Kyle Loftus has been named President of Independent Artist Group, the agency announced on Wednesday.
Loftus is a homegrown success story who started at the agency 16 years ago as an intern, in its previous incarnation as APA, quickly moving up the ranks. He’s the rare agent to reach such heights in his 30s, at a time when achieving upward mobility in the ten-percenter business is fairly tricky. In addition to his new title, he will join the IAG Board of Directors.
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In a statement on the appointment, IAG CEO Jim Osborne, a longtime mentor and partner of Loftus, said, “Kyle has been instrumental in building an architecture at IAG that allows us to seamlessly integrate innovative opportunities for our clients across all divisions. Through his leadership, we’ve created multiple strategic pathways to help our clients diversify and grow their businesses. His exceptional ability to connect talent, music, IP, and literary assets has consistently yielded lucrative results for our clients, making this work a cornerstone of IAG’s brand in the marketplace.”
Continued Osborne, “Kyle’s influence extends beyond client outcomes—he is a role model for agents at every stage of their careers. His ascension to President is a natural progression, one that is both seamless and will be universally respected. Without question, Kyle is the finest agent I’ve ever worked with—and I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the industry’s best.”
Loftus most recently served as IAG’s Executive Vice President, Head of Content Development, where — alongside representing an extensive roster of high-profile clients— he oversaw the Motion Picture and Television Lit, Alternative TV, Media Rights, and Publishing departments. As President, he will continue those responsibilities while taking on a broader leadership role across all departments and key agency initiatives.
Described by insiders as a calm, yet tireless worker, a skilled negotiator, and a respected leader, Loftus was promoted to partner at IAG in 2018. His rise has been attributed to the great success he’s had with crossover clients in the music space, like Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Mary J. Blige, and the role he played in cementing the 2023 merger of APA and AGI, which created IAG, demonstrating the full potential of the merger while hip-pocketing AGI clients in the lead-up.
Loftus has helped Jackson expand from hip-hop stardom to making a major impact with his G-Unit Film & Television, which spurred Starz’s ongoing hit franchise Power. During his time at IAG, Jackson has also worked on the hit series BMF, ABC’s For Life, and the just announced Fightland for Starz. He launched his own FAST channel with Lionsgate last year and has a European tour, The Legacy Tour, coming up this summer, after grossing over $100 million with his Final Lap Tour in 2023.
Also an artist who has achieved multi-platform success with IAG, Blige was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was Oscar-nominated for her work on Netflix’s Mudbound. She produces content for many outlets, including Lifetime movies through her Blue Butterfly Productions, and in April starred in and exec produced a global streaming concert event from Madison Square Garden in partnership with Veeps, as part of her For My Fans North American tour.
Loftus has also played a key role in helping to build, expand and grow star-driven production companies for clients including Gary Oldman & Douglas Urbanski, Sylvester Stallone, Taraji P. Henson, Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams, Regina Hall, Cole Hauser, Atari, John Carpenter & Sandy King, Donnie Yen, Joseph Sikora, and Mel Gibson, among many others.
He began his career as a TV Lit agent and continues to represent a dynamic roster of writer/showrunners, including Adam Higgs (FUBAR), Leann Bowen (Ted Lasso), Kenny Smith (Kenan), Robb Cullen (Average Joe), Chris Downey (Leverage), Dara Resnik (Home Before Dark), Felicia Henderson (First Kill), Terri Edda Miller & Andrew Marlowe (The Equalizer), Matt Wheeler (Salvation), Paul Zbyszewski (Snowpiercer), Michael Petroni (Messiah), and Nick Schenk (Gran Torino), among others.
In a statement on his appointment as IAG President, Loftus said, “Reaching this professional milestone at IAG is incredibly rewarding. This company believed in me from day one, and I have so many amazing colleagues, mentors, clients, and friends to thank—most importantly, my partner and friend Jim Osborne, who has been an unwavering champion. We have a fantastic team at IAG, and I am proud to step into this role, lend my support and expertise across the agency, and continue amplifying the IAG story by championing the growth of our exceptionally talented clients.”
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