The Launch of USA Talent
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Meet America’s newest TV News Agency, USA Talent. USA Talent is built on the foundation of giving our clients more. USA is the first and only TV News Agency in America to offer truly unlimited representation. USA Talent offers our clients effective unlimited access, coaching, submissions, career advice, communication and success. Or as we like to say at USA, unlimited, yeah!
USA Talent is founded by the same team that launched America’s largest TV News Agency by agent count, OTA Talent. The OTA Talent and USA Talent connection is similar to a TV station duopoly. The two agencies will offer their clients and the industry an unparalleled level of resources and expertise as the largest combined pure play TV News Agent team in America.
Newly promoted Senior Vice President Kimberly Price explains, “There is a need in the industry for quality broadcast talent agencies that put their clients first. OTA Talent has done that for more than a decade and now USA Talent will do the same, offering unlimited services and support and opening the door to representation for even more people.”
USA Talent has assembled some of the most unique and qualified agents in our industry. Gary McGrady is excited to lead the USA Talent team as its National Director. “Simply put…there is a need! Continued expansion and growth, much like the large media groups we work with every day, will allow USA Talent the opportunity to keep discovering and attracting the most talented broadcasters and guiding them to unlimited possibilities. Drawing on the strong foundation of OTA Talent will allow USA Talent a seamless entrance into the market and effectively realize the overall potential of the broadcasting market,” he shared. McGrady will continue to serve his OTA Talent clients while taking on this new leadership role at USA Talent.
In addition to McGrady, Len Kiese will be a part of the USA Talent national agent team. Kiese has a tremendous journalism background and is enthusiastic to share his expertise to help guide and propel his clients’ careers. “I’m extremely honored to be a TV News Agent for USA Talent, an agency that truly cares about its clients, their career success and the freedom that comes with it. It was very easy to see from the start that it’s not just lip service. It’s truly genuine. And I couldn’t resist the chance to be part of something so exciting and new but with the basic fundamental at the core – keeping clients happy and helping them achieve their goals.” Kiese was most recently the weekday morning anchor at major market KPIX-TV San Francisco, CA.
Stephenie Rogers Ratke joins USA Talent national agent team, representing producers, managers and on-air talent. Rogers Ratke’s expertise spans decades, including network experience and extensive producing, field producing, reporting and weather. “I’m thrilled to join the USA Talent team because of my complete trust in the people behind it. I’ve known and worked with Jeff and Kimberly for years, and Gary and I got our start in the same television market many years ago. I know the level of professionalism and ethics they bring to the table, and I’m proud to be part of it,” Rogers Ratke said.
Filippo Ferretti will lead the Spanish division at USA Talent and will also represent clients in English broadcasting. Ferretti is a talented quadrilingual journalist. Only about three percent of people around the world can speak four languages. Ferretti speaks English, Spanish, Italian and French. He is passionate about specializing in effective unlimited representation to those who may not have access to it in our industry. “I bring a unique combination of assets to the profession. I possess a deep and extensive knowledge of the Hispanic market in the United States. This understanding includes not only language proficiency but also a nuanced grasp of the cultural, social, and political dynamics that shape this important demographic,” Ferretti explained. His career has taken him to more than 20 different countries, where he has worked as a reporter, including war reporter in Afghanistan. Ferretti has worked at international networks and major and large markets as both an anchor and reporter, including New York City, Tampa and Orlando.
CEO and founder Jeff Marcu is proud of what his team has built at OTA Talent and knows there is a big opportunity for partner agency, USA Talent. “We have experienced explosive growth over our nearly 11 years of successfully operating OTA Talent. We forecast we will bring the same level of success and excitement for our clients at USA Talent with our exclusive unlimited representation model. We see many synergies with OTA and USA that will continue to offer our clients a world-class experience with both agencies that they will not find anywhere else.”
