UTA Names Amazon MGM Studios, CAA & Sony Vet Eric Iverson As Chief Technology Officer

UTA has hired veteran tech and media exec Eric Iverson as its Chief Technology Officer.

Iverson is joining the company from Amazon MGM Studios, where he headed up product and artificial intelligence initiatives. Previously, he had exec stints at CAA and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

At UTA, Iverson will spearhead UTA’s global IT strategy “at a pivotal moment when AI and other technological advances are transforming the industry and how companies work,” the agency said in an announcement. The exec will be based at the company’s Beverly Hills headquarters.

“I have long admired UTA’s track record in being first to market in unlocking technology-driven opportunities across the cultural landscape,” Iverson said. “UTA was the first major agency to establish digital, podcasting and other future-facing practices, and they have consistently shown a commitment to lean into what innovation has to offer their clients and their business. Joining this team in these dawning days for artificial intelligence is the role of a lifetime.”

At Amazon MGM Studios, Iverson helped oversee an ambitious effort to build Amazon’s Next Generation Studio. The effort blends technologies from cloud-based infrastructure, proprietary product development, technology co-developed with strategic partners, with AI. From 2016 to 2020, Iverson was CTO and CIO of CAA. Prior to that, he worked in technology at Sony Pictures Entertainment, rising to CTO of Sony Pictures Television.

“Eric is highly respected for his vision and leadership at the intersection of entertainment and technology, and we are thrilled to have him join the team at such a transformative moment for both,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. “One of our priorities at UTA is understanding how artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies can benefit our business – from protecting creators to expanding their opportunities. Eric and his team will be thinking about this as well as designing the systems, products and tools that will fuel innovation and improve the ways we collaborate as a diverse, global company.”