Michael Kassan, CEO of MediaLink, the strategic advisory firm acquired by UTA in 2021, is out.
“Michael Kassan was terminated for cause by UTA on March 7th 2024, following a thorough and exhaustive third-party investigation into misappropriation of company funds,” an UTA spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday night. “We filed a lawsuit against him today and look forward to presenting the facts in court.”
UTA has sued Kassan for fraud in a dense lawsuit filed today in LA Superior Court. The agency’s legal action was countered almost immediately by Kassan countering with a $25 million action of his own that seeks to drag the matter behind closed doors into arbitration.
UTA purchased the MediaLink from UK-based Ascential PLC for around $125 million. As part of the transaction, Kassan became a partner in UTA while retaining his CEO post at MediaLink, the company he founded in 2003.
MediaLink’s clients have included blue chip companies of the likes of Disney and AT&T. Following the acquisition, UTA Marketing was retitled as UTA Entertainment & Culture Marketing, and became a part of MediaLink.
