Stars The Agency

What Stars The Agency does

Stars The Agency is a privately held, full-service talent representation firm headquartered in San Francisco, California, founded in 1983. The company represents actors, models, and athletes for on-camera, voice-over, theatrical, and commercial work, operating across fourteen or more talent divisions including on-camera (men, women, kids, teens, families), voice-over, animation, Latin, sports and fitness, celebrity, and theatrical categories. The company is state-licensed, a member of the Association of Talent Agents (ATA), and franchised by major entertainment unions including SAG-AFTRA, AEA, DGA, and WGA.

The agency's core technology is a web-based talent database platform with searchable profiles and advanced filtering capabilities by gender, division, union affiliation, ethnicity, nationality, and physical measurements. Supporting technical infrastructure includes an on-site recording studio (ProTools, Neumann microphones, Focusrite pre-amps, Telos Zephyr ISDN, telephone patch), a digital on-camera casting studio, and translation services across twelve or more languages. The company distributes its services through three physical offices (San Francisco as headquarters, Los Angeles, New York) and seven sub-brand websites covering distinct talent verticals (Stars Voice Over, Stars Animation, Stars Management, Stars Sports, Stars Creative, Stars Influencers, Stars Artists).

The business model is commission-based: the agency earns fees on talent bookings and placements, operating on a sales-led go-to-market motion with direct relationships to production companies, casting directors, advertising agencies, and film studios. Custom casting services with same-day turnaround are offered at no charge for auditions. The agency has secured placements with named enterprise clients including McDonald's, Google, Nintendo/Pokémon, Supermicro, PG&E, argenx, and Nectar Sleep, and claims international recognition across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Lynn Claxon serves as Founder and CEO.

Name

Stars The Agency

Legal name

Stars, The Agency / Stars Management

Website

https://starsagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stars The Agency is a privately held, full-service talent representation firm founded in 1983 and headquartered in San Francisco, representing actors, models, athletes, and voice talent for on-camera, theatrical, animation, and commercial work across 14+ divisions, serving production companies, ad agencies, and studios nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Talent Representation Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (711410), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (71141)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talent Agency & Representation Services (HSACAHAK), Talent Casting & Auditions (Casting Directors, Open Calls) (HSACAHAL), Talent Booking Agencies (Live Performance) (MPAIAGAB)

Keywords

• Talent representation services
• Voice over agency
• Commercial casting services
• Animation talent agency
• Athlete representation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Talent Representation and Commission: The agency represents actors, athletes, and models for on-camera, theatrical, and voice-over work, earning commission on bookings and placements. The agency is state licensed and a member of the Association of Talent Agents (ATA), franchised by SAG-AFTRA, AEA, DGA, and WGA.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stars The Agency is a full-service talent agency representing actors, athletes, models, and voice talent for on-camera, theatrical, voice-over, animation, and commercial bookings. The firm provides custom casting services with same-day turnaround, on-site recording studios, in-house translation, and operates through 14+ specialized divisions and sub-brands serving production companies, casting directors, advertising agencies, and film studios.

