2022 Impact 50: Caroline Yim

Partner & Co-Head Of Hip-Hop/R&B
WME

Few, if any, agents in the hip-hop and R&B space represent as many marquee clients as WME co-head of hip-hop/R&B Caroline Yim.

“I’m very proud of what we have all achieved as a result of true teamwork,” says Yim, touting the 35 victories by WME clients at the Grammys in April, including nine in the hip-hop/R&B space.

Four of those trophies were earned by Silk Sonic, the duo of WME clients Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, which took home Record and Song of the Year.

Along with division co-head Zach Iser, Yim arrived at WME from CAA in January 2021 and quickly set to work bolstering the agency’s hip-hop and R&B offering. They brought with them clients including Kehlani, Schoolboy Q and Rae Sremmurd; today, WME fields a head-spinning roster that includes rap superstars (Drake, Future, Tyler, the Creator), critical favorites (Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, Vince Staples) and R&B icons (Alicia Keys, Solange, Janelle Monáe).

The agency, and Yim’s division specifically, only seems to be growing, with Yim highlighting new hires Whitney Boateng and Dana Jeter, along with additions in WME’s brand partnerships division, Carolyn Massey and Bernard Tyler, who are helping to serve the company’s ever-expanding hip-hop and R&B rosters.

Arena runs and festival headlining plays – and there are lots of them – aside, Yim has continued her career-long work toward a more diverse and equitable music industry at WME.

“I’m currently focused on using our influence to push out content that showcases a diverse, inclusive perspective, hiring more members from Black, Brown and Asian communities at our respective companies, and in the case of talent representatives, signing and supporting the careers of more underrepresented creatives,” says Yim, who previously founded the Asian American Collective (ACC) with Grace Lee and Zeena Koda to spotlight the achievements of Asians in music, media and entertainment.