Three veteran managers—Josh Kesselman, Amy Zvi and Katrina Escudero—left Sugar23 to join Mgmt Entertainment, with Kesselman and Zvi elevated to partners to help scale the company's literary, comedy and production divisions
Mgmt Entertainment has bolstered its ranks with three senior hires from Sugar23 — Josh Kesselman and Amy Zvi, who join as partners, and Katrina Escudero, who comes aboard as a senior representative. The additions will beef up the company’s literary, comedy and production capabilities as Sugar23 pivots its own business toward a brand studio, prompting several departures.
Why it matters
These hires aren’t just warm bodies. Seasoned agents bring client lists, project pipelines and industry relationships — the ingredients that speed deals from pitch to screen. For Mgmt, the new leadership should deepen the firm’s ability to package projects, shepherd adaptations and expand its footprint in both scripted and unscripted comedy.
Josh Kesselman — production savvy and management muscle
Kesselman arrives with more than 27 years in management and production. He’s long been associated with writer-creator Tony McNamara (whose work on The Great earned a Golden Globe nod) and represents a varied roster that includes actors, writers and directors such as Giancarlo Esposito, Owen King and Destry Allyn Spielberg.
On the production side, Kesselman has executive-produced or produced a string of projects: AMC’s crime drama Parish, Destry Allyn Spielberg’s Please Don’t Feed the Children, the ensemble thriller The Estate and the film Where All the Light Tends to Go. Those credits reflect a hands-on approach — building projects from page to screen — and a willingness to diversify across genres, which helps stabilize revenue across theatrical, streaming and TV windows.
Mgmt’s owners described Kesselman as a cultural fit with the firm’s entrepreneurial ethos. His dual role as manager-producer should help align creative strategy with commercial execution as Mgmt ramps up development efforts.
Amy Zvi — comedy packaging and publicity expertise
Amy Zvi joins as a manager and producer after 26 years in the business. Her roster leans heavily toward comedy, including clients like Sarah Silverman and Jeff Ross, and she’s worked with directors such as BAFTA-winner Sindha Agha. Zvi’s producer credits include executive producing Netflix’s Greatest Roast of All Time franchise and Silverman’s special Post Mortem, a project that earned attention across the Emmys, Grammys, Golden Globes and Critics Choice circles.
Before moving into management and producing, Zvi spent 11 years in publicity and served as Vice President in the Entertainment Division at BNC. That publicity background gives her a cross-disciplinary edge — an ability to shape press strategy alongside packaging and platform negotiations. Mgmt will likely lean on her to sharpen pitching strategies, negotiate streaming deals and grow the company’s comedy slate, from specials to longer-form formats.
Katrina Escudero — literary rights and adaptation know-how
Escudero comes from a literary and rights-management background with stints at UTA and ICM before her role at Sugar23. She represents bestselling novelists such as Tessa Bailey and Candace Bushnell and writers including Tigest Girma, Marjan Kamali and Ann Liang. Her track record includes steering Jaime Oliveira’s short story “High Side” into a competitive studio win at Paramount, with James Mangold and Timothée Chalamet attached, and representing Juliet McDaniel, whose novel became the Emmy-nominated Apple TV series Palm Royale.
Escudero’s expertise in rights and option negotiations should strengthen Mgmt’s book-to-screen pipeline. Clear title work, tighter option agreements and rigorous due diligence reduce transaction friction and make packages more attractive to studios and streamers — especially when established director or star attachments are already in place.
Business implications
Adding two partners and a senior representative increases senior capacity and likely shifts Mgmt’s revenue mix toward a larger share of agency commissions and production fees. The firm declined to disclose client names or financial terms, but the hires signal a deliberate push into packaging, development and higher-value adaptation deals.
Why it matters
These hires aren’t just warm bodies. Seasoned agents bring client lists, project pipelines and industry relationships — the ingredients that speed deals from pitch to screen. For Mgmt, the new leadership should deepen the firm’s ability to package projects, shepherd adaptations and expand its footprint in both scripted and unscripted comedy.0
Why it matters
These hires aren’t just warm bodies. Seasoned agents bring client lists, project pipelines and industry relationships — the ingredients that speed deals from pitch to screen. For Mgmt, the new leadership should deepen the firm’s ability to package projects, shepherd adaptations and expand its footprint in both scripted and unscripted comedy.1