LOS ANGELES—Creative Artists Agency, the talent representation firm guiding the careers of Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Beyoncé and other megastars, is acquiring rival agency ICM Partners in another sign that Hollywood’s traditional business model is being upended.
The deal, if approved, would create a talent behemoth by combining CAA’s reach in film, TV, music, sports and other entertainment industries with ICM’s biggest clients, including producer Shonda Rhimes and director Spike Lee. The announcement was a surprise, but trends across the industry have laid the groundwork for such a tie-up to make sense.
