APA Names Five New Partners

Amanda N'Duka
3 min read
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APA has promoted four agents and one executive to partner across four departments — Jeff Witjas in talent, Sheryl Petersen and Mike Goldberg in scripted literary, Steve Fisher in intellectual property, and Julia Johnson in business affairs & legal.

This news comes soon after the full-service agency and Association of Talent Agents member broke ranks last month and signed the WGA’s new franchise agreement, which allows agencies to continue charging packaging fees for films and TV shows through July 15, 2021. APA also said it integrated the motion picture and television literary business under one banner, APA Scripted Literary, to meet the needs of a changing industry landscape and best provide distinct and effective service to clients in a marketplace driven by content creators and global streaming.

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Before joining APA in 2001, Witjas started his career in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency and worked his way up to Vice President across all aspects of industry representation during his long tenure. At APA, Witjas serves as Senior Vice President in the Talent department, where he continues to represent numerous successful and high-profile clients in all areas of the entertainment industry.

Petersen, who was hired at APA in 2006, was promoted to Senior Vice President of the Motion Picture Literary department in 2018 before being named department co-head late last year. Petersen is also a member of APA’s Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Initiative and helped spearhead the agency’s Women’s Empowerment Group (WE APA) that fosters one-on-one mentorships and facilitates philanthropic work with numerous local Los Angeles charities. She’s also held posts at Premiere Artists Agency and Don Buchwald & Associates.

Goldberg, who began his career in the marketing and acquisitions department at Paramount Classics, joined APA in 2013 as a film/tv agent with a special focus on the agency’s literary crossover clients. Prior to this Goldberg was the literary manager at New Wave Entertainment and before that, he co-ran the literary department at ROAR and co-owned the literary management firm Abstract Entertainment, which was acquired by ROAR in 2010.

Former TV journalist Fisher is the Senior Vice President and Head of the Intellectual Property department at APA. Fisher founded the Intellectual Property department at APA, which represents novelists, nonfiction authors, journalists, life rights holders, publishers, blog writers, and content creators across all categories. Prior to joining the agency in 1999, he served in various capacities at ICM and H.N. Swanson before its acquisition by The Renaissance Agency.

As Executive Vice President of Global Business Affairs & General Counsel, Johnson advises on a wide array of APA client deals. Working with agents across all divisions, Johnson has played an integral role in helping clients grow their brand and businesses across all media platforms, from music to on-camera film, television and streaming to producing, gaming and other ancillaries such as sponsorship, endorsement and brand integration. Johnson has also helped launch and participates in corporate giving initiatives such as APA’s Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Initiative.

 

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