DLT Entertainment invests in talent agencies

DLT Entertainment, the production and distribution company, has today announced that it has made key investments in leading talent agencies The Soho Agency and Milburn Browning Associates, which is part of the MMB Creative Group.

“DLT has long been successfully making TV for the UK and international market.  Our expansion into making investments within some of the leading talent agencies marks our continued objective to ensure we are working with the best talent and finding creative ways to source new entertaining content. Making innovative and compelling content is team work, and is often sparked by a meeting of creative minds, new partnerships or being in the know about an untapped project with potential.  By creating in-house synergy among some of the key components we are looking forward to developing new and exciting projects across our portfolio.” – Donald Taffner Jr., President of DLT Entertainment

DLT has entered into agreements with the talent agencies with the goal of creating synergy between the businesses to develop new and existing scripted and non-scripted projects. In addition to a shareholding in the two agencies, as part of the investment Donald Taffner, Jr. will have a seat on the board of each company to provide his professional experience and commercial knowledge.

The Soho Agency – recently created following the merger of Lucas Alexander Whitley (LAW) and Factual Management – features a roster of fiction, non-fiction and children’s book authors, TV presenters, illustrators, screenwriters and online stars, while Milburn Browning Associates and the MMB Creative Group manage actors, authors, stage and screenwriters, presenters and voice over artists.

The combined talent represents a breadth of work across television, radio and live touring, and stand-up comedy, theatre and publishing work, and the synergy created by these investments have the potential to create new opportunities for DLT, the agencies and their clients, by providing a 360 approach to sourcing and developing new projects.

While DLT Entertainment Ltd was originally created as an independent production and distribution company, it has a rich history of being involved with talent representation, and first became involved in the talent agency business in the 1980s with an investment in the Peters Fraser and Dunlop Agency. In an association born from PFD’s representation of Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, the writers of Man About The House upon which Three’s Company was based upon.

In addition, DLT was one of the original investors of United Agents when it was founded in 2007 with Donald Taffner Jr appointed to the Board, which lasted for five years until United Agents became a partnership. Subsequently, in 2016, DLT launched a new talent agency, The Galton Agency, run by Andy Townsend.

“We are thrilled to be working with Donald and everyone at DLT. There is so much in terms of opportunity to explore together and we look forward to innovative times ahead.” – Philippa Milnes-Smith, Managing Director of The Soho Agency

DLT continues its role as owner and manager of the Shaftsbury Theatre where Motown, The Musical just completed its successful three+ years run. The Illusionists, featuring the talents of seven of the most incredible Illusionists on earth will run for a strictly limited season this Summer, and it recently announced the launch of the new musical & Juliet with performances beginning at the Theatre in November 2019.

DLT’s expansion announcement follows the recent agreement with consultancy agency Grand Scheme Media to develop new entertainment TV formats in the UK.

“We are always looking at new and exciting ways for our clients to compete in a global marketplace. To that end, we are delighted to be building upon our already successful relationship with Donald and the rest of the DLT Team.” – Michele Milburn, Managing Director of Milburn Browning Associates