Michael Kassan
Rich Polk/Getty Images, Zandre
UTA has fired Michael Kassan, the influential founder of MediaLink, a strategic advisory firm that the talent agency acquired in 2021 for $125 million.
“Michael Kassan was terminated for cause by UTA on March 7, 2024, following a thorough and thorough third-party investigation into the misappropriation of company funds,” a UTA spokesperson said. hollywood reporter. “We are filing a lawsuit against him today and look forward to setting the facts in court.”
Kassan’s lawyer, Sanford Michelman, said the executive has resigned and is pursuing legal action against Kassan over the way MediaLink is run. (Michael Mann’s full statement is below.) Since selling MediaLink to his UTA, Kassan has remained with the company, leading the division as a UTA partner.
MediaLink is known for its expertise in the media, entertainment and technology sectors and its connections with companies, particularly those related to the advertising industry. Mr. Cassin himself is a frequent speaker at advertising industry events such as CES and Cannes Lions, the French marketing festival that MediaLink has been interested in acquiring since late last year.
The company offers strategy and consulting services offered by big shops like McKinsey and BCG, but more specifically for media and advertising clients. The company is also known to rely on Kassan’s rolodex by arranging conferences like CES, as well as meetings between executives and companies in New York, London, Los Angeles, etc. .
Below is Michael Mann’s full statement regarding his client Kassan.
Michael Kassan has agreed to sell his company MediaLink to UTA. That’s because he believed it would be a great partnership for both companies. However, it was revealed that Jeremy Zimmer had a secret plan to not honor his contract, and when Michael confronted Jeremy Zimmer, Zimmer refused to honor his contract. As you can imagine, when Zimmer began breaking his promises and hindering Media Link’s success, Michael was left with no choice but to resign and sue Zimmer and UTA for breach of contract.
Michael decided to sign with UTA in the first place because the contract he negotiated specifically specified that Michael would oversee the day-to-day operations and long-term strategy of UTA Marketing, and Michael was paid $950,000. He could spend as he saw fit. However, shortly after the deal was finalized, Zimmer began backing out of certain parts of the deal.
First, in exchange for willfully violating the contract, Mr. Zimmer promoted the head of UTA marketing to partner and ensured that MediaLink did not actually oversee day-to-day operations or long-term strategy as promised. Next, Zimmer reduced the very expense account that Michael had negotiated to receive in his contract. If Michael had known that Zimmer wouldn’t honor his contract, he never would have done that.
Michael’s top priority is the success and continued growth of MediaLink, the company he founded over 17 years ago, and he looks forward to ensuring its continued success in the industry.
March 12th 9pm Updated statement from attorney Kassan.
