What CESD does

CESD is a commercial talent agency founded in 1967, headquartered in Los Angeles with a secondary office in New York. The company represents voice-over, on-camera, theatrical, print/modeling, comedy, dance, digital, and emerging performers for entertainment, advertising, gaming, and broadcast buyers across the United States. The agency is organized into more than 20 specialized departments, each with dedicated agents handling distinct sub-markets such as VO Animation, VO Gaming, VO Commercial, VO Español, VO Promo, VO Narration, VO Radio Imaging, VO Creature, VO TV Affiliates, VO Youth Animation, OC Commercial, OC Youth Commercial, OC Celebrity, OC Motion Capture, OC Dance, Models/Print, Theatrical Talent, Emerging Talent, Comedy, Digital, and Conventions.

The underlying technology platform consists of a searchable online talent database that allows casting clients to filter by department, name, location, age, gender, ethnicity, physical attributes (height, weight, dress/suit sizes, shoe/neck/sleeve/inseam/bust/waist/hip measurements), union status, special skills, and demo reels. The website supports custom portfolio request workflows via email and maintains social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. No AI/ML capabilities, APIs, SDKs, or mobile applications are disclosed.

CESD's business model is a commission-based professional services revenue stream. The agency earns revenue by matching talent to casting opportunities and taking a standard percentage of talent fees on each secured booking. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per engagement. The go-to-market motion is sales-led through direct agent relationships with casting directors, production companies, advertising agencies, gaming publishers, and broadcast affiliates. The customer base spans enterprise entertainment buyers, and there is no indication of subscription, SaaS, or other non-commission revenue streams.

Name

CESD

Legal name

CESD Talent

Website

https://cesdtalent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CESD is a U.S. commercial talent agency founded in 1967, headquartered in Los Angeles with a New York office. It represents voice-over, on-camera, theatrical, print, digital, and emerging performers across 20+ specialized departments, earning commission-based revenue by matching talent to casting opportunities in entertainment, advertising, gaming, and broadcast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Talent Representation & Commission: CESD earns revenue by representing talent (actors, voice-over artists, models, performers) and securing bookings for them. The agency matches talent with casting needs across commercial, theatrical, voice-over, print, and digital media.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

No source-backed information is available in the provided input to describe the company's core offerings.

Product overview

CESD is a talent agency operating as a unified platform with multiple specialized departments representing voice over, on-camera, print, theatrical, emerging, comedy, and digital talent. The agency maintains dedicated divisions for specific voice over genres (Animation, Gaming, Commercial, Celebrity, Español, Promo, Narration, Trailer, Radio Imaging, Creature, TV Affiliates, Youth Animation) and on-camera specialties (Commercial, Youth Commercial, Celebrity, Dance, Motion Capture), plus Models/Print, Theatrical Talent, Emerging Talent, Comedy, Digital, and Conventions. Located in Los Angeles and New York, CESD connects talent with casting and production opportunities across entertainment and media industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gersh Agency: Mid-to-large full-service talent agency with offices in Los Angeles and New York, representing actors, writers, and directors. Comparable to CESD in size, geography, and multi-category talent representation.
• Abrams Artists Agency: Full-service talent agency in LA and NY representing actors, comedians, voice-over artists, and below-the-line talent across commercial, theatrical, and print categories — directly comparable to CESD's scope.
• United Talent Agency (UTA): Major full-service talent agency with strong representation across film, television, voice-over, digital, and emerging talent categories — a direct competitor to CESD's full-department roster approach.
• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): Global full-service talent and entertainment agency representing actors, directors, and below-the-line talent. CAA competes head-to-head with CESD for on-camera, theatrical, and voice-over representation in both Los Angeles and New York.
• Innovative Artists: Talent and literary agency with LA and NY offices representing actors in film, TV, theater, voice-over, and youth talent — closely comparable to CESD's mix of categories including youth and on-camera commercial work.
• William Morris Endeavor (WME): One of the largest full-service talent agencies in the world, representing actors, directors, writers, voice-over artists, and digital talent across all major entertainment verticals — directly competing with CESD for the same roster and casting relationships.
• Paradigm Talent Agency: Talent and literary agency with offices in LA, NY, and Monterey representing actors, writers, directors, and voice-over artists — comparable in scope to CESD's multi-category talent representation.
• Atlas Talent Agency: Los Angeles-based talent agency representing actors in commercial, theatrical, voice-over, print, and youth categories — directly overlapping CESD's department mix and West Coast market focus.
• Verve Talent and Literary Agency: Talent and literary agency with LA and NY offices representing actors, comedians, writers, and directors. Comparable to CESD in size, geographic footprint, and broad category coverage including comedy and emerging talent.

Emerging players

• Hudson Artists Agency: Boutique talent agency focused on commercial, voice-over, and theatrical representation. While smaller than CESD, it competes in overlapping categories and markets, representing a comparable service model for clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cesdtalent
• Facebookfacebook.com/cesdtalent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cesd
• Instagraminstagram.com/cesdtalent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 CESD