The LA HQ of CAA, which is suing Range Media Partners for allegedly stealing confidential information to build its own business. Photo Credit: Minnaert
Range Media Partners “is an unlicensed talent agency built on deceit” – at least according to a firmly worded lawsuit filed by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
CAA just recently fired off the complaint against nearly five-year-old Range Media Partners, which, as some know, is having a big 2024. In summary, the self-described “talent management and brand strategy” specialist scored a minority investment in April, finalized a UMPG admin deal via its publishing unit last month, and kicked off October by signing Rita Ora in all areas.
But as laid out by CAA, Range owes these feats to a foundation rooted in “stealing from and damaging” the plaintiff while simultaneously endeavoring to “improperly evade” the regulatory framework in place for talent agencies in California.
Beginning with the latter, the suit explores at length Range’s alleged effort to circumvent talent-agency requirements by operating as a management provider and then offering professional services well beyond the confines of that space.
“Put simply,” the legal text spells out, “Range’s business model is the pursuit of unlawful profit through deception: Range skirts rules that California legislators and artists’ guilds put in place to protect those working in the entertainment industry. The core ‘trick’ of Range is that it acts as a talent agency but labels itself a management company. Range thereby engages in lucrative transactions foreclosed to law-abiding talent agencies.”
That alleged move, the complaint explains (including by drawing from relevant emails sent by Range team members) in many more words, enabled Range to “avoid the rules designed to protect clients.”
Moreover, the same alleged failure to register as an agency allowed the five CAA vets who got Range off the ground to “claim to not be competing with CAA and try to continue to receive a share of CAA profits” despite “working to injure” the older firm.
Enter the second component of the action, which accuses Range co-founder and CEO Peter Micelli as well as fellow co-founder Jack Whigham and higher-ups David Bugliari, Michael Cooper, and Mick Sullivan, all CAA vets, of stealing confidential information.
In a nutshell, the individuals allegedly posed “as loyal CAA members, sitting shoulder to shoulder in confidential CAA meetings about clients and business, all while covertly working to benefit Range and themselves.”
And so it was that by the time Range officially announced its launch in August of 2020, the noted execs had for months been allegedly stealing CAA information, in violation of their confidentiality agreements to boot, for use at the new company, per the complaint.
This information refers in part to a variety of personal details about clients, “key entertainment industry relationships,” business plans, and data-analytics tools.
Additionally, the alleged information theft is said to have seen the mentioned persons send materials “from CAA’s systems to their personal email accounts and devices” and encourage multiple CAA employees to obtain sensitive details on their behalf. Some of the latter employees were later hired and “quickly” promoted at Range, per the text.
All told, CAA is accusing Range of violating California’s business and professions code, aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duties, and more. Among other things, the plaintiff is seeking damages and an injunction compelling Range to cease using and return the allegedly stolen confidential information.
DMN reached out to Range for comment but didn’t receive a response in time for publishing.
