ICM Partners’ Greg Lipstone Exits Agency to Head All3Media America

All3Media America is bringing its longtime agent in-house.  

ICM Partners’ Greg Lipstone is replacing outgoing president Eli Holzman as the company’s CEO. The news comes as a blow to ICM, where Lipstone has spent nearly a decade running an alternative department that features clients including Leftfield Entertainment (Pawn Stars), Sirens Media (Real Housewives of New Jersey) and Maverick (Chrisley Knows Best). Lipstone had also served on the agency’s board of directors.

It’s not yet clear which of his clients will remain at ICM, though one insider said he expected as much as 90 percent of Lipstone’s business to remain with the department, which has expanded to roughly 15 in recent years. In making the announcement, All3Media — arguably the largest of ICM’s reality clients — confirmed that it would remain with its longtime agency. 

In this new role, Lipstone will oversee all day-to-day operations for All3Media America, including the eleven companies under their corporate umbrella. Among the latter: Maverick, Studio Lambert, Zoo Productions and new addition Commonwealth. Lipstone brings with him years of knowledge and deal-making shorthand, having represented All3 along with several of its subsidiaries since its inception nearly 12 years ago. Between lengthy stints at both ICM and, before that, William Morris, Lipstone was instrumental in packaging some of the genre’s biggest hits, including Dancing with the Stars, Hell’s Kitchen and Undercover Boss.

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“Greg’s knowledge of the industry is exceptional and the combination of his relationships, his reputation, his commercial flair and his drive will play a hugely important part in growing All3Media in the US … He inherits a very strong team and an exciting development and production slate — we are all set for the next phase of growth of All3Media in the U.S.,” said All3Media CEO Jane Turton.  

In a joint statement, the partners of ICM added, “We are incredibly excited for Greg as he transitions into his new role as CEO. He will always be part of the ICM Partners family, and we look forward to continuing to work with him to further the success of All3Media America.”

The move comes as more unscripted companies look to bring representatives inside, recognizing the value of having an in-house deal-maker as the business grows increasingly corporate. Leftfield recently recruited one-time agent Adam Sher, while Allison Wallach jumped from Jupiter to UTA. For Lipstone, who insiders suggest was playing less of a day to day role at ICM of late, the leap is being made at a particularly challenging time for the unscripted industry, which has failed to launch new hits in a crowded landscape.

He joins All3Media America as it looks to expand its slate of unscripted shows, which include such series as CBS’ Undercover Boss, USA’s Chrisley Knows Best and AMC’s The Pitch. In the spring of 2014, its parent company was acquired by Discovery Communications and Liberty Global in a deal worth more than $900 million.