Features
Wasserman Music Promotes Five New Agents In London
Wasserman Music has promoted five longtime London-based employees to agent, including Laura Brown, Cecilia Chan, Suzie Melki, Lucy Putman and Holly Rowland.
All five were previously bookers at the agency, and represent the first promotions for the U.K. team since Wasserman’s acquisition of Paradigm Music U.K.’s live music business in April.
See: Wasserman Completes Deal For Paradigm’s UK Music Business
Laura Brown began her career at a ticketing agency in Manchester, working the box office at festivals including Camp Bestival and Big Chill, before moving to London to run the box office at the main stadium for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
She joined Coda (later Paradigm and now Wasserman Music) as a receptionist in 2013, moved up to an agent assistant, and became booker for partner James Whitting in 2018. Brown has worked with artists including Bakar, Ellie Goulding, Easy Life, and KennyHoopla, among others. As a new agent, she has signed artists Lucy Deakin, Queen Millz, and Clarence & The Modern Life.
Cecilia Chan moved to London in 2005 to work in the fashion industry, and moved into music four years later to help set up independent agency The Pool. She joined Primary Talent International as assistant to agent Cris Hearn, and followed him to Coda in 2015. Alongside Hearn, she worked with artists including Mark Ronson, Gary Numan, Tricky, Planningtorock, and Above & Beyond, and is especially proud to have helped develop Kaytranada’s live touring show since the beginning of his career.
Chan is a mentor with British charity Youth Music, and has been involved in sustainability projects within the agency and through industry group Music Declares Emergency. She has signed artists including iamamiwhoami, Amy Wiles, Moon Boots, Shimza and BluePrint.
Suzie Melki started her career with a bank loan and a book on how to start your own record label, and did just that for four years before moving into the live business as British boutique agency Asgard. She then joined WME to work with agent Sol Parker, and followed him to Coda in 2015; she has also worked with agent Adele Slater at Coda and Paradigm.
Artists Melki has worked with during her career include Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Backstreet Boys, Girls Aloud, and Pendulum, and she continues to book The Prodigy, Rita Ora, Liam Payne, Take That, Gary Barlow and others. More recently, she has signed artists including Matt Corby, John Vincent III, Remme and Lip Critic.
Lucy Putman started promoting club nights with friends as a teenager. They often booked artists directly, and seeing a gap in the market, they started their own agency while she was still at university. After a couple of years, in 2007 Coda’s Tom Schroeder invited her to join the agency, where she has worked with artists including Rudimental, Jamie xx, slowthai and Alan Walker.
Putman has helped organize the Music Mudder, a music-inspired endurance event created by Wasserman Music U.K. agents to raise money for Nordoff Robbins, the U.K.’s largest independent music therapy charity; the event will return later in 2022. She has also mentored at Bristol Beacons, an organization which helps young up-and-coming musicians. Having just returned from maternity leave, Putman is eager to start working with new and exciting talent.
Holly Rowland began her career as an apprentice at Coda before coming on board full-time as an assistant in 2016. She worked across DJ clients booking travel before moving to work with agent Sol Parker, and was promoted to booker for Alex Hardee two years later. With Hardee, she has worked with clients including London Grammar, Louis Tomlinson, Mika and Rag’n’Bone Man. As a new agent, Rowland has signed artists including David Kushner, Sophia Alexa and Rhys, and is excited to develop and guide their careers.
“We are thrilled to announce the promotions of Laura, Suzie, Cecilia, Holly and Lucy,” says Wasserman Music partner James Whitting. “They have all been with us for a number of years and worked across the likes of Slowthai, Easy Life, Kaytranada, Louis Tomlinson and Billie Eilish, and we couldn’t be happier for them for this next stage in their careers. We are very proud that they have come through the ranks of the company, helping to shape our culture and building and developing our artists’ careers in the best possible way. We look forward to enjoying the future with this great group of individuals as we continue to grow Wasserman’s global music division.”