam, David, and the team have shown true innovation and leadership during this unprecedented time and have really delivered for their artists across all genres. I am very excited to be joining a company that has built a culture that is grounded in transparency with colleagues and in service to clients.”