EXCLUSIVE: Television literary agent Elizabeth Newman is leaving CAA after nearly 15 years to join Fox 21 Television Studios.
Newman is set to become Vice President of Development at Fox21, part of Disney TV Studios, and she will report to President Bert Salke.
Newman will develop programs for all platforms, as well as identify talent and ideas for series. She’ll work closely with agents and network, cable and streaming execs to shepherd projects through the development process from inception to production order.
Newman has represented television writers, directors, and producers, as well as authors and intellectual property for scripted series adaptation since she became an agent in 2005.
During her time at CAA, projects she worked on included Nashville, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Two Broke Girls as well as forthcoming shows such as NBC’s Council of Dads, Starz’ Hightown, Netflix’s Away, Showtime’s The President Is Missing and Apple’s Swagger. She has represented writers on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, FX’s The Americans and Pose, Netflix’s Mindhunter and The CW’s Riverdale.
She has sold television projects on behalf of playwrights and creators including Martyna Majok, Eve Ensler, Alexander Dinelaris, Matthew Lopez, Eduardo Machado and Kyle Jarrow, and brokered dramatic rights deals for authors such as Anne Rice, James Patterson, T.C. Boyle, Mitch Albom, Elin Hilderbrand, Gary Shteyngart, Pierce Brown, Michael Cunningham, Rebecca Traister, and Matthew Desmond as well as negotiating television deals for CAA clients such as activists Janet Mock, Dan Savage, Senator Barbara Boxer, and musician Carrie Underwood.
Newman’s move from the agency world to the studio side comes as the major U.S. talent agencies remain in a standoff with the Writers Guild of America, which in April ordered its members to fight their agents.
“We’ve worked with Elizabeth as a seller for a number of years and believe she will bring a whole new element to our already strong team at Fox 21,” said Salke. “She is incredibly smart and entrepreneurial, has phenomenal taste and her relationships with writing talent are second to none.”
Newman added, “I am thrilled to be joining the outstanding team at Fox 21, the studio behind many of the most bold and visionary series on television. I am a huge fan of their shows, and have always admired their support for creators and projects that define and reflect our times. After many wonderful years at CAA, I am excited to bring my experience as a passionate advocate for storytellers and talent into this new role.”