Product overview

Stars The Agency is a full-service talent agency representing actors, athletes, and models for on-camera, theatrical, and voice-over work. The company offers a platform-based approach with multiple service divisions including On-Camera (Men, Women, Kids, Teens, Families), Voice-Over, Animation (via STARS Animation), Latin Division, Sports & Fitness, Celebrity, Body Shop, Theatrical, and Tradeshow (Hosts and Greeters). Supporting services include Casting (with on-site digital studio and same-day turnaround), a Recording Studio (equipped with ProTools, ISDN, and professional microphones), Translation Services (in 12+ languages), and Free Consultation. The company operates under multiple sub-brands including Stars Voice Over, Stars Animation, Stars Management, Stars Sports, Stars Creative, Stars Influencers, and Stars Artists, each with dedicated websites. The platform includes an Advanced Search feature enabling filtering by demographics, physical attributes, union affiliation, and other criteria. Founded over 40 years ago and headquartered in San Francisco, the agency is state licensed and franchised by major entertainment unions (SAG-AFTRA, AEA, DGA, WGA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On-Camera Talent Representation Representation of actors and on-camera talent for commercial, film, and television bookings, serving casting directors, producers, and advertising agencies.
• Voice-Over Talent Representation Representation of voice talent for narration, animation, commercials, and broadcast projects, supported by on-site ProTools-equipped recording studios.
• Animation Talent Services (Stars Animation) Dedicated division providing animation talent for animated productions and projects, serving studios and production companies.
• Athlete and Sports Talent Representation (Stars Sports) Representation of athletes and sports personalities for endorsements, commercials, and branded content.
• Children's Talent Representation Specialized representation of child actors for on-camera, theatrical, and commercial work, compliant with applicable child performer regulations.
• Latin Talent Representation (Latin Division) Representation of bilingual and Latin talent, supported by in-house translation services for production needs.
• Custom Casting Services Bespoke casting service providing same-day turnaround of curated talent options for production companies, casting directors, and advertising agencies.
• On-Site Recording Studio Physical recording studio equipped with ProTools and Neumann microphones for in-house voice-over and audio production sessions.
• Translation Services In-house translation services supporting bilingual productions and Latin market client needs.
• On-Camera Casting Studio Digital on-camera casting studio facility for audition capture and self-tape production.

Quantifiable outcome

• Same-day casting turnaround available
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): CAA is the largest full-service talent and sports agency in the world, representing actors, directors, writers, athletes, and brands across all entertainment verticals. It is the apex competitor in the same talent representation space where Stars operates, though at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• William Morris Endeavor (WME): WME is a global talent representation and entertainment company representing artists, athletes, content creators, and brands. Like Stars, it operates as a full-service agency, but at substantially larger scale with deeper Hollywood and global franchise relationships.
• United Talent Agency (UTA): UTA is a major global talent and entertainment company representing actors, writers, directors, producers, musicians, and athletes. It is one of the largest direct competitors to Stars in on-camera, voice-over, and commercial representation, with significantly broader resources.

Direct peers

• Abrams Artists Agency: Abrams Artists Agency is a mid-sized full-service talent agency in New York representing actors, writers, directors, producers, comedians, voice-over artists, and athletes. It is one of the closest direct peers to Stars in scale and breadth of divisions, particularly in voice-over and commercial representation.
• Gersh Agency: Gersh is a full-service talent and literary agency with offices in Los Angeles and New York, representing actors, writers, directors, comedians, and below-the-line talent. It is comparable to Stars in size and multi-city presence, competing directly for mid-tier commercial and voice-over bookings.
• Innovative Artists: Innovative Artists is a full-service talent agency in Los Angeles representing actors, writers, directors, and voice-over artists across film, television, commercials, and digital media. It overlaps with Stars across on-camera and voice-over representation for commercial clients.
• Buchwald: Buchwald is a privately held, family-run talent and literary agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville representing actors, writers, directors, comedians, and athletes. Its multi-generational, founder-led model and full-service divisions closely mirror Stars' structure and mid-market positioning.
• A3 Artists Agency: A3 Artists Agency is a talent agency representing actors, comedians, writers, directors, producers, voice-over artists, and athletes across film, television, theater, commercials, and digital. Its full-service division model and emphasis on voice-over are highly comparable to Stars.
• Verve Talent and Literary Agency: Verve is a talent and literary agency in Los Angeles representing actors, writers, directors, comedians, and musicians with an emphasis on emerging and diverse talent. It competes with Stars in on-camera commercial representation, particularly for film/TV and voice-over work.
• CESD Talent Agency: CESD is a New York-based talent agency representing actors, singers, dancers, comedians, choreographers, models, and voice-over artists. It is a comparable mid-sized full-service agency competing for commercial, on-camera, and voice-over talent bookings similar to Stars' core services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/starstheagency
• Xx.com/starstheagency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stars The Agency