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No. 7
Rob Light
Managing Partner/Head of Music
Creative Artists Agency
Twitter: @caaspeakers
Kicking Ass and Booking Names…
Agents, especially super-agents, effortlessly shift personas from charming diplomat to Darth Vader. In truth, sometimes the job calls for a little carrot and at others some stick. If CAA music chief Rob Light leans more to the diplomat side these days, that’s only because a trail of kicked asses lies behind him that includes managers, competing agents, venue pros, promoters and, yes, a trade journalist or two. It’s worth noting that in a social setting, when the pressure is lessened (as much as it ever is), it’s easy to tell that Light is a nice guy, with character and ethics to burn. But when the agent engine is running, the industry clout is huge. CAA represents more than 900 clients, among them Bon Jovi (see No. 50), Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Tim McGraw, Katy Perry, the Vans Warped tour and Daft Punk. It claims double the number of acts among the top 200 tours of 2011, according to Billboard Boxscore, than its closest competitor, and among the top 25 tours, CAA clients generated nearly $500 million in grosses. The agency is a leader in proactive marketing, generates critical value in terms of sponsorships, and CAA’s status in film and TV creates myriad opportunities for clients in all genres. Philanthropically, Light and CAA can and do make a difference. At his core, Light is a powerful agent who cares deeply about his artists and the business. He oversees a powerful team that’s fiercely loyal to both Light and CAA’s clients. Loyalty is a currency that begets power.
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