Is there anything more glamorous than an Oscar party? Probably not, and usually talent agencies take the time to flatter their talent with a huge bash. Major talent agency United Talent Agency, better known as UTA, though, has decided to ditch the caviar this year. Instead, they’ll be donating the party funds to the ACLU and holding a rally supporting refugees.
UTA is a sprawling multimedia agency that represents everyone from Susan Sarandon to Toby Keith, and the decision seems to have taken most of Hollywood by surprise. UTA’s CEO, Jeremy Zimmer, though, frames it as simply a matter of protecting the arts:
This is a moment that demands our generosity, awareness and restlessness. Our world is a better place for the free exchange of artists, ideas and creative expression. If our nation ceases to be the place where artists the world over can come to express themselves freely, then we cease, in my opinion, to be America.
Instead of a party, UTA will be hosting a rally in support of refugees at their offices two days before the Oscars, on February 24th, and donating $250,000 to the ACLU, and to the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian organization that works with refugees. While this will undoubtedly renew criticisms of “liberal Hollywood,” it’s still a surprisingly generous act from the talent agency, and it likely sets the stage for what may be a politically frought Oscars.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)
