Robert Messinger, Rich Jacobellis and Randy Gerston have formed Fortress Talent Management, a full-service boutique agency representing composers and music supervisors for visual media. The three previously worked together at First Artists Management where Messinger was an owner.
Fortress Talent Management boasts a roster of Oscar-winning clients, including three-time winner Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings), two-time winner Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain), Mychael Danna (Life of Pi) and Rachel Portman (Emma), as well as three-time Oscar nominees Philip Glass (The Hours), Alberto Iglesias (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and 2014 nominee Owen Pallett (Her).
The company’s clients include Golden Globe nominees Clint Mansell (The Fountain), Terence Blanchard (25th Hour), Michael Brook (Into the Wild) and Reinhold Heil (Cloud Atlas), as well as Emmy-winners/nominees Jeff Beal (House of Cards), Nathan Barr (The Americans), Jon Ehrlich (House), Jeff Russo (Fargo), Paul Haslinger (Fear the Walking Dead), David Schwartz (Arrested Development) and Wendy & Lisa (Nurse Jackie) and Jay Gruska (Supernatural). Fortress represents music supervisors including Alexandra Patsavas, Liza Richardson, Kevin Edelman, Tracy McKnight, Wendy Levy and Gary Calamar.
Fortress clients are working on several films likely to be in the awards hunt this year -- Steve Jobs (Daniel Pemberton), Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Nico Muhly), Brooklyn (Brook), The Good Dinosaur (Danna), Spotlight (Shore), Joy (David Campbell), The Big Short (Nicholas Britell) and several additional potential hits are in the pipeline--San Andreas (Andrew Lockington), The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Tarzan (Mario Grigorov), Pete’s Dragon (Shore) and Daddy's Home (Michael Andrews).
The company is currently involved in major stage musicals including Pan's Labyrinth and Like Water for Chocolate and also has a significant presence in videogames and advertising.
"We are thrilled to begin this new adventure and to seek out the next generation of great storytellers from around the world", said Messinger. "In a time of fundamental change in the film, television and music industries, one thing that remains constant is our commitment to our clients and the value they bring to each project.”
Said Jacobellis, "The increasingly global and diverse nature of the business is reflected in our multi-faceted and international roster." Gerston added, "Our shared vision of representing the most creative composers along with our ability to discover the brightest new talent is the foundation of Fortress."
Prior to First Artists, Messinger was a founder and Senior Vice President at Blue Focus Management. He began his career in the publicity department of IRS Records, working with bands such as R.E.M.
Jacobellis first nurtured artists through The Grammy Showcase at NARAS. He worked with Messinger at Blue Focus Management prior to forming Ingenuity, a joint venture for film and television music with Zomba/BMG.
Prior to becoming a film music agent, Gerston was an A&R executive, studio music executive and independent music supervisor, having supervised more than 25 films including James Cameron's True Lies and Titanic.
For more information, contact [email protected].
