CAA Promotes 6 From Trainee Program to Agent Ranks

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has promoted Chris Burrus, Inder Gill, Sophie Kavanagh, Zakaria Laaboudi, Arlen Papazian and Kara Petit from CAA Elevate, the agency’s program for agents and executives in training, to the Agent ranks, the agency announced on Wednesday.

The moves include the Music Touring, Media Finance, Commercial Endorsements, Sports, Podcast and Global Television departments.

Burrus was promoted to Agent in the Music Touring department and represents many of the world’s leading musicians, including Nate Smith, Tyler Booth, Erin Kinsey, and After Midtown, and is on the teams that support Jake Owen, Matt Koziol, and Brandon Ratcliff. He is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and joined CAA upon graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned degrees in Music for Vocal Performance with Distinction, Entrepreneurship, and Creative Writing. He joined CAA in 2018 as an assistant to Sabrina Butera, and supported Marc Dennis, Meredith Jones, and Emily Van Allsburg in the Music Touring department before being promoted to Music Touring Coordinator in 2021. Previously, Burrus held internships at such companies as ole Publishing, Capitol Christian Music Group, and Yep Roc Music Group.

Based in Los Angeles, Inder Gill has been promoted to Agent, and will serve on the Media Finance team, led by Roeg Sutherland and Benjamin Kramer, specializing in the representation of independently financed films. Gill was one of the lead agents helping sign Anupam Tripathi, who played “Ali Abdul” in Netflix’s South Korean survival drama “Squid Game.” Gill started in the mailroom at CAA in 2017, then served as an assistant to Maren Olson and Sutherland before being promoted into CAA’s Elevate program in April 2021. Prior to CAA, Gill studied History and Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Sophie Kavanagh has been promoted to Agent in the Commercial Endorsements department, and will be based in the agency’s New York office. Kavanagh graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017, and began her professional career at CAA the following year, serving as an assistant in Commercial Endorsements, prior to being promoted into the CAA Elevate program in June 2021. In her new role, Kavanagh will focus on creating opportunities for the agency’s clients in the world of on-camera, print, personal appearances, voice-over, and social media-driven campaigns, both domestically and internationally.

London-based Laaboudi joined CAA Sports in 2018, serving as an assistant to Roman Di Somma, prior to being promoted into CAA Elevate in October 2021. In his new role as an International Sports Talent Agent, Laaboudi will identify and orchestrate endorsement opportunities for the agency’s international talent clients, including the 2022 Premier League Golden Boot award-winner Son Heung-min, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphaël Varane, and Daniel Ricciardo, among others. Laaboudi graduated from AMOS with a Master’s degree in Sports Marketing, and began his career in Global Marketing Partnerships at the NBA.

Los Angeles-based Papazian has been promoted to Agent in the Podcast group, and represents many of the most successful podcast properties, creators, and production companies, with a focus on creating live touring opportunities. Papazian began his career at CAA in the mailroom in 2019, then served as an assistant to Josh Lindgren, Head of the agency’s Podcast department, and was promoted to Coordinator in 2021. Before joining CAA, Papazian was an intellectual property litigator at Key IP Law Group. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Biological Sciences, and William & Mary Law School with a J.D.

Petit was promoted to Agent in the Global Television department, where she works on behalf of many of the world’s leading directors, writers, actors and producers, including Hwang Dong-Hyuk, Lee Myung-Woo, Anupam Tripathi, Ryoo Seung-wan, and TAPAS MEDIA, among others. In her new role, she will specialize in identifying new opportunities for Korean and French-speaking artists. Based in Los Angeles, Petit started at CAA in the mailroom in 2018, then served as an assistant to Michael Gordon before being promoted to Global Television Coordinator in 2021. Petit graduated from La Haute Ecole de la Province de Liege with a degree in Communication and Public Relations in Entertainment, and prior to CAA, worked at RTBF in Belgium.

CAA Elevate is the agency’s next-generation training and practical development curriculum with an emphasis on entrepreneurialism, inclusion, curiosity, collaboration and a growth mindset. Building upon the rich heritage of the agency’s historical training program, and reimagined for today’s rapidly changing world, CAA Elevate was designed to cultivate best practices, encourage innovation, foster global strategic-thinking, and nurture the talents of CAA’s agents and executives in training.