Jay Sures (born 1966) is an American entertainment industry executive and

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...

, currently serving as vice chairman of

United Talent Agency United Talent Agency (UTA) is a global talent agency based in Beverly Hills, California. Established in 1991, it represents artists and other professionals across the entertainment industry. , the company has more than 1,400 global employees. U ...

Early life and education

Born in 1966 to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in Canada, Sures was raised in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

.Variety Magazine 500: Jay Sures
retrieved October 21, 2017 He graduated from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, where he has also served as an assistant visiting professor for the

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...

Career

Sures' career with

(UTA) began with the agency's establishment in 1991, working in the mailroom and assisting co-founder Peter Benedek. He became a

when UTA first formed, and was promoted to partner in 1998. Sures joined the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

in 2003. He and David Kramer held managing director roles starting in 2010, and both became co-presidents in September 2017. Sures was named vice chairman of UTA in September 2022. Sures is also a co-founder of the UTA Foundation, the agency's non-profit organization. Sures leads the agency's news, broadcast and television divisions, as well as the acquired Greater Talent Network speakers division. He began managing UTA's news and broadcast division after leading the agency's 2014 acquisition of N.S. Bienstock. Sures was appointed to the Television Academy's Executive Committee in 2014, and inducted into ''

Broadcasting & Cable ''Broadcasting & Cable'' (or ''Broadcasting+Cable'') is a weekly telecommunications industry trade magazine published by Future US. Previous names included ''Broadcasting-Telecasting'', ''Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising'', and ''Broadcast ...

'' Hall of Fame in 2016. In June 2017, Sures and Kramer, along with UTA's

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

, Jeremy Zimmer, ranked number 33 on ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' list of the 100 "most powerful people in entertainment". In 2018's and 2022’s

Mediaite Mediaite is a news website focusing on politics and the media.Howard PolskinHow the Washington Examiner became a traffic monster ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (May 15, 2020). Founded by Dan Abrams, it is part of the Abrams Media Network. Conte ...

annual rankings of top players in the news business, Sures was the sole agent recognized. Throughout his career, Sures has represented

David Muir David Jason Muir (born November 8, 1973) is an American journalist and the anchor of ''ABC World News Tonight'' and co-anchor of the ABC News magazine '' 20/20'', part of the news department of the ABC broadcast-television network, based in N ...

Henry Bromell Alfred Henry Bromell (September 19, 1947 – March 18, 2013) was an American novelist, screenwriter, and director. Career Bromell joined the crew of NBC police drama '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' in 1994. He served as a writer and co-execu ...

Don Lemon Don Lemon (born March 1, 1966) is an American television journalist most well known for being a host on CNN. Lemon anchored weekend news programs on local television stations in Alabama and Pennsylvania during his early days as a journalist. He ...

Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator from the Vanderbilt family. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news broadcast show ''Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties at C ...

, Steve Levitan,

Chuck Lorre Charles Michael Lorre (; born Charles Michael Levine; October 18, 1952) is an American film & television director, writer, producer, composer and actor. Called the "King of Sitcoms", he has created/co-created and produced sitcoms including ''G ...

Jen Psaki Jennifer Rene Psaki (; born c. 1978) is an American television political analyst who currently works for MSNBC. Previously, she was a political advisor who served under both the Obama and Biden administrations. Immediately prior to working for ...

Norah O'Donnell Norah Morahan O'Donnell (born January 23, 1974) is an American television journalist who is currently anchor of the ''CBS Evening News'' and a correspondent for ''60 Minutes''. She has worked with several mainstream media outlets throughout her ...

Darren Star Darren Star (born July 25, 1961) is an American writer, director and producer of film and television. He is best known for creating the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–2000), ''Melrose Place'' (1992–1999), ''Sex and the City' ...

Jake Tapper Jacob Paul Tapper (born March 12, 1969) is an American journalist, author, and cartoonist. He is the lead Washington anchor for CNN, hosts the weekday television news show ''The Lead with Jake Tapper'', and co-hosts the Sunday morning public af ...

Chuck Todd Charles David Todd (born April 8, 1972) is an American television journalist who is the 12th and current moderator of NBC's ''Meet the Press''. He also hosts ''Meet the Press Now'', its daily edition on NBC News Now and is the Political Directo ...

Elizabeth Vargas Elizabeth Anne Vargas (born September 6, 1962) is an American television journalist who is the lead investigative reporter/documentary anchor for A&E Networks, and the host for Fox's revival of '' America's Most Wanted''. She began her new positi ...

, and

Larry Wilmore Elister Larry WilmoreThe name Elister L. Wilmore is given at This matches the birth date and birthplace for "Larry Wilmore" at (born October 30, 1961) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actor. He served as the "Senior Black Correspo ...

, among others. Sures led contract negotiations between United Talent Agency and the Writers Guild of America. Focusing primarily on a practice known as packaging, the impasse resulted in a lawsuit and WGA members firing their agents in April 2019. After months of backchannel negotiations, Sures announced that United Talent Agency had reached an agreement with the Writer's Guild, becoming the first major talent agency to do so. Beginning in 2016, Sures has hosted an annual party in Washington, DC the night before the White House Correspondents Dinner that blends the worlds of politics, entertainment and media.

Personal life

Sures has three daughters, Catherine Sures, Claire Sures, and Emily Sures. He is engaged to fashion model Linda Nyvltova Sures is a political activist and a longtime supporter of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. In 2016, he hosted a fundraiser for Senator

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...

, then

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

's selection for

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

in the U.S. presidential election. Earlier in the race, he had supported Joe Biden. He pledged his support for Democratic candidate

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...

in California's 2018 gubernatorial race. Sures joined the

Entertainment Industry Foundation The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), based in Los Angeles, United States, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization of the entertainment industry. EIF funds more than 300 charitable organizations annually, both in the Los Angeles ...

in 2008. In 2014, he was honored at Chrysalis' annual Butterfly Ball, which recognizes entertainment professionals for their "creative excellence and philanthropic endeavors". Sures was appointed to the

Regents of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sy ...

in January 2019 by former Governor

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...

. He was reappointed for a 12-year term by Governor

in 2020. In January 2019, it was announced that Sures, along with

Rande Gerber Rande Gerber (born April 27, 1962) is an American businessman and former model. He founded tequila brand Casamigos alongside actor George Clooney and real estate businessman Mike Meldman, as well as nightlife companies Midnight Oil, Caliche ...

and his spouse

Cindy Crawford Cynthia Ann Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American model, actress and television personality. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers, runways, as well as fash ...

, Mike Meldman, and

Jeff Shell Jeff Shell is an American media executive who currently serves as the CEO for NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Career In 2001, Shell served as president of FOX Cable Network Group and then as president of Comcast Programming Group. In 20 ...

would purchase the iconic Hollywood deli, Nate ‘n Al, to keep its doors open after three generations of family ownership.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sures, Jay 1960s births Living people People from Los Angeles Talent agents 20th-century American Jews University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of California regents 21st-century American Jews