Executive Profile: WME’s Kirk Sommer Wins Agent Of The Year At 2025 Pollstar Awards

At this year’s Pollstar awards, Kirk Sommer, Senior Partner and Co-Head of Contemporary Music & Touring, won the Bobby Brooks Agent of the Year award. With a roster that includes Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Billie Eilish, Benson Boone, The Killers, Weezer, Teddy Swims, Kygo, Nine Inch Nails, Lola Young, Sam Smith and Hozier, his artists have been on a roll. He’s been named to Pollstar’s Impact 50 list in 2022 and 2023.

Hozier is headlining festivals including Governors Ball in New York, Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennesee, Reading and Leeds, and is entering stadiums including Fenway Park with two sold-out nights in June. Throughout Hozier’s career with 281 reports submitted to Pollstar’s Boxoffice, he’s sold 1.9 million tickets grossing $103.8 million.

The Killers headlined numerous festivals last year including Governors Ball and Lollapalooza. Billie Eilish is currently out on her “Hit Me Hard And Soft Tour,” which included two sold-out dates at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle grossing $2.8 million on the first night on Dec. 5 and another $2.8 million on Dec. 6. Her three shows at Madison Square Garden from Oct. 16 to 18 grossed a total $9.4 million. This year, they’ll be headlining Osheaga.

Kygo just sold 65,000 tickets in Mexico City in January.

Sommer started in the WME mailroom, and was promoted to partner when William Morris merged with Endeavor in 2009. In 2015, he was appointed to global co-head of music. He first began booking small concerts during his freshman year at NYU.

Following his win for Agent of the Year, Sommer sat down with Pollstar to say what this win means to him.

Congratulations on this win. What does it mean to you to be a great agent? 
Kirk Sommer: Thank you for the kind words. It means a lot to be recognized, especially in a role that is so often behind the scenes. To be a great agent, you have to understand the artist and define shared goals. Once you understand what makes an artist tick and where you want to go, you must determine what, when, where and how you are going to articulate their message for the optimal result while keeping everyone happy and healthy. It’s a delicate balance and each agent and artist do it a little differently. 

What initiatives from the year helped you win this award? 
I feel very fortunate and grateful to have played a role in some incredible journeys over the years, and I could not have done any of it without the support of our team. I’m always focused on the future, but as this question makes me pause for a moment and look at all the great work taking place, it’s incredible what we’ve helped build. 

What’s ahead for you? 
Launching some incredible tours, new acquisitions, new territory, tech, pouring some foundation for new artists and hopefully signing some additional best in class clients. 

I’m also looking forward to continuing to support the team at WME – watching our team of agents grow and thrive is something I take great pride in. 

What would you like to say to the industry about this victory? 
It’s an opportunity to take a beat and think about how fortunate we all are to do what we do and focus on what more you can do for others. It can be an extremely busy and demanding job, but when we all lean into an important cause to help provide relief or have a hand in shaping someone’s future, it can be immensely rewarding. 

How do you hope to inspire younger agents in the business? 
I want to continue helping agents grow their careers and discover their strengths—there is no shortcut for hard work. Honesty and a sense of responsibility are paramount.  

How have you seen WME evolved in recent years? 
We’ve continued to expand globally, with some new colleagues and new clients that are on unprecedented trajectories. We have also empowered our agents to chart their own course, with several choosing to focus on specific areas of interest, and I’m proud of their success.

How does WME approach collaboration between agents? 
Despite working across nearly every continent and genre, we operate as one team. We have a territorial system with specialists in each respective touring area, and work with folks across our agency – fashion, TV, film, brand partnerships, books, theater – to help clients achieve virtually any goal.