Ask anyone who knows him, and they’ll tell you Andrew Meyer is the best, both as a business manager and all-around good guy. The Freemark Financial co-founder has built a reputation for being grounded, methodical, empathetic and kind — while representing some of the flashiest names in entertainment, including Jon Chu, Anna Kendrick, Adam Driver, Kathryn Hahn, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ellen Pompeo, who presented him with The Hollywood Reporter’s Business Manager Icon award during a Nov. 9 virtual celebration.
Meyer grew up in Monrovia, barely 30 miles from his current Beverly Hills office, but says, “I might as well have grown up 5,000 miles away because there was no connection to this business at all.”
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There were many stops on his path to launching the firm he’s run with co- founder Steves Rodriguez for nearly a decade — but two of them seem especially significant. First, shortly after Meyer started a bookkeeping job at Breslauer Jacobson Rutman & Chapman, Nancy Chapman left the firm to launch a business of her own alongside Terry Bird and Bonnie Grey. “They believed they could do something better, and they split off,” Meyer recalls. “I was able to watch from ground zero how they were able to take these clients and build a firm. I was intrigued by it, and that’s something that has stayed with me for my entire career.” The other was a stint at a Westside accounting firm in 1996, where he first met Rodriguez, his then officemate.
“Working with my best friend, who happens to be the best business manager I have ever met, is something I try not to take for granted,” says Rodriguez. “When we met over 25 years ago, it was hard to imagine we would end up here. We have had our challenges along the way that came with growing into one of the premier firms in the industry, but I would not change a thing about the journey.”
The feeling is mutual. “Steves really believed in me, which is wonderful in a business partner, especially when you’re very early on in your career,” says Meyer. “I was that bookkeeper who really aspired to grow, and I didn’t have entertainment relationships. So it was really about building. You do the right thing, you treat people well, you provide good service, and you just hope that it all comes together.”
It certainly has. Meyer credits manager Larry Taube of Principal Entertainment as an early advocate who not only trusted him with his clients but also helped him forge relationships with other reps. “I’ve known Andrew for more years than either of us care to admit,” says Taube, adding that Meyer stands out for multiple reasons: “It’s not only his impeccable style — we’ve rarely seen him out of a suit lately, even on quarantine Zooms — but it’s Andrew’s integrity and honesty that is most appreciated.”
Meyer is known to go to great lengths for clients, whether it’s crossing the pond for a special occasion or simply homing in on details others might overlook and taking the extra time to make complicated financial matters understandable. “He takes a major weight off our shoulders,” says talent lawyer Steve Warren, who shares multiple clients with Meyer. “He anticipates people’s needs, and he’s able to explain a client’s financial life and their choices in a way that’s accessible and not overwhelming.”
Adds attorney Rick Genow, who has known Meyer professionally and as a friend for more than 15 years, “Andrew loves what he does and elevates business management to an art form. He doesn’t miss a detail and truly cares about each and every client.”
Lee Polster, president of EOP realty, says he helped Meyer and Rodriguez find Freemark’s first office. Over the years, he’s worked with most of the business managers in town and says Meyer is a stand-out. Says Polster, “If I had the choice of one person in my professional life that I would want standing by my side in a boardroom or a dark alley, with the odds stacked against me, Andrew Meyer would be my choice, every time and without hesitation.”
As for Freemark, Rodriguez says the company’s future “has never been brighter,” and he’s excited for the path ahead.
So is Meyer, who lives in Little Holmby with his wife, Katherine, and three children. When he looks to the future, he sees himself and Rodriguez continuing to build their team internally while maintaining a client-focused culture. “We take a lot of pride in that we are a CPA firm that is specializing in entertainment business management,” says Meyer, “with a policy of being nimble, being proactive and always challenging ourselves to see if there are policies and procedures that should be changed in order to do things better.”
A version of this story first appeared in the Nov. 10 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
