LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Creative Artists Agency announced that veteran talent execs Mark Cheatham and Joe Hadley have been named as Co-Heads of the agency’s global Hip-Hop/R&B touring division.
With their promotion, Cheatham and Hadley will oversee the units’ 14 agent as they service a client roster that includes Beyoncé, Kanye West, Cardi B, A$AP Rocky, Lil Baby, Miguel, H.E.R., Logic, Lil Nas X, Q-TIP, Doja Cat, Lil Wayne, Playboi Carti, and the Wu-Tang Clan among numerous others.
“Mark and Joe are extraordinary leaders – gifted, inspiring agents who care deeply about their colleagues and invest in helping those around them succeed,” said CAA Co-Head of Contemporary Music Darryl Eaton. “Their intense drive combined with their profound understanding of where the business is heading will help ensure CAA remains the leading home for world-class hip-hop and R&B artists.”
Cheatham joined CAA in 2008, but started his career in the mailroom of legendary talent agency Associated Booking Corp. Since then, he has held positions at ICM, Norby Walter Agency and the William Morris Agency and he currently represents an impressive client roster that features Cardi B., A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Lil Baby, Saweetie, Brandy, Kem, and Anthony Hamilton, to name a few.
“As the global power and influence of hip-hop and R&B music grows to ever-higher levels, so too does the passion and privilege to work beside the incredible artists behind the music. Our team is the very best in the business, and I’m thrilled to work alongside Joe to help map its future,” Cheatham said.
Hadley is a more recent addition to the CAA team, joining the storied talent agency in 2016. In that short span of four years, he’s played a key role in the agency’s diversity and equity initiatives, including helping to organize a virtual CAA Amplify Town Hall focused on systemic racism, and he developed the CAA Quarantine Speakers Series which provides CAA employees with insights from some of the leading lights of the industry.
As well, Hadley served as an advisor for Global Citizen, a group focused on ending global poverty, which is also noted for its high-profile music and cultural festivals. His work with Global Citizen included traveling with the organization to Nigeria and Ghana where he helped to produce global live campaigns to help the African nations achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals.
Hadley began his career at The Windish Agency after attending California Lutheran University.
“CAA’s unique and deeply collaborative culture within the touring department, and across the agency, makes anything possible for clients,” said Hadley, who represents clients including A$AP Rocky, Beyoncé, Anuel AA, Jorja Smith, and Miguel, among others. “In that environment, with so much access and so many resources, you get energized every day – by your teammates, by incredible partners like Mark, and by the endless opportunities for client success.”
