Leder & Levy: 101 duo manage expectations (from today's Variety)
Youth Impact Report 2010
Major agencies typically wait until young actors' profiles get big before committing to represent them, but not Bryan Leder and Frederick Levy, who made their reputation finding and building talent from scratch.
The duo launched their bicoastal firm Management 101 in 2004 and now boast a deep roster of young adult clientele, including Asher Brook ("Fame," "Parenthood"), Andrew Caldwell ("Hannah Montana," now recurring on "How I Met Your Mother"), Ciara Bravo ("Big Time Rush") and Leon Thomas III ("Victorious"). If you don't see names like Mikey Day or Jake Cherry on that list, just ask those actors' reps who discovered them.
Levy moved into management after running Marty Katz Prods. for eight years. He has published six how-to books about the industry, including last year's kid-focused "Acting in Young Hollywood." Leder, a longtime kids manager, performed onstage as a youth and later introduced Levy to the under-30 game.
The pair tour the country two or three weekends a month looking for gifted, refreshingly "real" kids. They scout everything from school plays to organized auditions, following up leads from friends in smaller markets all over the U.S.
"Every day is a breakthrough," Levy says. "There's no better feeling than telling a kid who moved to L.A., took acting classes, got some auditions, 'You booked.' It's amazing."
In addition to managing talent, Leder and Levy also produce programs for the teen market, including Nickelodeon's "Dance on Sunset," and are developing a live-action show for the Hub.
"Ramping up our production slate is one of the biggest things we've done in the last couple of months," Levy says. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com.
